I was at a farm sale yesterday and bought a Jennings J-22 for $70, it' s in great shape, has the original box and manual, it' s short the extra mag though, it' s for my ol' lady...

Anyone know anything about them? It seems pretty accurate for something so small, and it' s functioning well after about 100rnds, she likes it, but if there' s something on its way that' s a typical failure for them, I' ll pass it off.

BTW, anyone know how to decock it witout dry firing? Disassembly requires it be in uncocked state, but I can' t figure it out?

You' ll have to dryfire it to decock it.

The J22' s are normally prone to jam unless you keep them very clean. They are fairly cheaply made guns. I sure would give a Jennings to someone I cared about if the intended use was for self defense. If you can find someone to give you your $70.00 back, sell it and consider yourself lucky.

I bought a Jennings J-22 in the early 80' s new for less than $70.00, (I agree with diyj98....if you can get your $70. back....do so...)! I put about 1000 rounds total through that gun prior to trading it. I found that if you have a good magazine (1 of the of the 2, I had was not, and I replaced it with another one), and if you clean it well every 200 - 300 rounds it functioned with reasonable certainty. (Few small rimfire automatics are as functionably reliable as the small centerfires. That was the original reason for developing the .25 ACP...because of reliability issues with the small rimfire cases in small autos. And YES...there are exceptions!!!)

If, (and it' s a BIG IF), and only If, it is absolutely all you can afford....it is better than fingernails and teeth! But if I cared for someone, and I honestly thought they might need to defend themselves with a firearm, the Jennings J-22 is NOT the gun I would give them!!! And I know there are instances where individuals succeeded in defending themselves with either a J-22 or some similar gun. But I would NOT personally allow someone that I cared about to rely on it (or anything similar). And that means even if I had to take a second job for several months to buy something better!

My wife uses a Ladysmith Model 66 (3" ) in .357 Magnum for a " house gun" , (normally loaded with .38 Specials +P). And for instances where that is too big to carry concealed she also owns a Model 642 (1 7/8" ) chambered for .38 Special and rated for +P. She shoots both of these guns reasonably well, (nearly everyone has some room for improvement), and we have faith that either of these guns will work reasonably well if and when she should ever need them. Or at least as well as you can expect from nearly any handgun. (My wife also has access to other handguns, rifles, carbines, or shotguns....when at home!)


Even the best of handguns is not the best choice for stopping a lethal encounter. It happens to be the gun that you should " always have on you" in the event that someone else starts a lethal encounter. Having said that I will also say the best way to survive lethal encounters....is to AVOID them. And if you had a reasonable expectation that one were to occur....and couldn' t avoid it....then use a " long arm" . Either rifle or shotgun. A handgun is a " poor second or third" choice to either of the above options. But if all you have when someone brings a lethal encounter to you, that is absolutely unavoidable, is a handgun....then it should be a good handgun with a cartridge that has a " semblance of a proven track record" at ending the encounter in your favor!

Sorry the post is so long....but this is a subject that I have strong feelings about....and there is NOT any way to address it in a shorter version!

P.S. The J-22 is striker fired, (and as you have already supposed), should NOT be " dry fired" . Anytime you do not have a snap cap for " dry firing" ....in a pinch you can use an already fired case. (I know...I will hear a chorus from those saying someone might accidently use a live round....my answer is " fools should not be handling guns to begin with" ! Because nothing is " fool proof" ! So please...just make sure the case is empty!) With the fired case in the chamber you can " dry fire" it to insure in is not cocked! (It has been so long since I have owned mine I do NOT recall if there is any other way to " decock" it.) And that is another reason I would not want to trust it for carrying.....the only way to insure it is in a " safe" condition to carry, is with the magazine loaded and the chamber empty, (the safety is not a very positive one...and is easily accidently disengaged). Then when you need it...you have to " rack the slide" to chamber a round, (not a good thing to need to do when you are under stress from a life and death situation)!

Something I forgot to mention earlier. If buget constraints are really that tight...and you and your wife feel comfortable with her ability with a pistol instead of a revolver....you might want to consider looking for a Makarov or one of its variants.

Chambered in either .380 ACP or the 9X18 it is a better stopper than a .22LR load. Plus it has the added advantage of being a centerfire case...generally much more reliable functioning. And you should be able to find one for about double the amount you quoted for the J-22. It is worth noting that while Makarov' s are inexpensive....they are NOT cheap! If you can find one in .380 ACP it will be easier to find ammuntion...to include hollowpoints...making it more effective. Anyway you " slice it" , the Mak is much more gun for the money than any Jennings!

If the budget allows it....there are many other better choices than either a .22LR or Jennings and its ilk!

Once again, good luck with your decision!

Ok, day three, she' s shot it the last two days, getting almost 1000rnds through it already, it' s jammed maybe 5-7 times (so 99.3-99.5% reliable function), after about 200rnds mostly on off sounding rounds (probably the ammo, see below), the guy who picked it up for me ran about 500rnds before I got ahold of it, so 700rnds before failure isn' t bad. Additionally, this was with cheap ammunition, with which I usually experience 1-5% jam or misfire with these.

ALSO, I guess I never specified, but it' s not supposed to be a personal protection arm for her, just a plinker and probably a coon hunting gun, to be used when the Jack russels have one under a foundation with so many holes out everyone needs a gun, or when a rifle wouldn' t fit the situation. I found it to be pretty accurate, 15ft gave a 2.5" 7shot-group (1.20" without one extreme), with three shots making one ragged hole, not bad for one unsupported hand, a sub 2" bbl, bad ammo, and a 4" sight radius.

She likes it, so I guess it' s going to hang around.

Nomercy,

No offense was meant. As a plinker, (or a spare to keep in a tackle box), it is fine! Like I said, as long as I cleaned mine every 4-6 boxes...or so...it functioned about as well as any other small rimfire auto I have ever owned. Though my J-22 had a safety that slipped off accidently very easily....so I always kept the chamber empty until I was ready to shoot. That was my biggest reservation with the gun, (if it were to be carried for protection). And though the .22LR has killed many people....it can' t be counted on to any degree to end a fight rapidly. Having said that again, I will admit to having carried a .22LR rimfire " a time or two" for that purpose, (though always with reservations).

In the final analysis...if you are happy with it...keep it and enjoy!

I have had several of them. If the Magazine works good and you keep it clean they are not a bad little gun. Most times just producing a gun will end an encounter. If not a shot in the ground will usually do it. I was approached by a gang of hoods one night in a parking lot. I pulled a little 380 out and fired it once into the ground. In five seconds I was the only person on that block. That said I would prefer a 1911 45 auto.

No Mercy,

I dug into deeply into one of my chests to retrieve an owners manual.

I still have several J-22 & J-25 models. New in the boxes. Bought them off a guy who' s relatives had a fish & hunt place in WI or Minn. They died and he got them with a bunch of stuff when they closed the door on the place. I paid $20 or $25 a piece probobly 10 years ago. Sold most of them and probobly most went at $75-$100. I made some cash pretty quick once word got around.

Anyway here' s what the manual says about.............

DRY FIRING: Do not ' Dry Fire' (shoot pistol with an empty chamber)

UNLOADING WITHOUT FIRING: Always point your pistol in a safe direction. To unload unfired cartridges move the Magazine Catch rearward until the Magazine can be pulled from the pistol. Aftyer the Magazine is removed, pull the Slide to the rear to remove the cartridge from the Barrel chamber. Always check the Barrel chamber visually for cartridges by holding the Slide back and looking into the Slide, Chamber and Magazine cavities.

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 over the Barrel and pull rearward until it can be dropped down onto the Frame. Depress the tale 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.

Jennings J-22 & J-25 auto pistols are made in the USA by Bryco Arms, 17692 Cowan, Irvine, CA, 92714. (714) 252-7621

Of course these are not the highest quality little pistols, but they' re no where near the zillions of truly garbage models out there. The one thing that I think is really necessary is to not use any dust gathering, wet, petroleum oils. They just gather lots of dust, lint, etc. and these guns will really perform much more unreliably when subjected to it. I use the same thing I use on all my guns-LPS dry film lubricant. It kinda goes on wet amd milky looking, then quickly dries to a lighter milky haze, It is just as slippery as oil, but doesn' t attract the dirt. I coat a patch well and coat the inside of my barrels. The light milky appearance really lets you see where it is and where it isn' t.

Uncle Matt (in IL)