Glocks and Hi-Points are guns with very different price points, to say the least.

Glocks are considered solid, reliable guns. They’re considered by many to be the best bang for your buck (no pun intended) in the gun industry. They’re not as expensive as many comparable-quality brands, after all. Frankly, if someone wants a fast and dirty brand recommendation, many of us–myself included–will say, Glock.

Hi-Point is…well, it’s Hi-Point. They’re ugly, heavy, and cheap. They’re the preferred gun of the guy who decides to buy a gun but only looks at the price on the tag and little else. For some gun folks, owning a Hi-Point as anything other than a lark is evidence of just not knowing any better.

However, The Firearm Blog put the Hi-Point C9 up against the Glock 17 for the showdown you probably didn’t know you wanted.

The head-to-head is interesting.

While I don’t think anyone is ever going to recommend a Hi-Point over a Glock on general principle, the Hi-Point still acquainted itself pretty well. Every time they pulled the trigger, it went bang. There’s something to be said about that, even after being dragged through the mud.

That said, I’m still not likely to recommend the Hi-Point.

For one thing, most of the problems I’ve heard about them stem from their lack of longevity, not short-term reliability. In other words, they run fine for a while, but as they approach 1,000 rounds, problems start to show up.

Granted, it’s likely that most who buy a Hi-Point never get to 1,000 rounds. They buy it, a box of ammo, maybe take it to the range once or twice, and then let it sit on their nightstand or in their dressers for the rest of their lives. These aren’t the guns people who want to train religiously with their firearms buy, for the most part.

And honestly, that’s fine.

Not everyone needs to train to be the baddest of the bad. Some people just want a little protection, and I’d rather someone with a limited budget has a Hi-Point than go without a gun at all. A good guy with a Hi-Point can still save their lives or the life of someone else. A good guy with a Hi-Point is still a good guy with a gun.

Let’s also remember that it wasn’t all that long ago that people wanted to ban inexpensive firearms similar to the Hi-Point. The argument was that they were cheap, which allowed criminals to buy them. Well, criminals are using things like Glocks, Smith & Wessons, Sig Sauers, and everything else, not out of preference but because they’re using stolen guns most of the time.

A firearm like Hi-Point fills a niche in the gun market, one many of us tend to ignore ourselves. They provide inexpensive guns to people who may need one, but can’t save up the money for a Glock. And, as this head-to-head comparison shows, while the Glock still wins pretty easily, the Hi-Point is far, far better in a gunfight than harsh language.

Now, maybe someone will do a 2,000 round torture test of a Hi-Point to see how they hold up long term. Could be fun.