Jimenez/Jennings/Bryco

[BlackPR]

Went to the Tanner Gun Show yesterday in Denver and noticed a booth had some "conceal carry guns" that had a bunch of college age kids throwing money around. They were selling .380's, a 9mm and others for dirt cheap ($120 or so). I took a closer look and saw it was "Jimenez Arms" guns. It took about 1.5 seconds of looking to realize they were oddly familiar junk, but they sure seemed popular!

I had never heard of Jiminez, so decided to do a few searches when I got home. As indicated in the title, Jiminez is Jennings, is Bryco. I figured I would just poll people here on their Jimenez/Jennings experiences.

Mine? I had a Jennings .22. It's the only gun I ever threw away. I took the time and trouble to cut it in half and threw the parts away in various different trashcans because I felt the world was a better place without that gun in it. If my wife, or one of my kids came home with one, I would make them cut theirs in half with a tiny, flimsy nail file as penance.

So what's your experience with these guns? Would you let your significant other buy one as an EDC?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[mr surveyor]

I just bought a NIB Jiminez JA25 Saturday. My gun shop buddy bought three (the .25 and two .380's) about 18 months ago to have on hand just in case one of his customers wanted a (very) inexpensive (cheap) pistol. He asked me to take the .25 and a .380 home, disassemble and inspect/clean, then range test them. After removing the overspray of the cheap finish goo from the feed ramp and chamber, and working the slide down a bit, I took them to the range. I ran a box of ammo through each without a hitch. Both were amazingly accurate on paper, comfortable to shoot. The triggers are stiff and somewhat gritty, and the slide/rails are a bit gritty. I figure that by the time you get them through a "break in" period.......they will (break). I have yet to understand why the latching/take down part that locks the slide down is made of the same aluminum that is used to make the rings on the ring top aluminum beverage cans.

Would I buy another one???? Probably not for the usual asking price, or for that matter even the major discount price. Saturday, my friend told me he would let me have all three for what it cost him originally, but I just wanted one. Hey, a NIB handgun that really can (should) fire a round (hopefully more than one) for $75

My idea is that even if it is a POS, it is still capable of firing, and will add to the variety of chamberings I will have on hand for the future. At some point, the way the political wind stinks, I'm afraid that ammunition availability and restrictions will be the controlling factor in firearms and RTKBA in general. It may come to the point that if you don't have a weapon to fire a certain round, that that will likely be the ammo available in a "time of need".

Would I "carry" a Jiminez (Davis/Lorcin/Raven/Jennings/Bryco...)??? Well, not every day, but I did carry it home in a plastic bag.

Oh, and he also threw in 2 spare mags to go with the 2 that came with the gun. They should last the life of the gun...or the gun's life should at least be enough to fire all 4 magazines

JD

[Wrascal]

Thank you both for the high endorsements.
I think I'll run right out and get three of them.

Actually they must be quite popular; several pawn/gun shops display them around here.

[mr surveyor]

funny thing is... I KNEW what I was buying, and still brought it home.

[Schwebel]

I bought a Lorcin .25 from a friend for $35. I bought it just to have a little fun with it, lasted about 50 rounds before it turned into a paperweight. This was a gun he carried and had a good 200 rounds through. I shot it with a Mosin and pitched it in a river...lol. I guess the lesson with these is (most SNS), if you buy one, don't shoot it unless you have to. They all seem to last through at least a box of ammo.

Would I let a friend/family member carry one for SD? If that was all they could afford at the time...yes, but I'd honestly probally let them borrow a gun from me until they saved up some $$$. The old saying "you get what you pay for", usually (but not always) is true when it comes to firearms. However, I think Hi-Point does a nice job of putting reasonable SD weapons in peoples hands. I would trust one of them way more than any of the SNS jamo-matics (Flamesuit on). I have seen them go hundreds of rounds without a hiccup, even if they are ugly and heavy.

[rocky]

I owned a J 22 once. I used to buy extractors 3 at a time, due to the high rate of failure in them. I don't think it cycled 6 rounds(mag capacity) with out jamming.

[Bline]

I rock a J22 for pocket carry sometimes. Mine has been solid as a rock. Somewhat sensative to limp wristing but it must be on the extreme to cause a failure. Not my first choice but better than a kick in the teeth.

[raysheen]

I have a J-22 that I've had for a while...I've only shot it once or twice...2 liter bottle @ 10 feet...surprisingly, the gun cycled every round. I missed the jug on every shot though. It cost me $50 and I probably won't get rid of it...though, in all honesty, I doubt I'll shoot it again or carry it so I don't really know what use it will be to me.

[treksouth]

I've got a jennings model 38 .32. I bought it used from a friend for 75.00. He gave me a holster, box of ammo, and a spare mag. Not a bad deal I guess. But, after reading this thread I realized that my gun may be broken. The slide doesn't catch open if I slide it back with the mag out. Should it?

[mr surveyor]

the one's that I have handled have no slide lock

[bmcgilvray]

"I shot it with a Mosin and pitched it in a river...lol."

Puts the question "have you ever shot a Lorcin" in a whole new light.

Was there really that much left to pitch into the river? Inquiring minds want to know.

[OPFOR]

A friend of mine had a Jennings .22 in the late 1980's. It was a jam-o-matic for sure, and not very accurate when it did work. My friend actually managed to shoot himself in the hand - put a nice half-moon crease down the meat of his palm - trying to "force" a jammed round. That one ended up at the bottom of a lake, too... Am I sensing a trend here?

[AZ Husker]

The closest pawn shop to me sells them by the ton...to "shady characters" that pass the background check. I'd just as soon have them carrying junk that might or might not work as invest in something dependable. We were always impounding the cheapest, throwaway guns off gangbangers.

[BlackPR]

That one ended up at the bottom of a lake, too... Am I sensing a trend here?

Someday when the lakes all run dry there'll be nothing left of them except wide expanses of Jennings .22's?

Interesting, in doing some curiosity searching on them, I found that the name changes were largely as a result of product liability lawsuits. At one point, California yanked their Ja-Nine as being "California Approved" (or whatever), saying that all their tested models showed failures, some catastrophic. Slides coming off and magazines dropping while firing seemed to be most common. They then packed up and went to Nevada. They ended up being auctioned off to Jimenez, who was previously employed by Jennings. Jennings is still, apparently, running the show. This was seen as an attempt to block collection on a $20 million dollar liability lawsuit that they lost.

I've seen them portrayed as both the victim and the villian on a couple of different websites out there.

[treksouth]

the one's that I have handled have no slide lock

Ok, thanks. I didn't think there was one, but I wanted to make sure.