Jimenez JA-9 quality?
I know that the JA-9 was pretty much crap when it was being built by Jennings/Bryco, but I was wondering if the quality control has improved since the company was bought out by Jimenez and the production moved to a new location. I could get a High Point, but they are so bulky that they would be hard to get to fit where I would need to keep it.
I have a VERY good quality 9mm (Stainless CZ 75B), but am looking for something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a car gun. I travel a lot for work and would like to have something in the car in case I broke down and someone with evil intentions arrived before roadside assistance.
I have a VERY good quality 9mm (Stainless CZ 75B), but am looking for something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a car gun. I travel a lot for work and would like to have something in the car in case I broke down and someone with evil intentions arrived before roadside assistance.
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IF, you actually had your life in danger, is that what you would depend on?....They have their place,,somewhere 0 -
Save your money. If you HAVE to go cheap pick up a used Ruger P95. You can find them all day long used for $250-$300 and they go bang every time. I wouldn't trust ANY incarnation of Jiminez/Bryco. Heck I'd buy an old Colt or S&W .38 before some semi auto like Jiminez. When I was 22 and just starting to buy pistols I was also a poor college student. Thought the Jennings 9mm would be a good buy. Gun would never get through a single magazine without a stoppage with simple fmj ammo. Even after having the feed ramp polished it failed. Not what you need when the chips are down. You might even look at thr Ruger LC9 if you are on a budget. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Azlonegunman
I know that the JA-9 was pretty much crap when it was being built by Jennings/Bryco, but I was wondering if the quality control has improved since the company was bought out by Jimenez and the production moved to a new location. I could get a High Point, but they are so bulky that they would be hard to get to fit where I would need to keep it.
Its not merely an issue of quality control.
The guns are simply not well designed, and have poor parts quality. So no matter how much the factory checks them before they come out, and no matter what kind of warranty they offer, they're still going to be failure prone.
Personally, I won't buy one of these (period).
Sure, in a pinch, I'd rather have a "junk" gun than no gun, but there are so many excellent quality used or surplus guns out there available for really not much more than one of these, that I see no reason to compromise with one of these POS jam-o-matics.
Do you want a piece of crap failure-prone drop-unsafe zinc-alloy "junk" gun for $250, or do you want a bulletproof all steel surplus military grade weapon for $300? I don't think that's a hard choice.
quote:I have a VERY good quality 9mm (Stainless CZ 75B), but am looking for something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a car gun. I travel a lot for work and would like to have something in the car in case I broke down and someone with evil intentions arrived before roadside assistance.
Easy as pie.
If you like your CZ-75 (and I also like those. . .a lot. . .) EAA is importing full-sized and compact polymer frame Turkish made CZ-75 clones call "SAR" that cost $300 (or less). These are great guns, and they'll have a similar feel and operation as your CZ-75. They're small enough to fit in your glovebox, and won't break your wallet.
If you look around, you may also be able to find an older/used all steel or polymer EAA/Tanfoglio Witness or an Israeli Jericho type pistol, both of which are also based on the CZ-75 with similar feel, for that money. These are great guns for the money.
Kel Tec P11 in 9mm is ten times the gun as a Jennings and these can be had for as little as $250 used. Recoil is "brisk", and the grip is a little "boxy" but these are also small/light enough to fit into your pocket, should you feel the need. For roughly the same money, PF-9 has a better trigger and overall feel, though these have lower capacity.
Bulgarian Makarovs cost under $250, though these are in 9mm makarov, which is roughly equivalent in power to .380ACP (and a bit less than .38 special).
Surplus 9mm Makarov CZ-82s are a little tough to find now, but you can find them for about $300, and they're great guns, all steel, beating the Jimenez ones is just about every way (reliabilty, durability, capacity, safety, accuracy, etc). Something like that would work pretty well for your use, I think.
Ditto for FEG PPK clone.
You can still find well-used but nicely functional Smith and Wesson model 10 .38 special revolvers on the auction site for about $300 (or in some cases, less), and I'd take even a 25% finish, 50 year old one of those of those over any of the "junk" automatics any day of the week.
As mentioned Ruger 9mms (eg P85, etc) are available under $300, and though they aren't much to look at, they're actually tough as bricks and super-reliable.
Smith Sigma doesn't enjoy a great reputation (trigger pull is lousy out of the box), but the guns are reliable, they're basically Glock clones, and they're backed by Smith. You can still find older ones for about $300, and you can also work on the triggers to make them reasonably good.
Prices on these only keep going up, but you may also be able to find one of the police trade in "number" series Smith autos in that price range. These were also never very popular for some reason, but they're great guns, with ambi safeties, Novak combat sights, and a few other nice bells and whistles.
Etc. . .0 -
I have a cheap Jennings and I take it out once in a while for plinking, but if my life may depend on it, I do not want to go cheap on it. I want to have the best functioning and most effective gun that I can afford. 0 -
run, Run, RUN! from anything related to these POS guns. IF it was the ONLY choice I had, I'd take up arms with one....but that's a HUGE if. And I'd use it to try to fight my way to a reliable gun.
I've seen literally two hundred of these things in varuious states of disrepair, and almost always after it hopelessly jams, at crime scenes and/or the evidence room over the years. Whether autos made by Jennings, Bryco, Raven, Lorcin or derringers by Davis, Cobra, ad nauseum...all the semi-auto pistols listed are somehow related, all are crap.0 -
http://www.GunBroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=336619816
There's a S&W 915 9mm for Buy it now of $209! And this seller has a bunch of them. He also has a bunch of Beretta's and Tangfoglio pistols. I'd buy one of those used Smiths in a heartbeat for a truck gun over ANY Jiminez or Hi Point.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ruger41
http://www.GunBroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=336619816
There's a S&W 915 9mm for Buy it now of $209! And this seller has a bunch of them. He also has a bunch of Beretta's and Tangfoglio pistols. I'd buy one of those used Smiths in a heartbeat for a truck gun over ANY Jiminez or Hi Point.
Not sure why he has a reserve listed. Has a starting bid of $209 and a buy now of $209.95 with a reserve, doesn't make sense?0 -
Jimenez arms, I found, are very accurate. The key is to practice a whole lot and know your range. They hurt a lot when you get hit with one but then again, you're getting hit with a piece of steel so it should. I used to have good velocity with one too until my shoulder went out on me and know I can only throw the pistol accross the room. Now I carry a Glock. 0 -
That was basically my thought on them, but wanted to check to see if they had improved any since the buyout a couple of years ago.
I've looked at the S&W Sigmas and after trying a Sigma and a Sig 228, I spent the extra few hundred dollars for the Sig. Once I got the CZ, I traded the Sig to a mechanic for auto work. I've seen some of the new Tristar CZ clones and they look pretty good and are only a little over $300 at Academy. I've found the Arcus High Power clones for around $200, and they are milsurp. I just didn't want to have to go through all of the hassles of having to have it shipped from PA to TX.
As for the Ruger Semi autos, I like the LC9s but most of the rest are so uncomfortable in my hand that I couldn't shoot them accurately.0 -
The words "Quality" and Jiminez" should not appear in the same sentence. To do so risks ripping the fabric of the space-time continuum, which would cause silly things to happen- like a Kenyan with a false Hawaiian birth certificate being elected president. If we say it more than once, he would get re-elected.
Wait- what?0
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