Junk guns are fun too!

[TNboy]

I've always said that I've never shot a gun that I didn't like, I've just shot some that I like more than others. (Ok, I once shot a blackpowder rifle with a revolving cylinder that gave me some nasty powder burns, I didn't like that too much.) I've always scoffed when I've seen things written such as "Glocks are for simple minded people," "I wouldn't own...," "Only a fool would buy a Hipoint." Well as long as it is safe to fire I pretty much want to shoot it. Case in point...

The other day a co-worker and myself were very bored at work. He had a Phoenix Arms .22 with him just for kicks. (Yes, we are fortunate enough to not only be able to carry but also shoot quite often while at work.) We find a top to a tin can and set it up about 50 feet away and took 3 shot turns to see who could hit it first. Had we been shooting a high quality target gun it would have taken neither of us all 3 shots to land one on target. With the Phoenix we spent a good 20 minutes, BSing, cutting up, arm chair quarterbacking each other, etc. before the target was hit. We had a great time messing with that little junker. I encourage all the elitists out there during your next range session to put down your $3000 1911, your $2000 AR and pick up a junker with a friend and have a little fun with it.

 

[TXdefender]

My Hi Point C9 is surprisingly accurate and reliable. And I'm the expensive 1911 and AR guy.

 

[sallzy]

my jennings j-22 is a sweet chrome plated nail driver. best 125.00 i ever spent. people can call them cheapo junk all they want. that little gun rides with me more than my glock or my fmp-45. as long as you feed it a diet of 36g cci mini mags it cycles em right through.

 

[Agsalaska]

I agree. They have their place.

Not to change the subject because Taurus is clearly not a junk gun in the same category as a Phoenix, Raven, etc. But I bought a snub nose Taurus .38 about five years ago out of a gun shop for about $200. It is a mid nineties make and had barely been used when I bought it. A buddy and I took it and a couple of other guns to the city range one afternoon and could not believe how accurate it was. Out to maybe 15 yards it was nails. So that gave us an excuse to go to the big range North of Anchorage that weekend with a few other guys and about twenty handguns. Nothing outshot it, including multiple glocks, Smiths, a Kahr K40, an old Remington Rand 1911, a new Kimber 1911, and a colt python, out to 15 or 20 yards. It was amazing. And it performed like that no matter who shot it.

I told the guy in the gun shop and he couldnt believe it so we went out days later. He brought some performance 1911 with him and it may have been more accurate, but not by much.

Obviously Taurus does not machine any revolvers to be that accurate, but this one is. I have always wondered how that happened and how often it happened. I dont shoot it much anymore but it is loaded in my house and occasionaly finds its way into the rotation.

 

[Ryanxia]

I like anything that goes bang. In fact, out of all my guns (and some are over $1,000) I like my Mosin Nagant the best.

 

[tech30528]

my jennings j-22 is a sweet chrome plated nail driver. best 125.00 i ever spent. people can call them cheapo junk all they want. that little gun rides with me more than my glock or my fmp-45. as long as you feed it a diet of 36g cci mini mags it cycles em right through.

I have to agree. Mine is satin nickel rather than chrome, bought it at a pawn shop for $100. The slide was worn out and after about 50 rounds it wouldn't pick one up out of the magazine. But they have a lifetime warranty, so I sent it back to Vegas and they sent me a new one. Cost me $20. They even sent me a new set of "keys" for the trigger lock for free. Since then never a misfire or any other problem, it's my preferred truck gun. It's small, fits in my center counsol, and carries a handful of Stinger segmented hollow points. Think about it. If you ever have to use it, it's going in an evidence locker someplace. Wouldn't you rather it was a $100 pawn shop pistol instead of your Glock or Kimber?

 

[SlowFuse]

I have a Cobra FS380 that my fiance and I both enjoy shooting. Some of my friends don't feel the cheapo love but its fun to shoot even if its more expensive to feed than the other pistol calibers I own.

 

[larryh1108]

I love my Phoenix HP22a. Fun gun and it's really pretty accurate once you're used to it. I also have the 5" barrel for it but I have never used it for some reason. I also take along my Raven .25 and my Charter Arms .38 Spcl or my CZ70 for fun at the range. If you count my Llamas as cheap junk (many do) then I can have fun at the range for days instead of hours. Of course, I use them to warm up for the expensive toys but, to me, shooting is shooting. None of them are jam-o-matics or I wouldn't own them.

 

[jrdolall]

Hi Point C9 is considered a junk gun by some but I feel completely comfortable shooting mine with JHP or FMJ. Clunky, heavy, not particular pretty but I like the sights and the trigger is not bad. Accuracy at 10 yards is as good as anything I shoot.
Jennings Bryco 9mm has crappy sights and a worse trigger. It is pretty reliable but I seldom pull it out of the desk drawer.

I keep looking at those little Cobra 22s and one day I will fork over my $100 just for the heck of it. If it will shoot most of the time I can throw it in the golf cart for varmint shooting. Varmints like pine cones, aluminum cans, and the occasional dirt clod.

 

[BCRider]

I totally agree. Sometimes the simplest gun can be a whole lotta fun.

My own case in point is the trio of very old, very knocked about .22 single shot falling block rifles. Namely a Stevens Crackshot 26, Remington 6 and Remington Improved 6. Stuff some reloads between the fingers of my forestock hand and I'm good for worrying one of those rimfire swinging targets for a while.

 

[wally]

Think about it. If you ever have to use it, it's going in an evidence locker someplace. Wouldn't you rather it was a $100 pawn shop pistol instead of your Glock or Kimber?

I understand your logic to a point, but I wouldn't worry a nanosecond about my Kahr PM40 or Kimber Ultra Carry should the need arise. Their "$600+ costs pales in comparison to what we spend every year for insurance -- auto, homeowners, flood, etc. makes the peace of mind provided by a quality carry piece trivial in the long run. Unlike the insurance, I only needed to pay the "premium" once.

I've enjoyed tinkering with my Jennings .22 & .380, but they'd be my last choices. They do fill a need for people that need a highly reliable single shot pistol with non-zero probability of multiple shots that don't have the desire (or income) to actually go out and shoot.

 

[The-Reaver]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur6GozbD5AQ

 

[holdencm9]

My buddy has a Davis P-32 he got from an uncle for like $40. I keep trying to get it from him for $50 because it was fun to shoot.

 

[303tom]

Junk guns are the bomb, not literally, its just you could care less if they get banged up a bit................

 

[Driftertank]

My "former police issue" Taurus 82 ended up in my hands and out the door for $193. It's worn out. Rattles, wobbles, you name it. But somehow it still locks up tightly, and after running it through an ultrasound bath and oiling it, i loaded up with some cheap .38 Special 158gr LSWC, and was shocked when it put all six into an inch at 10yds, with 5 forming a ragged hole just above the bullseye.

 

[Kiln]

I've got several of them. Along side my CZ, XDM, and various quality milsurp pistols I have:

RG23 snub
RG23 long barrel
Raven MP25
Phoenix HP22 with both short and long barrel

All of them are alot of fun. I shoot them somewhat infrequently but they work fine when I do.

I had to ship back the HP22 after about 3k-3.5k rounds because of a frame crack but it still worked when I sent it in. They sent me a new gun and an extra mag. If I'd changed the dinky recoil spring it might have lived a longer life but I can't say for sure.

 

[PaulKersey3]

Second on the Jennings J22. Had a friend give me one years ago for gas money. Nice little pocket gun.

 

[Kiln]

Damn with all the positive reviews on the Jennings J22 I just might buy one and try it out. One of the new ones with warranty though. I'm not afraid to have to work on one a bit to make it run right.

 

[loose noose]

I knew George Jennings thru my father in law, in fact he loaned George the money to start his business way back when. In fact they started the Ravens arms business also.

 

[MedWheeler]

My J-22, purchased new in 1987, has seen several hundred rounds through it, most of which were CCI MiniMags. It's remarkably accurate out to about ten yeard or so; haven't felt the need to try it beyond that. The only issue I had with it was when it field-stripped itself one day, but I was shooting a box of Stingers through it at the time. They don't like that.
I also own an HP-22A, and it's quite fun to shoot, too. Probably more so than my Ruger MK-II. The Ruger is just too "easy", I think.
And, I own one of the aforementioned Savage-Stevens falling-block single-shooters, a Model 89 lever-gun lookalike, complete with fake magazine tube under the barrel. Bought that at a gun show in 1987 or so for like $30.

 

[writerinmo]

Buddy has the Phoenix HP22a, and the wife and daughter fell in love with the little thing, and I have to admit I like it well enough that I went out and picked one up for $135 with just the short barrel. Tore it down and cleaned up all the casting flash before taking it out, the wife ran 200 rounds through it and I ran another 200 with only one hiccup, and that was on the 2nd round through it, didn't feed all the way. After that it was just bang bang bang. More accurate than I expected, no problems keeping everything inside a 6" target at 7 yards. I bought spare recoil springs though, just not sure when I'll be changing them yet, I guess just keep an eye on them and see if there's any indicators that it might be needing it.

I had a couple of Hi Points a few years ago, bought the .40 for $160 out the door, it went bang every time and was very accurate, just big and clunky. The wife picked up a used C9 with the compensator on it, called Hi Point up and had them send me new recoil spring, extractor and spring, firing pin and spring, three days later had them in hand at NO CHARGE to me. Same with it, no more than a truck or range gun, definetly not a carry piece even though they were 100% functioning for me, just too dang heavy, and I didn't care for the lack of a striker block safety on them.

 

[tech30528]

Damn with all the positive reviews on the Jennings J22 I just might buy one and try it out. One of the new ones with warranty though. I'm not afraid to have to work on one a bit to make it run right.

Saw one recently in the LGS for $79. Considering the lifetime warranty I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up if I didn't already have one.

 

[Kiln]

Buddy has the Phoenix HP22a, and the wife and daughter fell in love with the little thing, and I have to admit I like it well enough that I went out and picked one up for $135 with just the short barrel. Tore it down and cleaned up all the casting flash before taking it out, the wife ran 200 rounds through it and I ran another 200 with only one hiccup, and that was on the 2nd round through it, didn't feed all the way. After that it was just bang bang bang. More accurate than I expected, no problems keeping everything inside a 6" target at 7 yards. I bought spare recoil springs though, just not sure when I'll be changing them yet, I guess just keep an eye on them and see if there's any indicators that it might be needing it.

I had a couple of Hi Points a few years ago, bought the .40 for $160 out the door, it went bang every time and was very accurate, just big and clunky. The wife picked up a used C9 with the compensator on it, called Hi Point up and had them send me new recoil spring, extractor and spring, firing pin and spring, three days later had them in hand at NO CHARGE to me. Same with it, no more than a truck or range gun, definetly not a carry piece even though they were 100% functioning for me, just too dang heavy, and I didn't care for the lack of a striker block safety on them.

I'd change them every 1000-1500 rounds. They're pretty flimsy springs and it might help lengthen the gun's lifespan. With how cheap the springs are, why not?

 

[larryh1108]

I change mine every 500-800 rounds. They are flimsy and cheap. When they start to wear you begin to get failure to return to full battery. Once I get a couple I put a new spring in and it's fine again. I think they're only $3.75 or so. I buy them 5 at a time and always have them in my range bag. Great little pistols!

 

[hang fire]

Ryanxia: fact, out of all my guns (and some are over $1,000) I like my Mosin Nagant the best.

You are not alone, few years ago I bought a prebubbarized MN carbine for 25 bucks. I removed rear sight and scout scoped it with a back up sight, and it is my favorite over the safe queens. With heavy HC boolits, the accuracy from the 20" barrel is amazing. I can no longer shoot as good as I once thought. But a bud of mine who is an excelllent shot, shakes his head in disgust when he can do better with it than he can with his expensive rifles.

Scoped.



Back up sight if scope fails in the field.