Raven .25 auto - Page 2

moosemike · May 1, 2018, 05:34 PM

Very nice Jazz!

Jazzgun · May 1, 2018, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosemike

Very nice Jazz!

Thanks! I like yours too Mike! Looks like it's in really good condition. Do those Fiocchis work well for you?

Oysterboy · May 1, 2018, 05:52 PM

Mine looked just like Jazz's.

CUBAN REDNECK · May 1, 2018, 05:54 PM

Not a fan, BUT they do go bang. This was the little gun that ended up in a lot of successful prison cavity searches according to some of my CO friends.

moosemike · May 1, 2018, 07:42 PM

Fiocchi has been completely reliable in mine.

Bill DeShivs · May 1, 2018, 08:33 PM

Sorry, but the Raven slide is not steel. The frame and slide are zinc alloy.

moosemike · May 1, 2018, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

Sorry, but the Raven slide is not steel. The frame and slide are zinc alloy.

Who said it was?

Jazzgun · May 1, 2018, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosemike

Who said it was?

I did. I could swear that I read somewhere that it was. That only the frame was injection molded zinc alloy. There is so much information and misinformation on the internet about this little pistol and also it was modified several times over the years it was in production.

I accept Bill's statement that it's not steel, however. It's okay with me. When I bought it I didn't know that any of it at all was steel. I'm good with that.

When I spoke with the gunsmith about the gun today he told me it wasn't going to blow up in my hand and that I shouldn't worry about the bad things people say about it being a POS gun etc. So I'm not. And I'm not saying Bill said or inferred that by correcting me regarding the steel vs zinc.

Just saying....I don't care what it's made of I still like it. And I appreciate Bill correcting me on it.

This isn't my first gun and it won't be my last. But it will always be in my collection.

Jazzgun · May 1, 2018, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

Sorry, but the Raven slide is not steel. The frame and slide are zinc alloy.

Hey Bill! Thanks for the correction. I thought I read that it was. I suppose as many times as I've had it off the gun in my hands working on it I should have known. But hey...I'm blonde.

:P

OneFreeTexan · May 2, 2018, 04:22 PM

Try a magnet to determine if it’s steel or alloy.

Jazzgun · May 2, 2018, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneFreeTexan

Try a magnet to determine if it’s steel or alloy.

Just did. The main frame is Zacam and the barrel is steel, as well as some of the smaller parts like the extractor etc. The Zacam is 99% Zinc and on the plus side it will never rust. In addition, the .25 calibre ammo isn't strong enough to do it much damage. So, imo it's GTG.

Good idea! Thanks!

Bill DeShivs · May 3, 2018, 02:19 AM

Zamak.

Jazzgun · May 3, 2018, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

Zamak.

Thank you Bill. You are quite correct. I can never remember how to spell or pronounce it.

Zamak!!!

cptjack · May 3, 2018, 04:15 AM

for 25.00 buy another

Jazzgun · May 3, 2018, 04:28 AM

You haven't priced them lately have you? LOL!

moosemike · May 3, 2018, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzgun

You haven't priced them lately have you? LOL!

No. He's still back a couple decades or so in their pricing.

Jazzgun · May 3, 2018, 06:05 AM

LOL! Yup!!!

Hanshi · May 4, 2018, 04:16 PM

I bought one long ago for $30 new at the LGS. It's a cheapy, not worth much but it does shoot every single time and is pretty darn accurate. I don't shoot it very often at all since ammo is too $$$$.

Wendyj · May 4, 2018, 04:58 PM

I bought one of these in 1979 for $45.00. I carried it everywhere and was always advised it would jam and it would only tick off the aggressor. Mine never did and my friends Dad was playing poker with some guys and was caught cheating. One shot to the head at 10 feet with the 25 and he is no longer with us. Better than a rock or a knife.

Jazzgun · May 5, 2018, 12:13 AM

Hey Wendy...

I paid $84 for mine in original box w/manual, plus $20 shipping and $30 transfer fee. = $134

I've seen several that didn't look to be nearly as nice as mine go for over $150 and one that went for over $200. They are becoming popular again with more women wanting to carry. A lot of my girlfriends are wanting one now. I just love mine now that I've got it working again.

Thanks for your nice positive comments.

Recoil spring · May 5, 2018, 03:29 PM

I bought a chrome plated one with wood grips NIB at a gun show in Cottage Grove, MN in 1981, mostly shot Winchester solids in it for 14 years, put 650 rounds through it. I was a poor student who moved to Oregon and used it for carry and home defense, very reliable and accurate, even beat my shooting buddy in a contest with his Beretta Minx pistol.

Over time I replaced the firing pin with the improved model they came out with and added the white grips as the wooden ones were cracking. As the mileage got up around 550 rds I noticed the accuracy was deteriorating, the slide was actually spreading apart where it connected to the frame due to the zinc construction. Cut down my use of it but boy, that gun was fun to shoot, have nice memories of it in Oregon and Minnesota at the range and woods. Got a used holster that clipped onto my belt, too heavy for pocket carry though.

Traded it to a friend of mine who owned a barber shop in a Black neighborhood that had high crime, and he was fearful for his safety, but had little money. Got 6 haircuts for it, good deal. He later sold it and closed the barber shop. But I did advise him to get something better and more powerful like a .357 Magnum for the criminals that were bothering him over a .25 ACP.

Would love to shoot anther Raven for old times sake.

Arkhog · May 5, 2018, 08:58 PM

I have had two Raven pistols. The first one was my fault. I took it apart back in the 80's and didn't put together correctly. I sold it with full disclosure that it was a bad gun. In reality, the gun was fine. I mucked it up.

My current Raven was inherited from my Dad. It is the chrome model with wood grips. It is perfect now, but, it needed help. The follower was not moving freely in the magazine. I disassembled the mag and found a great deal of flashing and extra plastic on the follower. I trimmed down the offending plastic and reassembled the magazine.

The gun is a shooter and a keeper now. It rides with me when I mow the yard.

moosemike · May 6, 2018, 04:11 PM

I took my wife to the range today. She shot the Raven and I shot my 1911. She had a lot of fun with that little .25 auto.

Jazzgun · May 7, 2018, 03:12 AM

Hey Mike. That's cool! Is the slide easy for her to rack? Any jams or probs of any kind?

volkstrm · May 8, 2018, 12:31 AM

How about a Jennies J-22? Anyone have one? I have one for like 30 years got it new for $49.00. It always works & shoots good. Not bad for junk.

May 1, 2018, 07:42 PM	#30
moosemike Senior Member Join Date: July 4, 2009 Location: Lebanon PA Posts: 535	Fiocchi has been completely reliable in mine. __________________ et cognoscetis veritatem et veritas liberabit vos

May 1, 2018, 08:33 PM	#31
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,981	Sorry, but the Raven slide is not steel. The frame and slide are zinc alloy. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

May 3, 2018, 02:19 AM	#37
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,981	Zamak. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

May 3, 2018, 04:28 AM	#40
Jazzgun Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2018 Location: Arizona Posts: 169	You haven't priced them lately have you? LOL! __________________ "I ain't afraid to love a man. I ain't afraid to shoot him either." ~ Annie Oakley

May 3, 2018, 06:05 AM	#42
Jazzgun Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2018 Location: Arizona Posts: 169	LOL! Yup!!! __________________ "I ain't afraid to love a man. I ain't afraid to shoot him either." ~ Annie Oakley

May 1, 2018, 05:52 PM	#28
Oysterboy Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 970	Mine looked just like Jazz's.

May 1, 2018, 05:54 PM	#29
CUBAN REDNECK Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2009 Location: SW FLORIDA Posts: 318	Not a fan, BUT they do go bang. This was the little gun that ended up in a lot of successful prison cavity searches according to some of my CO friends.

May 2, 2018, 04:22 PM	#35
OneFreeTexan Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2002 Location: West, Texas Posts: 280	Try a magnet to determine if it’s steel or alloy.

May 3, 2018, 04:15 AM	#39
cptjack Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2014 Posts: 314	for 25.00 buy another

May 4, 2018, 04:16 PM	#43
Hanshi Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2017 Posts: 239	I bought one long ago for $30 new at the LGS. It's a cheapy, not worth much but it does shoot every single time and is pretty darn accurate. I don't shoot it very often at all since ammo is too $$$$. __________________ Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

May 4, 2018, 04:58 PM	#44
Wendyj Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2015 Location: North Georgia Posts: 1,372	I bought one of these in 1979 for $45.00. I carried it everywhere and was always advised it would jam and it would only tick off the aggressor. Mine never did and my friends Dad was playing poker with some guys and was caught cheating. One shot to the head at 10 feet with the 25 and he is no longer with us. Better than a rock or a knife. __________________ God is NOT dead!!!!

May 5, 2018, 12:13 AM	#45
Jazzgun Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2018 Location: Arizona Posts: 169	Hey Wendy... I paid $84 for mine in original box w/manual, plus $20 shipping and $30 transfer fee. = $134 I've seen several that didn't look to be nearly as nice as mine go for over $150 and one that went for over $200. They are becoming popular again with more women wanting to carry. A lot of my girlfriends are wanting one now. I just love mine now that I've got it working again. Thanks for your nice positive comments. __________________ "I ain't afraid to love a man. I ain't afraid to shoot him either." ~ Annie Oakley

May 5, 2018, 03:29 PM	#46
Recoil spring Member Join Date: March 29, 2017 Posts: 80	I bought a chrome plated one with wood grips NIB at a gun show in Cottage Grove, MN in 1981, mostly shot Winchester solids in it for 14 years, put 650 rounds through it. I was a poor student who moved to Oregon and used it for carry and home defense, very reliable and accurate, even beat my shooting buddy in a contest with his Beretta Minx pistol. Over time I replaced the firing pin with the improved model they came out with and added the white grips as the wooden ones were cracking. As the mileage got up around 550 rds I noticed the accuracy was deteriorating, the slide was actually spreading apart where it connected to the frame due to the zinc construction. Cut down my use of it but boy, that gun was fun to shoot, have nice memories of it in Oregon and Minnesota at the range and woods. Got a used holster that clipped onto my belt, too heavy for pocket carry though. Traded it to a friend of mine who owned a barber shop in a Black neighborhood that had high crime, and he was fearful for his safety, but had little money. Got 6 haircuts for it, good deal. He later sold it and closed the barber shop. But I did advise him to get something better and more powerful like a .357 Magnum for the criminals that were bothering him over a .25 ACP. Would love to shoot anther Raven for old times sake.

May 5, 2018, 08:58 PM	#47
Arkhog Member Join Date: August 8, 2006 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 99	Still have one I have had two Raven pistols. The first one was my fault. I took it apart back in the 80's and didn't put together correctly. I sold it with full disclosure that it was a bad gun. In reality, the gun was fine. I mucked it up. My current Raven was inherited from my Dad. It is the chrome model with wood grips. It is perfect now, but, it needed help. The follower was not moving freely in the magazine. I disassembled the mag and found a great deal of flashing and extra plastic on the follower. I trimmed down the offending plastic and reassembled the magazine. The gun is a shooter and a keeper now. It rides with me when I mow the yard.

May 6, 2018, 04:11 PM	#48
moosemike Senior Member Join Date: July 4, 2009 Location: Lebanon PA Posts: 535	I took my wife to the range today. She shot the Raven and I shot my 1911. She had a lot of fun with that little .25 auto. __________________ et cognoscetis veritatem et veritas liberabit vos

May 7, 2018, 03:12 AM	#49
Jazzgun Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2018 Location: Arizona Posts: 169	Hey Mike. That's cool! Is the slide easy for her to rack? Any jams or probs of any kind? __________________ "I ain't afraid to love a man. I ain't afraid to shoot him either." ~ Annie Oakley

May 8, 2018, 12:31 AM	#50
volkstrm Senior Member Join Date: November 10, 2007 Posts: 222	How about a Jennies J-22? Anyone have one? I have one for like 30 years got it new for $49.00. It always works & shoots good. Not bad for junk.