Hi-Point HP-15 5.56 Rifle Review: Promising Budget AR With Serious Reliability Problems

Hi-Point Firearms is an Ohio-based company that began manufacturing handguns and later carbines in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1990. The company built a reputation for producing affordable American-made blowback firearms to fill the recreational shooting and self-defense needs of buyers who couldn’t justify the cost of higher-priced options.

The company’s popular YEET Cannon 9mm pistol is one example. Despite its MSRP of only $229, the pistol carries the same lifetime warranty Hi-Point applies to all its firearms, including the HP-15 reviewed here.

Over the years, I’ve seen Hi-Point guns turn up in some unexpected places. For instance, many years ago, I handled firearms qualifications for a probation department in my home county.

One probation officer — a retired municipal police officer — carried a 9mm Hi-Point as his duty handgun. He shot it extremely well, and I never once saw the pistol malfunction.

I also found the company’s 1095 10mm Carbine and 1095 .30 Super Carry Carbine, both based on Hi-Point’s original blowback design, to be reliable performers.

Hi-Point Enters the AR-15 Market

Because of my previous experiences, I was pleasantly surprised when Hi-Point entered the AR-15 market with its new HP-15. I expected a budget-friendly rifle of the same quality and reliability I had from the Hi-Point’s earlier products.

The semi-automatic direct-impingement AR-15 has been available on the civilian market since 1964, and today, mechanically inclined shooters can even assemble their own rifles.

Because of the maturity of the AR-15 platform, it seemed reasonable to expect Hi-Point to produce a dependable AR at a great price point.

Initial Impression of the HP-15

When I first examined the HP-15, it seemed Hi-Point had followed the traditional AR-15 M4 carbine design. It includes many of the features shooters now expect on a contemporary entry-level carbine.

The overall layout and controls looked current rather than stripped down or outdated. Nothing about the rifle immediately suggested “budget gun.”

HP-15 Rifle Specifications

• Barrel length: 16 inches
• Weight unloaded: 6.25 pounds
• Hand guard: 15-inch M-Lok
• Barrel Twist: 1:8
• Gas System: Carbine length
• Stock: M4 with QD
• Barrel Thread: ½ x28 thread barrel standard

The HP-15 came equipped with features most AR buyers would consider practical rather than gimmicky. The rifle uses a 16-inch 4150 chrome moly vanadium barrel fitted with a standard A2 birdcage flash hider and threaded in the common ½x28 pattern.

A 15-inch M-Lok handguard gives the shooter plenty of room for accessory mounting. The 1:8 barrel twist rate should handle a broad range of common 5.56mm and .223 bullet weights.

Hi-Point also included familiar mil-spec style components throughout the rifle, like the bolt release, magazine release, charging handle and M4-pattern buffer system.

The forged 7075-T6 upper and lower receivers were another positive sign, especially considering the rifle’s price category. The rifle shipped with one 30-round magazine, a cable lock and Hi-Point’s limited lifetime warranty.

Range Testing the Hi-Point HP-15

Before getting into the shooting portion of this review, I should point out that I have spent many years working with AR-15 and M16 weapon systems, both professionally and as a firearms writer.

During my law enforcement career, I was certified as a Law Enforcement Select-Fire Weapons Instructor by the State of Ohio, which included semi-automatic rifles, M16 rifles and submachine guns.

While assigned to our SRT team at the Union County Sheriff’s Office, I instructed deputies on the M16 platform and was also certified as an AR-15/M16 armorer.

Over the years, I have tested a wide variety of AR-pattern rifles, carbines, pistols and SBRs.

With that background in mind, I do not recall ever seeing a brand-new out-of-the-box AR-15 malfunction to the degree this HP-15 did during testing.

First Malfunctions at the Outdoor Range

I took the HP-15 to a friend’s backyard range along with a variety of AR ammunition and the polymer Magpul-style magazine supplied with the rifle.

Since the rifle ships without sights, I had mounted an older Bushnell AR scope with an illuminated reticle. Rain was in the forecast, so my primary focus was checking reliability and function over accuracy.

I loaded the magazine with 15 rounds Magtech 55-grain FMJ ammunition. Standard 55-grain FMJ ammo should function reliably in any properly operating AR-15, though it may not be as accurate in barrels with faster twist rates.

Firing at a target about 40 feet away, the first shot cycled the bolt and ejected the empty case, landing near the bullseye. On the second squeeze, I heard a “click.”

When I tretracted the bolt, the chamber was empty. I manually cycled the action, chambering a round, and resumed firing.

The Hp_15 again cycled properly, but the next pull resulted in another “click.” After again manually chambering a round, I was able to get three shots in before the next “click.”

Testing With Different Magazines and Ammunition

I thought the included magazine may be the problem, but rain interrupted the session. From home, I grabbed two GI aluminum magazines: a 30-rounder and straight 20-round magazine.

I prefer the original straight magazines because they were designed to allow faster reloads.

I then headed to the Buckeye Shooting Center with SIG Sauer Elite Performance 62-grain JHP .223 and Winchester 64-grain JSP ammunition to continue testing indoors.

Using the GI magazines would rule out the possibility that the factory magazine was causing the malfunctions.

Unfortunately, the problems continued. After three rounds, one of which had been manually chambered, I again heard a “click.”

I fired the rest of the magazine, hoping the rifle may just need a break-in period, though a basic AR-15 shouldn’t require troubleshooting right out of the box.

The malfunction pattern remained consistent regardless of ammunition used and even with the 20-round magazine. The rifle would occasionally cycle correctly for several shots, then abruptly fail to feed the next round.

From 45 feet with the 30-round magazine, the HP-15 had produced a nice group from an unsupported position. Though it showed signs of practical accuracy, that was secondary to the larger issue of not functioning reliably.

I don’t like to read reviews or watch videos of a gun I’m testing to avoid skewing my opinion, but I checked one independent online test from another experienced reviewer.

He had encountered virtually the same malfunction pattern I experienced during my evaluation. That confirmed the issue did not appear isolated to my sample rifle alone.

Final Thoughts on the Hi-Point HP-15

As I packed up and signed out from the range, I was disappointed to have to report this kind of performance from the HP-15.

Prior to testing the rifle, I had already written much of this article discussing the whole line from Hi-Point and what appeared to be a thoughtful entry into the AR-15 market.

Unfortunately, the shooting portion of my evaluation completely changed the direction of this review.

After discussing my problems with the range officer, he mentioned a YouTube reviewer who had encountered the same reliability issues.

I searched for his video and was amazed to see the same malfunction pattern I had experienced. That gave me confidence the pattern was not isolated to my sample rifle or caused by shooter error.

I do think the problem is fixable. Based on the repeated failures to chamber rounds consistently, my guess is that there is not enough gas pressure to drive the bolt assembly all the way back with sufficient force to strip and chamber the next cartridge.

That is unfortunate because there is otherwise a lot to like about the concept. It includes many of the features buyers expect on a modern AR-15 at a reasonable price.

I have generally had positive experiences with previous Hi-Point firearms over the years, and I always want to see American gun manufacturers succeed.

Hopefully Hi-Point addresses the problem because the HP-15 otherwise appears to have the foundation of a worthwhile entry-level rifle that should have been ready to run correctly right out of the box.

• Hi-Point: Hi-Pointfirearms
• Magtech: MagtechAmmuntion.com