Jennings model 48 .380 auto

[khrhunter]

Friends pistol she asked me what its worth and i dont have a clue. Gun is in very good condition and doesnt look to have be shot very much at all. hope this is allowed

[Savage]

Years ago I had a Jennings J-22. I used it for a tackle box gun for years. I paid about $35 for it in a "Gibson's" store back in the late 70s. The little pistol was surprisingly accurate, and functioned better than you'd expect for a pistol in this class.
Problem is, these little pistols have slides made of cast metal, a zinc alloy I believe. aka, pot metal. Some work, some don't. Some can be quite dangerous. Your friend's pistol might be worth $50 to someone who wants it just to say they have a gun.
Savage

[cybin]

Friends pistol she asked me what its worth and i dont have a clue. Gun is in very good condition and doesnt look to have be shot very much at all. hope this is allowed

I was at a gun show in Springfield, Mo last weekend--saw several Jennings .380's--don't know if they were model 48's or not--they were going for around $135.00 to $145.00.

Jennings has a mixed reputation--some people have had good luck with them--others call them junk. I've shot 2 of them--a .22, and a .25. The .22 was ok--jammed a few times--was picky about what ammo used--the .25 was worthless in my opinion.

cybin

[rockbilly]

Jennings is a cheap pistol most often referred to as “California Crap” or sometimes “Saturday Night Special.”  They are very popular throw away guns for street gangs as are Bryco, and Jiminez.  They are all made/marketed by the same company today.

I recently purchased a Jennings model 59 in 9mm at a garage sale for $50.  It was NIB with all papers and an extra mag.  It shoots well and has digested about three boxes of my reloads with no problem.  I haven’t had a problem with it, but would I trust my life to it?  I don’t think so, but if someone can not afford something better it will surfice.

I have seen the model 48 go for as little as $35. at local gun shows,  For comparison I have attached a link to Auctionsarms which has a model 38 just to show you how they are viewed by most people.

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=9401124&oh=

[Old Fart]

I've had a few of the Jennings, Bryco, and Jiminez brand guns over the years.
The prices mentioned above about cover the gammet of the price range.
They get a bad rap, deservingly so, but they are a far cry better than a sharp stick at a gun fight.
Witness the number of people shot by them in holdups and gang fights.
All of mine functioned about like you would expect an inexpensive gun to perform.
Occassional misfires/hangs with most going bang. You get what you pay for with these.
They tend to perform best with ball ammo by the way.

[Tonk]

I have had friends that purchased those Jennings pistols but I didn't think much of them and knew of one that blew up in a guys hand on a parking lot years ago. It probably saved him from going to prison, as he did not manage to injure anyone that night. My advise is NEVER bet your life on a "CHEAP PISTOL" period.