Quote:
There's a number of reasons why the Jennings is a very bad pistol. The main reason is that it's made from inferior materials... a "pot metal" pistol made not from forged or even cast steel like many/most handguns, but zinc and alloys. Cheap to manufacture.
Next is that it's a cheap design with inherent weak points... shoot one enough and you'll break something. The trigger bar is a thin, stamped piece and sits right under the grip panel. It's an oft-broken piece.
Another problem is typical of most small pistols... with a short barrel, a tiny grip, microscopic sights and a horribly short sighting plane, it's a mother effer to shoot accurately. Some of this is due to the nature of a small pistol, some of it is because of the lack of precision in the design. Either way, it's not at all what you'd call accurate.
The problem that is most obvious is that it jams a lot. Could be the design of the "feed ramp" or the cheap magazines or the wildy varying nature of different .22LR rounds, but add them all up and most of these pistols jam often. Some of them can also fire out of battery if the round doesn't seat fully. When that happens, the case head of the .22 round bursts and shrapnel flies.
It shouldn't be carried anywhere with a round in the chamber. It's striker fired and not well-built, so an unexpected discharge is highly possible, The safety mechanism is a black plastic lever. If you have one of these, you should only chamber a round when standing at the firing line or staring down a threat.
|
I have a Jennings .22 (chrome with wood grips). I purchased it in 1989 new. I've put over a thousand rounds through it - more than most people typically put through this gun. Don't forget, it was never meant to be a range gun.
I have never broken any part on the gun. It functions reliably, so long as you keep it clean. It will jam when it gets dirty, but no more so than my Ruger Mark II. CCI Stingers work best in it, but cheap .22 ammo works ok for the most part. The magazine isn't all that sturdy and you need to be careful with it. The gun will "bite" the web of your hand since the grip is small.
I have carried my little Jennings .22 when I go on long motorcycle rides - toss it in my pocket or in with my sleeping bag and forget about it.
What can I say? The Jennings goes "bang" when I pull the trigger. What more do you really want for $70? Valuewise, I got way more than what I ever expected to get out of this gun. Personally I feel that those people who criticize the J-.22 have never really used it or put it to the test. They just don't like the fact that it's cheap, and that it's not made out of high quality steel forgings. They probably really hate the chrome one the most (bty, my J-22's chrome is still in excelent condition)
I also have a Lorcin .380. The PO had to have the extractor replaced twice, so I know that there is a potential problem with extractors on this gun. So far it's worked fine for me, but I hardly ever shoot it.