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Old January 24, 2013, 10:52 PM   #1
dakota1820
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why such dislike for jimenez.

I bought a hi point 40 a couple weeks ago as a first handgun. It was miserable. Always jammed a lot of ftf. I went out and bought a jimenenz j.a. 22 and its been flawless. Ive run a couple hundred rounds already and it had one failure to feed and that was because I didnt have the clip locked in all the way. I bought today amd trade the hi point for a 9mm jimenez . I havent shot it yet butnit seems to be good quality. Sure the refinment isnt that of a nicer gunnexample the trigger are kimda cheapnlooking and feel. But so far the 22 has been flawless and the 9 looks decent. So what is so bad about them? Have they just otten better? Tell me what you think. And how can you tell ny looking a good gun from a cheap bad one.thank guys I am glad to be here.
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Old January 24, 2013, 10:58 PM   #2
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You get what you pay for.(in most cases)
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Old January 24, 2013, 11:04 PM   #3
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Take a Jiminez and a Glock, Sig or S&W semi to the range. After a mag of each, you'll have the answer.
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Old January 24, 2013, 11:10 PM   #4
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My experience has been that Hi Points are pretty reliable, though they won't win any beauty contests.

As to the Jimenez (pronounced He-men'-ez), they may be better now, but they were always made of poor quality materials and didn't hold up well. Some were reliable enough, at least for a while, but in general they were not guns most folks would want to rely on if they were able to afford a better one. Oddly, the design is quite good and made of good materials they would be a decent gun - but then they would cost more.

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Old January 25, 2013, 08:08 AM   #5
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I have a Jennings J-22. It's over 20 years old now. I have shot it quite a bit and if I keep it clean and lubed, and use CCI stingers, it is about 100%. When I use cheaper .22 ammo, it is still pretty reliable, but I do have to CLEAN IT OFTEN.

I even carried this little J-22 while riding a motorcycle from Florida to New Mexico and back over several weeks and some pretty rough weather. Contrary to popular thought, It didn't rust, corrode, fall apart, or disintegrate. Mine is the Chrome version with wood grips.

The only part I've replaced on it was the takedown/recoil spring cap (not sure what it's actually called) and that was because I lost the original when I removed the slide once. Anyone who has one of these knows what I'm talking about.

I don't use it for anything but occasional plinking any more, since I have far better carry guns now. But, if y'all will think back 20+ years ago, there really wasn't much available in the size of the J-22.
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Old January 27, 2013, 12:35 AM   #6
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Don't even need to shoot it. Not a fan of the looks. Couple that with the fact that I saw a field strip video while the guy was in his car, I have enough reasons to never even hold one.
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Old January 27, 2013, 12:41 AM   #7
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They just ain't no good.
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Old January 27, 2013, 12:41 AM   #8
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I have a hard time believing you have a Jimenez JA-22 that has been flawless.

I just recently sold mine because I never shot it. It never got through a single magazine without a feeding issue. Both magazines had issues and the gun would fail to go into battery all the time. Total piece of junk.

I bought it knowing that it would likely be used just for fun at the range and while just shooting it was fun, it was never reliable.
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Old January 27, 2013, 11:13 AM   #9
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I don't knock cheap guns as long as they are reliable and don't fall apart in a thousand rounds.
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Old January 27, 2013, 12:10 PM   #10
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I don't knock cheap guns as long as they are reliable and don't fall apart in a thousand rounds.
I don't either though, as 9mmsnoopy noted, generally, you do get what you pay for.
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Old January 27, 2013, 12:28 PM   #11
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The Jimenez 9 used to be named the Jennings 9 prior to Jennings filing for backruptcy and reforming as Jimenez. They also were once known as Bryco and maybe by other names as well.

I sold them at my shop for awhile. They sold well because of good packaging and low price.

But every one that the owner actually fired broke and was returned to me. The only happy owners were the ones that never fired the piece. If you never drive your Yugo it's a great car.

I quickly stopped offering them. Worst piece of junk I have ever seen.
They make Hi-Point look like a high end custom piece.
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Old January 27, 2013, 06:00 PM   #12
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bout 12 yrs ago i bought a hi point 40 s&w full size. shot a few hundred shells out of it...was good gun. traded it to my brother for a marlin golden 22. he shot the high point with accuracy that was scary as hell. after a few yrs he asked if he could trade it back for the marlin and being his older brother and kinda feeling bad about taking advantage of him on the first trade i let him have the marlin back. shot it for another yr or so without having any problems then sold it to a friend for about half of what i paid origanlly. far as i know its still slinging lead down range with no problems....have had more expensive guns that didnt have near the accuracy or problem free times. so hi point is a good starter weapon or if its all you can afford go for it.
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Old January 27, 2013, 09:23 PM   #13
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I once worked for a shop whose owner hated to send guns back to the factory, so I got the "pleasure" of fixing (or trying to fix) a bunch of those cheap automatics. Mostly the problems were due to poor quality springs, but the general shoddiness of the work and poor quality of the other material made them a nightmare to work on. I guess on the law of averages, some must have worked OK, at least for a while, but I would never want to depend on one.

On the other hand, I have fired a fair number of Hi-Points and found them reliable and reasonably accurate, with (in those I fired) no problems.

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Old January 27, 2013, 09:37 PM   #14
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Ask a gun shop whats his most returned firearms, usually /Jimenzs/Brycos/Hi-Point/Taurus just ask them!! I seen Brycos/jimenez in my LGS broken waiting repairs.

Last edited by JohnKSa; January 27, 2013 at 09:38 PM. Reason: Removed response to deleted post.
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Old January 28, 2013, 01:58 AM   #15
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THe material and build quality makes the others better.
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Old January 28, 2013, 08:43 AM   #16
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I have a hard time believing you have a Jimenez JA-22 that has been flawless.
Yes, nearly flawless with CCI Stingers when it is clean. Not so with any other .22LR ammo, but it definitely doesn't jam once every magazine, even with cheaper copper/bass coated .22LR. Once the little gun gets dirty, it will jam - it's no Rhorbaugh R9.

I'm not telling anyone to go out and buy Jennings J-22's. It's really not a good defense gun. I just like to plink with it now and then. I'm just reporting that mine, which I've had for over 20 years, is simply not an awful self-destructing jam-o-matic.

But, I will say this - I'll know who has and has not actually shot a J-22 if they can answer this question correctly: What do you hate most about the J-22? Hint: It has nothing to do with looks, zamac, durability, reliability or accuracy.

Last edited by Skans; January 28, 2013 at 08:52 AM.
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Old January 28, 2013, 10:11 AM   #17
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Ive run a couple hundred rounds already and it had one failure to feed and that was because I didnt have the clip locked in all the way.
A couple hundred rounds isn't a very good test. For some reason, the Interwebs believe that 200 rounds is some magical number that means you have a great gun. When you get to 2k, let me know how flawless it's been. I have around 5k rounds through my G19 and have yet to have a single malfunction, with the exception of the stovepipe that I caused by limpwristing on purpose (and even then, it took 10 rounds for it to actually malfunction.

In the end, if you're happy with what you got, then that's great. But "a couple hundred rounds" is nothing. I'll sometimes shoot that in a session at the range.
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Old January 28, 2013, 10:21 AM   #18
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Take what you spent on the Jiminez and Hi Point and see what you could have got. Probably a lot more than what you have.
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Old January 28, 2013, 12:43 PM   #19
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In many cases a question like this has merit. In this world in general but especially the internet there is so much bad information around it's hard to sort it all out. Even the old sayin of "one unhappy customer = 10 happy customers" comes into play. Unhappy folk are generally more vocal than happy folk and some things get an undeserved bad rap. But in the case of Bryco, Jennings, Jimenez, Davis, etc the bad reps are deserved. Bad materials, bad designs and bad workmanship. To be honest the first centerfire handgun I ever bought was Bryco 9mm. Looked good in my eyes, felt good, right size, etc. At the range the thing was atrocious. It ran fine but felt like a hand grenade went off in my hands every pull of the trigger and a 2 foot square hunk of cardboard was safe at 50 feet. How long would it of lasted I have no idea, I sent it down the road after a couple 100 rounds.

But there are some things that shooters just have to learn on their own. This is but one example. If I had to guess this same poster may be answering a similar post in a few years and have nothing good to say. Live and learn at least these POS's are a cheap learning experience.
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Old January 28, 2013, 03:20 PM   #20
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But, I will say this - I'll know who has and has not actually shot a J-22 if they can answer this question correctly: What do you hate most about the J-22? Hint: It has nothing to do with looks, zamac, durability, reliability or accuracy.
Ok, I'll play. I would have to say the tiny trigger guard. I can barely get my finger in there without my knuckle rubbing on it. Doesn't matter as I sold it off recently but you said besides the reliability and accuracy.

Mine couldn't hit the broad side of an aircraft carrier.

Edit: Another thing was that the loaded chamber indicator orange thing would fall out all the time.
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Old January 28, 2013, 04:04 PM   #21
Skans
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Take what you spent on the Jiminez and Hi Point and see what you could have got.
Well, I don't have a Hi-Point. My J-22 cost $79.95. Soooo, what quality carry gun can I get for that kind of money?

Quote:
A couple hundred rounds isn't a very good test.
Actually, that is a good amount of ammo to test reliability for a 22LR rimfire pistol, considering the price. How many rounds should someone put through a Rhorbaugh R9 to make sure it is reliable? A few thousand?

I think a lot of people are just repeating what they've read about the J-22. So, I'll ask this again: What do you hate most about the J-22? Hint: It has nothing to do with looks, zamac, durability, reliability or accuracy. And, yes, if you have fired even 50 rounds through this gun, there is only ONE answer.

One more thing, if the J-22 was that bad, it would have faded from production many years ago. As it is, it has been in production in one form or another about as long as the Glock 17 and Beretta 92. Contrarily, the Rogak was not in production for very long.

Last edited by Skans; January 29, 2013 at 08:59 AM.
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Old January 28, 2013, 09:48 PM   #22
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I've got a JA-22 that has been flawless. The only issue is that I am constantly hitting safety with my thumb and I have to remember to flick it down before shooting.

We had a BUG stage at a Steel match last year and I used it just because I could. Finish third with that little bugger....
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Old January 29, 2013, 09:58 AM   #23
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Take what you spent on the Jiminez and Hi Point and see what you could have got.

Well, I don't have a Hi-Point. My J-22 cost $79.95. Soooo, what quality carry gun can I get for that kind of money?
Hey Skans, I was referring to the OP who has now purchased both the Hi Point and the Jiminez. He has plopped down maybe $250 or more on two weapons and has arguably gone from bad to worse (especially as he could have used the Hi Point warranty). And yes, I do understand that there are budgets and financial means to consider (although the OP has not said so) but if what has now been spent on two weapons had been spent on one higher quality weapon it is my very strong opinion that in the long term (if not the short term) he would have been far better served.
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Old January 29, 2013, 10:40 AM   #24
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Actually, that is a good amount of ammo to test reliability for a 22LR rimfire pistol, considering the price. How many rounds should someone put through a Rhorbaugh R9 to make sure it is reliable? A few thousand?
I suppose for a non-carry gun, it's a good test. Guns that I want to be reliable are competition guns and carry guns. If the J22 is neither, then no test is even needed. For either of the categories I mentioned, 200 rounds is nothing, and means nothing. .22LR is also dirt cheap. 1000 rounds will cost about the same as 200 rounds of 9mm. And I woudn't carry or use a 9mm in competition unless I've put at least 500 rounds through, and I'd rather it be closer to 1000 (at least for a carry gun). I'll concede this to you though, as I believe we're talking in terms of different uses.

As for the R9, I'd never own one. They're expensive pieces of junk. The owner of the company says the gun isn't meant to be shot much. Just load it and shoot a mag or two through it every few months. There's several reports if you look them up of them breaking down after 150-300 rounds, and needing to be sent back to the factory. Any gun that isn't meant to be shot much is one that isn't meant to be carried. I put at least 400 round a month through my carry gun. If a gun can't take that, I won't own it.

Quote:
I think a lot of people are just repeating what they've read about the J-22. So, I'll ask this again: What do you hate most about the J-22? Hint: It has nothing to do with looks, zamac, durability, reliability or accuracy. And, yes, if you have fired even 50 rounds through this gun, there is only ONE answer.
To be honest, I've never shot one, and don't have an opinion one way or another. I've seen several reports of them breaking after 500-1000 rounds. For the price, I suppose that's ok. There always needs to be some one making lower priced stuff in just about any industry.

Quote:
One more thing, if the J-22 was that bad, it would have faded from production many years ago. As it is, it has been in production in one form or another about as long as the Glock 17 and Beretta 92. Contrarily, the Rogak was not in production for very long.
This is a logical fallacy. There are many factors that can keep a product to market, even if it's a crappy product. Customer service and price, to name two common ones. Taurus has a pretty bad track record (maybe not as much lately, but they're known for failures) yet, they've been making guns more than twice as long as Glock, they have a reputation for cutting corners and making substandard products, yet, they remain in the game. Why? They have pretty good customer service and their knock offs are about 20-30%, cheaper than the "name brand."

Keep in mind, I'm not saying that the J-22 is a piece of junk. I'm just saying that the fact that it's still in production is NOT an indication of quality. There are many reasons why something can remain in production, even if the product is junk. Here's a great example...these are still being made (and they've been around since at least the early 80's, possibly the 70's) and anyone who's used them knows they're absolute junk...

https://www.ronco.com/products/pocket-fisherman.html
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Old January 29, 2013, 02:30 PM   #25
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I can't speak for the Jiminez bit you
Mentioned you had a Hi-point .40. I have one in .45 and have shot about 400 flawless rounds from it. It is more accurate than any other of the 8 handguns I own. Sig, glock, M&P, ruger. I clean it after every session. For a $150, can't beat it.. :-). If your Jimines works, then it's a GREAT gun..
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