[Planeguy]

The Saturday Night Specials. I basically know nothing about these except they were cheap and generally low powered. And I don't remember ever seeing them as used guns. I was just wondering how really bad they were?

 

[Neon Horse]

Just run. I had a FIE. Just run. It shot occasionally. Just run. It liked to bind. Just run.

 

[Neon Horse]

Here is a thread where I asked about the Lorcin.

http://rugerforum.net/pistols-revolvers/81347-lorcin-l380.html

 

[terry_p]

I had a Sterling in 22 LR that was your basic belly gun. The trigger was nasty but the thing was reliable. It would fire, cycle and be ready for another. It was minute of barn door at 15'.

 

[alayonruger]

I wasthisclose to buying a Rohm but decided to go home and do some research at rf.net.

 

[bwinters]

I had a Raven and a Sterling and both were utterly reliable and accurate enough that I would not want to be in front of one. I could shoot 8 inches at 25 feet. It would have served for self defense if that was what you could afford.

 

[DCD327]

Well, aside from all the negative stories one hears. I absolutely wont mess with any firearm that's questionable. I look at a handguns as tools. They are for hunting or protection. They must fire every time and be 100% reliable. That's NOT something I'm willing to take a chance on. So I just wont mess with them.

 

[Planeguy]

I was just curious because they're often the weapons used when one of the real crime shows is from cases in the 80's.

 

[jim97701]

I had a Jennings (Bryco) .22 that always went boom when the trigger was pulled and the accuracy wasn't bad for such a small gun.
Sometimes I wish I would have kept that little beater LOL.

 

[DCD327]

I was just curious because they're often the weapons used when one of the real crime shows is from cases in the 80's.

I guess there is a reason they call them " throw aways".

That's the slippery slope of having cheap weapons. You don't hear of many crimes committed with a $700 Ruger GP 100, or a $1500 AR. At least not around my area.

 

[White Squirrel]

I have an FIE .25 caliber pistol that I inherited from my father-in-law. I keep it cleaned up and occasionally stick it in my pocket when I go out in the yard. As opposed to most everybody else's experience that has been posted so far, it has always fired and operated just fine. I haven't shot "hundreds of rounds" through it, maybe around 50-60, but no jams, FTF, or FTE issues. I know .25 caliber is not much for self defense, but I did see my father-in-law flat cut a snake in half with it. That's why I carry it around the yard sometimes. I feel better with something in my pocket rather than nothing.

 

[ExArmy11b]

No..........just no.

These are what methheads and crackheads use to hold up mini marts.

If someone only had $100 and wanted to buy a gun for protection I'd tell them to spend it on a good knife before something like a Jimenez Arms .25. I'd rather see someone rely on an EAA Windicator than a Bryco. Heck, a Taurus looks like a Sig Sauer compared to those things.

I see tables full of these at gun shows, the Bryco .25's, etc. and they're hoping to either sell them to the "impulse buyers" with $80 burning a hole in their pocket, or to broke people who want something to keep in their glovebox.

My ex-mother in law had one of those type guns, some pot metal .25 from the 70's, I told her to just smash it with a sledgehammer, because some day, someone might actually try to fire it.......of course she never did, so there's one more hand grenade waiting to happen out there.....luckily there was no mag with it, so hopefully it will just quietly rust itself to death.

 

[ratznfragn]

Ah, yes, the "Ring of Fire" guns. If you get one that works right, it generally continues to do so. Not something to put a lot of rounds through, zinc alloy frame that has a low melting point and is brittle. But if you get one that doesn't work right, you probably will never get it to.

 

[sr9c sr22]

HAVE a little Lorain 22, mag is 7 shots but will only fire 1 shot and jam. FTE.

 

[ExArmy11b]

A person can skip a few Value Meals at Wendy's and instead of a Lorcin get a Hi-Point, which apparently are very functional guns for the price.

The Hi-Points kind of have a cult following and even people who own high end guns buy them out of curiousity and are impressed with their performance and reliability. Lots of people have high round counts on them, some people try to wear them out for fun and they just seem to keep going. That one custom gun place spent over $1,000 making the "Ultimate Custom Hi-Point .45", just to do it.

My friend has a Hi-Point 9mm carbine, he never cleans it and blasts all kinds of steel case 9mm through it and it just keeps working.

They even have "Hi Point only" pistol matches in some places.

Plus, they have a lifetime warranty, they cost so little to make, and they sell so many , if you break or wear one out, you ship it to them, and they just destroy it and send you one serial numbered the same. It's probably cheaper than trying to fix them.

I'm often tempted to buy one of the OD green .45's.

 

[SteveV]

I had a Sterling in 22 LR that was your basic belly gun. The trigger was nasty but the thing was reliable. It would fire, cycle and be ready for another. It was minute of barn door at 15'.

I had a Sterling .25 auto that was not too bad for what it was and the price point.

 

[Neon Horse]

Sometimes it pays to pay!

 

[ExArmy11b]

You can get used Beretta Jetfires and Bobcats for $150-200 , I' ve never been to a gun show that didn't have some kind of used Beretta micro mouse gun for a good price, most are "pocket worn" and aren't priced high. I use a .25 Bobcat often as just a run around town gun. I have a .22 Bobcat that runs like a top with Stinger and Mini Mag. They're well made, keep them clean and they'll be there for you.

Or, for $150-200 you can get an NAA Mini .22 Mag, they are made well, they work, and are affordable. They dissapear in any kind of clothing.

Heck with LCP's being what, $250 new, there's no excuse to buy some $100 pot metal suicide special........I would rather see someone buy one of those $150 Taurus TCP's before one of the Jennings/Bryco etc. jam o matic 200 round service life river guns.