At the 2025 NRAAM convention in Atlanta, GA, Hi-Point surprisingly unveiled its entry to the AR-15 market.

Hi-Point is known for simple and inexpensive blowback handguns and pistol caliber carbines, which I am sure most are familiar with.  

Needless to say, this was one of the more shocking things to see at the show.

Seeing an AR-15 at this booth was a surprise, to say the least, but in talking with the reps at Hi-Point, I think they will see some success with this line. The examples at the show were very early production, so some details are subject to change.  

The offering currently consists of three firearms: one 16” carbine and two different 10.5” AR pistols (one 5.56 and one 300 blackout). Given the price point of $499.99, they seem to check the boxes of most competitive low-budget rifles.  

Both rifles utilize the same simple clamping free float m-lok handguard design seen on similar price point rifles or budget uppers. The rifle variant has a full top 1913 rail, and the pistol variant has an interrupted top rail. The guts of these ARs are standard, the trigger looks similar to some of the super inexpensive polished single stages seen in some older lower parts kits that have been floating around (likely from the same OEM). The barrels on these appear to be 1:8 twist which is the norm for a lot of companies.  

Without seeing production models, it is hard to gauge how good this rifle will actually be, but the initial impressions seem to punch right where it needs to be at that price point. There are a couple things that stood out as red flags from the gate but again- with the expectation of this being a $500 complete rifle it’s to be somewhat expected.  

The first thing that raised concern was that they appeared to have nitride bolts (which we can safely assume is 9310)- I think if they can substitute this for a C158 phosphate bolt it would be a definite value add in the longevity department without adding much cost if any. The second red flag is the castle nut installation, the examples at the show were not staked which again, for a $500 MSRP AR15 isn’t a surprise, but would be a super easy fix if they choose.  

Overall, this budget AR-15 was hilariously one of the more interesting things to see at the show.

I am excited to see how exactly these rifles perform in the market.

While it doesn’t seem to be a go-to for life-saving purposes, it falls in line with Hi-Points’ existing product line and will add to the market for low-barrier-to-entry starter rifles, which isn’t a bad thing!