Thoughts on J-22 as a carry piece.

Y

yankytrash

New member
I carry open. Just got an old Jennings J-22 for practically nothing. I've been carrying it instead of my usual 45 compact widebody. It's a lot more comfortable, and that comfort allows me to stay armed at times when I would not otherwise be.

Hearing that some people have had numerous problems with J-22's (although I haven't had any trouble in 300-400rds of WinXP HPs so far), should I have any worries about using this as my carry piece?

Should I not keep one chambered? Are there jamming issues?

Thanks in advance.
 
I don't want to sound like a gun snob or elitist -- but I think if I had to stake my life on a Jennings .22 I'd just carry a knife. About as accurate in its effective range... and a lot more reliable.

If size and comfort are where its at for you, you should look into a Kel-Tec P-32. Smaller than the Jennings, lighter, and holding 8 (or 10, if you go for the optional larger mag) rounds of .32 acp. Corbon makes a round for this "locked breech" gun.

I've shot two and am impressed -- and if you've got to go small, its the best way to go.
 
Walt is correct if you want a great little carry the keltec
32 is as light as they get and the .32 has 1 1/2 - 2 times the energy a standard 22 lr shell contains. If you really want to carry
a 22 lr pistol I wont try and persuade you otherwise. The
problem is 22's arn't really designed as a defensive round.
The rimfire design of the shell isn't really semi auto friendly, having
a haunting reputation for not going bang when the trigger is pulled. We wouldnt want that to happen to anyone, especially
when up against a BG.

However, if you are going to carry it. Run at least 500 rnds through it without 1 problem. That is dependable enough
to carry. Also, Aguila makes a 22lr round that has the same
muzzle energy as a .380 (those who wonder what I have been
smoking, look into it!) I saw it at a gun show and my dad ended
up buying alot of it. A 22 lr round that has over 180 fpe. And yes
its true, a friend of his cronographed it...amazing. It has more energy than 90 % of the .32 rnds available. Look into it if you want. Hit men choose the .22 lr as there #1 caliber of choice.
I would have to assume they know what they are doing, being
hit men and all. Shoot well and enjoy.
 
UT82,
Aguila does make a hot round, but the energies you speak of are out of a rifle length barrel. The typical 2 1/2"- 3" barrels of .22LR mouseguns will be lucky to come anywhere near half the factory listed energy levels .
CCI Stingers and Aguila hyper-velocity rounds will most likely produce 75-85 FPE out of these short barrels (which still beats a .25acp).
 
I carry open. Just got an old Jennings J-22 for practically nothing. I've been carrying it instead of my usual 45 compact widebody.
Click to expand...

You went from .45acp to .22lr? Because the .45acp gets a little heavy? And you really think this is a good idea? If you say so.

You know, there's a reason you "got an old Jennings J-22 for practically nothing." That's more than they're worth. If yours is working for you that's all well and good. It's your funeral. Carrying a .22lr when it is the smallest gun you have and your situation calls for discreet carry, that's fine. Going from .45 to .22lr just because you got one "for practically nothing" seems like a bad idea to me.
 
Here's the only way I'd carry it...

You take a piece of stout leather thong, about 24-28 inches long, and you tie one end through the trigger guard.

The other end you tie into a loop that will fit around two fingers.

Then, when you need the gun for defensive purposes, stick your fingers through the loop, sling the thing around your head at a high rate of speed, and lash out at the agressor's head with your quasi-Biblical sling-type weapon.

Sorry, I've seen WAY too many Jennings literally disintegrate while being fired, with no rhyme or reason as to when it happens.
 
If a Jennings was all you could afford, I would commend carrying one. Knowing you can do better, I must say, "you can do better."
 
Ok, ok, I guess I asked for that. I should've been more specific, which I will be now.

I'm asking, if I trip on the curb coming into the 7-11, is the J-22 going to fire due to weak spring or something? Flaming the J-22's in general is fun (first thought comes to my mind is that it's a girl gun :D ;) ), but let's get a little more specific, please.

Since I can't walk away from flames without p***ing on the fire a little, heres some of my points on prefering the little 22 pistol:
  • Harder trigger pull means less chances of accidentally pulling the trigger as I'm pulling it from the holster.
  • Size, weight, and comfort of carry allows me to carry comfortably. I can carry when I'm working on the car, taking longer-than-usual walks (ever had a 45's hammer rubbing your forearm raw? ouch!!!!), piddling in the shop, or hell - just lying on the couch. That tiny smooth chrome hammerless design gives me all the freedom of movement I need to carry on a daily life. Heehee, sounds like a Tampax commercial.:D I might get a little 25 or 32 later as a replacement, but anybody that says carrying their 45 around all day everyday is comfortable is lying to you.
  • When the local gunuts inevitably approach me to want to fondle my piece, my reply can turn away unwanted conversation with a quick, "aaaa, it's a cheapo 22." I'm not carrying for a conversation piece everytime I walk into a store, I'm carrying for defense.
  • You can say what you want, but a 22 is just as scary. Try an experiment: Unload your favorite 45ACP and your 22 pistol and put the safeties on. Point the 45 at your face and imagine it's somebody else pointing it at you. Feel a tinkling sensation in your frontal pants area? Now do the same with the 22. Get the same tinkling sensation? If not, you need help.
  • Anything that makes lead come out of it at hundreds and hundreds of feet per second is effective for defense.
  • Anybody who'd like to sell me their Kel-Tec 32ACP for $25, I'll be happy to carry it daily.;)
 
Snowdog,
You are right...they advertise up to 204 fpe @ 1750 fps. Out
of a Ruger mk 1 & 2 and a High Standard..all with 4-6 " barrels
the get over 1350 fps....which equals over 120 fpe. Pretty
good for a 22 lr. pistol. We would have to get a Jennings and
crono it with the Aquila...but may not be worth it, the bullets
and range fees are more than the gun.
Mike Irwin,
How about 2 straps....kinda like tassels....
Shoot well
 
? Now do the same with the 22. Get the same tinkling sensation? If not, you need help.
Click to expand...

I think I need help.:D

I bought my P32 for walking the dog and other duties. If I were going to my local 7-11 I pack a .45. You are more likely to encounter a BG there than most places.

Good Shooting
RED
 
Yankee,

General flaming aside, I was flaming SPECIFICALLY when I said that I've seen far too many Jennings come apart while being fired, with no rhyme or reason.

I'd put the number at close to a dozen that suffered semi-permanent to permanent failures while being fired, from slide and frame breaks to shedding critical parts to partial self-disassembly to trigger failures.

Thanks, no thanks.

Get a cheap-assed used Rossi, Taurus, or early Charter Arms revolver in .38.
 
I'm asking, if I trip on the curb coming into the 7-11, is the J-22 going to fire due to weak spring or something?
Click to expand...

Don't carry the Jennings, Bryco, Davis or similar guns with a round in the chamber!

These guns do not have a firing pin block. If you have have a round in the chamber and drop the gun,
IT WILL FIRE!

Just my opinion :D

JP
><>
 
Thanks mini, that's what I was after.

Hey guys - my J-22 now has 900 rounds through it (plus whatever it had through it when I bought it)- that's 500 hvHP and 400 or so cheapo target loads.

When's it going to fail to feed or fall apart? Please tell me, because the middle of the target-man is completely blown-out and I need to know if I gotta buy another one.;) :D
 
Geez, Yankee.

I posted this in the message above.

"Sorry, I've seen WAY too many Jennings literally disintegrate while being fired, with no rhyme or reason as to when it happens."

Given the number of broken Jennings I've seen, I think that in and of itself should be a pretty good indication that there's something wrong in pot-metal gun land.

You may have actually gotten a Jennings that will hold together long-term.

But it really comes down to this.

Given the fact that there are a LOT of cheap, quality firearms out there with excellent service and reliability records, is the Jennings really all that much of a bargain?

If you really want to carry the Jennings, the only thing I can recommend is that you actually get, and carry, a SECOND Jennings. That way in the event of your first one suffering the better-than-average failure, you'll at least have something to fall back on.
 
You know, if the reason you're doing this is that you're hard up for money, get in touch with me. I can make you a good deal in a Taurus PT-22 or even a Beretta 92 (early model) with 5 15-round magazines.
 
I actually had a J-22 a few years ago, it was a gift. After trying to shoot it a few times, I actually cut it into a number of pieces and tossed it in the trash! I wouldn't have felt right even giving it to someone, it was that bad. While it didn't self-destruct in my hands, it couldn't get through a magazine without a stoppage. Also, the trigger mechanism is so feeble that you certainly risk an AD carrying one in the pipe, and it's just a bad idea to use this as a carry gun!
 
I have both a Jennings J-22 and a Kel-Tec P-32.
The J-22 has been fired a LOT.
The 32 is lighter, flatter and safer to carry, but,
the 22 will shoot groups about half as big as the the 32.
Now I don't carry cocked and locked, but if I did, I would want the safety to be where my thumb fell naturally. Ever notice where the safety is on a J-22?
Makes you wonder why no one else has ever thought about it.

Some gun is better than none at all.
 
I must have one of the lucky J-22s, 'cause mine outshoots my buddy's .25s and is actually more reliable. He's got an old Beretta that will jam if the 6-round magazine has more than 3 in it. Groups pretty well for such a tiny thing.
It isn't my carry gun, although sometimes when it is really hot I stick it in a pocket rather than go unarmed. One of these days I will pinch enough pennies to buy a .32 but on a teacher's salary that will take a while.
When I do carry it I don't carry it with a round in the chamber. I have no confidence in the little el-cheapo safety and would rather not shoot off a nut or dredge out my buttcrack with a .22LR round- depends on where I am carrying.
 
Yankytrash -

* Harder trigger pull means less chances of accidentally pulling the trigger as I'm pulling it from the holster.
Click to expand...

Keeping your finger off the trigger means "less chances of accidentally pulling the trigger as I'm pulling it from the holster." You don't pull the gun out of the holster by the trigger do you?:eek:

* Size, weight, and comfort of carry allows me to carry comfortably. I can carry when I'm working on the car, taking longer-than-usual walks (ever had a 45's hammer rubbing your forearm raw? ouch!!!!), piddling in the shop, or hell - just lying on the couch. That tiny smooth chrome hammerless design gives me all the freedom of movement I need to carry on a daily life. Heehee, sounds like a Tampax commercial. I might get a little 25 or 32 later as a replacement, but anybody that says carrying their 45 around all day everyday is comfortable is lying to you.
Click to expand...

I carry a SIG Sauer P220 every day, all day when I'm not at work. The hammer has never rubbed my forearm. (Neither did my 1911's when I carried them.) That could be because I don't walk like a woman with my elbows tucked in. I can only speak for myself though. I guess my P220 would get uncomfortable if I was to try sleeping on the couch with it on, but I don't wear my gun, or my cell phone (you want to talk about uncomfortable:eek: ), when I take a nap on the couch. :rolleyes:

* When the local gunuts inevitably approach me to want to fondle my piece, my reply can turn away unwanted conversation with a quick, "aaaa, it's a cheapo 22." I'm not carrying for a conversation piece everytime I walk into a store, I'm carrying for defense.
Click to expand...

Do you really have a problem with "the local gunuts inevitably approach me to want to fondle my piece" or are you just hanging out at the Blue Oyster?:p

* You can say what you want, but a 22 is just as scary. Try an experiment: Unload your favorite 45ACP and your 22 pistol and put the safeties on. Point the 45 at your face and imagine it's somebody else pointing it at you. Feel a tinkling sensation in your frontal pants area? Now do the same with the 22. Get the same tinkling sensation? If not, you need help.
Click to expand...

You think I need help if I don't get a "tinkling sensation" in my "frontal pants area"? You're the one pointing empty guns at yourself and I need help? If you say so.

Your last two points are valid, but the first ones...:p :D
 
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