Whats your take on Jimenez

[Thal]

I am new to owning a handgun and went looking for one that was cheep but good and I bought a Jimenez 9mm for $180. The guy who sold it to me said it was a good gun but when I showed it to a friend he asked why I bought it, and when he showed me the low reviews on other sites, Im starting to second guess buying it. does anyone know where i could get a GOOD 9mm for arond $200-$300?

 

[SaxonPig]

$180 doesn't inspire confidence.

But try the gun before you decide it's no good. If you can 3-4 boxes of ammo through with good functioning it would likely be OK for defensive use.

I don't know of anything of real quality for under $300 except maybe a used older S&W like a Model 59 from a police agency or maybe a Ruger 9mm.

 

[General Geoff]

You should be able to get a Hi-Point pistol for ~$150-200 brand new. They're not the best looking pistols, but they go bang every time and have an unconditional lifetime warranty.

 

[rbernie]

The Ruger P95 with black slide sells for $300 locally. That's a smoking bargain for the quality and durability you'll get out of that pistol.

 

[John828]

Like the rest have stated, shoot first, decide later.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

The Thal may be hideous mutants, but they are peaceful farmers... er.. wait... Jimenez gets lumped in with Jennings (I think there is some relations), Lorcin, etc.

For $200-300, you'd be better off getting a used 9mm from a reputable maker. Or even a new S&W Sigma, as much as it pains me to say it.

If you can save up another $100 bucks and put yourself in the $300-400 range, you'll have a much better selection.

 

[Thal]

does any one know a place near portland OR where I could get a good used 9mm, and for just turning 21 and my job as security (armed pulls in $15-$30 more) i wanted to buy and be proficient with my gun before I went for my armed license

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Around here, a used cop Smith & Wesson Model 10 may be had for about $200 and a used cop Beretta Model 92FS may be had for about $350. MUCH better; in fact, I have carried both concealed with full confidence.

 

[machinisttx]

LOL.... Several guys at the small shop where I work got conned into buying Jiminez 9mm's. I know one of those guns wouldn't fire 2 consecutive shots without jamming. They're junk.

High point on the other hand, is actually reliable from what I hear and my wife's stepmom's 9mm has never jammed. They're big and clunky, but they work.

 

[mbt2001]

Jiminez are ammo picky, so you need to use 9mm FMJ bullets with a round nose. That isn't a big problem for the 9, but for the 380 it is a little harder to do.

Anyway, they are decent guns, surprisingly accurate and easy to work on. I have owned several Lorcin, Bryco and Jennings pistols and have enjoyed them for the most part.

www.summitgunbroker.com has some 40 Smith and Wesson Sigmas for like $185.00. They do not come much cheaper than that.

Keep the Jiminez though. (http://bryco-jennings-jimenezarms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1887) (http://concealed-carry.5u.com/) that thread and that sight should make you feel better. A lot of the crap that is talked about the "Saturday night specials" and even that particular term is part of a campaign that has been run by the Anti's that has been successful for the most part. They honestly want all guns to cost $15,000 dollars and are doing their utmost to make that happen.

Before Glock caught on people said the same thing about them... Seriously.

 

[MAKster]

Jimenez is just the latest incarnation of the Jennings/Raven/Bryco/Davis/Lorcin zinc junk. These guns were built for someone who knows nothing about handguns except they want one and plans to stick it in the dresser drawer and probably never fire it.

 

[bannockburn]

Thal

I would say look used first in that price range (S&W Sigma, Ruger P series, Taurus PT-92, or a Hi-Power clone by FEG or FM), and try to work a trade-in deal with the Jimenez if possible.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I've picked these guns up for little or nothing. They usually worked after replacing a part or two. They are, in general, fragile and poorly designed. Machining tolerances tend to combine in ways that lead to jams and internal damage. They often work for a while, they can be fun and challenging to shoot, but I would not rely on one in a life-or-death situation.

 

[Jim K]

I was a gunsmith in a shop that sold a bunch of those Jennings/Bryco pistols. When they came back, which was often, the boss wanted them fixed. I was usually able to get them working, but IMHO, they are junk.

There is no way I would stake my life on one.

Jim

 

[RoboDuck]

If you tie several together they work well as boat anchors.

 

[cuervo]

In the $200-$300 range, look for a Kel-Tec P11 or PF9. If you looked around, you could probably find a Witness in that range.

If a .380 will work, a Bersa falls in your price range.

I've heard nothing good about Jimenez since they bought out Jennnings. If you shoot it a lot to test it, be sure to wear safety glasses should the slide decide to keep going backwards.

 

[-v-]

My take is that it is not a good idea to bring this brand up on this board. I would say you would be much better served with a used police gun, or a surplus Makarov, or CZ82.

 

[GRIZ22]

does any one know a place near portland OR where I could get a good used 9mm, and for just turning 21 and my job as security (armed pulls in $15-$30 more) i wanted to buy and be proficient with my gun before I went for my armed license

You can get a Ruger 9mm (new) or used S&W 9mm for $300 or under. If you show up to get an armed guard position with a Jimenez I don't think you would be taken seriously.

 

[xstuntman]

A co-worker bought a Jim in .22 and once he polished the feedramp (painted over from the factory) it worked fine. I say give it try and post back. Mike

 

[MachIVshooter]

Lots of good used 9mm's in the ~$300 price range.

S&W 5900 series
Ruger P-series
Tanfoglio TZ-75 (Imported as Excam TA-90 or EAA Witness)
Beretta 9000

 

[shiftyer1]

I always buy cheap handguns. Mstly on a whim because of price. The ones I have been totally satisfied with are,
The hipoint in 9mm
The s&w sigma, and
The ruger p89 and I think it was a p95 also.

I had to sell the rugers sometime ago and although i've never considered them to be cheap because I love ruger some folks just seem to downgrade them.
The hipoint I sold at a considerable profit and i'm currently looking for another one. They're ugly but reliable and they have a great warrenty and also wonderful customer service. If you want super cheap and reliable they are the way to go. I've seen folks sell 99.9% condition hipoints for well under 100$.
Right now I have a sigma. I hated it for quit a while, mostly due to other peoples opinion. I recently have been spending some quality time with it and I have to say that I like it. It has a heavy trigger pull but no differnt from a double action revolver, but has been 100% reliable with the cheapest ammo I can find. Although I can't speak highly of smiths customer service, alot of people have had better luck then me with them so maybe my experience was an isolated case.

 

[MostlyHarmless]

I would not consider the Jimenez to be safe to carry for actual protection. They are SA with a manual safety. Even with the safety engaged they are not safe for carry with a round in the chamber. Since the operation of the Jimenez autos is quite different than that of most of the higher quality weapons suitable for carry or police work, I would not think that you would get much useful experience out of shooting one.

Among 9mm pistols, I would say that the Kel Tec P-11 and PF-9 are the best of the less expensive ones. There have been some reports of irregular build quality with Kel Tec's products, but their customer service is good so if you're willing to take a ~5% chance of getting something that may have to go back to the factory to be really right they might be a good choice for you.

The Bersa Thunder is a little more than $300, new, usually, but still might be worth considering.

 

[mbt2001]

The Jiminez / Lorcin / Byrco guns are not as bad as they are made out to be on this board. I do not know when it started, but some time a few years ago KNOWING about firearms / sports or what have you became expressed by how much someone DUMPED on certain brands / rounds / etc...

I will re-iterate, GLOCK was thought to be "plastic crap that will melt in your hand, jamomatics that looked ugly" when they first came out. I ain't saying that the JA-nine is like a Glock, but I am saying that 90% of the people that dump on them have never owned one.

The first one I bought jammed... I bought it used and was pissed about it. Thought they were crap. Well, for fun I put in a new extractor, extractor spring and pin then I stripped it and removed the burrs and all that. Works like a charm, no issue. What is the point, these guns are EASY to work on, parts are cheap 95% of the time you have a problem, you get some new parts and you are square. Jiminez has a REAL warranty that they stand behind and the service is better than average. Try changing an magazine release spring on a Smith auto vs a Lorcin and you will see what I mean.

Some of the people here may forget that the 1911 wasn't considered "reliable" until a gun smith had smoothed the action, polished the feed ramp and magazine well, removed the burrs, installed a new hammer and so on.

So again, listen to the people whose first instinct isn't to through the gun overboard like an anchor...

EDIT -

You people that are just dumping on these guns need to remember that you are buying the Anti-gun line. I don't like Black and Decker power tools, but when I don't have a lot of cash and need something that will work, I go to target and buy one... Guns and Power Tools are not a lot different, some times you have some cash and need something that works.

 

[KBintheSLC]

Guns and Power Tools are not a lot different

Except that you don't necessarily have to trust your drill with your life. If the drill breaks during use, you can just go buy another. If your gun breaks during "duty" use, you should pray that you survive to buy another.

That being said, I don't judge a gun on its price tag... I judge it on how it shoots. None of my guns are outlandishly expensive... all are under $600, but they all shoot reliably.

As for affordable 9mm's, I would look at Ruger and Kel-Tec.

 

[mbt2001]

Except that you don't necessarily have to trust your drill with your life.

I have said this 100 times now, but you are betting your life on a $0.05 primer and some $0.01 springs...

You buy a gun, you put 500 rounds through it, work out the kinks, get the feel of it and THEN you trust it with your life.

I didn't say that Jiminez is the Next KIMBER, I did say that they are not all that bad and most people either buy a used gun that is used up or improperly cared for (which can happen to any brand) or they don't wear them in. These guns have to get worn in.



The power tool anecdote was more to put something into perspective, I do not tear out walls and rennovate my house with a black and decker, but I do hang paintings with it. I do not gear out for an incursion with my Lorcin, but I do carry it while walking my dog in the evening with my pepper spray.