jennings j22

[hatchetbearer]

I was going to buy a very nice looking one off of a guy that i worked with for $25. Yeah I know i would have overpaid by $20 but It would have been good on a gun buyback. or just to keep around as a joke safe queen.

but the deal fell through and another guy got it on trade for something else, took it out and on the first round, the slide sheared the frame rails off and flew back hitting him in the chest.

I was the last person to shoot the gun before him, it scare me a little

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I have a Jennings J22. It works well with CCI Stinger. With the 60gr Aguila SSS it fails to eject the last empty. I will use it til it breaks. Would I recommend one as a first gun? NO. I have a Ruger MarkII that has had thousands fired thru it versus the dozens I have fired thru the Jennings. But there are times hiking that the Jennings with a ratshot round first followed by Stingers would go with me when the Ruger would be too bulky or heavy.
the safety is not what I would call safe
The only safe carry mode for the Raven .25 and Jennings .22 is striker down on empty chamber, safety off, loaded magazine. Rack the slide before firing. Never think of carrying loaded chamber safety on. Clear the firing chamber when not shooting.

It is good to get in the habit of watching muzzle cover, removing magazine and clearing chamber, rather than relying on a mechanical safety. Eventually a mechanical safety will be dirty or broken or worn and will fail; safe gun handling practices as reflexive habits will hold up in the long run.

The Jennings .22 with striker down and horizontal safety on, will not cock and usually will not feed from the magazine when you rack the slide. Some consider this a 'trick' safety feature if the gun is grabbed from you. To cock and feed, the safety must be off.

 

[chrissmallwood]

Hi all. I just picked up a j22 a week ago. I saw it in the case at the gun store and I thought it would be neat just to have mainly as an oddity. I took it out yesterday and shot it at 7 yds and I was able to keep most of my shots under 2 inches. That may not seem like much but with the god awful trigger pull it had, thats pretty good. I only had 2 jams but those were caused by the mags. I took it apart earlier and snipped 2 coils off the firing pin catch spring and it lighten up the trigger noticeably, now my finger doesnt hurt as bad when I pull the trigger. I wouldnt trust my life with it but its pretty neat.

 

[jocko]

J22

sold hundreds of them 25 years ago, had to send EVERYONE back. biggest POS guns I ever sold in my shop. If you get one that will fire two magazines without errors, FRAME IT, sell tickets to show it off, as this is such a rarity that indeed the public should be included . You have a better chance of seeing an eclispe 3 days in a row that a Jennings J22 shooting 50 rounds flawlessly.

 

[Onmilo]

I had one back around 1986.
I used it to shoot barn pidgeons with CCI shotshells, it worked ok and would kill the pidgeons, Mind you I hand cycled the shotshells because they didn't have enough oomph to cycle the action, that didn't matter because I never could get that gun to cycle semi-automatically with regular ammunition anyway,,,,,,,,,

 

[jocko]

Onmilo

humm barn pigeons, now that could have been Jennings J22 ad symbol. With a slogan similar:

"If you think barn pigeons are trash, you should try to shoot a Jennings".

 

[Loomis]

If I were a moderator, I'd be slapping warning on these clowns that persist in denegrating jennings firearms. I do not own one...yet. If "the high road" means picking on poor people or cheap firearms, then I'll take the low road.

 

[jocko]

loomis

IU sold um, hundreds of them. If the truth hurts, pass on the posts. Being you don't own one, how can u evalualte even. They are what they are a very very low grade cheap made semi` that when we sold them, damn near all went back. Just the facts. they made and sold over 2 million of them. I think they were related somehow to P. T. Barnum, at least they had the same theory, " a sucker born every minute".

 

[Thor Bloodax]

I had two of them. The first one would go full auto so traded it back in. The second one shot OK except that after about 50 rounds it blew off the extractor. Replaced two of them and then found the empty cases just blew out the ejection port without the extractor. The only problem with that was that if you had a misfire, you had to pick the case out of the chamber by hand. My trigger was OK. Keep in mind that it was a last ditch gut-poker in case you could not get anything better (such as an old Ruby or RG).

 

[Robereno]

My first hand gun purchased in the early 80's. Wanted it as a light gun to take backpacking but didn't have a clue what made a quality weapon.

These days it makes a nice conversation piece and I wouldn't sell it.

 

[jocko]

roberno

gotta admit they were cute though

 

[19-3Ben]

The first one would go full auto so traded it back in.

I have never even contemplated having a desire for one of these guns. but THAT would make it a keeper in my book.
I'd just make sure i was alone at the range before letting loose!!!

 

[msgttbar]

Jack, you are wasting your breath on these "HIGH ROAD" folks. Remember where you are and come on home where you belong. Never wrestle with a pig, They like it and after awhile, you can't tell who is who.

 

[Cdubs48]

Hi all,

I am currently looking for a jennings j22( I know Im crazy) for my tackle box. I live down in tampa where the salty air prevents me from wanting to spend good money on a tackle box gun. would the jennings fit the bill and do any of you guys have one for a decent price?

 

[Cdubs48]

Hi all,

I had a jennings a few years back. used to keep cci shotshells in it and kept it in my car. Unfortunately it got stolen.... do any of you guys want to part with yours? im looking for a little beater for my tackle box and dont want to spend alot of money getting a keltec or such.

 

[jcwit]

jocko proably knows whereof he speaks regarding the Jennings, however the cute comments made after the facts were made would have been better left off.

 

[makarovnik]

J22's rock! Mine is more reliable than my Ruger. Not as accurate but more reliable.

 

[kansas45]

My ex wife got one from her Dad. Being the nice guy that I am, I made sure she got to keep it in the divorce.
At least I know she can't shoot me!

 

[Mooseman]

Robereno,

I had too laugh. Not only was that also the first handgun I ever bought it was the exact same style. Cool little gun, I always wondered if it would be possible to use the design with better materials to make a gun that was half decent.

I bought 2 j22's over the years for a total investment of $60. I gave them both to a police trade in this summer for $200 worth of gift certificates.

 

[lee-enfield shooter]

I just bought one on saturday for $70. i already fired 2 boxes of 50 rounds each and not a single jam.

 

[Patrick R]

I had a blue one.

Jammed every 20 rounds or so.

I bought it for $60.00 18 years ago.

I sold it in Jan for $70.00.

Now I'm happy.

 

[w_houle]

It's not too terribly difficult to make them run, but unfortunately It's not easy to diagnose their problems by reading a handful of symptoms over the internet.
I like mine, and will buy another when this one's serviceable life comes to an end.

You can also buy parts for a Jennings here http://jimenezarmsinc.com/contact.html

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

jenning's field strip automatically, once they've blown up

 

[w_houle]

jenning's field strip automatically, once they've blown up

I think I'll save this for the next Glocktoberfest

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Post #44 4 Nov 2008
Post #45 15 Feb 2010

This thread resurrection reminds me I haven't taken my J22 out and shot it in 2009. Checked my records. I bought my Jennings J22 back in 1988.

Reviewing threads trashing Glocks, 1911s, S&Ws, Colts, makes me believe that there are folks who can't clean or maintain or do routine repair or adjustment or pick the right ammo for their gun, and trash the make and by extension any owner who has found one usable, whether it's Jennings or Glock.

That said, if lost in the woods, I would rather have my Ruger MKII, for self-defense my H&K USP. Buying one gun, and one gun only, without range test, I would pass on the J22. I took a chance and got one that has worked well for about 20 years of about 24 to 30 rounds a year. I lost count after putting 10,000 rounds through my Ruger.

But to actually get around to answering the opening post, I copy the user's manual:

DISASSEMBLY:

The pistol must be in unloaded, uncocked condition before take down can be performed.

To remove the Slide, use a blunt object to push the take down button, located in the back end of the Slide, forward until it stops (about 1/8 inch).

While holding the take down button depressed, gently lift the Slide away from the Frame until it stops.

Release the take down button gently as it is springloaded.

Hold the rear of the Slide up and push the Slide forward, off of the end of the gun.

This procedure removes the entire Slide Assembly and is sufficient for normal cleaning and oiling.

Clean the Barrel within a reasonable period of time after shooting.

After the powder residue has been removed, give the Barrel bore a light protective coat of oil.

ASSEMBLY:

Make sure the Recoil Spring is over the barrel.

Place the Slide Assembly overthe Barrel and pull rearward until it can be
dropped down onto the Frame.

Depress the take down button into the Slide far enough to allow it to drop into its slot.

Release the take down button after Slide is pushed down into the Frame.

You should not be able to lift the rear of the Slide away from the Frame if properly assembled.

After the assembly is completed, but before loading, manually operate the pistol to see that everything functions properly.

The takedown button is a cap over the striker spring and you have three parts within the slide: takedown button, striker spring and striker (firing pin). The instructions presume they will be left in the slide. Har har. You may as well be prepared to take them apart, clean them and their tunnel in the receiver too, and reassemble them to the slide.

ADDED: Clean the face of the slide: use a bamboo skewer and q-tips with cleaning solvent and remove dirt and residue from the breech face of the slide, especial the cutout for the rim of the cartridge. A toothbrush also helps in removing residue from the breechface. Also pay attention to the feed ramp leading to the chamber.