Jennings 32cal pistol a co-worker wants to sell me.

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Someone gave me a Jennings Bryco 38 380 without magazine.
So when I bought a magazine, I had money invested.
I have tested it for overloads, with other pistols that I have had to pay money to get.

I find there are different classes of 380s, given case support, chamber wall thickness, recoiling slide and maybe barrel mass, recoiling slide friction and hammer cocking force, and recoil spring force.

1) wimpy class 1.5X published loads
a) Kel Tec P3AT 380
b) Ruger LCP 380

2) medium class 2X published loads
a) Jennings 38 380
b) Kahr P380 380

3) Heavy duty 3X published loads
a) Beretta 1934
b) Husqvarna - Colt 1907
 
Clark, both the KT and it's clone the Ruger, use a browning tiltblock lock system, the rest are blowback, so.. explain, I would think that they would be more than that.
 
The first thing I am up against is case support.

The Kel-tec P3AT has ~ .29" of unsupported case.
If I measure it by scribing with a needle on an unfired case in the barrel out of the pistol, I get measurements ~ .010" shorter than if I work up to a case bulge, and measure the distance from the case head to the edge of the bulge.
This must be due to the width of the needle plus how much the case gets pushing back in the chamber.

The Ruger LCP is ~ .27"
Bryco feed ramp at .215"
Kahr P380 .175" which is all the way back to the extractor groove... perfect
Beretta 1934 perfect
Browning 1903 perfect



The real limits are:
Kel Tec ....... bulge at 1.5X
Ruger........ bulge at 1.5X

Kahr.......... Recoil becomes horrible, bulge will never be a problem. Springs are very good, but the slide is too light for atomic loads.

Bryco Jennings ........ bulge, but a bulge at 2X loads

Beretta....... chamber will bulge at 3X loads.... got a new barrel

Colt husqvarna..... could not hurt it at 3X loads.

What does it all mean?
The chain is only as strong as the weakest link, and the Kel-Tec and the Ruger have extremely weak links in their case support.
 
If this was for me, heck no, I wouldn't take one for free. The thread just seemed long enough but if others like it, than fine
 
The larger caliber guns (380 and 9mm) often do have lifespans measured in hundreds of rounds.

I explained the Jennings 9 to my son this way: the Jennings 9 is the kind of gun a person on a budget buys for home defense with one 50 round box of ammo. The owner fires two magazines for function and a feel of what the gun does. It then goes in a bedside table drawer. Twenty, thirty years later at estate auction, there will be listed one Jennings 9 with a partial box of ammo, 50 rounds less two magazine loads. It is not a gun for monthly target practice, it won't take it in my not so humble opinion.

On the other hand, as ugly as the HiPoint C9 is, it will stand up to frequent target practice sessions.
 
On the other hand, as ugly as the HiPoint C9 is, it will stand up to frequent target practice sessions.
My HiPoint is the ugliest gun I own but I can fire 17 rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger and change the mag and it never has an issue. I have had plenty of Kimber and other high dollar gun owners shoot it and just look at it and shake their heads because it actually shoots extremely well, is relatively accurate, has acceptable sights and everything else you DON"T expect in a gun purchased from a pawn shop for less than $100.

If it ever jams I could definitely throw it and hurt someone. It is HUGE for a single stack 9mm so it just rides around in the truck all day. I don't think we ever do a range session without shooting a few mags through it so I have no idea how many rounds have gone down the barrel. The J-9 is rarely shot.
 
I hope this coworker isn't a friend of yours. I would recommend neither the gun or the caliber.
 
I tell people at work, if its what you want, it's all you can afford, then I'll sell it to you but I assure you it's a piece of Crap before you buy it
 
My friend had a J-25 (the .25 ACP version, IIRC), the front end sheared off and the slide came off the frame. I wish I had a phone with picture capability because I couldn't believe it myself. And that price is insane. I would say $75, 90$ MAX
I had that happen to a .25 I had years ago, same model.
Replaced the slide and sent it down the road.
 
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