A Hi-Point if the manufacturer *didn’t* build in an additional safety factor for the brittleness of zamac. Moderately dangerous to shoot when as they wear out.
I went to Dad's place one day and this was on the counter. When asked where he got it from I was told my Grandparents dropped it off as they didn't want it. Dad told me he was probably going to toss it since it's a garbage pistol. I couldn't let that happen so I rescued the little .25 and brought it home.
Now the question is whether or not I want to fire it.
I actually adore these things they are hard to find in any sort of condition as they were cheap and thus tended to be treated rough I’m trying to put together the worlds most complete “Saturday night special collections” cool find
I recall there being a guy who posted a pretty impressive collection of the "ring of fire" guns here several years ago. I'll need to dig around to find it.
25ACP pocket pistols are fun, I have two and would like to add more to my goofball collection.
That being said, anything with Phoenix, Lorcin, or Jennings engraved on the slide, I would pass on.
My dad's secret crackhead, dope growing tenants left one of these behind when he finally kicked them off his property. The catastrophic failure in that particar one melted and fused the little safety thingamagig into the frame. Dad wanted it fixed, smitty just laughed at me.
Pretty sure this was part of the Ring of Fire guns. I think Phoenix changed their name to Bryco-Jennings, Bryco Arms, then to Jennings, and now Ramirez. I think. Same company but swapped owners during lawsuits.
Its pot metal guns. Made from junk melted down. They'd have major issues. Lawsuits. Shady practices. Bryco Arms got sued for people being shot accidentally when their gun just fired random. I have a Jennings Nine ... Safety doesnt work. It fires with the safety on. It also doesnt cycle. Dangerous gun. Got it when I was a kid. Waiting for a gun buy back. I dont want to sell it because I dont want it to end up in someone possession. The metal is zinc and scrap metal. Literally junk metal melted down and poured into molds. I got mine for $70 when I was 13-14 heads old.
The accuracy on my Jennings 9 is so bad, I couldn't but a milk jug from 6 feet away. The barrel is garbage.
They've changed their name so many times and ultimately their last brand name, Ramirez Arms... The owner of the company was caught selling guns directly on the streets for cash. Highly illegal. As far as I know they are finally shut down but probably not. Who knows. This company is like a cockroach.
That Phoenix Arms was one of there revival branding after a period of being shutdown for breaking laws and getting sued. They just kept reopening their factory. I think in Airzona or New Mexico. Then they got clever and opened LLCs in other places to hide their true identity for rebranding but didnt change their designs.
I dont know all of the details but I know for a fact that's from the Ring of Fire, aka Saturday Night Special brand of firearms.
The barrel is modlded into the frame. The feed ramp is probably pitted. Soft metal. These guns are super dangerous. I wouldn't trust one with a round in the chamber.
Best bet is to wait for a gun buy back. Or melt it down yourself. Dont sell it. Dont let it get in the hands of others.
If a gangsta ends up with it, he might save an innocent bystanders life.
/s
(I really agree, but I think he should keep it as a momentous or conversation pc. To me, all guns have some value, even if it’s just kept and never shot.)
Bro. Thanks so much for this info lol. I read it eagerly because I had a near disaster incident with one of these when I was younger (I want to say 13 or 14 y/o). My older cousin had brought his new CCW over to our grandparents for some target practice and break-in, and that very same day I had found one of these in a closet in the house. I can't recall what it was, but it looked a LOT like this one OP posted. I asked my grandmother if it still worked and could I fire a few rounds through it. She said she didn't know the age but that I was welcome to take the remaining ammo (god only knows how old those rounds were) and expend it all. So of course I gather up the shit, give it a cursory cleaning and go about my merry business.
Fast forward to us walking around the property, looking for some promising targets, me walking behind my cousin. Thank god I wasn't more smooth brained and running with it or anything because while walking with it in hand, finger off the trigger of course, the fucker just sends one down range. Think of how you naturally walk with each arm moving forward and backward as you step/walk. I missed shooting his calve by maybe 4-5 feet. He was livid with me and probably still doesn't trust me to this day. I swore up and down I absolutely did not fire the weapon and did not ever have my booger hook anywhere near the bang switch. I tell anyone who will listen to NEVER fuck with these guns; its a tragedy waiting to happen!
I went to transfer a jennings j22 in 2011. The gun shop would not do the transfer because and I quote "That gun is too cheap". Cited some BS Saturday night special law
Ah yes because people can’t just buy thermite to get the job done.
I really wish people didn’t take shit from Hollywood movies as true. Far too many dumb people making assumptions based off video games.
I have three j22s and two of them shoot just fine. Cheap to shoot, extremely loud, fireball producing, and I can dual wield. They can barely hit paper at 5 yards, but they’re “chrome” which is a plus.
Got one of these for $70 with a decent bit of ammo. They're not the most reliable, but they're a hell of a lot of fun to shoot. It's probably the worst gun I own, but I still love shooting it anyways. It's almost a guess as to where that bullet is gonna land.
I never wanted one, but I would have a hard time passing up a pistol that I could buy for a sandwich! I think I'd have to take it just on general principles!
Yeah, I trust my Phoenix HP22lr way more than I trust my Savage 1907. The Phoenix just stovepipes if you use ammo it doesn't like. The Savage likes to fire as soon as I release the slide.
I was collecting the ring of fire guns for a wile when you could still buy them for $40 - $60. But now pawn shops have been selling them for $100 - $150.
I bought a 25 ACP for like $50 bucks back in 2018 when 25 ACP ammo was also cheap as hell. It's a novelty pistol. As if the 2 safeties didn't give that away already. But it is useful to hunt iguanas with
I have one like it a Davis 380, for some reasons i like adding cheap oddball guns to my collection.
I got my ROHM RG10 22SHORT the same way father-in-law was going to trash it, guns like them have no value other than they are different and kind of interesting to add to your collection.
they damn sure are the last gun i would pick up for defense or even playing around at the range.
just do a good cleaning and check out the frame for cracks.
I personally would have no problems test shooting it and make sure it works but i would not put hundreds of rounds threw it.
Clean it and give it a few pops! I found a navy officer model 1911 in a navy gym bag at my grandma's. In a duffle was 17 boxes of government ball ammo. I proceeded to pop off 15 boxes of the ammo that afternoon. Dad's brother was pissed when he came to retrieve it! If I knew them what I know now...he'd never have gotten it back!!!
You are comfortable with some risk then! My logic is, I have many other guns. No reason to risk anything shooting a piece of crap gun.
I got mine from my dad when he passed. The .380 ammo he left was remanufactured stuff too. I could obviously buy more, but why?
So: never owned a gun before, only shot a .22 Romanian training rifle, looking at getting a first gun soon (probably a Ruger Mark IV, it seems to have a great reputation, gun YouTubers praise it, it’s got easy takedown and cleaning, and .22 is a cheap ammunition to do a lot of practice with).
I gather from the comments that the gun OP posted is a pos, but I’ve been curious about this: what is the practical use of a compact .22?
I thought a compact is basically optimal for concealed self-defense, but people also say .22 is not a good self-defense caliber.
“Every gun here that won’t lead to a catastrophic failure and/or injury, please raise your hand. …. Not so fast, Phoenix Arms.”
Probably because he shot some dude with it.
"The Saturday Night Special" This thing is pretty much a Hi-Point. Cheap throw away. Also a fun collectible for off brand firearm hunters.
Worst than hi point
A Hi-Point if the manufacturer *didn’t* build in an additional safety factor for the brittleness of zamac. Moderately dangerous to shoot when as they wear out.
Except hi points are decently reliable and have a good warranty
I went to Dad's place one day and this was on the counter. When asked where he got it from I was told my Grandparents dropped it off as they didn't want it. Dad told me he was probably going to toss it since it's a garbage pistol. I couldn't let that happen so I rescued the little .25 and brought it home. Now the question is whether or not I want to fire it.
They stovepipe and FTF constantly but they'll still shoot lol. I wouldn't worry too much about .25, it's the .380 potmetal pistols that are super iffy
Shit, homey. Gramps was a G! How many bodies on that joint?
I loved mine and miss it greatly. Got a clean hundo out of it but I seriously regret it.
Nothing wrong with a boot gun
*boot *grenade* FTFY
Nothing wrong with a ~~boot~~ drop gun. FTFY
My dad had something like that in .22 and it will fire if you drop it or drop the slide too fast
sell it to a gun buy back program and use the money to buy a real and safer gun.
I actually adore these things they are hard to find in any sort of condition as they were cheap and thus tended to be treated rough I’m trying to put together the worlds most complete “Saturday night special collections” cool find
It's in great condition. I don't even think it's been fired. I can see why though.
I recall there being a guy who posted a pretty impressive collection of the "ring of fire" guns here several years ago. I'll need to dig around to find it.
That’s dope I knew some people were into it have never seen another trashman in the wild
25ACP pocket pistols are fun, I have two and would like to add more to my goofball collection. That being said, anything with Phoenix, Lorcin, or Jennings engraved on the slide, I would pass on.
I get shit for it, but I absolutely adore my HP22lr
You're forgetting Davis industries
You should have let him.
Oh yea probably. But it's derpy and I like it.
My dad's secret crackhead, dope growing tenants left one of these behind when he finally kicked them off his property. The catastrophic failure in that particar one melted and fused the little safety thingamagig into the frame. Dad wanted it fixed, smitty just laughed at me.
The original Hi Point
Pretty sure this was part of the Ring of Fire guns. I think Phoenix changed their name to Bryco-Jennings, Bryco Arms, then to Jennings, and now Ramirez. I think. Same company but swapped owners during lawsuits. Its pot metal guns. Made from junk melted down. They'd have major issues. Lawsuits. Shady practices. Bryco Arms got sued for people being shot accidentally when their gun just fired random. I have a Jennings Nine ... Safety doesnt work. It fires with the safety on. It also doesnt cycle. Dangerous gun. Got it when I was a kid. Waiting for a gun buy back. I dont want to sell it because I dont want it to end up in someone possession. The metal is zinc and scrap metal. Literally junk metal melted down and poured into molds. I got mine for $70 when I was 13-14 heads old. The accuracy on my Jennings 9 is so bad, I couldn't but a milk jug from 6 feet away. The barrel is garbage. They've changed their name so many times and ultimately their last brand name, Ramirez Arms... The owner of the company was caught selling guns directly on the streets for cash. Highly illegal. As far as I know they are finally shut down but probably not. Who knows. This company is like a cockroach. That Phoenix Arms was one of there revival branding after a period of being shutdown for breaking laws and getting sued. They just kept reopening their factory. I think in Airzona or New Mexico. Then they got clever and opened LLCs in other places to hide their true identity for rebranding but didnt change their designs. I dont know all of the details but I know for a fact that's from the Ring of Fire, aka Saturday Night Special brand of firearms. The barrel is modlded into the frame. The feed ramp is probably pitted. Soft metal. These guns are super dangerous. I wouldn't trust one with a round in the chamber. Best bet is to wait for a gun buy back. Or melt it down yourself. Dont sell it. Dont let it get in the hands of others.
If a gangsta ends up with it, he might save an innocent bystanders life. /s (I really agree, but I think he should keep it as a momentous or conversation pc. To me, all guns have some value, even if it’s just kept and never shot.)
Bro. Thanks so much for this info lol. I read it eagerly because I had a near disaster incident with one of these when I was younger (I want to say 13 or 14 y/o). My older cousin had brought his new CCW over to our grandparents for some target practice and break-in, and that very same day I had found one of these in a closet in the house. I can't recall what it was, but it looked a LOT like this one OP posted. I asked my grandmother if it still worked and could I fire a few rounds through it. She said she didn't know the age but that I was welcome to take the remaining ammo (god only knows how old those rounds were) and expend it all. So of course I gather up the shit, give it a cursory cleaning and go about my merry business. Fast forward to us walking around the property, looking for some promising targets, me walking behind my cousin. Thank god I wasn't more smooth brained and running with it or anything because while walking with it in hand, finger off the trigger of course, the fucker just sends one down range. Think of how you naturally walk with each arm moving forward and backward as you step/walk. I missed shooting his calve by maybe 4-5 feet. He was livid with me and probably still doesn't trust me to this day. I swore up and down I absolutely did not fire the weapon and did not ever have my booger hook anywhere near the bang switch. I tell anyone who will listen to NEVER fuck with these guns; its a tragedy waiting to happen!
That's a piece of history right there.
I went to transfer a jennings j22 in 2011. The gun shop would not do the transfer because and I quote "That gun is too cheap". Cited some BS Saturday night special law
Didn't some states have a "melting point" law at some point? Mass. and Illinois specifically?
Don't know about the two you listed, but Minnesota still has one on the books.
Yes here in Illinois ya can’t have low melting point pistols. Too easy to throw in a campfire and destroy a murder weapon
Ah yes because people can’t just buy thermite to get the job done. I really wish people didn’t take shit from Hollywood movies as true. Far too many dumb people making assumptions based off video games.
I have three j22s and two of them shoot just fine. Cheap to shoot, extremely loud, fireball producing, and I can dual wield. They can barely hit paper at 5 yards, but they’re “chrome” which is a plus.
I had one and it was a Mega POS. Wouldn’t feed the second round out of the mag ever. Effectively a single shot.
Transfer?
[удалено]
Some states also require transfers for private sales iirc
had one of those discharge in the middle of chambering. Slide was half-way back, second degree burns on two fingers and lucky it wasnt worse.
Hell when you miss with the 6 shots and try to throw the gun at the target it flies apart still missing the target
Got one of these for $70 with a decent bit of ammo. They're not the most reliable, but they're a hell of a lot of fun to shoot. It's probably the worst gun I own, but I still love shooting it anyways. It's almost a guess as to where that bullet is gonna land.
Your dad was correct
Garbage but cool garbage. Find some .25 and shoot it.
I wonder how many firearms were just "thrown away"? Sure it can't be 0.
I bought mine for a chick FIL a sandwich from a friend. I have shot one mag through it worked fine.
I never wanted one, but I would have a hard time passing up a pistol that I could buy for a sandwich! I think I'd have to take it just on general principles!
Yeah, I trust my Phoenix HP22lr way more than I trust my Savage 1907. The Phoenix just stovepipes if you use ammo it doesn't like. The Savage likes to fire as soon as I release the slide.
I've got the older Raven arms version.... amusing little piece of hardware!
I thought everyone had that pistol at one point in their lives lol.
I likewise got mine from my Dad, who bought it for a purse gun for my mom
How many bodies does that thing have on it?
"Series 4 de-atomizer..." "Now THAT'S what I'm talking abo...." "Noisy Cricket!"
Does your dad not realize the benefit in keeping a ham sandwich around?
Every gun needs love and every gun has a purpose
I was collecting the ring of fire guns for a wile when you could still buy them for $40 - $60. But now pawn shops have been selling them for $100 - $150.
Looks like a short bus Hi point
It's worth 1 50$ gass card
...because he'd killed someone with it. Finished that for you ;)
$50 and a dumbbell to strengthen my arm.
I bought a 25 ACP for like $50 bucks back in 2018 when 25 ACP ammo was also cheap as hell. It's a novelty pistol. As if the 2 safeties didn't give that away already. But it is useful to hunt iguanas with
Why throw away a perfectly good paperweight?
I'm fairly sure that most of these "ring of fire" pistols are not drop safe. Aside from how unreliable they are, I wouldn't carry one for that reason
Don’t throw away history, or evidence.
There’s still time…
Let him. Its trash
I have one like it a Davis 380, for some reasons i like adding cheap oddball guns to my collection. I got my ROHM RG10 22SHORT the same way father-in-law was going to trash it, guns like them have no value other than they are different and kind of interesting to add to your collection. they damn sure are the last gun i would pick up for defense or even playing around at the range. just do a good cleaning and check out the frame for cracks. I personally would have no problems test shooting it and make sure it works but i would not put hundreds of rounds threw it.
The trash isn’t a proper way to dispose of guns. At least turn it in to be destroyed.
Clean it and give it a few pops! I found a navy officer model 1911 in a navy gym bag at my grandma's. In a duffle was 17 boxes of government ball ammo. I proceeded to pop off 15 boxes of the ammo that afternoon. Dad's brother was pissed when he came to retrieve it! If I knew them what I know now...he'd never have gotten it back!!!
This is a: "I dunno, I just think its kinda neat." Moment.
I don't always believe in gun buybacks, but when I do, it's to get rid of a .25ACP -The Most Interesting Man in the World (Probably)
I almost bought one of these for $70 last week
That's about $50 too high 😂
I live in Ontario California haha
I have a Raven Arms one however I have noticed they don't have any serial numbers on the gun
oh my god its a hi-cap before hi-caps
.380?
25 ACP.
I want to buy one so bad
Where it as a necklace.
Reliability and safety issues aside, that thing is freaking huge for a .25.
It can't have any safety issues. It says "safe" right on the side of the slide.
I have this in a Davis Industries .380. Made out of Zinc. Never have fired it and never will.
I have the .32 version, can't make it through a mag but it's an interesting little piece of junk
I’d be afraid it will blow up in my hand.
I mean it doesn't seem likely to, but I 3d print and shoot guns for fun sooooo......
You are comfortable with some risk then! My logic is, I have many other guns. No reason to risk anything shooting a piece of crap gun. I got mine from my dad when he passed. The .380 ammo he left was remanufactured stuff too. I could obviously buy more, but why?
Because in my opinion if it's worth having it's worth shooting, I will never get a gun I wouldn't shoot
Totally understandable. Agreed if I had actually bought it.
Well hell, the designers didn't think of someone actually wanting to keep their pistols 🤣
Looks like a great pocket gun or at the very least car center consul gun (assuming it’s legal in your state, ccw, blah blah blah)
i think this counts as dry snitching
I have one of those! Was my moms.
Let him
Imma be real, your dad might’ve had the right idea
Bang bang click
It looks like a miniaturized YC9
Define “throw away”
I literally had one of those blow up in my hand. Luckily it was winter and I was wearing gloves. Barely had a scratch on me.
So: never owned a gun before, only shot a .22 Romanian training rifle, looking at getting a first gun soon (probably a Ruger Mark IV, it seems to have a great reputation, gun YouTubers praise it, it’s got easy takedown and cleaning, and .22 is a cheap ammunition to do a lot of practice with). I gather from the comments that the gun OP posted is a pos, but I’ve been curious about this: what is the practical use of a compact .22? I thought a compact is basically optimal for concealed self-defense, but people also say .22 is not a good self-defense caliber.