Jennings J-22

The Jennings J-22 was produced by the Jennings corporation in California in the 1980s and 1990s. It was an inexpensive .22 LR caliber (J-22) and .25 ACP caliber (J-25) aluminium alloy slide and frame. The latter models by Bryco were made of Zamak.

The pistol is blowback operated and striker fired. The barrel was 2.5" long and had shallow grooves, like the Micro-Groove rifling used by Marlin Firearms. It came with a six round magazine. Because of the low price, it was also exported to some countries in Europe where it achieved some notoriety in the pocket-pistol competition class in the 80s and 90s.

Controversy

The pistol has been claimed to be flawed because of its soft material. Another frequent claim is that the gun malfunctions more often than should be expected.^[1] It has also been criticized for its accuracy, with some critics claiming that it could only hit a dinner-plate sized target at about 10 yards at best.^[1]

The J-22 is held in low regard. Owners of expensive handguns dismiss the J-22 as junk. From that perspective, it is thought of as a "throw away" gun used mainly by criminals. However, there are some people who think of the J-22 as simply a fun "plinker". The small size of the J-22 makes it popular as a "tackle box" gun, for shooting snakes, or dispatching small animals.

The J-22 and current JA-22 (manufactured by Jimenez Arms) are often purchased by individuals as a means of self-defense as an alternative to the more expensive, machined handguns (SIG, Ruger, Colt, Glock etc.) and the lower cost of these cast-alloy pistols allows individuals to enjoy some form of protection. Although the .22 long rifle cartridge is not considered an optimal self-defense cartridge, an individual can apply it to stop an attack as it is more than adequate of dispatching an attacker.

References

External links

• Owners Manual