huskybiker
New member
Just traded my HP22A for a LNIB, never-fired Mossberg 702 Plinkster. Happy, Happy, Happy!
Saturday Night Specials
- Thread starter rmocarsky
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Niner4Tango
New member
The Jennings J-22 definitely qualifies as a Saturday Night Special. And, yes, it is definitely fun!
biggfoot44
New member
First off there is no such thing as SNS . Secondly there are multiple historical presecedents for related terminologies. Henry VIII probably bitched about Sat Nite longbows. Roman Senators probably griped about Sat Nite swords.
The HP22 n etc may have been inexpensive , with built in limited lifetime , but those are way ahead of the the actual guns refered to as SNS.
Even more than legislation , it was product liability lawsuits that made them disapear. Not for criminal misuse , but for blowing up , and otherwise injuring lawful users.
Of course the bottom line result is that instead of turning to a life of charity and piety , they criminal element upgraded their armament to closely match that of the general public , which in turn closely relates to LE .
The HP22 n etc may have been inexpensive , with built in limited lifetime , but those are way ahead of the the actual guns refered to as SNS.
Even more than legislation , it was product liability lawsuits that made them disapear. Not for criminal misuse , but for blowing up , and otherwise injuring lawful users.
Of course the bottom line result is that instead of turning to a life of charity and piety , they criminal element upgraded their armament to closely match that of the general public , which in turn closely relates to LE .
LewSchiller
New member
Targa GT27B
Here's the closest thing I have to a SNS.
Targa GT27B .25
Italian parts assembled in Florida. There's actually quite a bit of information available on it.
While it states 13 oz I weighed it unloaded with magazine at 11.6 .
It works and actually has a fairly solid feel.
Here's the closest thing I have to a SNS.
Targa GT27B .25
Italian parts assembled in Florida. There's actually quite a bit of information available on it.
While it states 13 oz I weighed it unloaded with magazine at 11.6 .
It works and actually has a fairly solid feel.
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I took my Jennings J-22 (chrome + wood grips) out of hibernation yesterday and shot the heck out of it. I purchased it sometime around 1988 for about $80. I used to shoot it quite a bit, until I purchased a Ruger Mark II some years ago.
I ran about 200 rounds through it. Mind you, this is after having it in storage for about 8 years stored with a magazine fully loaded. It was 95% reliable. One misfire - could have been a light strike or it could have been a bad round - I was shooting Federal Bulk .22 (copper-plated hollow-points). Then, about 3-5 (wasn't keeping good track of this, just cleared the jam and kept on shooting) failure to feeds. Other than that, the little Jennings ran just fine. No problem handling rapid fire either. This is actually a bit more reliable than my Mark II. I was shooting at about 20 yards. I was hitting a little high to begin with, but once I settled in with it, I cold group within a 3-4 inches - heck it aught to be able to do that, it has a fixed barrel.
A couple of things: (1) I would spray down the chamber and barrel with cleaner after two magazines; (2) I kept the gun well lubed, including the chamber and a tiny bit of oil on the ammo. I use a little thing of pump-spray oil, so I'd lay out a bunch of ammo and give it a squirt or two before loading it into the magazine.
FYI, I experienced about the same number of "jams" shooting steel-cased Wolf ammo out of my Sig X-Five.
I'm still waiting for my little Jennings J-22 to break on me, or need something replaced. Well, from what I read on the internet, you and I have the only two Jennings J-22's that actually work.
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I'll be happy to trade you mine! Mine goes through extractors and extractor springs like a 5 year old goes through Smarties candies - and stovepipes nearly every other shot.
That said, the terrible reliability isn't even my biggest concern - my biggest concern is that after just twenty or so rounds, the slide turns the web of my hand into raw hamburger.
larryh1108
New member
I'd be willing to bet that the slide striking your web causes the stovepipes.
Deaf Smith
New member
I don't own a SNS but I highly recommend them to the local gangs and robbers.
They are good guns for your opponent to have.
Deaf
They are good guns for your opponent to have.
Deaf
silvermane_1
New member
all i know if a SNS works, shoot it until it breaks.
I don't own any, but having disassembled and examined a friend of mine's Davis P32, I'd just like to say that it, and by extension most "Saturday Night Specials" derived from the Raven, is IMO actually a very simple and well thought-out design.
The problem with them is that the overall quality of construction and the materials the manufactures put into them are absolute junk. But I'm not telling you guys anything you didn't already know there.
It's just that if (for some reason) a somewhat reputable manufacturer were to make a copy of the Raven design but with quality steels/alloys and workmanship, it'd not only be a tank of a gun, but much lighter. The poor material and quality control of typical SNS manufacturers cancels out the goodness that would otherwise accrue from what for the most part are well-designed firearms.
The problem with them is that the overall quality of construction and the materials the manufactures put into them are absolute junk. But I'm not telling you guys anything you didn't already know there.
It's just that if (for some reason) a somewhat reputable manufacturer were to make a copy of the Raven design but with quality steels/alloys and workmanship, it'd not only be a tank of a gun, but much lighter. The poor material and quality control of typical SNS manufacturers cancels out the goodness that would otherwise accrue from what for the most part are well-designed firearms.
One friend of mine has a Phoenix Arms HP22, and another friend briefly owned a Bryco 9mm.
These are the two worst pistols I have ever fired. I don't mean they are just ugly, I mean neither would go three rounds without malfunctioning. And a different malfunction every time.
The HP22 was also tremendously inaccurate. There was definitely something wrong with it. It was such a bad gun you might be safer behind a soda can than behind the pistol.
The Jennings .22 consistently has defenders, so I might try one if it was super cheap.
Other than that I'd rather save my money for ammo or for a gun that wasn't die cast.
These are the two worst pistols I have ever fired. I don't mean they are just ugly, I mean neither would go three rounds without malfunctioning. And a different malfunction every time.
The HP22 was also tremendously inaccurate. There was definitely something wrong with it. It was such a bad gun you might be safer behind a soda can than behind the pistol.
The Jennings .22 consistently has defenders, so I might try one if it was super cheap.
Other than that I'd rather save my money for ammo or for a gun that wasn't die cast.
As much as I like to brag about my Jennings J-22, I recognize some are not-so-reliable. I am by no means recommending the J-22 as anyone's next purchase! The best I can tell is it really matters when it was manufactured. Mine, for example, is chrome with wood grips, and has a steel safety switch (not that I ever use it). I have heard that other J-22's have a plastic safety switch which can cause problems. Mine was manufactured around 1988. From what I can tell, there was actually quite a bit of variation in the J-22 over the years it was produced.
In 1988, there weren't many guns in the $100 range that were easily concealable. So, for only $79.95 you could have a new gun that could be easily carried in a pocket - shiny chrome with wood grips too! At that price point, the little J-22 was hard to resist.
So, for a 25 year old gun that's had quite a few .22's shot through it, it's held up nicely. I can't help but wonder what a well used, Rohrbaugh R9 would look like and perform like with no maintenance after 25 years. I really need to take some pictures of the little beast to show it off here.
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I am not sure where the term came from but I first heard in in NYC in the 80s it was usually a cheap 38 revolver that had a gray or black past, sometimes the handles where wrapped in tape. They were meant to be temporary guns that could be tossed into the dark shadows of the night.
Years ago I traded for one it was an old beat up S&W it sat around for a while then I saw one at a gun shop one one day for $500. So I thought "wow" maybe it is worth money, looked it up and ended up selling it to the shop for $350.
Much more then I got t for.
Years ago I traded for one it was an old beat up S&W it sat around for a while then I saw one at a gun shop one one day for $500. So I thought "wow" maybe it is worth money, looked it up and ended up selling it to the shop for $350.
Much more then I got t for.
After getting "bitten" a couple of times, I simply adjusted my grip. I have never been bitten since - but it was unpleasant enough for me to remember not to ride the grip too high. Also, when you rack the slide to chamber a round - that should stop you from getting to high on the grip.
I have a RG 23 in 22 lr that actually does ok. It takes some serious concentration to shoot accurately, especially in DA. But that's part of the challenge that makes it fun. Does makes those little 22's sound load. I also have a RG, I think model 10. Little 22 short that says "seniorita" on it. All I can say about that thing is it shoots. I can't hit an aluminum can from 3 feet with it.
SteveBonning
New member
2 weeks ago I bought a Herbert Schmidt Model 8, imported by EIG of Miami, Fla., for $65 at an auction in Gettysburg, PA. These guns were made by Rohm and similar to the RG-10. Shoots .22 LR, 8-shot cylinder. Made in the '60's. An early example of a 'Saturday Night Special'. I'll be taking it out this Saturday night to shoot it.
If it doesn't shoot, then I'll be waiting for the next $100 gun buyback program.
If it doesn't shoot, then I'll be waiting for the next $100 gun buyback program.