TOP 8 Saturday Night Special Guns [Don't Buy Until You WATCH This!]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- In some of our past videos, we lightly touched on Saturday Night Specials and asked if you wanted us to do a video on the subject. Many of you said yes and we just couldn’t refuse, so by popular demand, we’ll talk about it.
But before we do, for the benefit of all the millennials and Gen Zs who have no idea, let me provide some background.
Saturday Night Specials are low-cost firearms that are commonly available in the poorest places in America. These are typically tiny and chambered in a weak cartridge, though there are exceptions. But they’re prone to jams, malfunctions, cracked slides, and catastrophic failures. The term first appeared in print in 1917, in The Coffeyville Daily Journal, referring to an inexpensive revolver.
Saturday Night Specials became wildly popular after the implementation of the Gun Control Act of 1968, a.k.a. the GCA, which prohibited the importation of certain kinds of firearms, including junk revolvers manufactured by Röhm G
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Retired cop here... The Raven .25 was used in more murders than any other gun in the area I worked. Been retired 20 years so might be different now. Test fired many Ravens. They all worked.
Would you say that the CIA gives us those type of cheap weapons for satans work
What made them so deadly? And who were the victims?
They were cheap and easy to carry. Shootings were up close and personal.
@@mikemcphillips4445sadly the bad guys have upgraded to 9mm with extended magazines. At least victims had a better chance of survival with .25
Did you ever plant one of those ravens on someone to charge them with a crime ?
My raven never failed. Shot alot of rounds through it. Insanely accurate out two 2 feet.
I carried a 25acp raven for years in my boot I shot a few hundred rounds through it without a problem .
I'm with you. These things are neat little "mouse guns" and sure beat throwing a rock at someone. Had one for years and shot the dickens out of it with no hiccups.
@@alexanderchapman2525 I'd like to find a couple
i agree my raven long since retired but i have to say never a malfuction ...lets face it these guns not shot much
Mine only Failed when I was using Aluminum shell casings ☹️☹️☹️, OTHER WISE NEVER any Trouble 👍👍👍
I owned a Raven many years ago. Kept it clean and lubricated, and it never jammed. I know of a young woman who dropped an attacker with one shot using a Raven.
I arrested a lot of guys who were packing Rohm revolvers & Raven auto loaders during my 30 year (Ret. ‘97) career. Also saw a lot of folks killed by those Saturday Night Specials.
Would you say the CIA gives us those guns in mass amounts for population control
Now they are carrying hi cap 9's Glock, Taurus, as well as hi points. I wish they were carrying Davis derringers, rohm wheel guns and Ravens
@@archietheracehorse Yeah these cheapo guns going under probably led to criminals having more access to good guns.
I have an original Jennings J-22 that my late cousin owned. He put thousands of rounds thru it with zero issues. I onced the Bryco version and also had zero issues.
I had the same gun, it was reliable and accurate.....until my ex wife stole it.
I bought mine in 1987. Shot it a lot back then, but haven't in decades. Still have it. Kind of a pretty little thing.
I remember buying a Ravens in .25 for $25. It never jammed on me, and we put a lot of ammo through it. My kids adopted it and I haven't seen it in decades.
I hate the blamers who want to sue companies for feel good money!! It wasn't the objects fault the kid got hurt it was the neglect of safety on the humans part!
Horrible computer voice
There was a defect with the gun, of course the company had fault 😂
@@gmailalt6928 - Had the four firearms safety rules been followed I promise you nobody would have been hurt. Defect or otherwise.
@@gmailalt6928 The point being..... the company couldn't control in which direction the barrel was pointed...... whereas the idiot who shot the kid was fully responsible for which direction the barrel of a loaded gun was pointed. The company should definitely be responsible for an unsafe design flaw, but at the end of the day, you are solely responsible for whatever or whoever you damage when you decide to pick up a gun.
Ravens were a copy of a old German design , very heavy big slide made them reliable & the .25 caliber did not tax the gun and wear it out . They were tough and easy to work on and clean , had a fixed barrel too . Just watch for the slide bite ! It fit the back pocket great very flat and square it stayed put and you could sit on them comfortably . Keep the chamber empty it is a striker fire and can go off. Rack a round when needed . That is really the one sore spot with a Raven having to carry it chamber empty .
Dropped them, slammed them against my knee when in a pocket, never had the striker fall.. but I agree, I would not risk it and don't recommend keeping a bullet in the chamber.
40 years ago I had a Raven 25acp, never had a problem with it, I've also had 2 Jennings J-22s, and they were accurate, I could hit baby food jars from 50 ft consistently, the 2nd one would sometimes fire two rounds with one trigger pull, which I didn't mind, because in a self defence situation, I could double-tap with a single trigger pull, and for $60 not too bad. 🤣
I had a Raven 25 acp and I never had any problems ever.
If it fired 2 shots with one trigger pull it is classified by the ATF as a machine gun.Congratulations your a felon 😂
Doubt 50 ft stikes at 50 feet
My J-22 worked until it didn't
I personally don’t think that the Raven Arms MP-25 is a piece of junk at all.. it’s been a very reliable little pistol and also a very good piece to have as a collection piece when you no longer plan on putting any more rounds through it. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
If the gun don't run 500 plus people act like they're junk, hi-point comes to mind even tho I seen many videos where they actually out perform higher end pistols
The Raven .25 was a VERY common gun for Cops to carry as back up. Zamak has been used by German Gun makers for years without problems PROVIDED low pressure Cartridges are used i.e. .25 and .32 auto. Bruce Jennings spent $500.000 Dollars to perfect the Magazine in the j22. The main issue with reliablity in these Pieces is often burrs left over from manufacture. A "fluff and buff" will usually cure this. I also believe Hinckley used an RG23 which was the Model with the swing out cylinder.
I was a cop in the Midwest during the Raven craze. Almost every cop carried one in a handcuff pouch on their duty belt as a backup. We appreciated them for what they provided. As long as you didn’t use exotic ammunition and kept it clean and maintained, the weapon performed perfectly.
This one carried a Jennings J22 a few times as a backup or even an off-duty piece the first few weeks or so..
I had one until it went full auto. It got destroyed.
Found an Erma after that which I also broke.
RG-14.
@@mikepulis4618 didn't have to destroy it. Its a simple fix in the trigger mechanism. You could have cut a part with a Dremel and sheet metal.
I worked in a gun shop after I was discharged from the Army back in the early 80's. Those little Raven Arms handguns were probably the most popular guns we sold. Seems everybody in Valdez, Alaska owned one. They were actually pretty reliable. The guys buying them were well paid Alyeska employees that could afford high end firearms and bought those as well. .
The Phoenix Arms HP-22 is actually a pretty great little gun.
The .22lr round is notoriously flaky in automatic actions for a wide variety of reasons, so it's unusual to find a reliable one.
But it's even rarer to find a reliable .22lr pocket pistol.
And yet, somehow, the HP-22 is well known for being quite reliable.
The major drawback to the HP-22 is the absurd amount of redundant safeties that were crammed into it for liability reasons.
But these safeties can easily be modified to create a slick little pocket pistol that is actually a fun little gun, and quite reliable for a .22 automatic.
While it might eventually fail after a few thousand rounds, most people will never put that much ammo through it.
And it's cheap enough that you can just buy another one easily enough.
Reliable .22 pocket autos are as rare as hens teeth. In fact, I don't know of any other pocket .22s that are even remotely as reliable as the HP-22. So while it may not be perfect, it's still quite good for what it is.
Actually, when it does fail, Phoenix is known to simply replace it under warranty.
I have an HP22A that I use as my carry gun. I agree it is reliable, but the video stated it was "lightweight". 20 Oz for a gun this size is far from lightweight.
@ScottWiecenski
Trying to make the HP22A a pocket-carry gun is how I ended up with a Kel-Tec P32. The Phoenix is heavy, sharp-edged, and complicated by something like 64 different safety features. I also wanted something more ready for "pull, point, and press to play" in a defensive gun, having been primarily a revolver shooter for many years.
Still, the HP22A is solid and a fun little shooter. I find it more enjoyable than even either of my Ruger Mk-II pistols, maybe because the Rugers are "too easy". One would be hard-pressed to find, in its price category, another pistol with a real hammer, as crisp a trigger, and a rear sight that is at least adjustable for windage.
@@Just1American1966 I went with a Bersa Thunder .380. Roughly the same weight, but a more effective calibre.
@@ScottWiecenski
Have one of those, too. Was a bit big for pocket-carry for me. Excellent gun, though.
If you want a Real Saturday night special..get A .38 Rock island m206 revovler or A Bersa thunder .380 theyre small enough to be ankle guns/front coat pocket or inside a coat pocket. Theyre reliable and have more than enough stopping power plus withbthe .38...dont gotta pick up shells.
I had a Frankenstein Bersa 380. Found the lower portion (Frame, barrel, trigger bits were disassembled) at a gun show for $15 I believe. Checking through Shotgun News (Very early internet, so not an option) I was able to get the rest of the parts. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked. Probably around $40 for them. Not a target pistol by any means, but reliable and bullets went in the direction I pointed it.
@@christopherconard2831 bersa/ Talon armaments make fantastic FAIR priced budget pistols. The Bersa thunder
380 is based off the walther ppk design and for under 310 can't complain.
I have no complaints about my little Raven or the Titan I had back in the 80s.
Both were reliable, and the only repair I ever needed was a firing pin for the Raven (which I bought used) after 20 years of regular use at the range, which only cost me $10 to repair. And both were accurate, especially for the short barrel. Definitely not hand cannons, but great backup pistol.
I had a Phoenix HP22 back in the 90s. I probably wouldn't take it into battle, but it wasn't that bad. Weird safeties, but I never had reliability issues
Tht raven is classic an works good !!! 🔥 Never jammed
Last year, I picked up a shabby looking Raven for cheap. Cleaned it up, put in a new recoil spring, and it runs great. It's reasonably accurate, too.
As a kid, I remember these all over the place in stores in the 70's for 15 to 20 bucks!
Off the shelf, out the door!
The girl I dated in high school, her dad had a Jennings J22. He said it came apart and the firing pin disappeared. I found one on Numrich gun parts, and fixed it.
For the first time, I really enjoyed this review with its concise description of firearms, background of companies, anecdotes and the occasional joke. The review breezes through with the right pace and sounded crisp, and the choice of words clearly understandable. 👍👍👍👍👍
I've had a Raven 25, and an RG-14. They were damned good and reliable guns.
The Jennings .22 was a randomly dependable. One I have shot very consistently and was amazingly accurate for a pistol of this size and quality.
Same story here. Jammed all the time.
You had to get a Dremel and lightly sand the bottom of the chamber till it's a rounder shape and connects better with the feed ramp. The problem with the j22s is they got no chamber ramp. Raven 25s do have a chamber ramp though and they feed smooth, even if you ride the slide down.
Mouse guns are just fun
Have to say nice to see my Sundance didn't make the list.
I had a Jennings, J-.22 LR, shot it near a thousand times and it never failed. Lost it, then got another one, the same thing, no reliability issues. Both were accurate enough for me. Consistent hits, coke can at 20 yds, but It is definitely a very close-range weapon. I guess, sometimes you get good one, and sometimes you don't
I have one of the Davis .380 ACP. I bought it a pawn shop because I already had a Makarov chambered in .380 ACP so I already had ammunition. Only shot it a couple times, it’s too small and if your not careful the slide will pinch your hand. Compact makes it a good backup.
Don't drop it if it's loaded because it WILL go off. A kid in Houston,TX died when his brother was playing with the gun and dropped it. Another time, a kid brought the gun to school to show off to his classmates. he dropped the gun and it went off. Fortunately, no one got shot.
USA became safe 1968 when small exllent grade pocket pistol’s were prohibited.
So low quality 🇺🇸guns got that Closed market😂
Walther PPK,TPH, Baby Browning just a few
Had a Lorcin 22 back in the 90's. It was actually pretty reliable, boxes of 500 were cheap then and we'd run that sucker all day. Pretty accurate with 30 ft or so.
I remember buying a milk jug full of 22lr at Kmart for like $10 back in the early 90's.
Had a Lorcin 25- my.last carry piece- use glassers-- cheap gun in case I had to lose it. Worked fine
Raven was also sued after Florida high school teacher Barry Grunow was murdered by a student with one in 2000. Raven prevailed in the suit.
My grandpa had a Raven, love that little gun.
A big favorite of mine is the Rohm RG-63. It's a 6-shot revolver in .38spl (there was a 5-shot made, but I don't know the model number) shaped as nearly as possible like the Colt Peacemaker, but is DA/SA. It loads and unloads just like the Colt (one at a time thru a gate), seems to be made of some sort of alloy, came in blue and nickel. I've had several and never paid more than $50, and have actually carried one for self-defense. Believe it or not, I once qualified on a 60-round police qualifying course up to 60 yards with better than 80% and all fired within times! My agency, embarrassed, refused to record the score (This was 1970's, revolver course) with most folks using S&W k-frames. Not bad accuracy AND completely reliable through hundreds of rounds!
Always thought it would be fun and funny to trick out a Raven. Do an action job on it and maybe install a rail on it.
Gucci Raven
At the time all of those 'Ring of Fire' pistols were being made there was a fantastic little .25 of great value AND reliability for sale. I refer to the Bauer (later the Fraser) .25 auto. They were made of stainless steel and only cost $75 when new back in 1975. They are very well made and work EVERY TIME. The rest of those 'so called guns' were the same price as the Bauer but never lasted after the first 100-200 rounds. I've got a Bauer and I shoot it all the time. It's had at least 2500 rounds thru it and it's as good as new. They sell now on the used market for around. $350-$500, and if you like small semi-autos you might want to check one out. Spare parts are everywhere. They're an exact copy of a Colt .25 auto. So, no problem there. Check 'em out. Cool little guns for up close work. Six shots...real quick...no jams!
The Bauer was a copy of the FN Baby Browning, not a Colt.
I have had two Ravens and a Lorcin .380. i still have one of the Ravens and the Lorcin. I bought one new back in the 80s, it saw a lot of use at the range and never gave me any problems, the second one I bought used for a song in about 1993, after buying it I found a crack in the firing pin, and the wooden grips were cracked. I replaced the firing pin and since the aftermarket grips were crap, I made my own from some Osage Orange that I had and added some thickness and hand carving. I still have it, and in spite of having ran somewhere around 20 50 count boxes of ammo throug it, it is still in exellent condition and has been very reliable. The Lorcin is also still working very well, in spite of being soaked in rat piss for several months (was caring for my mom at her place when Alzheimer's struck, and it was in a closet on the top shelf, that is how I found it) in spite of looking like a basket case when I discovered the situation. After unsticking the slide and inspection, everything but the finish was still in practically mint condition. After refinishing, you can still see a bit of pitting on the outside showing through, but it has been thoroughly tested and works like a champ.
I believe the law suits were far more about the money behind the activist non profit orginizations funding the lawsuits than the safety of the guns. Because mine have functioned exactly as intended. Inexpensive home defense.
Love my Raven MP-25
Rambling commentary to follow, read at your own discretion.
Most of the ring of fire companies have gone the way of the dodo. Phoenix Arms is still around of course, making the HP-22 and 25.
Jennings/Bryco/Jimenez has done another sued in to bankruptcy, form another company Jennings family two step. The new version of the company, JA industries LLC only makes the JA 9 now.
The convoluted lineages of Davis, and Lorcin are pretty much done. Cobra picked up where Davis left off, in the typical Jennings family style bankruptcy two step. Along the way they began producing two of Lorcins designs in addition to the old Davis lineup. Cobra eventually went under and was succeeded by Bearman industries. At that point they only produced the derringer line. Recently the rights to the derringers were sold off to a new company called Old West firearms, who have continued to offer the Davis/Cobra/Bearman derringers. I have no idea if the new company is owned by yet another extended member of the Jennings family, but given the history of the ring of fire gun manufacturers, that is a possibility.
Along with the usual problems with those guns, the advancing technology in firearms, has rendered them obsolete. Cheap polymer framed double action pistols that offer features similar to more expensive handguns are common. A cheap blowback handgun made using zamak isn't going to be substantially cheaper than their more capable competitors like a Taurus G2c
That leaves the ring of fire guns in the history books for the most part. They are a historical, and perhaps a mechanical curiosity at this point. Probably in the realm of a novelty, or collectors item.
Oh for the Raven owners out there, Phoenix arms still sells magazines, and parts for the Raven. Or at least they did as of a couple of years ago, when I bought from them. Pretty interesting that they still had stuff for a design that has been out of production for three decades.
I think the Zamak crowd shifted strongly to Hi Point as well. A big Hi Point is more intimidating than a mouse gun for home defense.
Jennings used a Pirate logo and their ads said, "Look for the Pirate." I always figured the Pirate was the guy taking your money.
Still have a Rohm 3 inch barrel 22 LR revolver that I bought new at dealer cost- $12 in 1974. Used it very little (quality concerns), primarily with 22LR snake shot to dispense with any water moccasins dropping into the boat from tree limbs while fishing. Shot pattern at close range made it easy to hit a moving snake and the tiny shot wouldn't put a hole in the boat. Peace
I have an old Bauer .25 auto palm pistol. It's my gaspump gun.
Those are pretty nice! Not a Saturday night special. They are getting hard to find and collectible.
Phoenix arms 22s & 25s are great little plinkers. No problems with them.
I bought a Raven MP-25 for my wife in 82 from a drugstore in Dennison, Texas. The gun is still intact and in use with my daughter.
This is just the tip of the iceberg there are many more that were not mentioned.
I went with a ruger lcp for 180 rather than the jimenez 380 for like 80-100 bucks so I think I got a better deal lol
You did
Before Covid and internet tax I saw a bunch of cobra 380(almost the same as the Jimenez) for $50 on GunBroker. $180 Ruger LCP isn't bad at all.
@@timd729 ever hear the saying " you get what you pay for"? Ruger is a good choice. Although that little Ruger is not easy to rack. & it has a snappy recoil. But overall a decent piece. Good luck in your endeavors.
the common theme being these companies are sued out of existence
And many pawn shops wont take them if they have been recalled or made of Zinc/ Zamak. THEY dont want to be sued either !
I had a Phoenix arms model raven 25 that shot every time even when I dropped it
You needed a tougher sear spring. Easy fix, somebody probably lost the original spring and put a sh*tty replacement spring.
I finally got me a very good condition ,Raven MP-25,shiny chrome with pearl white grips with an embedded raven arms medallion. I want it for a collectible and it shoots perfectly. The " Godfather"of Saturday night specials.
My Raven is in somewhat rough shape (it's definitely been carried for decades) but it shoots like a champ. And I have the Raven medallion on there like yours.
Considering how cheap they are I'd totally buy another one in the condition you describe.
Zamak is the same alloy that is used to make Hot Wheels. Lol
Yes, Zamak starts to turn to white powder after 40-50 years and is advanced by high humidity. Many German medals from WWII are turning to white powder now. Many rivets on Hot Wheels show some of the white powder in just a few years. Zinc bathroom fixtures, same thing, 40 years (AND with high humidity) inside of a bathroom, turns them to powder. It's officially called: Zinc Pest. (Zinc turning to white powder.)
Always wanted to get killed by an old school Saturday night special.
Had a raven arms MP-25 and I never had an issue with it. I never understood why people dogged them so hard. Mine at least was accurate and reliable. The rare stovepipe if it hadn’t been cleaned in a while but that’s it. A .25 isn’t much in terms of power but at the same time I personally wasn’t ever carrying it for defense, it was the yard work gun for snakes and critters. Didn’t like the slide bite from a high grip but overall it was a fine little gun. Tad heavy with pocket carry but I’d buy another in a minute.
My Phoenix arms jams occasionally but is still a decent range toy. Especially for under $200.
My jennings 22 on the other hand, can hardly get through one mag without problems. But it looks pretty
Never had an issue with my Raven
When buying a gun--Buy quality--Nobody eve regrets buying a quality gun.
I carried a raven in 25 acp and a spare 6 shot magazine and a 18 shot magazine and a Jennings 22 and 4 spare magazines for back up when I was in law enforcement in the early 80s and I still have them and carrying them today, they are very accurate pocket carriers and back up pistols , but I have various other types and calibers and revolvers including magnums, don’t recommend any small caliber ones,especially for people that have very little experience and knowledge in them, but I have military and law enforcement experience and even the little ones are not a good choice, but they can have a certain niche if they are used in the appropriate way
My first gun was a Jennings .380. Bought it at a gun show when I wanted to go to the range with my father. It was cheap and it jammed once in awhile, but thought it was okay since I didn't know how often I would shoot. I never knew it was from the "ring of fire" group until just recently. I've kept that gun for sentimental reasons and still use it at the range, and yes, it still jams once in awhile, despite being cleaned. I would never CC it. I will tell you that it handles pretty well.
With these cheap guns, you also have to understand that criminals use them and don't take care of them, so of course they are going to misfire way more often than any other gun.
I forgot all about the Jennings! 😂
I shot nothing but stingers through My Jennings 22 with little or no problem for years
The modern walther ppks 22lr has a slide made from zamak I bought one when they first came out about 10 years ago as soon as I noticed how cheaply it was made I sold it
This was cool . I agree in some of the choices . I own the The Phoenix Arms HP-22 and HP-25 A and found them very reliable and good teaching tools Other than the 6000 safety bugs they have proven there worth and in fact use both as desk tools and stash guns but not and EDC more of a collection deal. Both are cool
Lol my Raven P25 has never jammed once. Ammo is stupid expensive, but it works when it needs to.
I have ALWAYS wondered what these guns weighed,etc.Priceless info you cant do without
Why does no one ever discuss the Friday Night Specials?
i had a jennings 9mm back in 1994 that i bought new in the box for 100 bucks
Having shot a Lorcin before, I can easily say that is unequivocally the worst gun I've ever fired. It is ugly, uncomfortable, inaccurate, and just a general stinker. I think my credit score went down just by touching it. I would honestly put it higher than a JA9 because at least the JA9's reliability (or lack there of) stops the user from having to experience firing it. It honestly makes a Hi-Point look like a Beretta product.
Had a Sterling 22 semi auto in 1978. Jammed no matter what companies ammo i tried to run through it.Traded it for a Freedom Arms 22 wheel gun.
My Raven is still going. And it’s tremendously accurate out to 15 yards. It used to be my grandfather’s who carried it as a bank manager. It just works.
Ive got a Raven P-25 that 'jus snoozes away in the safe. Possessed it for 25+ years now. Just recently re-built it w/all parts that can be exchanged. Pretty accurate 'lil piece considering its limitations, prob due to the fixed barrel. But back in tha day when I did fire it alot it NEVER had ANY issues whatsoever. Never failed to feed, fire, extract, eject & re-feed the next round....
I still have one of the Davis .380 ACP that I bought Brand new for 75 dollars I think in the early 90's. I haven't shot it in years, but it was pretty accurate at 25 yards.
Same here. I paid 75-80 dollars for mine in the early 90's. It hams a lot but i still would keep it in my gun collection.
This is a great video to help the people when it comes to buying a firearm. My advice is if you have to save your money for a while, then save it. Never buy something cheap when you may be betting your life on it. I have 3 handguns in my home, 1 Ruger and 2 Smith and Wesson and several rifles and shotguns and they are all quality firearms, and other than purchasing faulty ammunition I have no worries about misfire or jamming. The rifles and shotguns are made by the Henry firearm co.and Remington and are of good quality as well. You get out of your tools what you put into them and the 2 tools that you don't skimp on are firearms and knives because your life just might depend on one of them or both
So your saying only purchase the big name brands. Those cos have and need a great customer service🤭🤭
@@Brandi6666 no, what I'm saying is that when it comes to firearms buy the very best you can afford. When you are buying something that you might be staking your life on, you don't want something that will misfire or completely inaccurate. Everyone has their own preference and free to choose what they want but I stand by getting the best firearm you can. You can skimp out with a lot of different things, but something that you will have and use for a lifetime always get the best and to me, the 3 that I named are the best
Back in the day, I was working on a Raven in 25 ACP. I loaded the mag and fired it in the trap. Well I tried to fire it, but all it did was go CLICK. So I went to the bench, pulled out the mag and the gun went off. The bullet hit a box of springs, straightened out a section of one and was laying there on the bench.
So what had happened. When I looked, I found that the striker tail that engages with the sear was sticking down below the bottom of the slide. So when I pulled the trigger, the striker fell from the sear to the top cartridge in the magazine. When I pulled out the mag, the striker then hit the primer, setting off the cartridge. The fix was simple, a few seconds on the sander removed the excess metal and then the gun was good to go.
Even tho the Raven Arms MP25 is and has been under recall for 35+ years, I still own the one I purchased back in 1989. I also own an RG 14.
In regards to the jennings 22 I believe I have one of the earliest models as it has the up or down safety mechanism which I believe was the earliest style if you run hotter 22 such as stingers, you will not have any issues are used to use that as my every day carry, because that is all I could afford as it was given to me. It can be reliable, but it does take some time to understand the limitations of that pistol.
I have a Raven 25 semi auto that my grandmother left me years ago. It’s actually not too shabby for a cheap gun
I had a raven in 22lr. Aa long as I used cci 22 mini mags, it was totally reliable. It was a fun little gun.
The HP-22 is a pretty good pistol. Not typically included in Saturday Night Special vids because it actually works, and it's heavy. Slide is made of steel. 🤠
Rather have an affordable gun ON ME than try to tell the mugger to come back when I am prepared.
I purchased the Raven 25cal around 1980 still works just fine after replacing broken firing pin 1995 with at least few thousand rounds being fired.Very accurate at 25-30 feet.
Mine needs a new firing pin as well.
1972!!......😊 awesome memories!!....
I had a ja-22 by Jaminez and it was reliable if you used CCI stingers/mini mags
Purchased, first a Raven P-25, walnut grips, early 80’s, cuz that’s all could afford, from a local pawn shop, new of course. Could afford to shoot 50 rds every two weeks. The Raven P-25 always went bang. Still take out to the range once or twice a year, nostalgia thing. Still goes, bang. Five years later bought a Jennings 22RF, from home town K-Mart, never a hick up with plated ammo. Goes to the range with my Raven. Guess, I must have had good luck on these guns. Still shoot them, and they still go, bang. 🇨🇱
Lol I've had so many of these... I do still have 1 little ja .380 that I tuned up when I did my lever action (already had everything out, played with a few of my cheap toys) and it doesn't have any problems. More accurate than I expected and just as small (but heavier) than the new plastic .380's. Good backup gun if you had to, I guess lmao... I prefer my Beretta if I go .380 though, because you never know with the cheap mags lmao
I inherited an iron Raven and Phoenix from my grandfather. I liked them well enough but the Phoenix had mechanical issues and I gave the better Raven to my brother as an heirloom. I then traded in the Phoenix and bought a pot metal Raven MP-25 and it squibbed the first time I took it out to the range. I could never trust that thing afterward. I eventually sold it at a police buyback event and was never so happy to actually be rid of a gun for once.
I drunkenly traded a NAA Mini Revolver that I hated for a beat up Chrome Raven MP-25. I like it so much I bought a pristine Black MP-25. Both are reliable and accurate.
I bought a new Phoenix HP-22 Range Kit with 3" & 5" barrels. Not for CCW, it fails every time I take it to the range.
I've also had a number of Hi-Point 9 mm a cheapest shit guns are actually pretty fucking fire
pretty FINE. They always go pew. But are huge and heavy.
The first time I was shot at was with a Raven. I had a shotgun and a .357. His was a poor choice.
During the summer the JA22 is in my carry rotation.
Jeez there are a lot of gun snobs when discussing these pocket guns. I'm with every Raven owner posting here. I never had any issue/problem shooting mine. I don't live in an open carry state. However, at 75 years old, I sometimes feel like a vulnerable mark to some would-be criminal. My Raven .25 easily fits in my front cargo pant pocket. I have an easy release pocket holster for it. And, my .25's weight doesn't pull my pants down, as larger, heavier guns do.
Handgun Test raved about the Raven Arms MP25 ACP they tested, apparently you mad man have not tested this or the Jennings J22.
madman never test anything [He] just uses anecdotal information and is full of Bovine Stool.
I was harsh so I want to say I sorry that MadMan Review is full of Bovine Stool, many of the guns on this video are junk, the Raven and the Jennings are not bad, I do not own them but I have shot several examples they worked.
I have owned about 98% of these pistols and I would agree with you. I did like the Phoenix. I didn’t Have any problems with dad
I disagree on the raven, I can afford what I want but my 25 is usually in my pocket
For last 40 yrs
It's better than some of the taurus you promote
What about the Clerke Techne Corp .22 revolver I bought one around 1971-72 for $29.99, just because I could. You cannot believe how bad it was. It shaved lead out the side and the casting was so poorly done. The metal did not fill the mold. I thought it might be number1.
I almost bought one off eBay 10 years ago, they guy thought it was a cap gun... I've read a lot about the shaving lead from the sides, yikes, would hate to have a revolver that does that. Why I tend to stay away from old revolvers at pawn shops, you never know how messed up they are.
Bought a Ruger 38spl snub nose for $90 at a Pawn Shop near FT.BLISS 158 grain ammo, no issues
Also had a 32cal Davis no issues, bought for $90 brand new in box
i wouldn't trust my life to any of the pos ring of fire pot metal junk shown in this video. i would, however, trust a yeet cannon if that is all i could afford.
Mine is reliable changed my ravens firing pin to steel one new springs and clean and lubed each time I fire it works flawless no misfires .
I love my Raven. You do you bud👍
never owned by have shoot a number of rounds through a raven it was fairly accurate and very reliable. I think it is s good firearm for someone who cannot afford anything else. To be honest i feel it doesn't fits the Saturday night special definition. Another thing to remember is that most people who buy these are not enthusiasts and do not put hundreds let alone thousands of rounds through them. So they lasted well enough. A number of people were of the opinion tha the term Saturday night special, was a ploy by politicians to reduce firearm ownership by making it too expensive for low invome earners, a common ploy by democrats similiar to the use of the term assult weapon, which none of them seem to be able to define.
Raven, cobra, and Davis all had the same look. I had a Davis P380 always worked and only cost me $80
Why wasn't Röhm's competitor Arminius mentioned? I had a friend who had a Röhm and we fired it into a phone book and found 2 bullet holes. It had enough clearance between the cylinder and barrel that the part of the blast escaping sideways could cause an adjacent cylinder to ignite.
We also measured its double action trigger pull at 16 lbs.
I had plenty of these pistol back when i was a young teen in my wild youth age
Truly a defensive weapon. If at all possible, you'll back down and flee before relying on these guns to shoot without jamming.