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Jennings 380
jojoashby
Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
Anybody know anything about the Jennings 380. Local pawn shop has brand new one with extra clip for $100. I've been reading Jennings/Bryco? are cheaper models, and have a niche on lower caliber market.First hand gun purchase. Not looking to spend a whole lot first time out. Is this a reliable gun for that price, or should I steer clear?? Input would be appreciated...thanx.
Comments
$50 is a fair price on a used one.
Here's a similar gun on the auction right now with bid + shipping less than $50 total:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=197624615
These are low quality guns that are not meant to be fired repeatedly for targets or other sporting endeavors. They are strictly meant for up close, self protection and most of them will rarely see more than 50 rounds ever fired through them. Fire ten rounds through one, swab the slide rail area and you will see particles of the soft pot metal that have been shaved off. Reliability is not their strong point, but the guns offer at least something in the way of protection to those of limited means.
These types of guns, the so called Saturday night special, were the first target of the anti gun lobby and were the first victims of the ensuing gun control legislation. The fees involved in purchasing such a low cost weapon jack up the purchase price to the point that many people of limited means cannot afford to buy even them. So, the people are criminalized by the system when they buy guns like this, or others, on the underground market. Unable to constitutionally prohibit ownership of guns, a corrupt government taxes and imposes fees on guns and ammuniiton purchases, hoping to jack the price up so high people cannot buy them and their manufacturers will fade away. For instance, if you legally sell your $50.00 gun in California, the buyer pays at least $38 in transfer fees and has to wait ten days to pick it up. $38 is 76% of the value (virtually doubles the cost) of the gun and in ten days, the potential buyer may have been vicitmized by those he sought to protect himself from.
To expand a little bit on what's already been said, Jennings guns are about the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality. They're made of inferior metal, they're not reliable, and parts breakage is not uncommon.
To me the biggest drawback of these guns is that they are not drop-safe. In other words, in contrast to EVERY production gun made by the bigger name manufacturers (Smith and Wesson, Glock, etc) if you drop a Jennings pistol with a round in the chamber, it could go off (ie and kill you). That's NOT good.
In my opinion, even for $50, there are better self-defense weapons out there.
http://www.feelsafernow.com/telescopicstunbaton.htm
http://www.pepperspraycenter.com/buy-pepper-spray/pepper-blaster-kimber-pepper-spray-gun-guardian-angel-p-326
If you can afford just about anything else (with the exception of RG and the like), buy that.