What I did to fix Jiminez JA-22 reliability issues.

[Pyro]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to document and share modifications I performed on a Jiminez JA-22 autoloading handgun to significantly increase its reliability.

***Every firearm is different. The modifications I performed resolved issues with only this firearm. I do not recommend anybody perform any modifications to any firearm. These modifications will void factory warranties, please refer to your firearm's manufacturer for additional information.***

Before modifying, this handgun would consistently FTE and FTF regardless of ammunition type and style of projectile (CCI, Aguila, Remington and Federal where primarily used). At one point it found a "happy place" with Remington Thunderbolts but after cleaning the firearm I could not recreate the positive reliability of that shooting session.

The images attached to this post contain images/details to what was done. After performing these modifications the firearm will now reliably perform at a near 100%. I say a near 100% because after about 250 rounds of mixed bulk ammunition and bullet types, switching to higher QA'd CCI ammunition will allow the firearm to continue firing reliably without flaw. I've yet to have the firearm malfunction using CCI ammunition after making these modifications.

I don't recommend anybody perform these modifications to their firearm, if you have a Jiminez JA-22 that experiences FTE's and FTF's I hope this information can assist you with determining what components may be causing problem(s).

 

[Monac]

Wow. That gun is a descendant of the Jennings J-22 of what, 30+ years ago? That's an impressive length of production, really. I had no idea you could still get one.

There is a forum on the Internet for guns like this: http://www.bryco-jennings-jimenezarms.com/forum/ . I don't think it gets a large amount of traffic, but they'd probably appreciate a repost or a link.

 

[hdwhit]

Monac wrote:
That gun is a descendant of the Jennings J-22 of what, 30+ years ago?

Yes.

But remember that Bruce Jennings's guns trace their roots back to Raven Arms which had been founded by Bruce's father, George Jennings, so the pedigree goes back even farther.

 

[hdwhit]

I have bought all the guns I expect to own for the rest of my life with the exception of a Phoenix Arms or Jiminez 22LR pistol. There's no reason to have one except that I have always liked their looks, the guns felt "right" in my hand and .22LR is still available while 25ACP is getting hard to find. So, if I am ever able to "scratch that itch", this will be very valuable information to have.

Thank you, Pyro.

 

[Pyro]

Wow. That gun is a descendant of the Jennings J-22 of what, 30+ years ago? That's an impressive length of production, really. I had no idea you could still get one.

There is a forum on the Internet for guns like this: http://www.bryco-jennings-jimenezarms.com/forum/ . I don't think it gets a large amount of traffic, but they'd probably appreciate a repost or a link.

I've made accounts at two different times, between months, with hopes at least one gets approved by the website's administrators. I have never gotten an account approval response yet. I would love to share this on that website however it seems THR got the honor.

I have bought all the guns I expect to own for the rest of my life with the exception of a Phoenix Arms or Jiminez 22LR pistol. There's no reason to have one except that I have always liked their looks, the guns felt "right" in my hand and .22LR is still available while 25ACP is getting hard to find. So, if I am ever able to "scratch that itch", this will be very valuable information to have.

Thank you, Pyro.

I own a few of the inexpensive-type firearm brands (Hi-Point, Cobra Arms, Armscor Revolvers). All I can say is you get what you pay for. Expect the need to provide the finishing factory steps that these lesser quality brands skip to keep the price down. However, a little "elbow grease" and attention to detail will do these firearms wonders.

 

[MedWheeler]

I have a Jennings J22 of Calwestco-make, that I bought new in 1987. It's a neat little shooter that actually runs well. I've wondered if the newer incarnations are as slick as this little nickel-knocker is.

 

[Pyro]

I have a Jennings J22 of Calwestco-make, that I bought new in 1987. It's a neat little shooter that actually runs well. I've wondered if the newer incarnations are as slick as this little nickel-knocker is.

A buddy of mine bought an original Jennings J22. I remember shooting it a few years ago, it satisfied the title of jam-o-matic. I wish I had the skills I have now back then, I could have gotten the thing running up and good.

 

[MedWheeler]

^^ Pyro, you probably could have, maybe even simply by switching ammo (do you remember what you were using?) A lot of these little blowback guns are stiffly-sprung, to "protect" them from higher-velocity ammo pressures, but that can make them choke on weaker stuff. I haven't met anyone yet that has run Remington TBs or GBs well through either a Jennings/Jiminez or a Phoenix Arms HP22A..

This talk is making me want to dig mine out of the back of the safe.

 

[Pyro]

^^ Pyro, you probably could have, maybe even simply by switching ammo (do you remember what you were using?) A lot of these little blowback guns are stiffly-sprung, to "protect" them from higher-velocity ammo pressures, but that can make them choke on weaker stuff. I haven't met anyone yet that has run Remington TBs or GBs well through either a Jennings/Jiminez or a Phoenix Arms HP22A..

This talk is making me want to dig mine out of the back of the safe.

I remember all we had were CCI Stingers when we were shooting it. Looking back on it now, it might have been causing issues because CCI Stinger cases are longer than normal requiring a little longer extraction stroke from the slide.

 

[MedWheeler]

^^ That could be. What Stingers did to mine, though, was cause it to self-strip; the gun disassembled during a run of them. This was waaayyy before I learned that hyper-velocity rounds might be a bit much for the gun, probably around 1987 or 1988.

 

[Mayvik]

Mine J22 loves MiniMags (almost exclusively). Only issue is when it used to belong to my father and ca '94 it fired partially out of battery leaving him a sooty mess but otherwise unharmed. Believe it was cheapo Rem ammo (Tbolts or YJackets) at fault, or possibly just a filthy chamber from being fired many times that day.

Oddly, HP22s work best and last longest with standard velocity ammo. They are a cut above the other Ring of Fire stuff...especially after you cut off some of the extraneous safeties.

 

[midland man]

this is why I like the 25acp in these little guns they never with 50gr fmj never seem to have issues or at lest for me they never did!

 

[Pyro]

Just a quick update to this thread.
Lithium car grease was too gummy for lubricant and caused malfunctions due to the low recoil strength of .22lr.
Stick to something more fluid like WD-40 or Ballistol+Water.

 

[John G C 1]

A local store around here sells Jiminez pistols and I have seen three of them on the range that would not work.

Just saying maybe someone thinking of getting one would want to hear from a lot of owners before committing.

Supposedly they are good about warranty work and sending out a new gun.