Saturday Night Specials in New England?

[G4Y4HK]

Why? Besides a drop gun you wanna put in the hands of a bad guy you just smoked, they're as worthless as a Sig Mosquito.

 

[drgrant]

" 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 gun 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

It's worth noting that a lot of guns in this trash class are just like that with regard to firing pins and dry firing. Same thing happened to my AMT Back-up DAO. What a piece of shit.

 

[drasusvilkas]

You can find new production ones on eBay for like, $15. I found out about the dry firing the hard way on a 3D-printed Raven I built from a kit I found for $30. I had to melt the zinc off the cut section of frame the barrel was stuck in because they were never meant to come apart. I quite liked the stupid little thing, and could get it to cycle fairly well, but always had issues with the grips and how they interact with the trigger mechanism, funnily enough. It's sitting in a desk waiting for me to care enough to actually fix it one day.

 

[Wickedcoolname]

Should be easy to find a Taurus.

 

[IPSC_DRL]

OK, I'll admit to owning not one, but TWO Jennings J-22 pistols. My friend and I each bought one over to Fin, Fur, and Feather in Upton about 40 years ago. Mine is chrome and his was black. He gave me his a whole bunch of years ago. As others have said, it is hardly worth it to sell them.

As for tinkering, I understand that as I enjoy it as well. An older fellow I work with brought me the below parts and asked me if I could turn them back into a functioning firearm.

I returned it to him the following day, operational.

He had won the revolver in a poker game and took it apart to clean it and then had no idea how to reassemble it.

 

[drasusvilkas]

OK, I'll admit to owning not one, but TWO Jennings J-22 pistols. My friend and I each bought one over to Fin, Fur, and Feather in Upton about 40 years ago. Mine is chrome and his was black. He gave me his a whole bunch of years ago. As others have said, it is hardly worth it to sell them.

I'll be keeping you in my prayers.

 

[T-Unit]

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!)

The Raven .25's were likely the best of the Ring of Fire pistols and a large factor in why I bought one when I had a hankering for a cheap .25, but compared to Phoenix or Beretta, it's not better.

Since you seem to have changed into looking for a something better quality and more popular, but still small there's plenty of options out there, but the LCP is going to be the most common and easy to acquire because so many people bought one.

If you give us a firm price point you don't want to go over and tell us what the most important criteria are (size, weight, recoil, capacity, caliber, ammo price & availability, etc.) we can recommend you better options to look for. It appears the #1 factor for you is what you can get in a private sale, which limits your options to what people are selling at a price you feel is worth it.

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.

While it could be improved, the P32 is fine and has been produced for 30 years with a great track record above and beyond any of the Ring of Fire .25s. It seems everyone who is into pocket pistols has had or has a P32... except me which is going to change later this year.

The LCP is going to be far easier for the OP to get. I don't consider there to be a difference in terms of quality or longevity between the P32 or LCP/LCPII, it's simply a question of do you want less recoil, more capacity, and a lighter pistol in the P32 or do you want more recoil with questionable penetration of hollow points in a heavier LCP that in the LCP II has better sights and a better trigger?

 

[drgrant]

The Raven .25's were likely the best of the Ring of Fire pistols and a large factor in why I bought one when I had a hankering for a cheap .25, but compared to Phoenix or Beretta, it's not better.

Since you seem to have changed into looking for a something better quality and more popular, but still small there's plenty of options out there, but the LCP is going to be the most common and easy to acquire because so many people bought one.

If you give us a firm price point you don't want to go over and tell us what the most important criteria are (size, weight, recoil, capacity, caliber, ammo price & availability, etc.) we can recommend you better options to look for. It appears the #1 factor for you is what you can get in a private sale, which limits your options to what people are selling at a price you feel is worth it.


While it could be improved, the P32 is fine and has been produced for 30 years with a great track record above and beyond any of the Ring of Fire .25s. It seems everyone who is into pocket pistols has had or has a P32... except me which is going to change later this year.

The LCP is going to be far easier for the OP to get. I don't consider there to be a difference in terms of quality or longevity between the P32 or LCP/LCPII, it's simply a question of do you want less recoil, more capacity, and a lighter pistol in the P32 or do you want more recoil with questionable penetration of hollow points in a heavier LCP that in the LCP II has better sights and a better trigger?

I don't think it's really that existential and i also don't think the p32 is a peer to the LCP (kinda two different asks) even if it is basically one of the best .32 ACP pistols on the market. What makes the P32 great is it sucks way less than most of its contemporaries (like that stupid tilt barrel beretta) and its very thin and very light. The P32 might be the ultimate deep concealment gun. A woman could easily stash it under her tits, a skinny hipster type could appendix carry it easily, etc. It's also low impact enough to exist as a BUG without being a pain in the ass.

 

[drasusvilkas]

The LCP is going to be far easier for the OP to get. I don't consider there to be a difference in terms of quality or longevity between the P32 or LCP/LCPII, it's simply a question of do you want less recoil, more capacity, and a lighter pistol in the P32 or do you want more recoil with questionable penetration of hollow points in a heavier LCP that in the LCP II has better sights and a better trigger?

Probably capacity. Can you run Buffalo Bore in either?

 

[T-Unit]

Probably capacity. Can you run Buffalo Bore in either?

I don't see why it couldn't, Kel Tec says the P32 is +P rated, even tho there is no SAAMI spec for .32 ACP+P, Buffalo Bore doesn't say anything about not shooting their .380+P in certain pistols, but with Buffalo Bore you're not going to get much more out of using it vs FMJ or stuff like the Inceptor .380 ammo. .32 hollow points don't expand well, only a few do, but you're still better off focusing on penetration and muzzle velocity doesn't matter for that. There are more .32 ACP defense loads out now and I was just about to mention Lehigh Defense, but they appear to have dropped that .32 ACP load and that seems to be a common theme, so just stick with FMJ for that.

The .380, there are better JHP now, but I still prefer to focus on penetration and my personal favorite for .380 is Inceptor as it's a solid bullet that tumbles upon impact and has pretty consistant penetration.

 

[drasusvilkas]

Noted. I appreciate your help.

 

[namedpipes]

Most people won't admit to having one.

I'm not too proud. I have a couple of Homer buckets of junk like that, but an aversion to selling guns. My run at being an FFL a few years back was doomed to failure from the start.

 

[drasusvilkas]

If we're being perfectly honest the Homer buckets are probably the most valuable part of that equation

 

[alan226]

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.

If you can find one, a Kahr P380 is also a viable small gun, although not as small or light as the Keltec p32 or the LCP. I just like guns that I can put in a pocket holster and go, especially in the summer with shorts on, I was on that kick last year and acquired a Keltec p32, Ruger LCP a Kahr p380 and Glock 43x.

I hate the 43x. To me, it is like a gun looking for a purpose. Not small, low capacity, kinda heavy. HATE it....

mine for comparison

 

[namedpipes]

If we're being perfectly honest the Homer buckets are probably the most valuable part of that equation

You're not wrong

I do have one or two gats that can be shown off in polite company, too!

 

[Qwikdraw45]

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.

Yes, dealers (and even private sales) ask ridiculous prices for the "throw aways". Jennings J-22 was my first pistol. Around $59, IIRC. I worked on the trigger pull by clipping the striker spring a few coils. Stupid that people want $150-$200 for something like that now. Just like the old top-break H&R/ IJ .32's. Most are out-of-time, etc. and they want $150-$200+ for them. Nope.

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

See? Way overpriced.

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!)

Good thing I survived my J-22 then! And, I even used the dreaded CCI Stingers in mine.

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've met a couple of under-21's that have their NH CCW's. One guy on FB mentioned that he got his kid hers. The COP in town balked, but he showed him the State statute on issuing. I think he mentioned no minimum age, but haven't seen the post for a while. I do know for sure that a 20-year old had one, since I dealt with him.

I don't see why it couldn't, Kel Tec says the P32 is +P rated, even tho there is no SAAMI spec for .32 ACP+P, Buffalo Bore doesn't say anything about not shooting their .380+P in certain pistols, but with Buffalo Bore you're not going to get much more out of using it vs FMJ or stuff like the Inceptor .380 ammo. .32 hollow points don't expand well, only a few do, but you're still better off focusing on penetration and muzzle velocity doesn't matter for that. There are more .32 ACP defense loads out now and I was just about to mention Lehigh Defense, but they appear to have dropped that .32 ACP load and that seems to be a common theme, so just stick with FMJ for that.

The .380, there are better JHP now, but I still prefer to focus on penetration and my personal favorite for .380 is Inceptor as it's a solid bullet that tumbles upon impact and has pretty consistant penetration.

Just test whatever you're going to use. My Glock 42 ate everything - except Interceptors, which really shocked me. And it wasn't FTE due to low recoil- they were actually getting hung up when feeding.

 

[appraiser]

If you can find one, a Kahr P380 is also a viable small gun, although not as small or light as the Keltec p32 or the LCP. I just like guns that I can put in a pocket holster and go, especially in the summer with shorts on, I was on that kick last year and acquired a Keltec p32, Ruger LCP a Kahr p380 and Glock 43x.

I hate the 43x. To me, it is like a gun looking for a purpose. Not small, low capacity, kinda heavy. HATE it....

mine for comparison
View attachment 972176

The 43X has a great grip compared to the 26

If you are going to be forced to use neutered magazines, the thinner 43X is easier to carry than a 19 and even more so when you compare it to a 17

The only downside is no rail on the 43X for a light, and the lasers for them are not great, but they can have an optic installed and that seems to be the current trend over a Crimson Trace or other laser.

Now the 48 does absolutely nothing for me for some reason

Now if you are in a "Free State" you get the aftermarket 15 round mags for the 43X and change out the mag release to something that is going to like the metal AM mags, and now you have a thin 19 with 15 rounds. Do the same with the 48 and now you have a slim 17

 

[Dennis in MA]

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

You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. Your average pimp, just like your average drug dealer, makes about minimum wage. They do it b/c they don't like working hard.

And your average pimp has to spend all his money on fine (read: stupid) clothes. So a $75 Raven that is crappily plated with some pink fake MOP grips

A) gonna match his killer outfit
B) gonna fit in his budget

LOL


As far as KT-P32, I had one. Good gun. It has a bad strike problem from teh factory. Sent it back to htem and it worked flawlessly after.

 

[tuna]

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.

What permit? None needed in NH. You can't buy a gun, but you can own one, if for example a parent gave you one.

If you're not prohibited from owning, you're not prohibited from carrying.

This was verified by my local PD that had absolutely no issue with my 16 year old daughter or 13 year old son being armed.

 

[seanc]

I suspect that most people probably “sold” them at gun buy backs.

$50 gift card for a non functional paper weight is a pretty good deal for these.

I saw many of these come into gun shops. And every time that was the owners suggestion as they would not even give them $5 for it.

 

[seanc]

I don't think it's really that existential and i also don't think the p32 is a peer to the LCP (kinda two different asks) even if it is basically one of the best .32 ACP pistols on the market. What makes the P32 great is it sucks way less than most of its contemporaries (like that stupid tilt barrel beretta) and its very thin and very light. The P32 might be the ultimate deep concealment gun. A woman could easily stash it under her tits, a skinny hipster type could appendix carry it easily, etc. It's also low impact enough to exist as a BUG without being a pain in the ass.

I had several 32s at one point beretta, Naa, and keltec. I honestly liked the p32 better than the others. And with the knife clip carry. It was really an all the time anywhere, any clothes gun… shirt pocket carry. Ate everything. Always went bang. As accurate out to 20’ as the others.

 

[drasusvilkas]

What permit? None needed in NH. You can't buy a gun, but you can own one, if for example a parent gave you one.

If you're not prohibited from owning, you're not prohibited from carrying.

This was verified by my local PD that had absolutely no issue with my 16 year old daughter or 13 year old son being armed.

There's no ban on handgun sales to 18-20 year olds. Theres no minimum age to buy or possess a long gun, but minors (under 18) cannot be given handguns except by parents or a few other scenarios like training. I've studied the laws myself.

 

[greencobra]

go to a "people of color" neighborhood and sniff and turn over every bush. you're bound to find some piece of crap that was tossed there after a crime. perseverance is the key word. happy hunting.