I own, and avidly OC a Hi-point model JHP .40SW, have been carrying it for almost two years. In all honesty, I adore it. I haven't owned the 9mm variant, but I've owned the .45ACP, which I didn't care for mostly for the round, .45 is too heavy for my tastes. Speaking form experience, I've owned Glocks, Taurus, RIA 1911s, and a Sig; And I'd take my .40SW Hi-point over any of the others I've owned, fired, or fired. A lot of people hate on the Hi-point because of it's price being cheap, and the sheer bulk of it being near to holding a brick, but a lot of the nay-Sayers think that low price, and bulky size means its inaccurate, or has problems loading and firing, or is a general P.O.S.
A lot of the nay-Sayers who think that way, are wrong.
The Hi-point pistol is comparative in reliability, accuracy, and handling, to the AK-47 rifle.
Having owned an AK [47 & 74s], and several ARs; I make a experience based noted review for ya, and the Hi-point haters.
The Hi-point and the AK are [or was, in the AK's area] relatively low priced. Seven years ago, I bought an AK-47, Romanian variant, folding stock, 3DS red-dot sight, and tac light, for 375$, and the ammo for it was insanely cheap compared to the present day. Depending where you go, you can buy a new Hi-point, out of the box, in .380, 9mm, .40, and .45, for between 125$, up to 180$.
You can expect to pay thrice the value of the AK, or Hi-point, for a glock, Sig, tuarus, ruger, etc. Depending where you shop at, and while you have a nice sidearm, you also have to buy a holster for it, and the ammo, and extra mags, which can lead you, in most cases, to spend up to 450$+ by the time all is said and done.
Reliability; The Hi-point's sheer mass, and bulk, isn't just there to help tone up your draw arm while saving you a gym membership's expenses!
All that blockiness lends the Hi-point plenty of mechanical space, for all teh moving parts to move around in. Just like the AK-47, it's heavy, bulky, but you can lock the slide back in an open position, throw it pistol in mud, sand, water, or concrete, take it out, ratchet it back a few times, and it'll fire like 'Not a single F--- given'.
Accuracy; The Hi-point has crap accuracy, I'll be honest with that, even with advanced sighting, and lasers, and stuff, it's not as accurate as a glock, or the other top brand-name pistols. But! If you're firing within 20 yards, you can put about 6/7 rounds in or near a bulls-eye. And, hey, in a self defense scenario, you're gonna be working with up close and personal ranges, or as I've known it called 'shotgun' range. Under 15 yards, the Hi-point is dead on accurate. But the same is attributed to the AK-47; Which after 300-to-400 yards, the accuracy of the AK-47 falls off a cliff.
Up close, the AK and the Hi-point are meant to throw lead reliably at whatever is a threat, until said threat is no longer a threat. And do so while almost never having to break the weapon down, and clean it.
As a starter weapon, I highly encourage, or recommend you get a Hi-point, or as a veteran Carrier, I still say get a HP.
Case in point, and for TL;DR sake: I haven't cleaned my Hi-point in nearly two years, since I bought it, actually. I have put thousands, if not tens of thousands, of rounds of ammo through it, and have NEVER had a mis-fire, or failure-to-feed/fire, nor have I had a problem with magazine jamming, or getting suck. And most of the ammo I fire through it is cheap ammo, sometimes target corrosive, but mostly non-corrosive.
Plus, the polymer shell and grips give credit to its name, no scratches, good grip. Only thing I hate about the exterior, is the safety switch broke off last year, but that's okay, it has a heavy trigger, and my finger is all the safety I need.