Saturday Night Specials in New England?

[drasusvilkas]

Hey all, I'm in New Hampshire and I've been looking for a Raven .25 or a Jennings .22 because I like to tinker but don't want to spend a lot of money on a range toy/project gun. However, I've evidently been having a lot of difficulty actually sourcing any of these "Ring of Fire" guns. I'm 20 (of legal age to purchase and possess from a private seller) so I can't just go to an FFL, and even if I could, FFLs charge up to $150 which is just too much. This isn't a classified but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas of how I can find one of these? One guy suggested giving business cards to gun stores so if someone comes in trying to sell an SNS they're not interested in they could then contact me but I don't know if anyone would go for that. They churned these pistols out by the millions so I'd figure they'd be easy to come by (and cheaper) but I guess not. Thanks.

 

[whatluck]

They're super common in free state pawn shops for sub-$200.

 

[EJFudd]

They churned these pistols out by the millions so I'd figure they'd be easy to come by (and cheaper) but I guess not. Thanks.

Yeah, not common around here at all and when you do see one the asking price is ridiculous. Demand may not be high, but the supply is nil.

 

[citoriguy]

Gun shows? Have you tried that route? I’m not an SNS guy so I couldn’t tell you what they go for at shows, but maybe it’s an option?

 

[MadatMarek]

Get a magnet and go fishing

 

[Endangered]

There is a raven in the classifieds now (or there was yesterday). I think I may have a jennings .22lr I got a while back in an estate cleanout, I think it is missing grips and I don't have any mags for it. I will have to check over the weekend.

 

[Marty McFly]

Many people have them. They're not worth selling for most people.

 

[LLF]

Here are some places to start your search.

Here's a picture of a Lorcin owned by a friend of mine.
It's a horrible gun. Jams every other round.

 

[tuna]

Most people won't admit to having one.

 

[Bt74]

Most people won't admit to having one.

I bought 5 Ravens back when California was trying to outlaw all new pistol purchases back in the 80s. Gave 2 to my father, and consigned 2 with consecutive serials numbers a couple of years ago. Both sold immediately in the $100 range. May be getting rid of the last one..."It's RARE!"

 

[OnTheRoad]

Around here you just go to an estate sale.

 

[Sparkey]

go green and place a WTB ad here

 

[Dennis in MA]

They ain't good for nutthin.





(You'd think hte NES popcorn gallery woudl be all over Leonard SkyNards. I mean, how dare they claim to be conservatives and then advocate against gun rights? MF'ers are no better than Ronald Reagan. )

 

[tuna]

They ain't good for nutthin.





(You'd think hte NES popcorn gallery woudl be all over Leonard SkyNards. I mean, how dare they claim to be conservatives and then advocate against gun rights? MF'ers are no better than Ronald Reagan. )

Still prefer them over CSN&Y.

 

[T-Unit]

I got a Raven years ago before I knew of the Phoenix Arms pistols being good and if I could go back in time I would have gotten a Phoenix .25 instead. The Raven works, but it doesn't have much in terms of grip (about 1.5 fingers), the trigger is not as good as a Phoenix, mag capacity isn't as much, and the mag release of the Raven is slower because it's a heel release while the Phoenix is a standard mag release.

Given the price and PITA of reloading .25, you're not going to be shooting it much. It's got the recoil of a hot .22, but none of the blast or crack because the bullet is so slow. Once you get over the novelty of shooting a .25 the appeal quickly fades.

For the Jennings .22, you're again better off with a Phoenix. it's much better than the Jennings, but if you want to shoot hyper velocity or high velocity .22 you should consider something else. The Phoenix feels like it's going to break in two when shooting more than standard velocity .22.

You can get the Phoenix Arms guns brand new for cheap online and transferred to an FFL. I'd wait until you're 21 and get those.

 

[drasusvilkas]

Funnily Phoenix Arms just recently closed, so I'm not sure how many brand new ones are going to be around in a year or so.

 

[chuckules]

They ain't good for nutthin

Except putting men six feet in a hole

 

[drgrant]

Hey all, I'm in New Hampshire and I've been looking for a Raven .25 or a Jennings .22 because I like to tinker but don't want to spend a lot of money on a range toy/project gun. However, I've evidently been having a lot of difficulty actually sourcing any of these "Ring of Fire" guns. I'm 20 (of legal age to purchase and possess from a private seller) so I can't just go to an FFL, and even if I could, FFLs charge up to $150 which is just too much. This isn't a classified but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas of how I can find one of these? One guy suggested giving business cards to gun stores so if someone comes in trying to sell an SNS they're not interested in they could then contact me but I don't know if anyone would go for that. They churned these pistols out by the millions so I'd figure they'd be easy to come by (and cheaper) but I guess not. Thanks.

Why do you like playing with turds maybe you should see a specialist about that? (Im kidding but i can't think of a more horrible idea. At least go for a hi point)

Even in NH good luck getting someone to privsale to an under 21. Especially something like that.

 

[T-Unit]

Funnily Phoenix Arms just recently closed, so I'm not sure how many brand new ones are going to be around in a year or so.

That absolutely sucks to hear. They were the best sub $200 .22 pistol on the market.

I guess that dashes my thoughts of getting one of their .25's now.

 

[T-Unit]

Why do you like playing with turds maybe you should see a specialist about that? (Im kidding but i can't think of a more horrible idea. At least go for a hi point)

Even in NH good luck getting someone to privsale to an under 21. Especially something like that.

OP is obviously looking for a small, low recoil pistol that's cheap because he's at that age where you don't get paid shit for labor.

Kel Tec P32 is always an option and that's in a caliber you can actually reload.

 

[drasusvilkas]

Why do you like playing with turds maybe you should see a specialist about that? (Im kidding but i can't think of a more horrible idea. At least go for a hi point)

Even in NH good luck getting someone to privsale to an under 21. Especially something like that.

I just think Ravens are neat little pistols, supposedly (from internet research and talking to people) being relatively "quality" pistols compared to Jennings, Brycos, Lorcins, Davises, Sundances, Sedcos, any of the other Ring of Fire guns. As in, they tend to actually cycle and typically don't blow up in your hands (which is more than can be said for the rest!)

 

[drgrant]

OP is obviously looking for a small, low recoil pistol that's cheap because he's at that age where you don't get paid shit for labor.

Kel Tec P32 is always an option and that's in a caliber you can actually reload.

Its still a terrible f***ing investment. I have friends who don't make much money and none of them would reduce themselves to that.

People who are short on cash buying dumb guns in weird calibers is not a recipe for success.

 

[drgrant]

I just think Ravens are neat little pistols, supposedly (from internet research and talking to people) being relatively "quality" pistols compared to Jennings, Brycos, Lorcins, Davises, Sundances, Sedcos, any of the other Ring of Fire guns. As in, they tend to actually cycle and typically don't blow up in your hands (which is more than can be said for the rest!)

I think actually I can agree with you on that point that they are a little bit better than the other shit pistols but that's really damning with faint praise.... if that's your thing though then go for it but you're going to have a tough road trying to find somebody that's going to legitimately sell you that on a privsale.

 

[drasusvilkas]

Yeah, it honestly might be more effort (and money) then it's worth. Any other recommendations for pocket pistols? I have a Glock 17 Gen 4 I'm planning on EDC-ing once I get a permit but having a backup gun never hurts.

 

[snax]

Are you a pimp?

 

[drgrant]

Yeah, it honestly might be more effort (and money) then it's worth. Any other recommendations for pocket pistols? I have a Glock 17 Gen 4 I'm planning on EDC-ing once I get a permit but having a backup gun never hurts.

I'd go for a Ruger LCP or LCP2 .380 . The KelTec @T-Unit mentioned is decent too but 32 ACP is not that appealing but at least that gun is usually a viable gun. The p32 maybe difficult to find because a lot of people never get rid of them.

 

[pdm]

I'd rather get a bunch of old-ass J-frames.

 

[drasusvilkas]

I'd go for a Ruger LCP or LCP2 .380 . The KelTec @T-Unit mentioned is decent too but 32 ACP is not that appealing but at least that gun is usually a viable gun. The p32 maybe difficult to find because a lot of people never get rid of them.

Thanks, I've seen those pop up on Armslist at least.

 

[drasusvilkas]

Are you a pimp?

I wish, if I was I'd probably have more money to spend on a gun that's actually good.

 

[appraiser]

" a .25 is a nice thing to have when you don't have a gun"

carried a Raven for many years at the T when it was hot and I could not conceal a J frame except in an ankle holster.

The firing pins did NOT like being dry fired on those things, and good luck trying to find one.

I actually bought a firing pin over in Hudson a few years back to fix mine.

I paid $49 dollars for mine circa 1981

remember those nifty wallet holsters for the 25's before the Feds made them into an AOW