Hi Point 995 Carbine weapons are popular across the states, for a wide variety of reasons – although primarily for certain home defense scenarios. However, what often gets forgotten when talking about the validity of using a weapon like the Recluse, is what a big difference round choice makes.
There are a number of different factors that need to be considered when making a home defense weapon choice, such as:
- Overpenetration
- Stopping power
- Available rounds
- Accuracy
Generally speaking, everything shot out of a Hi Point 995 Carbine is going to be subsonic, with the barrel porting of the Recluse having a slowing effect. Velocity is reduced, but it’s still going to do the job. That said, when looking at the rounds you use, things get a little clearer about the type of cartridge that’s most suitable for certain situations.
Let’s examine a few types of carbine round and what they do…
105 grain controlled fracturing round
This 105 grain cartridge is a good choice for home defense purposes when you absolutely don’t want to over-penetrate. As the name suggests, it fractures in a controlled way when hitting the target, reducing collateral damage. Fired into a ballistic gelatine block, it would penetrate around 12 inches, breaking into several parts when it hits.
90 grain Xtreme Defense
However, when penetration isn’t an issue, you could go for a 90 grain Xtreme Defense round from Lehigh. Fired from a recluse carbine rifle, it’s designed to displace the air for ‘barrier blind’ shooting. So, if someone’s in the next room, firing this kind of Hi Point 995 Carbine round will have no problems hitting the target.
Again, when fired into a gelatine block, averagely, you’ll see it penetrating about 15 inches. This extra penetration will hit the intended target, but will also hit other things behind the target.
115 grain ball rounds
While getting shot is getting shot, 115 grain ball rounds aren’t really designed for home defense, but we’ve included them for comparison. The problem they have is they often massively over-penetrate, meaning that the shooter has much less in the way of control.
Typically veering down and to the right when fired, they’ll create bigger wounds in people they hit, but you’ll have less control about who they hit.
A Good Home Defense Choice – Round-Dependent
So, in summary, when you choose the right configuration in terms of cartridge selection, then Hi Point 995 Carbine rifles are good for accuracy, stopping power and controlling over-penetration. That said, this only comes into play when you place sufficient focus on the rounds you’re buying.
The fact is, you could be doing the right thing for your needs by buying a Recluse carbine, but if you follow that up by buying an inappropriate round, then the factors that led to your decision are wide of the mark.
In short, make sure you buy the round that suits the situation and if you’re not sure, ask an expert. The last thing you want to do is hit someone you didn’t mean to during a break-in simply because you didn’t dot your I’s and cross your T’s.
