[el camino]

My future father in law offered me his 2 Jennings (9mm, and .380 w/ double stack mag) for $300.

I've shot both of these guns and both feel pretty good in my hands. I don't know much about guns though, so I was wondering if anybody could tell me a little more about the guns before I make the purchase.

thanks.

 

[Adler]

Jennings are really junk guns and not worth the cash. They went out of business after some actually came apart when fired. They are made from really really cheap cast metal. If they dont jam all the time, they shoot themselves to death.

You can get a nice used 9mm for 300 if you shop around.

Avoid Jennings, Jimmenez, Lorcin, Cobra, Hi Point, and Bryco handguns.

 

[el camino]

cool - thanks for the info.

i've been looking at a walther p22 or p99. i think the p22 would be a great gun to learn with, while still being able to provide a small amount of at home protection. the fiance' could also fire the p22 without much of a fight.

 

[GTKrockeTT]

jennings, nice father in law...rofl.

 

[SOCOM ROBOT]

I think you should buy those guns then shoot him with them for selling you cheap guns.

OR! You could tell him "look sir, if I am going to protect your daughter the least you could is not sell me cheap ass crap guns. I am insulted by your lack of concern for your daugter's safety. I insist you buy me a HK USP tactical."

http://www.impactguns.com/store/product1692.html

 

[Adler]

cool - thanks for the info.

i've been looking at a walther p22 or p99. i think the p22 would be a great gun to learn with, while still being able to provide a small amount of at home protection. the fiance' could also fire the p22 without much of a fight.

Now I love the Walther p99 this is for sure and the SW99 is a good twin to it. However there are alot of P22s out there that have had issues and unless one you get is one of the newer ones off the line and not one that has been sitting on a shelf I reccomend you look elsewhere(S&W dropped the ball on them for a while when they made them). They older ones had spring breakage issues, were ammo picky, and had some problems related to the safety.

If you want a good 22lr to learn on I reccomend you look at the following.

Browning Buckmark
Ruger's 22 autos
Beretta NEOS.

BTW- a 22lr is just one step above nothing for home defense. Only a rock and a 25acp gun are worse. I personally wont use anything below a 32acp and most wont use anything below a 9mm anymore.

If you want a nice low priced gun I sugest you look at the STAR BM, S&W 10,Makarovs, EAA Witness.

 

[el camino]

Neil just wants to get rid of his guns. He said if I wanted a cheap gun, he'd sell me his old ones. But he also told me to look into Ruger, Glock, and Beretta.

 

[Ed]

cool - thanks for the info.

i've been looking at a walther p22 or p99. i think the p22 would be a great gun to learn with, while still being able to provide a small amount of at home protection. the fiance' could also fire the p22 without much of a fight.

A .22 is great for punching paper but has little to offer for self defense other than the presence of a firearm to intimidate the criminal. A 9mm is pretty much the minimum most people would consider for self defense. I'm sure your fiance could handle a 9mm(my mom is a little lady with weak wrists and shoots my sub compact 9mm without a problem) and ammo is pretty cheap as well. 12 bucks at Walmart for a 100rd box of Winchester. Personally I'm not very fond of the p99. That's just me though that doesn't mean it's not a decent pistol. For the 300 he's asking you can find some decent pistols. For example Rugers can be found for about the 300-400 range brand new and they are good reliable pistols. If Glock appeals to you I've seen the 3rd generations for 400 used and in excellent condition. There's plenty of choices. Those are just some examples for you. Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Ed]

Oh yeah! If someone tries to sell you a Taurus decline. I've owned two and had problems with both even after having one gunsmithed. I've heard plenty of bad stuff from others as well. My friend has a 24/7 he likes but I will never recommend a Taurus to anyone. Sorry Taurus fans.

 

[Whitford]

I wouldn't recommend a Glock as a first handgun unless you have a decent amount of experience with pistols.

 

[Ed]

I wouldn't recommend a Glock as a first handgun unless you have a decent amount of experience with pistols.

Why not? No remembering to decock. No safety to remember to reengage. Point, pull trigger, release trigger and all three passive safeties are reengaged. Sounds easy to learn to me.

 

[Ducman]

Why not? No remembering to decock. No safety to remember to reengage. Point, pull trigger, release trigger and all three passive safeties are reengaged. Sounds easy to learn to me.

Passive safeties only work if you keep your finger off the trigger... something newbie have trouble with

 

[Yeager]

I think you should buy those guns then shoot him with them for selling you cheap guns.

OR! You could tell him "look sir, if I am going to protect your daughter the least you could is not sell me cheap ass crap guns. I am insulted by your lack of concern for your daugter's safety. I insist you buy me a HK USP tactical."

sir I beleive that the pistol you linked to is infact a H&K Mark 23, not a USP Tactical. Note the flaired extra large trigger guard, general slide shape, and rear decocker. Also note the H&K Mark 23 patent numbers on the grip when enlarged in photoshop.. :mrgreen:

 

[Adler]

Oh yeah! If someone tries to sell you a Taurus decline. I've owned two and had problems with both even after having one gunsmithed. I've heard plenty of bad stuff from others as well. My friend has a 24/7 he likes but I will never recommend a Taurus to anyone. Sorry Taurus fans.

All my taurus guns worked just fine. They also have a transferable warranty. My PT92 outlasted my friends Beretta 92FS. Old Taurus guns are crappy (pre95) but after that they are just as good as the models they are based on. If you had an isue with your Taurus you could have gotten it taken care of by them for free. I know someone that did have an issue with a Millenium pistol and when it didnt get fixed the first 2 times, they gave him a new one for free.

Put it this way...if your taurus works new from the factory you wont have issues with it.

 

[Ed]

When I buy a firearm and it has problems I just can't really stand the thing anymore. I guess I'm just weird like that. A friend of mine had problems with a different model too. Not to mention I've read about alot of bad experiences with Taurus handguns. When I, my friend and people on the internet have all had issues with this manufacturer I really don't want any in my collection or as a carry gun. Not to say I haven't heard good things either but I have to stick with my own personal experience. One of my Taurus pistols was a stainless steel PT100. I liked it quite a bit. I felt the safety/decocker was superior to the Berretta. Another friend of mine has a 24/7 that he likes. I just don't want anyone to pay for a firearm that needs to be fixed or replaced. Just trying to look out for my fellow enthusiasts that's all.

 

[Ducman]

You won't find a gun manufacturer that hasn't had issues and hasn't had someone bitch about it on the internet.

 

[Adler]

Exactly. That goes for the venerable 1911 as well.

 

[Ed]

True but I have to go with my own personal experiences. I've definitely heard of more problems with some manufacturers than others.

 

[Adler]

I think the slant against Taurus comes from the fact that they are made in Brazil so when something breaks its always because "Its made in South America" and.."Buy American". One guy told me not to buy the new Taurus 1911 because they are Brazilian garbage and I should get a Springfield cause its a US company. He did not know that even Springfields 1911 is made mostly in Brazil.

Personally I have seen Beretta USA guns fail more than Taurus ones. I even know a range armorer who got tired of replacng one Beretta locking block after another and started putting in Taurus ones. They are lasting nearly 2x as long.

Like I said Taurus made shitty guns in the past(pre 95) but thenew ones are fien guns and backed by a fien warranty. The fact they run cheaper may make them easier for you to discard compared to an uber expensive S&W or such where you might use the warranty cause you laid serious cash on the table.

 

[Ed]

I agree that in the firearms enthusiasts community there is alot people who feel you should only buy American. I've had a couple guys at a shop trash talk my 229 even though it's assembled in the U.S and the slide is made in the U.S. A portion of the sales of of Sig's P226 Navy are used for scholarships to benefit children of fallen U.S. soldiers in combat. I don't know of any other manufacturer doing that. American or not.

Springfield's 1911's are made in Brazil? That's very interesting. I really want a GI. I feel that it's a cheap well made 1911 I could slowly build up to my own preferences.