I know somebody here does! Just curious what your experiences have been with them. I have a Jennings J-22 that I paid $80 for, and YES I know they're crap, but I think they're fun to shoot! I've put about 1500 rounds of mini-mag through it, with the occasional FTE. Some people I've talked to said their pistol was a POS from the beginning, but I suspect it may have been users faults, like a dirty gun, or crappy ammo that won't give that slide the extra 'kick' that stingers or mini-mags do.
So? any comments? I KNOW SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS ONE! gimme some feedback!

I had a .380acp in the early 80's, when I was still wet behind the ears. Mine never malfunctioned, but I only put 200 rounds thru it before I traded it for a baby Browning.

I have a raven p25 that works verywell. In fact its my CCW piece till I get the money to upgrade to a 45. I still say 7 25's in someones chest would ruin there day. and if that didnt work I always have 6 more in the spare mag.

I used to have a Raven .25 about fifteen years ago.  It was reliable but keyholed pretty badly with some ammo.

i have a j-22.  fails to extract.  cost $35 when i was 15 or 16. (don't tell the feds.)     -my first handgun.  

Raven .25, nickle plated but it actually isn't too bad of a little pistol.  Goes bang every time.  The safety is somewhat of a joke, strictly condition 3 carry.

I have a Jennings .22 that I bought when I was a broke college student looking for a cheap plinker.

Through trying many types of ammo, the thing doubles and triples so often that it should be an NFA item.  As to the rather frequent FTFs and FTEs, maybe it needs a more thorough cleaning than I've given it recently.

I used to have a jennings .22, and I lost it some how, and did not give a shit about finding it.

Sorry!!  Not trying to be a smart ass but.... Jennings,Bryco,Ravens and anything under $100 new, are a POS and are for people that can't afford a real gun yet..
I've owned one of each and will never depend my life on or own another.
Not trying to be negative... It is just a FACT.
Save your money and buy a quality name, used....

I admit I had a J 25 15 or so years ago.  I wouldn't trust a rats life on it.  With more than four rounds in it it would not feed and it would jam every two or three rounds.  I kept it clean and tried to break it in with a couple hundred of rounds and to no avail.  I gave up and bought a Colt Mustang 380.  I learned a valuable lesson, in the long run a cheap firearm costs more than a quality firearm.  Now I have $400 in the Colt + $75 for the Jennings.  I could have saved the $75 and bought ammo.  Over 500 rds through Colt with never a problem.

thedr13, I agree. I would never recomend anyone I knew buy a cheapo as a first serious defense gun! It's just a plinker for me, I already have a smattering of MUCH better quality brand name guns that I'd depend on. They're just too fun though! Like a cheap hooker, you get what you pay for!

Does a Davis count?
I still have my old Davis .380 from many years ago. It even works! I can't remember it ever jamming but total rounds through it are less than 50.
Cheap as hell and you can tell it. Blocky, uncomfortable to hold and shoot it simply takes up room in the safe.
Mebbe I should try to sell it at the next gun show.

Quoted: Does a Davis count? I still have my old Davis .380 from many years ago. It even works! I can't remember it ever jamming but total rounds through it are less than 50. Cheap as hell and you can tell it. Blocky, uncomfortable to hold and shoot it simply takes up room in the safe. Mebbe I should try to sell it at the next gun show.

Actually, if I had no choice but to recommend a cheapo to someone, it'd be the Davis.  Gun Tests actually said that the one they got worked fine, and I've read no shortage of other Davis owners say that theirs are reliable... so long as you only feed it ball ammo.

But even in that price range, it'd be much more logical to recommend that the buyer spend $20 more for a FEG PA-63, CZ-50/70, or something else known to work.

Quoted: Quoted: Does a Davis count? I still have my old Davis .380 from many years ago. It even works! I can't remember it ever jamming but total rounds through it are less than 50. Cheap as hell and you can tell it. Blocky, uncomfortable to hold and shoot it simply takes up room in the safe. Mebbe I should try to sell it at the next gun show. Actually, if I had no choice but to recommend a cheapo to someone, it'd be the Davis.  Gun Tests actually said that the one they got worked fine, and I've read no shortage of other Davis owners say that theirs are reliable... so long as you only feed it ball ammo. But even in that price range, it'd be much more logical to recommend that the buyer spend $20 more for a FEG PA-63, CZ-50/70, or something else known to work.

The fellers at Gun Test tend to be idiots, so any review printed in that rag is useless.

I've never owned a Jennings, but seized one the other day from a local dirtbag. Looked well used. They have the appearance of being complete pieces of crap.

You guys are missing the main point.

These junks may be reliable and even decently accurate. In fact most are reliable untill they break.

The main point is they are not safe to carry with a loaded chamber and anyone that carries one with a loaded chamber is an idiot that is a danger to himself and EVERYONE he comes in contact with.

As long as you know and understand this you will be fine.

I used to have a Raven .25 that ran fine.  Got it for something like $50 new so I thought what the hell.  No way in hell I would carry it ccw with a round in the snout though.  They do not incorporate the necessary safeties and endanger anyone around you if you drop it.  BTW, if you carry ccw sooner or later you WILL drop a pistol.  Count on it.

I used (about 10 years ago) to have a Jennings J-22, all chromed up and stuff.  Had it, that is, until it went full auto, then refused to fire another round (something broke).  Sold it, that is, that day to an unsuspecting relative. Who, apparently, has to this day never shot it 'cause I never have heard one cross word from him.  Or maybe he just thinks it's cool to have a broke pistol.

The J-38s (.380 ACP?) look cool, but after my experience with the J-22 I think I'll stick with my KelTec P-3AT.

I have a Davis P-380.  Damn thing jamed every other round until I steel wooled the feed ramp.  now it just jams about 1 out of 10 rounds.

My first handgun, so I will never get rid of it.  But I rarely ever fire it. Thanks to Ruger, Taurus, and Beretta, I have becom to accustomed to guns that work every time I pull the trigger.

I also have the Bauer copy of the Baby Browning 25.  It was a gift from a friend.  It jams all the time, but I think its the mags fault.  It is so small that it is a novilty.

Quoted: I used to have a Raven .25 that ran fine.  Got it for something like $50 new so I thought what the hell.  No way in hell I would carry it ccw with a round in the snout though.  They do not incorporate the necessary safeties and endanger anyone around you if you drop it.  BTW, if you carry ccw sooner or later you WILL drop a pistol.  Count on it.

That is true but one person on this board tells me that these pistols ARE drop safe.

He also claims even if they are not drop safe only a moron would ever drop a pistol.  He claims not to be a moron and not subject to dropping a pistol.

So in his opinion it is perfectly safe for HIM to carry one of these with a loaded chamber and if we disagree WE are the morons.

It is people like him that cause serious accidents where innocent people are shot and all of us gun owners get the blame for it.

Jennings .22 here - bought in a Mexican flea market in San Antonio for $55 - had to bargain the price down.

It's an occasional plinker, and I have never had function problems; I make sure I keep the slide lubed, and everything is okay.

Do NOT trust you life to these pistols.

Never had either one but I do have a Beretta 22 POS with tip up barrel that I wouldn't trust YOUR life to.....

I had a POS Davis P380.
Wow did it suck. I mooshed it flat with a sledgehammer.

Quoted: Quoted: I used to have a Raven .25 that ran fine.  Got it for something like $50 new so I thought what the hell.  No way in hell I would carry it ccw with a round in the snout though.  They do not incorporate the necessary safeties and endanger anyone around you if you drop it.  BTW, if you carry ccw sooner or later you WILL drop a pistol.  Count on it. That is true but one person on this board tells me that these pistols ARE drop safe. He also claims even if they are not drop safe only a moron would ever drop a pistol.  He claims not to be a moron and not subject to dropping a pistol. So in his opinion it is perfectly safe for HIM to carry one of these with a loaded chamber and if we disagree WE are the morons. It is people like him that cause serious accidents where innocent people are shot and all of us gun owners get the blame for it.

Well then He hasn't taken the thing apart and looked for himself.  He's taking an awfully big chance and if carrying a quality weapon makes me a moron then I'll gladly get in line for my dunce cap.

I guess I will never understand why anyone would use one of these junky autoloaders for defense when a revolver can be had so cheap. Why risk the malfunctions?

Quoted: Quoted: I used to have a Raven .25 that ran fine.  Got it for something like $50 new so I thought what the hell.  No way in hell I would carry it ccw with a round in the snout though.  They do not incorporate the necessary safeties and endanger anyone around you if you drop it.  BTW, if you carry ccw sooner or later you WILL drop a pistol.  Count on it. That is true but one person on this board tells me that these pistols ARE drop safe. He also claims even if they are not drop safe only a moron would ever drop a pistol.  He claims not to be a moron and not subject to dropping a pistol. So in his opinion it is perfectly safe for HIM to carry one of these with a loaded chamber and if we disagree WE are the morons. It is people like him that cause serious accidents where innocent people are shot and all of us gun owners get the blame for it.

1) I don't carry the pistol, and I don't know how many times I have told you that. If you want to bring this up again at least get it through your thick skull that I do not carry the pistol.

2) Only a moron would drop a pistol. Period. A handgun is nothing more than a handle with a barrel, if you drop it you lack the manual dexterity, reliability and common sense nessesary to carry a weapon. Period. You can make excuses about how "shit happens", and "everybody does it eventually" but the fact is it is your fault if you drop a weapon, and it is due to the fact that you are an idiot of some kind.

3) The ultimate responsibility of any gun "accident" is that of the gun owner. You can blame it on the pistol, you can blame it on the holster, or you can blame it on your greasy hands, but in the end it is your fault if a gun hurts someone. Guns do not go off by themselves, if you drop it the "POS pot metal sear" is not at fault, you are. There is absolutely no reason for a concealed weapon to be out of a proper holster in a public area unless it is needed for self defense, and if you carry a gun around loose in a pocket or purse than you should not be carrying period.

4) This thread did not have anything to do with me. If you want to spread the word about the dangers of these pistols by all means do so, but your points can be expressed without making any reference to me, or "that person on the board". I never said that the pistols were drop safe, I said they do not go off by themselves and they don't, dropping a loaded firearm in a crowded public area is the fault of idiocy, not the fault of a poorly designed handgun. As a test of my hypothesis that "guns do not go off by themselves" I will load my POS Jennings .22 with a blank and set it in the safe, as soon as it goes off I will notify the board and apologize to you for making the ridiculous statement that "guns do not go off by themselves".

Most gun owners must be morons in your opinion. Anyone that carries a gun on a regular basis will sooner or later drop it.

If the pistol is not drop safe an AD can happen.

Quoted: Most gun owners must be morons in your opinion. Anyone that carries a gun on a regular basis will sooner or later drop it. If the pistol is not drop safe an AD can happen.

BS. Make excuses for yourself if you want but most gun owners do not drop their guns. But if they do then yes, I think they are morons. In the end it doesn't really have anything to do with who is responsible though does it.

So what exactly is a "drop" ? I have knocked over a rifle or two, nothing serious, or loaded, and I felt like a moron for not securing it properly. But there is the "screwing around with it" drop, the "unintentional" drop, or the "look! it's drop-safe!" drop. or is there a difference between a drop and a knock-over? pistols need a little extra ignance to "drop"  but knocking over a long-gun is different, though just as bad.

I had a 9mm Bryco Jennings bout 10 years ago. After about 5 mos. I was shooting and the take down pin in the rear sheared off, hitting me in the face, along with the spring. I saw it seperate in mid fire. I ordered the part to make it sellable, and they knew it was crap they sent 4 for the price of 1. Went to the pawn shop the day the parts came in, and am now much Happier with a SigSauer P229 357sig, wow what a difference $750 can make.

The only reason I would own one of those guns is for a cold piece.

I bought a Jennings when I got out of the Army as a cheap plinker, the guy at the gun store swore it was the best thing since sliced bread !

I will never go back there, and my Jennings is a BIG POS. I have been waiting for a gun turn in or something where I can get something usable for it. I won't sell it to someone that would actually try to fire it.