I've had sns before. Bryco 59, Davis p380, Hipoints, Lorcin. For the most part they ran ok with fmj. Maybe a little tweeking. Sold or traded them. Figured I'd give the Jimenez a try. Before Jimenez bought the Jennings/Bryco company it was the Jennings Nine. Now before I go further I know these are cheaply made Zmack and qc not the best but these new ones are the most refined I've seen. Not highly polished but no real rough areas. I went over a few areas like the feed ramp with 1200 grit to enhance it a bit. Take down is a simple push of a button. 12rnd mag. 2 come with it. After a clean and lube, mags also, I cycled 12 snap caps thru it with no problems. We'll see at the range. Paid 180otd and he threw in 50rnds of reloads.
Jimenez JA9
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The Bryco 59 I had was the 9mm. It was well worn when I got it. I put maybe 500rnds thru it. It held up ok. Probably needed new springs and the mag was beat. I traded it on something else. I've consolidated my ammo. No more 40, 45, 380. Just sticking with 9 for my handguns. Also 22's of course.
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The general experience of those at the bryco-jennings-jimenezarms forum is that the JA-Nine wears out really fast. BJJ forum regular, "Adam," believes that the design just isn't sufficient for the pressures. As far as I can tell, the only successful and durable (lasting) blow-back 9mm with ZAMAK slide is the Hi Point C9. Though I believe that S&W did have a smallish 9mm with a ZAMAK slide, I think it was a Browning lockup. I'll have to look it up.
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
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My mistake. Apparently it wasn't the SW9 Sigma, it was the SW380 chambered in .380ACP (circa 1995 or so). Apparently S&W gave it an estimated lifespan of only a mere 2,500 rounds. The Hi Point, as a counter-point, isn't recommended for a full break down and deep cleaning until after 5,000 rounds according to mom.
I suspect that the JA-Nine has a similarly short life span, a suspicion which is generally born out by reports from the BJJ forum. The JA-Nine appears to be a gun intended to be carried a lot and shot a very very little.
1995 NRA article on the SW380, which looks like a neat little pistol even if it has a bunch of oddities which would, today, place it out of the running. 2,500 round life span? Double-pinch mag removal? Special punch tool to field strip? I understand why it failed in the market place. Still looks neat. My favorite quote from this article: "We suspect a lot of the longtime readers of this magazine will see the SW380 as yet another sign that civilization as we know it is doomed."
Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
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Nowdays, I think guns like the JA-Nine exist purely because they are there to make the other guns of higher price points look better. Basically, anyone shopping for something such as, say, a Smith & Wesson SD9VE or Ruger 9E can go, "Well, at least it's way better than a Jiminez JA-Nine." Even the Hi-Point owners can claim as much because, as pointed out above, the C9 not only is a more durable design but it has a much better track record of functional reliability than the JA-Nine. (Btw, I'm spelling out "nine" in the name because, as I understand it, they changed it from JA9 to JA-Nine when Jennings Arms became Jimenez Arms. I might have it backwards, though. Daily caffeine jolt hasn't kicked in yet. 
)
Visually, it's not a terrible-looking pistol, and to me it looks better than the C9. It also is a double-stack design, whereas the C9 is a single-stack, which might be part of the reason some folks might still opt for it over the C9. But looks don't equate to function, and I'll gladly take an ugly-lookin' C9 that always goes bang for thousands of rounds over a more shiny JA-Nine that MIGHT go bang for a couple of hundred (if even that). So, I'm guessing a higher round count and shinier finish are what still lure a few uninformed folks away from Hi-Points to the JA-Nine and thus help to keep the company in business today.
)Visually, it's not a terrible-looking pistol, and to me it looks better than the C9. It also is a double-stack design, whereas the C9 is a single-stack, which might be part of the reason some folks might still opt for it over the C9. But looks don't equate to function, and I'll gladly take an ugly-lookin' C9 that always goes bang for thousands of rounds over a more shiny JA-Nine that MIGHT go bang for a couple of hundred (if even that). So, I'm guessing a higher round count and shinier finish are what still lure a few uninformed folks away from Hi-Points to the JA-Nine and thus help to keep the company in business today.
I was just looking for some cheap shooting fun. As much as I get to the range I don't put many rounds thru any of my pistols or rifles. When I go I don't take all of them. I've had both Hipoint and the others and don't find them too far off. Some reviews are good some bad for both. This guy points out features of both. Rather lengthy though.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODnycn01-k[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODnycn01-k[/ame]
No doubt about it. Had a pf9 and a p11. Kept the p11 because of more rounds. I was just looking for something else that did not break the bank. Not intended for serious work.
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I have owned several of these guns. They worked o.k. One looked like it had bouned around in the trunk of soneone's car for a long time. It still worked. Never had one long enough to shoot it alot and see what the thing would do in the long run.
I kinda figured I'd hear from you on these. I said to myself these have got to be the kind of gun the Panch would pick up. LOL.
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