Give j-22 some love

ericuda

ericuda

Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
1,730
Location
nwkansas
Ole mark_mark's talk about cheap pistols made me dig mine out.

Not sure when both made. They both have different markings and even different safety operation. One slides crossways other up and down. Maybe one is new and improved. The black one looks like it has a guy carrying a sword on slide.

Would make an easy carry gun. Even have a nice little holster. Only have one mag for each.

Any idea on years. Nickel on is 5148xx, black is 2301xx. Could there be over half a million of these gems around.

20230206_105456 (1).jpg 20230206_105632.jpg
 
I traded an old bench vise for one years ago, I would say he got the better end of the deal but I sold it to someone for $50 a couple months later, so I did good in the end.
Never forget the guy I sold it to, he was a friend of a friend and came to the house to shoot it and never made it through a magazine without multiple failures. I said, “yeah, no doubt it’s junk” he replied with “well, it’s for my wife so I don’t really care”
I had asked 50 thinking he would counter offer lower, he didn’t.

Needless to say I have no love for them, hopefully other people have better experiences than I did. It wasn’t hard to tell the one I had was used up when I got it. It had a hard life before coming across my hands.
 
Bad Juju. The PD I worked for probably recovered a couple hundred or more Jennings, Bryco, Jimenez, Raven, Davis, Lorcin, etc. .22, .25 and .380’s at crime scenes over the years I worked there. It seems like every gangster party or weekend drive by shooting I went to involved at least one of these cheapo guns at the scene. :(

Stay safe.
 
Yeah I understand that. Mine was given to me back in the day as it was something dad could afford.

I ran traplines as a youngin and mine dispatched my first bobcat and countless raccoons. I try to remember but can't if it was functional. In the 80s it was a pure tool. I bet was federal lightning ammo. I bet lubed with wd40 and can guarantee countless dunkings in the crick. I am honestly surprised it survived.

Not sure all the bad rap is warranted. Yes cheap as was my Barlow but was mine.
 
Buddy had a Raven he wanted to shoot; never got through a magazine. I fell heir to the remainder of the box.
Yeah, really cheap, pot metal delights. It appears the brick with a grip Hi Points are masterpieces by comparison.
Moon
 
Oh, the bad rap is definitely justified. I had three different ones (two were basically given to me), not one of which were remotely reliable. I guess if reliable repetitive fire wasn’t a necessity, they would serve as a compact .22 ignition device.
 
Lol yes the bad rap is warranted. They are pos but at the price maybe not. I have spent and lost more on a name brand pos and I still have these around.
 
I may be the lone dissenter. Had one for about 20 years. It was reliable when clean and shooting good ammo.
Sold it when prices seemed to go high and I hadn't shot it for a while.
I kinda miss it.
 
Last edited:
I have a Bryco 380 on my bench now, dissembled, waiting to be cut up. Came to me to be checked out. Slide was so loose, at the rear you could see daylight between it and frame. Barrel is now my 380 plunk tester. Doing research long time ago, I did see some folks did like the .22, but 380 and 9mm when they worked, tended to disassemble themselves.
 
Ascot500 said:
I may be the lone dissenter. Had one for about 20 years. It was reliable when clean and shooting good ammo.
Sold it when prices seemed to high. I kinda miss it.
Click to expand...

My experience with a Jennings 380 matches this. I'd loaded up mine and kept it in a tool box for when working out in the garage at night. Moved the toolbox and forgot about it after back issues meant I could no longer do my own auto repairs. Found the old toolbox a few years ago with the Jennings inside. Took it to the range and after sitting for at least 15 years it emptied the magazine without issue. My recollection is that when starting clean it would generally choke on the third or fourth magazine, I'm pretty sure it never got through a box of 50 without a failure.

I've always said these things were reliable single shot pistols with a non-zero probability of follow-up shots, better than a sharp stick or harsh words for folks who can't afford better. If you can afford range fees and the cost of practice ammo you certainly can afford a better gun, but not everyone can.
 
Does anyone remember what year they changed the way the safety works. The reliability has to do with slide, takes twice the force my tx22 does to rack.
 
ericuda said:
Ole mark_mark's talk about cheap pistols made me dig mine out.

Not sure when both made. They both have different markings and even different safety operation. One slides crossways other up and down. Maybe one is new and improved. The black one looks like it has a guy carrying a sword on slide.

Would make an easy carry gun. Even have a nice little holster. Only have one mag for each.

Any idea on years. Nickel on is 5148xx, black is 2301xx. Could there be over half a million of these gems around.

View attachment 1131772 View attachment 1131773
Click to expand...
Didn’t know I was tagged here! LOL! I had a JA-22 and it had to back to the factory. Was doubling on my!!! DANGEROUS! Then I sold it!
 
Barnfixer said:
I had one for a short time long ago. Let’s just say a High Point is a Masterpiece compared to a Jennings.
Click to expand...
I’m so Glade HiPoint fill in the niche of cheap reliable guns… early mid-90’s gangster rap would never be the same
 
I brought my Jennings J-22 back in 1995. Someone brought it into the LGS and gave it to the owner to get it off his NY pistol permit. I got it for $14.95. It wouldn't work with most ammo, but I found it worked 100% with CCI standard velocity ammo, and was fairly accurate. I put it away and forgot about it. Then a couple years ago I got it out again and tried it. Now it wouldn't work at all with the CCI ammo it liked before, but now it works 100% with CCI Mini-Mags. I have other similar sized 22 pistols, so I probably will never carry the Jennings, but I have a friend in PA that loved his and carried it everywhere on his farm for woodchucks, etc..
 
one of the first auto's I fired. I snuck my fathers out of his sock drawer and fired a box or two through it before sneaking it back into his sock drawer. I didn't know much at that age but I knew a gun wasn't supposed to start coming apart as you shoot it. Put the grips back on, left it where I found it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

3
  • Locked
Will a 5.5 bull barrel make that much differnce over a 4 inch for one hole groups.
2
Replies
28
Views
3K
mosedav
M
F
  • Locked
Newbie's DW Panther first impressions (w/pics)
Replies
17
Views
1K
Flashpoint
F
B
  • Locked
Jennings J-22
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
W.E.G.
W.E.G.
W
  • Locked
Polish P-64 range report - An undiscovered gem!
Replies
22
Views
2K
kragluver
K
SharpDog
  • Locked
p229Rx Halfbreed
Replies
5
Views
534
bannockburn
bannockburn
Back
Top