@@mixup98 🤣😂🤣😂 I bet he was for $99 When I first saw it I was thinking it was about $15 or no more than $25 , especially being used possibly none functioning 😔
Hello Daniel. A bad day at the range is still better than a good day at work 😁 Seriously, thank you for the nice comment and please tell your family that my son and I said "hello".
I just found a lorcin on the ground outside my house (I live in Baltimore) and I thought, awesome, unregistered gun for anyone that tries doing my family harm. For instance, if one day my daughter has a stalker or abusive boyfriend. The registered ones will be for self defense. BUT the thing jams like hell and Im just gonna give it to the police. Might have a body or two on it. @@goodcitizen3780
The 1st hand gun I owned was a Lorcin 380. This video is an extremely accurate depiction of the function of a Lorcin. The Lorcin makes for a great paper weight.
Mine too! It actually ran ok, but the very first time I fired it, the finish started flaking off the slide in big sort of "chips." I was scared of that thing after that and sold it off cheap.
Same here. Stovepipes and double feeds aplenty. I never managed more than two shots before it gagged, and most times it was only one shot. Traded it in on a 9mm Smith & Wesson.
one of the reasons that lorcin went out of business was that there were several employees selling them out the backdoor causing the ATF to shut them down. it's a big reason that for quite a while it was the most common gun found at a crime scene
Yup! I remember this. I bought a Lorcin .380 in '97... I still have it, and it... works.. that's all I'll say about it. I should have watched the Frontline "Hot Guns" episode first. You can view the entire episode here: ruclips.net/video/g5NmmpGXGi4/видео.html&pp=ygURZnJvbnRsaW5lIExvcmNpbiA%3D
I used to have a Lorcin .22 like that one. I found that feeding was very sensitive to proper magazine lip adjustment. When properly adjusted it ran quite well.
I have heard that replacing some of the springs on the Lorcin Pistols with BIC Pen Springs improve reliability. I had seen it done with the 9mm Model and it was suprising to say the least. I suppose BIC holds their springs to higher industry standards than Lorcin did. BIC pens went click 100% of the time more often than Lorcins ever did so its worth a try. Nice to see the AMT Back Up again, I miss mine.
@@haramsaddam238: Me too. Actually I bought the stainless AMT .380 ACP one @ a Gun Show, (A bit snappy, but reliable..), then I ordered a second AMT in .22lr from same seller. Both stainless pistols worked pretty well until, (Unfortunately..) I gave the .380 to my ex ~ 1.990's and sold the .22lr. Miss'em both. (NOT my ex. Thank you..). Those Lorcins had an acceptable steel barrel liner. Actual 'frame' was actually cast of cheap zamac alloy / pot metal around said steel barrel liner. Slide made from same pot metal. Nickel plating aplied to those for a flashy look, but I'm afraid mr. Mixup purchased a $99 bucks paperweight. BTW: The stainless Sterling samples I've seen + shot, are considerably better than the cheaply made Lorcins. I think I've seen parts (Ejector included..), From Gun Parts Corp / GPC / Numrich in Yonkers / NY. BTW, many thanks for the warnings. Respectfully suggest bringing a good magnet to your next Gun show or Pawn Shop, just in case you want to check if critical parts are made from steel. Newer rimfire pistols still made from cheap non ferrous alloys that drastically reduce their reliability & useful lifespan, with exceptions from well known name brands. Thanks againg for your great videos.. 😌🇺🇲🙏🙏🙏
Most of the "Pot Metal" Saturday Night Special's (Especially the .22LR's) won't function well unless you file + modify + polish the feed ramp extensively. I sold a lot of The Sundance Version in .25acp over 30 years ago. The .25acp and .380acp variants were more reliable than the .22LR's. They all run better with Ball or Round Nose Ammunition.
Anecdotally I find this to be accurate to my experience with a raven .25 (to my knowledge essentially the same gun from a company that either got bought out by or bought Lorcin) Took a lot of elbow grease and buff pads and she never was a tack driver, but she was actually fairly reliable after polishing the feed ramp and slide interior.
Thank you! I was going to post this very same information. Mt little Bryco .22 was a great starter pistol as going through and fixing it made me a better gun owner. Watching the video it is obvious his slide spring is tired and needs to be replaced. while he's at it polishing the slide rails would help as well.
It’s also one of the most deadly pistols in the world. I arrived at countless homicide scenes where Locrin was the pistol of choice. Cheap and easy to conceal were the only requisites back then.
too bad the pistols weren't more effective then. Too many saved by a jam I reckon. At least the FBI is handing out Glock switches now to their grandkids to help clean up the problem.
I had a little Lorcin .380 when I was about 21. I shot the heck out of that thing and despite my friends telling me it would fall apart, and it was a very dependable and fairly accurate for what it was. I think I paid $69 for it back then, and my friend said I paid about 20 too much lol (EDIT:) I had an AMT Hardballer that I abused the heck out of. Loved it.
A friend of mine went through a phase of collecting cheap Saturday Night Specials. He had one of these. It was so bad it discharged as soon as he loaded the chamber. We threw it down range and shot it up with high powered rifles so it could never hurt anyone again.
based. when i lived in a bad neighborhood i had a neighbor with kids and a grandma livin there. and he had a jennings 9. i told him "you know you dont like that gun and i know it too" he said "What do you mean?" We went to range. I took a couple 9mm handguns. He fell in love with the ruger LC9 and i made him fill a bill of sale for both our legal safety and he didnt understand . I said ...... okay.... but when the next driveby happens or robbery, dont expect me to come out of my house.... next day he came over with 280 cash and signed and bought it.
"Pot Metal" is a generous term!! True a lot of those were sold! And MANY were walked out of the back door (lack of security) by employees of those "machine shops". I've shot a number of those Saturday Night Specials in the past, some get hot in a hurry! Good video, thanks for posting it!
@@jonenglish6617 Some people here in California used to use that expression, myself included. But only those, whose families came here from the South. 👍
First of all, love your work on these videos. Secondly, I feel you don't have the second worst firearm there, but one of the best teachings how to clear jams / tap rack reengage training implements ever devised. How awesome for you to teach those potential high stress training tools out there for folks to learn with. Bravo for your willingness to teach vital gun jamming skills that are often overlooked in the firearm world. (:
Good morning Patrick. I have several training videos here on youtube but I don't have one specifically dedicated on how to clear a malfunction. Perhaps I will put together a "how to clear a malfunction" training video since I now have the perfect firearm to use in the video. Thank you for the suggestion and all for the great comment.
Yes, Thanks to that "Lorcin 22" being in the Right Hands (Mixup98), I learned a Very Important Safety Step. Waite a Few Seconds after "Hearing the Click", before Opening or Miss Aiming the Weapon. Big Thumbs Up.
I have two SCCY CPX-1 pistols that I got super cheap off gunbroker, that I never use and they have so many malfunctions that'd I actually feel guilty if I gave them away for free to someone who didn't know what they were getting into. So I just use em' for dry-firing, which I do admit are useful given their heavy DA only triggers.
Shoot I had a 9mm and a 380 hi point and got to say I never had a problem carried it when noodling in the river full of water sand and mud always fired when I pulled the trigger
My friend bought a Taurus 38 revolver and gave me his Lorcin 25 ACP with 3 - 6 rounds magazines a few years ago. I only fired 6 shots then and since I have no real use for it, it's now gathering dusts in my gun cabinet. Always enjoy watching your video. Thanks mixup98.
@@mixup98 I also enjoyed watching your video about you selling your vintage Colt Agent to your brother. I bought a vintage Agent in very good condition a few months ago but it costs as much as a brand new Colt Cobra 38 snub nose. It has a very smooth double action trigger pull and is highly accurate for a snub nose revolver. Very happy with my Agent. Again, thanks for your very interesting videos mixup98.
@@robertonavarro7713 Would you believe that my brother still refuses to sell back to me that old Colt Agent. I have offered either a trade or cash but he just looks at me and smiles. Damn him! Maybe someday I will find another one, buy it, and do a review on it. I'm glad to hear that you bought an older Agent, and I'm guessing the quality is probably better than a new one. Stay safe, have a great weekend, and enjoy your Colt.
Im old enough to remember these "pistols". They were considered junk by many people i knew! Thanks for your sacrifice in showing these for us. Great video once again. God bless all here.
I too am old enough to remember when these were sold for $59. Back in the early '70's. Really nice junk even then. Sterling's were better 6 shot .22's then. I bought one. Wish I still had it.
Honestly for a cheap piece of junk, it still looks like a fun project to fix up and try to get working again! 9 rounds of .22 really seems neat for a little cheap saturday night special. Kinda funny how that Sterling still outperformed it with missing parts, though!
@@mixup98 One thing my dad taught me long ago, when he was in the Nat. Guard during vietnam they would use "crocus cloth" to polish the chambers of their artillery cannons. Stuff works AMAZING on feed ramps and slide rails. Might be worth a shot! It's only found commonly now to be used on brass wind instruments, but I use it on all my guns. It's some amazing stuff, and I honestly think it stopped being made because of lubricant companies not being happy with how long the stuff lasted. Makes feed ramps feel oiled when they're dry.
Very accurate to my memories of anything from that group of manufacturers. My dad for whatever reason, had bought a couple Jennings pistols. They are the most frustrating piles of garbage I've had in my hands. When he passed, I held on to them for a long time even though I absolutely hated them. My sisters asked me if there was any chance that I might let go of any of Dad's guns I gladly gave each of them a Jennings with the reminder to NEVER rely on the stupid thing.
My first pistol purchase was with $200 cash (all that momma gave me to buy a gun) and I had a choice between the Hi Point and Jennings. Both new in the box at a gun show and in 9mm. I chose the Hi Point, glad I did.
@@totalradicalness A few meh thing here & there but for the most part Hi-Points are on average SUPERIOR than your average pistol (in reliability) while being waaaay less and they're American-made!! I say screw the haters.
Interesting review and glad you warned us about these. Remember the Ring Of Fire group. Had a Raven .25 ACP. Jammed- seller sent it to them and they polished the heck out of the feed ramp. Stretch the recoil spring a little may help too. Well it worked after that and was a pocket carry. Never saw the Sterling before. AMT I remember from the .45 ACP Hard baller. They had an AMT Automag in .30 Carbine I almost got, until I saw one fired. WOWZERS, it has a 3ft muzzle blast! Interesting story, I came home from work, stepped outside to enjoy the cool summer night air and was standing near a bush about 2ft away. Hear a noise to my right that startled me and I pulled that Raven .25 ACP, thumbing off the safety. Standing on a limb of the bush was a giant 1ft+ field rat looking at me and it was making the strangest noises, like it was trying to talk, standing up looking like it was going to jump on me. Without hesitation I threw up the little Raven and blasted it from 1ft away and I MISSED! It went high right over its head and within the muzzle blast of fire that lit up it's whole body, little mouth open with big buck teeth and wide eyes, it screamed 😮 and ran away down the limb. I looked at the gun and kept thinking how the heck did I miss at that distance and started laughing. Guess it's good at repelling rats. 😂
You could always use the Lorcin for a fishing weight. I used to own a couple of Davis firearms: a derringer in .22WMR, and a semi-auto pocket pistol in .380. The derringer was fun to shoot and was a tackle box gun. I killed a rattlesnake with it, courtesy of some CCI .22WMR snake shot loads. I shot the .380 a LOT - several hundred rounds of hard ball ammo, at least, and it was always reliable. I used to take it along with me on desert hikes - killed a fat rattler with it on one such outing. Snake had a cottontail rabbit inside of it. I literally shot the Davis until it wouldn't shoot anymore - it was completely worn out and beyond rejunvenation. I disposed of it by taking it apart, mangling the parts with a hammer, and disposing of them in the trash over the course of three weeks, so they wouldn't end up together in one place at the landfill. I'd buy another Davis .380 just for fun if I could find one, but they're pretty scarce out there. On your advice, I'll not even consider a Lorcin, should one show up in a gun shop that I visit. Excellent video - I think it's just as valuable to viewers to show the junk guns and why they are junk as it is to review the quality pieces. Might save someone from wasting money or relying on a POC in a self-defense situation. Thanks for the heads up! Cheers.
One of the original Saturday night specials. Love it.. LOL.. I purchased one back in the early 70's. Since then I fully dismantled it and trashed it. Great video's my friend. Always looking forward to new episodes. Thanks!!
I'm so old (72) that I remember buying a Saturday Night Special revolver for $17.00. I bought it at Target!!! Way back before Target all silly and stopped selling firearms.
As usual, I love your videos and the information you provide. I think the Jennings may be one step up from the Lorcin. If you come across one of those, it may make a fun comparison. Even a Raven would be a good comparison.
Read once that 90% of feeding issues are due to the magazine. My guess is that both lorcin mags have feed lip issues. For my cheaper guns I take an old crock stick and remover the burrs on the inside of the lips. That fixes 90% of any feed issues, if rounds are feeding high and hitting the top of the rear of the chamber a tweak to the front of the lips will normally fix the feed angle. My last $100 pawn shop buy was a hipoint jhp that someone dremeled the grips and must have bent the barrel because it shot very high as purchased. A quick massive adjustment to the rear sight got it back in the bullseye using the sight, instinctive shooting is out. The grips will eventually get replaced. But for $100, a .45acp shooter that goes bang every time, that was a good $100.
I grew up in the middle of the area you called the "ring of fire". My father used to buy these cheap guns for $50-$60 each. I'd save for a while and get a beretta, browning or walther. Most of his guns just kind of fell apart after a while. But, the AMT pistol and Davis derringers did turn out to last.
My friend had a Lorcin in .380acp. It was a very nice paperweight..I had a Jennings .22lr. years ago..as long as you kept the extractor clean it was ok.. for $99 I would save my pennies and get something a bit better like a brand new Heritage for $139..
I've my AMT .380 Backup for maybe 20+ years now. The kids named it The Noisy Cricket. It's most likely the worst pistol I have, but with the right ammo it goes bang every time. Compared to modern .380 pocket pistols it heavy... The sights are horrible... And it has to have every bit of a 10lbs trigger on it. Oh yeah... It's a pain to disassemble and clean. Once you get past all that, it's a good little "get off me" gun. When I saw the name Lorcin in your title I knew you were in for a long day. I had a friend that had a 9mm Lorin years ago. We went out to the desert for a day of shooting. It shot pretty good actually, but when he went to clear it to put it up the round wouldn't eject to save his life. Now Joe was a quick tempered Cuban the got madder and redder with every rack of the slide. He just finally blew a gasket and fired at the mountain to clear it and chucked that thing about 20 yds into a boulder and stormed off cursing up a storm. We went over and picked up the pieces and gave them to Joe. Needless to say, we never saw that thing again.
Even though the Lorcin was not reliable you didn’t miss a shot with it! Enjoyed this style of video looking forward to see the sterling after it’s fixed up!
Every gun collection needs a Saturday Night Special! I remember my old Davis P-32 that I bought for $50 back in 2019 chambered in .32 ACP. Surprisingly, it never gave me a malfunction.
I find the Jennings Jam-0-matics fun to trouble shoot, polishing and experimenting with springs, etc can get them to work better. Not perfect, just better.
The Lorcin .25 was much more common than the .22 and much more reliable. The Jennings .22 actually wasn't a bad little pistol for $69 in the early 90's. Mine ran pretty good.
The Sterling... maybe... I believe that it is well enough made that you can spend some time getting one to function... even then it will mostly be very ... very ammo centric. mostly functioning with ammo not available back then..you know the higher pressure stuff.....The CCI and that ilk..
I had one of those Raven arms back in the seventies. It was a 25 automatic. It shot fairly well. You might get an occasional hang up. But most the time it shot pretty well..
Nice to see you out again, even though the gun was unreliable. Lately I've seen more of these types of guns at shows and shops , local and bigger box style shops. A guy from work was gonna buy his girl something similar, since it would be easier for her to shoot. I told him why get something that is unreliable and my sister shoots and carries a bigger gun than that. Thanks for taking us with you , hope you get it running better
Every time i get a lorcin, cobra, or jennings, i have a bit of a process. 1 mix a bit of lapping compound in with some RIG grease to deal with any tolerance issues. 2nd i make sure there are no burs on the extractor and 3rd i polish up the feed ramp. 90% of the time it solves reliability issues with all of them. Just be sure to clean off all the RIG grease mix after about 100-200 rounds.
Just found this channel. Fun stuff. I really miss lining in a place where I could go out and shoot cans, reactive targets, and just plink away. I love picking up oddball surplus pistols. Not as cheap as they used to be, but Bulgarian Makarov, Astra 600, and CZ-52, along with an assortment of Euro .32 and .25 pistols are some of my favorite sub $300 shooters. I once bought a Tek-9 just to see if I could make it reliable. I'm pretty handy like that. Nope. Not a chance. Utter garbage in every way.
I'd love to see that pistol's action close up in slow motion, a little circus clown music added. Also Wonk wonk wonk and laughing sounds as a round feeds 45 degrees up and bounces off the frame.
My grandpa gave me his Lorcin .22 and .380. The .22 had his receipt still in the box. He purchased it in 1995 brand new for $79.99. The .380 blew up in my face but was a lot more reliable than the .22. If they weren't given to me as my first guns, I would never buy one.
You can make the various zinc .22 semis "plinking" reliable, I have 3 jennings .22's I've done it with. You need to polish all the contact points on the slide (including inside the striker channel), slightly widen the slot the extractor slot in the barrel, and replace the extractor sling (with a anything that fits except for the factory ones, they're too weak). Dousing them in wd-40 helps as well. As for the magazine the better option is to find a better quality .22 mag that fits, then cut a hole in it for the mag catch to fit into.
WD-40 is NOT a lubricant or even a rust preventer---no matter what the label says! It is a WATER DISPLACER in a solvent that leaves a varnish-like residue when the solvent evaporates, and that turns gummy after a little time.......................elsullo
If you ever find a Sterling I would recommend them. I have owned a Model 300 (.22) since the ‘80s and it is a great little gun. The only drawback is it has a channel instead of regular sights. They definitely are built with quality materials unlike Lorcin and Raven type Saturday night specials.
I've got a couple of the Sterling .22 pistols. Had to epoxy a spacer in the mag wells to get magazines to line up. Great little pistols, very reliable and very solid. Definitely buy one if it comes your way!
i have had the same exact issue with a Taurus PT809 i bought several years ago. bought it brand new, it fired the first 2 mags without an issue in the world... on the 3rd mag it started throwing casings back in my face or over my left shoulder (right handed shooter and right hand ejection port), then a couple mags after that it started jamming constantly. gun has been back to the factory twice, neither trip to the factory fixed the issues. second time i sent it to the factory for warranty work, they sent it back soaked in CLP in its foam lined case, when i got it back, it was covered in melted foam. at least you're having these issues with a used pawn shop special, imagine paying full price for a brand new gun to have these issues.
The slide return spring has tokened a set(weakened/collapsed) & is letting the gun operate too fast. go to a weaker 22lr ammo and it may actually work.
Hi from Pennsylvania. I got some good news. I got my vacation approved. I have 2 weeks of deer season off. I have 6 tags. My 44 Henry is ready to go. As always your videos are awsome. God bless. 😊😊
I had a very similar Sterling model chambered in .25 ACP back in the early '90s. It was awesome for deep concealment, but I'd have to clean the magazine after only a few dozen rounds...something about the spring was off and it needed constant maintenance. I sold it during the Oblahblah administration for wayyyyy more than it was worth, but now I wish I still had it...
The slide is visually binding. Sure polish the feed ramp, but while you have the dremel out polish the slide grooves and replace the slide spring. From there use higher velocity round nose ammunition (per manufacturer's suggestion) and you will have a much better time with the pistol.
Lorcin = 24/7 365 Deadly trashamatic, jammertime, don't waste ur money. If you took this thing to pawn shop to get rid of it, the pawnshop owner might offer you a stick of Wrigley's for it.
@@mixup98 you are welcome young man… I crack up and enjoy you and your sons videos. With a last name like Tribble… I always chuckled at your “beaming” in intros
@@raytribble8075 I was eleven years old when the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" aired, which I remember, and you can probably guess I am a big Star Trek fan. I can only imagine that you have some stories regarding your name and the "Tribbles" episode. 👽👽👽👽
@@mixup98 I was 9, born today in 1960 as a matter of fact… 63 now. I have always been Trekkie… even before “The trouble with Tribble’s”. Of course I have the fuzzy guys all around the house… and yes… even still I will get the “have you ever watch the original Star Trek…” I just laugh
What would you do that to yourself!?!? Lol. I’m the firearm detective with my agency. When I do the semi annual audit, those Lorcin’s are approximately 25 percent of all of my “crime guns.” I wouldn’t own one. Still fun to watch.
Dan. I believe that the market target for those pistols (Lorcin, Jennings. etc.) are aimed at the uneducated percentage of people buying their first pistol, they are attracted to them while they look at all the prices of other pistols under the glass in the gun case, thinking "Hey what's the differences.. this is only a hundred dollars" and they waste their money on one of those. people gravitate to what costs the least when they don't know the difference and company's like Lorcin take advantage of that. Btw, I had a AMT .380 Backup and it was a good pistol for what I paid for it.. This was a great video for the first time gun buyer, it really is a service you did making this video. Peace - Dave
I had one of these in .25acp. I found I had to hold the grip a little lower or the slide would lightly rub on my hands and induce malfunctions. I'd imagine you would have noticed if that was your issue. Either way, I bet you can get it running. Tiny .22's are also very picky so I was happy to see you had 3 different types of ammo. I've had pretty good luck with Federal Bulk pack.
Not everybody will admit they bought one much less do a video. 😂 Dad owned one for about a month & got rid of it. You have saved people money & stress. They are junk. The Sterling should do well with right ammo. Thanks. 🙏 👍 🇺🇸
A few years I bought a Phoenix 22a semi-auto in .22 long rifle with a 3" barrel. Right out of the box it was a piece of junk. The trigger was (and still is) off center, the nickle plating flaked off, and the feed ramp had a chunk of metal that was not removed after it was cast. Apparently there was no finishing done before the gun was 'assembled' and shipped out. But once I tuned up the feed ramp with a file and sandpaper, and sanded off the bad nickel plating, and determined that it likes CCI 40 grain mini mags, it works great! It fires every time, although it needs the power of the 40 grain CCI mini mags to make it cycle reliably. Lighter bullets or less powerful rounds don't really cycle it reliably. After a few years, I liked it so much as a fun gun I ordered the 5" "target" barrel and an extended magazine (they cost less if you buy them as a package deal from Phoenix Arms). Damned if it isn't accurate. At least it is as accurate as I am, and I can shoot fairly well. It is certainly not as accurate as a .22 target pistol, but it is much better than I would have ever imagined. However, I would never even consider relying on it as an actual weapon, except for possibly throwing it at an assailant. It is single action only, overly complicated, kind-of hard to learn how to operate, has three (yes, three) different safeties (one of which is easily removed - check on RUclips). There are about half a dozen ways it can fail to fire unless you get all the safeties 'off' and the hammer cocked and the right ammo. But it is a really fun plinker and, with the 3" barrel, is a cool tiny auto pistol for playing secret agent man when nobody is looking. I take it with me every time I go shooting because it is fun and, being a .22, is pretty cheap to load, even though, as I said, I exclusively run it with CCi mini mags and they are not exactly inexpensive for .22 rounds.
I got a Lorcin 9mm a few years ago. I've ran around 5 mags through it with no issues. But I did clean and lube it after polishing the feed ramp. Got it cheap because the previous owner did the research and heard they blow up. Usually the smaller caliber ones though.
Zamak is a soft metal alloy so it wears out fast. These guns already have sloppy tolerances so the additional wear from shooting makes for unreliable cycling, sometimes even dangerous, due to stress cracks. The only use these pistols have is for gun buybacks. Some single action revolvers use Zamak frames but these are non-moving parts so they last a lot longer. Thanks for another great video which may save some money to people who might be tempted by the low price of these junky pistols.
I carried an AMT backup as a backup and they are actually really nice little guns. One of the grips was cracked and AMT was located in El Monte Ca. Close to me so I stopped by to buy another grip , not only did they put on new grips they took the gun apart checked it test fired it then cleaned it and to boot gave me 2 new magazines plus the grips all for free...
A coworker of mine recently bought one of these for $40 but the magazine was broken and the extractor was missing so he asked if I could tinker with it a bit, so I fixed the magazine, put a new extractor on it using BIC lighter spring for the extractor, polished the feed ramp, and sanded down a bit where the extractor meets the casing without compromising chamber pressure and now it feeds, fires, and extracts every time
Long ago, I decided to pick up a Jennings J-3880. It was priced at $95 new. I really don't remember what the trigger was like, but it was actually very reliable, and very accurate. Other than the high price of .380 ammo, it was really a joy to shoot. That gun died at the hands of defective ammo. I had just put up a new target. I started firing. I could see the fresh hole made with each shot. When I fired the second to the last round in the magazine, the gun jumped hard, nearly out of my hand. The casing flew out, spraying my face with burning powder, which was certainly no fun. The slide slammed back and would not move again after that. The barrel had bulged, locking the slide where it was. And there was one more hole in the target... though this one had a black ring around it.
A better title for this video would have been: "Let's check out a few paperweights I overpaid for." Or maybe, "The best malfunction clearing device available today."
I had a couple of Lorcin .25 autos back in the early 90's. The problem with the Lorcin and Raven (same design) is no slide rails or guide rod. The gun has a recoil spring that sets in place in the frame. The only thing that holds the gun onto the frame is a small button hook and spring which causes alot of free floating slop, very dangerous. The 2 Lorcins that I had would fire after releasing the slide when chambing a round. I immediately sold those guns and bought a Smith & Wesson.
Brands I avoid: Lorcin, Raven, Jimenz, Davis, Phoenix, Jennings, Cobra - as you say - many related and all crap IMHO. however, I always enjoy your vids regardless of the topic or if the gun of interest works or not. It is cool that you review these type of guns though even if as a warning to your viewers lol
Hey Boss, I was surprised to see your little Sterling Arms pistol! My Sterling looks exactly like yours but mine is a .25 cal. I haven’t shot it in awhile but it likes to jam. I Came to the realization that if I didn’t load the magazine to full capacity by leaving it one cartridge shy it worked better. My first pistol, my neighbor gave to me years ago as he had bought it new for his wife as a purse gun but she ignored it. Hope yours works better than mine once repaired.
I believe the first pistol made by the companies you mentioned was the Raven, usually chambered in .25 acp. I used to have one, given to me by my uncle almost 40 years ago. I never did try to shoot it, the ammo cost more than it was worth, and it looked and felt scary. Those guns are where the term "Saturday night special" originally came from. The design remained the same, whatever the brand was. Somebody may still be making them. Try grinding down and polishing the feed ramp just a hair and put some oil on it. Remington Golden Bullets are my favorite plinking ammo.
Raven was one of the other companies that used this basic design.....lorcin, Jennings, Raven and a couple others. The sterling was a copy of an old Beretta design
Back in the late 90's, when I was younger and more foolish, a local bicycle shop was selling these in .22LR and .25ACP for just under a hundred bucks, and I wanted one BADLY. I was smart enough to know that I wouldn't be able to resist the urge to walk around with it in my pocket, which even I knew would lead to trouble, so I held off. A few days later, flush with a paycheck, I went back to the shop to get one. Earlier that day, the store had received a shipment of brand new, first generation HiPoint .45 ACP pistols, also selling for a hundred bucks. I bought the HiPoint, and it was a massive piece of junk. It never cycled a full magazine in its life. It was, however, much too big to fit in my pocket, so I never shot myself in the leg with it, or got arrested for concealing it. I'm glad I bought the HiPoint. Great video!
@@Dingusdankus13 It was a weird joint. They mostly sold/repaired bikes, but also sold stamps, guns and model rocket kits. I bought a black powder revolver from the tire shop across the street. Ah, the '90s.
Mine does the same. I will say running a premium ammo helps the cycling a little. But it's still a piece.... Fun to shoot when it functions, but definitely not a carry or back up weapon
Yeah, quite a useless piece of junk. Some years back there was an altercation between two local criminals. One of them took out a knife, the other took out a Lorcin pistol. Hi fired one shot in the air to scare the other guy but without much effect. Next he tried shooting the guy with the knife and the Lorcin jammed. He died later from wounds inflicted by a "sharp, pointed instrument".
When I worked in retail firearms & customers handled a cheap gun & asked me, "Is this a good gun?" I'd say, "You get what you pay for, & you aren't paying much."
Thanks for the video. I would never buy a Lorcin. I might consider a Raven or a Phoenix at $30 or so. I think that they are a little less horrible in .25 ACP, but .25 ACP is so expensive for such pathetic ammunition that I can't bring myself to want a .25 ACP firearm. I'd have a hard time saying that the AMT shoots high because I've never been able to see the sights on one. I wouldn't mind a tiny .380, but I'd prefer the Kel-Tec or the Ruger LCP. If I found the AMT at a low enough price, I might consider it. I appreciate you going through the frustration for your viewers. I also kept thinking to myself, "The Lorcin is so bad that he wouldn't let his son come to the range with him."
The thing I've learned with cheapies like that is the price is low because of what they didn't finish at the factory. My Phoenix HP22 (pre-22A) came to me barely used in the box, reportedly "worked great" for the couple magazines he said went through it. Had to smooth out quite a few burrs in the rail surfaces and the ramp, slightly relieve the chamber, and fiddle with the magazine lips to get it halfway reliable. Brand new Savage 62F rifle had to have the same sort of treatment. Receiver was rough inside, bolt was the same, and the magazine which has a ramp built in was too tight and shaved lead as the cartridges were fed. Slicked that all up, but it absolutely will NOT eat anything with a semblance of a flat or hollowpoint bullet. Keep it to Federal Automatch, CCI anythings, even Aguila Subsonic, it runs just fine. Sometimes the challenge is worth it, if you can call a little light filing, sanding, stoning, and polishing while watching Mixup videos a challenge 👍
We all get that one stinker. Mine was a Detonics Combatmaster - could never get it to go through a mag without at least a couple stoppages. My brother-in-law has a Jennings .22 like your Lorcin. He put a bunch of time into making it work, and dang if he didn't finally get it to run. What did he do? He removed the extractor so it runs like a Beretta Bobcat, which doesn't have one. He once told me he'll never get rid of that Jennings - not because it is so good, but because it was such a stinker. I have to wonder about your Sterling. Did someone remove the ejector to make it more reliable, or was it broken off?
The Phoenix Arms HP22 is one of the best, most accurate, 22 LR pistols ever in the $129 - 189 range. The factory is 25 minutes from my house and I've been there. Phoenix rose from the ashes ... formerly Raven Arms of the Saturday Night Special. But it'd be nice if after many decades people stopped trash talking the highly worthy Phoenix HP22. 3.2lb trigger, 5" barrel, easy golf ball shots at 75-90 yards. Don't trash talk great guns.
I have three Ring of Fire pistols. I have a Raven 25ACP, Phoenix 22lr and a Cobra 380. The Phoenix is accurate and reliable. The Raven is accurate but the reliability leaves something to be desired. My Cobra was accurate until a squib load screwed up and bulged the barrel. Thanks for the video and keep shooting 👍.
![Why Won't the Ruger Mini-14 Just Die? [Part 1]](/img/1.gif)
Bet the Pawn Shop owner did a happy dance when the Lorcin went out the door.
😂😂😂
I went back into the same pawn shop yesterday and the owner was still dancing! 👍😁
@@mixup98
🤣😂🤣😂
I bet he was for $99
When I first saw it I was thinking it was about $15 or no more than $25 , especially being used possibly none functioning 😔
We used to find these in the trash can outside of the Pawn Shop
These were $59 new with inflation and all most people buy these as collectibles now.
Hundred bucks barely gets two people dinner at outback nowadays.
Even though it was a bad range day with this firearm. It was well ended. My family enjoys watching your videos. Much respect from our family to yours.
Hello Daniel. A bad day at the range is still better than a good day at work 😁 Seriously, thank you for the nice comment and please tell your family that my son and I said "hello".
@@mixup98they say that about fishing, too! Kind Regards, sir.
I purchased a Lorcin .22 from a pawn shop a little over 25 years ago. Nice to see things haven't changed.
Do you still have it? I'm looking for one.
@@goodcitizen3780 I do not. I traded it a long time ago. I hope you find one.
@@goodcitizen3780 for a collection or shooting because I would not use it for shooting 😂
I just found a lorcin on the ground outside my house (I live in Baltimore) and I thought, awesome, unregistered gun for anyone that tries doing my family harm. For instance, if one day my daughter has a stalker or abusive boyfriend. The registered ones will be for self defense. BUT the thing jams like hell and Im just gonna give it to the police. Might have a body or two on it. @@goodcitizen3780
@@goodcitizen3780If u want it we can work things out.
The 1st hand gun I owned was a Lorcin 380. This video is an extremely accurate depiction of the function of a Lorcin. The Lorcin makes for a great paper weight.
It's as big a piece of shit as any EAA 38 or 357 revolver.
Mine too! It actually ran ok, but the very first time I fired it, the finish started flaking off the slide in big sort of "chips." I was scared of that thing after that and sold it off cheap.
Same here. Stovepipes and double feeds aplenty. I never managed more than two shots before it gagged, and most times it was only one shot. Traded it in on a 9mm Smith & Wesson.
I had the Lorain 380 same issue's. After a few hundred rounds, the slide came off while shooting. We whent home and destroyed it
@@michaelfessenden8601 you did the world a favor, Mike
one of the reasons that lorcin went out of business was that there were several employees selling them out the backdoor causing the ATF to shut them down. it's a big reason that for quite a while it was the most common gun found at a crime scene
The low price likely had more to do with that than anything. If a better gun was available for the same price the lorcin would have been ignored.
Yup! I remember this. I bought a Lorcin .380 in '97... I still have it, and it... works.. that's all I'll say about it. I should have watched the Frontline "Hot Guns" episode first.
You can view the entire episode here: ruclips.net/video/g5NmmpGXGi4/видео.html&pp=ygURZnJvbnRsaW5lIExvcmNpbiA%3D
yep.. the hipoint c9 stole its place
I used to have a Lorcin .22 like that one. I found that feeding was very sensitive to proper magazine lip adjustment. When properly adjusted it ran quite well.
I have heard that replacing some of the springs on the Lorcin Pistols with BIC Pen Springs improve reliability. I had seen it done with the 9mm Model and it was suprising to say the least. I suppose BIC holds their springs to higher industry standards than Lorcin did. BIC pens went click 100% of the time more often than Lorcins ever did so its worth a try. Nice to see the AMT Back Up again, I miss mine.
Pen springs… That’s the bar of spring quality Lorcin couldn’t reach
@@haramsaddam238: Me too. Actually I bought the stainless AMT .380 ACP one @ a Gun Show, (A bit snappy, but reliable..), then I ordered a second AMT in .22lr from same seller. Both stainless pistols worked pretty well until, (Unfortunately..) I gave the .380 to my ex ~ 1.990's and sold the .22lr. Miss'em both. (NOT my ex. Thank you..). Those Lorcins had an acceptable steel barrel liner. Actual 'frame' was actually cast of cheap zamac alloy / pot metal around said steel barrel liner. Slide made from same pot metal. Nickel plating aplied to those for a flashy look, but I'm afraid mr. Mixup purchased a $99 bucks paperweight. BTW: The stainless Sterling samples I've seen + shot, are considerably better than the cheaply made Lorcins. I think I've seen parts (Ejector included..), From Gun Parts Corp / GPC / Numrich in Yonkers / NY.
BTW, many thanks for the warnings. Respectfully suggest bringing a good magnet to your next Gun show or Pawn Shop, just in case you want to check if critical parts are made from steel. Newer rimfire pistols still made from cheap non ferrous alloys that drastically reduce their reliability & useful lifespan, with exceptions from well known name brands. Thanks againg for your great videos.. 😌🇺🇲🙏🙏🙏
I've used springs from Bic pens and lighters before for handgun repair.
Most of the "Pot Metal" Saturday Night Special's (Especially the .22LR's) won't function well unless you file + modify + polish the feed ramp extensively. I sold a lot of The Sundance Version in .25acp over 30 years ago. The .25acp and .380acp variants were more reliable than the .22LR's. They all run better with Ball or Round Nose Ammunition.
Anecdotally I find this to be accurate to my experience with a raven .25 (to my knowledge essentially the same gun from a company that either got bought out by or bought Lorcin) Took a lot of elbow grease and buff pads and she never was a tack driver, but she was actually fairly reliable after polishing the feed ramp and slide interior.
Thank you! I was going to post this very same information. Mt little Bryco .22 was a great starter pistol as going through and fixing it made me a better gun owner. Watching the video it is obvious his slide spring is tired and needs to be replaced. while he's at it polishing the slide rails would help as well.
It’s also one of the most deadly pistols in the world. I arrived at countless homicide scenes where Locrin was the pistol of choice. Cheap and easy to conceal were the only requisites back then.
too bad the pistols weren't more effective then. Too many saved by a jam I reckon. At least the FBI is handing out Glock switches now to their grandkids to help clean up the problem.
Omg cop!!!
more lives have ended around .22 projectiles than any other nbd.
I had a little Lorcin .380 when I was about 21. I shot the heck out of that thing and despite my friends telling me it would fall apart, and it was a very dependable and fairly accurate for what it was. I think I paid $69 for it back then, and my friend said I paid about 20 too much lol (EDIT:) I had an AMT Hardballer that I abused the heck out of. Loved it.
Y'all paid $ 69.00 too much.
Glad you took one for the team on the Lorcin.
Anytime, my friend 👍😁
A friend of mine went through a phase of collecting cheap Saturday Night Specials. He had one of these. It was so bad it discharged as soon as he loaded the chamber. We threw it down range and shot it up with high powered rifles so it could never hurt anyone again.
based. when i lived in a bad neighborhood i had a neighbor with kids and a grandma livin there. and he had a jennings 9. i told him "you know you dont like that gun and i know it too" he said "What do you mean?" We went to range. I took a couple 9mm handguns. He fell in love with the ruger LC9 and i made him fill a bill of sale for both our legal safety and he didnt understand . I said ...... okay.... but when the next driveby happens or robbery, dont expect me to come out of my house.... next day he came over with 280 cash and signed and bought it.
Maybe a weak mag/recoil spring in the first one? Sanding and polishing the feed ramp helps a lot too. Good video.
"Pot Metal" is a generous term!! True a lot of those were sold! And MANY were walked out of the back door (lack of security) by employees of those "machine shops". I've shot a number of those Saturday Night Specials in the past, some get hot in a hurry! Good video, thanks for posting it!
Hotter than a two dollar pistol. ( old southern saying)
@@jonenglish6617
Some people here in California used to use that expression, myself included.
But only those, whose families came here from the South. 👍
My family is from So. Calif. we always use that expression! It's a good one!@@KevinSmith-yh6tl
It's literally that metal you can break off with your teeth
First of all, love your work on these videos. Secondly, I feel you don't have the second worst firearm there, but one of the best teachings how to clear jams / tap rack reengage training implements ever devised. How awesome for you to teach those potential high stress training tools out there for folks to learn with. Bravo for your willingness to teach vital gun jamming skills that are often overlooked in the firearm world. (:
Good morning Patrick. I have several training videos here on youtube but I don't have one specifically dedicated on how to clear a malfunction. Perhaps I will put together a "how to clear a malfunction" training video since I now have the perfect firearm to use in the video. Thank you for the suggestion and all for the great comment.
Yes, Thanks to that "Lorcin 22" being in the Right Hands (Mixup98), I learned a Very Important Safety Step. Waite a Few Seconds after "Hearing the Click", before Opening or Miss Aiming the Weapon. Big Thumbs Up.
15 years ago, someone gave me a Raven Arms .25 auto pistol for free..... I still feel like I got ripped off. 🤨
😁👍
I have two SCCY CPX-1 pistols that I got super cheap off gunbroker, that I never use and they have so many malfunctions that'd I actually feel guilty if I gave them away for free to someone who didn't know what they were getting into. So I just use em' for dry-firing, which I do admit are useful given their heavy DA only triggers.
@@brockhowell2296 the DVG striker fire is better, but for that price you're already in Taurus/Polymer80 range.
@@Dtown96Dont forget the SW SD9, between 250-350 depends the location
And suddenly Hi-Points are lookin’ pretty good …
At least if the Hi-point jams you can still use it as a cudgle.
Lol, lol😂😂😂😂
Shoot I had a 9mm and a 380 hi point and got to say I never had a problem carried it when noodling in the river full of water sand and mud always fired when I pulled the trigger
Hi points good guns!!
Hi points are reliable just fine. The problem with hi points is that you have a 380 that's the size of Robocop's gun, and weighs as much, too.
My friend bought a Taurus 38 revolver and gave me his Lorcin 25 ACP with 3 - 6 rounds magazines a few years ago.
I only fired 6 shots then and since I have no real use for it, it's now gathering dusts in my gun cabinet.
Always enjoy watching your video. Thanks mixup98.
You are very welcome Robert and thank you for watching and commenting on our videos.
@@mixup98 I also enjoyed watching your video about you selling your vintage Colt Agent to your brother. I bought a vintage Agent in very good condition a few months ago but it costs as much as a brand new Colt Cobra 38 snub nose. It has a very smooth double action trigger pull and is highly accurate for a snub nose revolver. Very happy with my Agent. Again, thanks for your very interesting videos mixup98.
@@robertonavarro7713 Would you believe that my brother still refuses to sell back to me that old Colt Agent. I have offered either a trade or cash but he just looks at me and smiles. Damn him! Maybe someday I will find another one, buy it, and do a review on it. I'm glad to hear that you bought an older Agent, and I'm guessing the quality is probably better than a new one. Stay safe, have a great weekend, and enjoy your Colt.
Do you still have it 😂 I'd be interested in purchasing it from you if you would like to get rid of it
Im old enough to remember these "pistols". They were considered junk by many people i knew! Thanks for your sacrifice in showing these for us. Great video once again.
God bless all here.
i am too they were always known as junkie stick up pieces and hood iron along with the tec9's by the ones i know!!
My ex wife had one if it was 90 degrees and sunny you might get it to shoot 2 or 3 times in row but cool or damp forget it😅
I too am old enough to remember when these were sold for $59. Back in the early '70's. Really nice junk even then. Sterling's were better 6 shot .22's then. I bought one. Wish I still had it.
Honestly for a cheap piece of junk, it still looks like a fun project to fix up and try to get working again! 9 rounds of .22 really seems neat for a little cheap saturday night special. Kinda funny how that Sterling still outperformed it with missing parts, though!
I might make a video where I tinker with the Lorcin, polish a few parts, stretch a few springs and see what happens.
@@mixup98 You could make a series of workbench projects called "Mixup's Fixups." 😁
@@mixup98 One thing my dad taught me long ago, when he was in the Nat. Guard during vietnam they would use "crocus cloth" to polish the chambers of their artillery cannons. Stuff works AMAZING on feed ramps and slide rails. Might be worth a shot! It's only found commonly now to be used on brass wind instruments, but I use it on all my guns. It's some amazing stuff, and I honestly think it stopped being made because of lubricant companies not being happy with how long the stuff lasted. Makes feed ramps feel oiled when they're dry.
@@Boneless_Chuck oh man, sounds like you just coined a winner!
@@Boneless_Chuck Hey, I like that! "Mixup Fixups" Thanks for the suggestion Boneless Chuck 👍😁
Very accurate to my memories of anything from that group of manufacturers. My dad for whatever reason, had bought a couple Jennings pistols. They are the most frustrating piles of garbage I've had in my hands. When he passed, I held on to them for a long time even though I absolutely hated them. My sisters asked me if there was any chance that I might let go of any of Dad's guns I gladly gave each of them a Jennings with the reminder to NEVER rely on the stupid thing.
I have 3 Jennings. 2 early and one late model. They are all reliable and never jam when clean and using minimags.
My first pistol purchase was with $200 cash (all that momma gave me to buy a gun) and I had a choice between the Hi Point and Jennings. Both new in the box at a gun show and in 9mm. I chose the Hi Point, glad I did.
Me too! 👍😎
Pretty bad when the hi point is the better option, although it seems hi points ain't as bad as people say
@totalradicalness the carbines are great for what they are
@@totalradicalness A few meh thing here & there but for the most part Hi-Points are on average SUPERIOR than your average pistol (in reliability) while being waaaay less and they're American-made!! I say screw the haters.
Interesting review and glad you warned us about these. Remember the Ring Of Fire group. Had a Raven .25 ACP. Jammed- seller sent it to them and they polished the heck out of the feed ramp. Stretch the recoil spring a little may help too. Well it worked after that and was a pocket carry. Never saw the Sterling before. AMT I remember from the .45 ACP Hard baller. They had an AMT Automag in .30 Carbine I almost got, until I saw one fired. WOWZERS, it has a 3ft muzzle blast! Interesting story, I came home from work, stepped outside to enjoy the cool summer night air and was standing near a bush about 2ft away. Hear a noise to my right that startled me and I pulled that Raven .25 ACP, thumbing off the safety. Standing on a limb of the bush was a giant 1ft+ field rat looking at me and it was making the strangest noises, like it was trying to talk, standing up looking like it was going to jump on me. Without hesitation I threw up the little Raven and blasted it from 1ft away and I MISSED! It went high right over its head and within the muzzle blast of fire that lit up it's whole body, little mouth open with big buck teeth and wide eyes, it screamed 😮 and ran away down the limb. I looked at the gun and kept thinking how the heck did I miss at that distance and started laughing. Guess it's good at repelling rats. 😂
lol I bought one for $50 at my local pawn shop. It's the biggest piece of junk ever. It's a safe queen now and I doubt I'll ever shoot it again
My old boss hass a davis 25acp. I fixed it for him. I dont know why.
If you don't mind it being used in a photoshoot, wait until your police department is doing a buyback for $100. Turn a little profit on it.
@@bwofficial1776rR rrrrrrr break even
Safe queens are usually pretty 👑
You could always use the Lorcin for a fishing weight. I used to own a couple of Davis firearms: a derringer in .22WMR, and a semi-auto pocket pistol in .380. The derringer was fun to shoot and was a tackle box gun. I killed a rattlesnake with it, courtesy of some CCI .22WMR snake shot loads. I shot the .380 a LOT - several hundred rounds of hard ball ammo, at least, and it was always reliable. I used to take it along with me on desert hikes - killed a fat rattler with it on one such outing. Snake had a cottontail rabbit inside of it. I literally shot the Davis until it wouldn't shoot anymore - it was completely worn out and beyond rejunvenation. I disposed of it by taking it apart, mangling the parts with a hammer, and disposing of them in the trash over the course of three weeks, so they wouldn't end up together in one place at the landfill. I'd buy another Davis .380 just for fun if I could find one, but they're pretty scarce out there. On your advice, I'll not even consider a Lorcin, should one show up in a gun shop that I visit. Excellent video - I think it's just as valuable to viewers to show the junk guns and why they are junk as it is to review the quality pieces. Might save someone from wasting money or relying on a POC in a self-defense situation. Thanks for the heads up! Cheers.
One of the original Saturday night specials. Love it.. LOL.. I purchased one back in the early 70's. Since then I fully dismantled it and trashed it. Great video's my friend. Always looking forward to new episodes. Thanks!!
I'm so old (72) that I remember buying a Saturday Night Special revolver for $17.00. I bought it at Target!!! Way back before Target all silly and stopped selling firearms.
Thanks for doing your unbiased reviews and keep them coming please.
As usual, I love your videos and the information you provide. I think the Jennings may be one step up from the Lorcin. If you come across one of those, it may make a fun comparison. Even a Raven would be a good comparison.
Had a Jennings j-22 once, it blew up in my hand haha
I had the Jennings back in the 90s. I paid less than $60 new. Believe it or not, it worked very well. I don't remember it ever jamming once.
We owned all them in the '80s.
They're all the exact same garbage. Except AMT, they're a different kind of garbage.
Our .25 was the only one that fire a magazine when we were lucky
Thank you for taking one for the team!!
Read once that 90% of feeding issues are due to the magazine. My guess is that both lorcin mags have feed lip issues. For my cheaper guns I take an old crock stick and remover the burrs on the inside of the lips. That fixes 90% of any feed issues, if rounds are feeding high and hitting the top of the rear of the chamber a tweak to the front of the lips will normally fix the feed angle. My last $100 pawn shop buy was a hipoint jhp that someone dremeled the grips and must have bent the barrel because it shot very high as purchased. A quick massive adjustment to the rear sight got it back in the bullseye using the sight, instinctive shooting is out. The grips will eventually get replaced. But for $100, a .45acp shooter that goes bang every time, that was a good $100.
I grew up in the middle of the area you called the "ring of fire". My father used to buy these cheap guns for $50-$60 each. I'd save for a while and get a beretta, browning or walther. Most of his guns just kind of fell apart after a while. But, the AMT pistol and Davis derringers did turn out to last.
I've had a number of older Davis derringers and they all seemed to perform quite well.
My friend had a Lorcin in .380acp. It was a very nice paperweight..I had a Jennings .22lr. years ago..as long as you kept the extractor clean it was ok.. for $99 I would save my pennies and get something a bit better like a brand new Heritage for $139..
I've my AMT .380 Backup for maybe 20+ years now. The kids named it The Noisy Cricket. It's most likely the worst pistol I have, but with the right ammo it goes bang every time. Compared to modern .380 pocket pistols it heavy... The sights are horrible... And it has to have every bit of a 10lbs trigger on it. Oh yeah... It's a pain to disassemble and clean. Once you get past all that, it's a good little "get off me" gun. When I saw the name Lorcin in your title I knew you were in for a long day. I had a friend that had a 9mm Lorin years ago. We went out to the desert for a day of shooting. It shot pretty good actually, but when he went to clear it to put it up the round wouldn't eject to save his life. Now Joe was a quick tempered Cuban the got madder and redder with every rack of the slide. He just finally blew a gasket and fired at the mountain to clear it and chucked that thing about 20 yds into a boulder and stormed off cursing up a storm. We went over and picked up the pieces and gave them to Joe. Needless to say, we never saw that thing again.
Even though the Lorcin was not reliable you didn’t miss a shot with it! Enjoyed this style of video looking forward to see the sterling after it’s fixed up!
Every gun collection needs a Saturday Night Special! I remember my old Davis P-32 that I bought for $50 back in 2019 chambered in .32 ACP. Surprisingly, it never gave me a malfunction.
Nice find! I have that pistol but in .380acp which is a bit much for this design. I wish I could find one in .32acp.
I find the Jennings Jam-0-matics fun to trouble shoot, polishing and experimenting with springs, etc can get them to work better. Not perfect, just better.
I remember the ads for the Jennings in Shotgun News. They were proud of the fact that they met the South Carolina melt point law.
It must be fun indeed to tinker around with them.
I own a series one Colt Woodsman circa 1927, and besides the problem of trying to find mags for it, it's a damned fine little shooter for 22 cal .
I use Beretta Neos mags in both my vintage woodsman, and colt cadet. Virtually identical mags
The Lorcin .25 was much more common than the .22 and much more reliable. The Jennings .22 actually wasn't a bad little pistol for $69 in the early 90's. Mine ran pretty good.
I had a Jennings in 91, My first handgun, Took me two days to go buy a real gun.
I had two Jennings .380 in the early 90s. Both ran flawlessly, even after hundreds of rounds.
The Sterling... maybe... I believe that it is well enough made that you can spend some time getting one to function... even then it will mostly be very ... very ammo centric. mostly functioning with ammo not available back then..you know the higher pressure stuff.....The CCI and that ilk..
I'd say the same four words you said if I had a jam-o-matic too.
Just a note....You did a great job restoring that scratched up pawn shop Mossberg Maverick that you painted in camo. Excellent piece!
Thank you very much! I might do a video where I polish this turd Lorcin and see if I can get it to be more reliable.
I had one of those Raven arms back in the seventies. It was a 25 automatic. It shot fairly well. You might get an occasional hang up. But most the time it shot pretty well..
I had the raven 25 as well. Actually, quite reliable.
Nice to see you out again, even though the gun was unreliable. Lately I've seen more of these types of guns at shows and shops , local and bigger box style shops. A guy from work was gonna buy his girl something similar, since it would be easier for her to shoot. I told him why get something that is unreliable and my sister shoots and carries a bigger gun than that. Thanks for taking us with you , hope you get it running better
Instead of using the Lorcin to shoot the target, use the Lorcin as the target.
Great video!!! Those Kurtz. 380 are sweet pieces, I keep mine in the kitchen in case I need to cook something up 😂 Have a wonderful week
Thanks! You too!
I have a Raven Arms 25acp that looks similar and Its also made with pot metal. It actually runs good.
I've had good luck from the Ravens.
Every time i get a lorcin, cobra, or jennings, i have a bit of a process. 1 mix a bit of lapping compound in with some RIG grease to deal with any tolerance issues. 2nd i make sure there are no burs on the extractor and 3rd i polish up the feed ramp. 90% of the time it solves reliability issues with all of them. Just be sure to clean off all the RIG grease mix after about 100-200 rounds.
Just found this channel. Fun stuff. I really miss lining in a place where I could go out and shoot cans, reactive targets, and just plink away. I love picking up oddball surplus pistols. Not as cheap as they used to be, but Bulgarian Makarov, Astra 600, and CZ-52, along with an assortment of Euro .32 and .25 pistols are some of my favorite sub $300 shooters. I once bought a Tek-9 just to see if I could make it reliable. I'm pretty handy like that. Nope. Not a chance. Utter garbage in every way.
I'd love to see that pistol's action close up in slow motion, a little circus clown music added. Also Wonk wonk wonk and laughing sounds as a round feeds 45 degrees up and bounces off the frame.
*Rolling the dice at the Pawn Shop.* 🎲🎲
Thank you very much for spending the time, money, and energy running this experiment. Very informative. Much respect.
Those "Ring of Fire" pistols are an interesting part of history. Buy one of each for your collection, but never shoot them.
Liked the companies. Most produced garbage guns, but did it in Commiefornia. That had to have been a thorn in their side. 😂
Nice video Sir! I really like how you keep it real, good or bad
I appreciate that, Bruce.
My grandpa gave me his Lorcin .22 and .380. The .22 had his receipt still in the box. He purchased it in 1995 brand new for $79.99. The .380 blew up in my face but was a lot more reliable than the .22. If they weren't given to me as my first guns, I would never buy one.
You can make the various zinc .22 semis "plinking" reliable, I have 3 jennings .22's I've done it with. You need to polish all the contact points on the slide (including inside the striker channel), slightly widen the slot the extractor slot in the barrel, and replace the extractor sling (with a anything that fits except for the factory ones, they're too weak). Dousing them in wd-40 helps as well.
As for the magazine the better option is to find a better quality .22 mag that fits, then cut a hole in it for the mag catch to fit into.
WD-40 is NOT a lubricant or even a rust preventer---no matter what the label says! It is a WATER DISPLACER in a solvent that leaves a varnish-like residue when the solvent evaporates, and that turns gummy after a little time.......................elsullo
Back in my gun store days we called the Jennings .22lr the Jam-o-matic.
If you ever find a Sterling I would recommend them. I have owned a Model 300 (.22) since the ‘80s and it is a great little gun. The only drawback is it has a channel instead of regular sights. They definitely are built with quality materials unlike Lorcin and Raven type Saturday night specials.
I've got a couple of the Sterling .22 pistols. Had to epoxy a spacer in the mag wells to get magazines to line up. Great little pistols, very reliable and very solid. Definitely buy one if it comes your way!
I have an old sterling 300 and it never jams, nice little gun....
i have had the same exact issue with a Taurus PT809 i bought several years ago. bought it brand new, it fired the first 2 mags without an issue in the world... on the 3rd mag it started throwing casings back in my face or over my left shoulder (right handed shooter and right hand ejection port), then a couple mags after that it started jamming constantly. gun has been back to the factory twice, neither trip to the factory fixed the issues. second time i sent it to the factory for warranty work, they sent it back soaked in CLP in its foam lined case, when i got it back, it was covered in melted foam. at least you're having these issues with a used pawn shop special, imagine paying full price for a brand new gun to have these issues.
The slide return spring has tokened a set(weakened/collapsed) & is letting the gun operate too fast.
go to a weaker 22lr ammo and it may actually work.
weaker won't have the inertia to cycle the slide. if it won't cycle mini mags, it's not worth keeping.
Hi from Pennsylvania. I got some good news. I got my vacation approved. I have 2 weeks of deer season off. I have 6 tags. My 44 Henry is ready to go. As always your videos are awsome. God bless. 😊😊
That is awesome and I hope you fill all 6 tags. Thank you for watching my videos and God bless.
I had a very similar Sterling model chambered in .25 ACP back in the early '90s. It was awesome for deep concealment, but I'd have to clean the magazine after only a few dozen rounds...something about the spring was off and it needed constant maintenance. I sold it during the Oblahblah administration for wayyyyy more than it was worth, but now I wish I still had it...
The slide is visually binding. Sure polish the feed ramp, but while you have the dremel out polish the slide grooves and replace the slide spring. From there use higher velocity round nose ammunition (per manufacturer's suggestion) and you will have a much better time with the pistol.
Lorcin = 24/7 365 Deadly trashamatic, jammertime, don't waste ur money. If you took this thing to pawn shop to get rid of it, the pawnshop owner might offer you a stick of Wrigley's for it.
The Sterling uses the firing pin as the ejector. My .25 ACP version was made in Gasport, NY and are higher quality than the ones made in Lockport NY
I have the Phoenix Arms, fun, great reliable running firearm. Very inexpensive too.
I am looking at that sweet single shot you bought there Pard. Thank for saving the rest of us the same mistake. A very good video sir!
Thank you Ray!
@@mixup98 you are welcome young man… I crack up and enjoy you and your sons videos. With a last name like Tribble… I always chuckled at your “beaming” in intros
@@raytribble8075 I was eleven years old when the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" aired, which I remember, and you can probably guess I am a big Star Trek fan. I can only imagine that you have some stories regarding your name and the "Tribbles" episode. 👽👽👽👽
@@mixup98 I was 9, born today in 1960 as a matter of fact… 63 now. I have always been Trekkie… even before “The trouble with Tribble’s”. Of course I have the fuzzy guys all around the house… and yes… even still I will get the “have you ever watch the original Star Trek…” I just laugh
@@raytribble8075 Happy late Birthday, Ray. Live long and prosper.
What would you do that to yourself!?!? Lol. I’m the firearm detective with my agency. When I do the semi annual audit, those Lorcin’s are approximately 25 percent of all of my “crime guns.” I wouldn’t own one. Still fun to watch.
Dan. I believe that the market target for those pistols (Lorcin, Jennings. etc.) are aimed at the uneducated percentage of people buying their first pistol, they are attracted to them while they look at all the prices of other pistols under the glass in the gun case, thinking "Hey what's the differences.. this is only a hundred dollars" and they waste their money on one of those. people gravitate to what costs the least when they don't know the difference and company's like Lorcin take advantage of that. Btw, I had a AMT .380 Backup and it was a good pistol for what I paid for it.. This was a great video for the first time gun buyer, it really is a service you did making this video. Peace - Dave
I had one of these in .25acp. I found I had to hold the grip a little lower or the slide would lightly rub on my hands and induce malfunctions. I'd imagine you would have noticed if that was your issue. Either way, I bet you can get it running. Tiny .22's are also very picky so I was happy to see you had 3 different types of ammo. I've had pretty good luck with Federal Bulk pack.
Not everybody will admit they bought one much less do a video. 😂 Dad owned one for about a month & got rid of it. You have saved people money & stress. They are junk. The Sterling should do well with right ammo. Thanks. 🙏 👍 🇺🇸
A few years I bought a Phoenix 22a semi-auto in .22 long rifle with a 3" barrel. Right out of the box it was a piece of junk. The trigger was (and still is) off center, the nickle plating flaked off, and the feed ramp had a chunk of metal that was not removed after it was cast. Apparently there was no finishing done before the gun was 'assembled' and shipped out. But once I tuned up the feed ramp with a file and sandpaper, and sanded off the bad nickel plating, and determined that it likes CCI 40 grain mini mags, it works great! It fires every time, although it needs the power of the 40 grain CCI mini mags to make it cycle reliably. Lighter bullets or less powerful rounds don't really cycle it reliably. After a few years, I liked it so much as a fun gun I ordered the 5" "target" barrel and an extended magazine (they cost less if you buy them as a package deal from Phoenix Arms). Damned if it isn't accurate. At least it is as accurate as I am, and I can shoot fairly well. It is certainly not as accurate as a .22 target pistol, but it is much better than I would have ever imagined. However, I would never even consider relying on it as an actual weapon, except for possibly throwing it at an assailant. It is single action only, overly complicated, kind-of hard to learn how to operate, has three (yes, three) different safeties (one of which is easily removed - check on RUclips). There are about half a dozen ways it can fail to fire unless you get all the safeties 'off' and the hammer cocked and the right ammo. But it is a really fun plinker and, with the 3" barrel, is a cool tiny auto pistol for playing secret agent man when nobody is looking. I take it with me every time I go shooting because it is fun and, being a .22, is pretty cheap to load, even though, as I said, I exclusively run it with CCi mini mags and they are not exactly inexpensive for .22 rounds.
I got a Lorcin 9mm a few years ago. I've ran around 5 mags through it with no issues. But I did clean and lube it after polishing the feed ramp. Got it cheap because the previous owner did the research and heard they blow up. Usually the smaller caliber ones though.
Zamak is a soft metal alloy so it wears out fast. These guns already have sloppy tolerances so the additional wear from shooting makes for unreliable cycling, sometimes even dangerous, due to stress cracks. The only use these pistols have is for gun buybacks. Some single action revolvers use Zamak frames but these are non-moving parts so they last a lot longer. Thanks for another great video which may save some money to people who might be tempted by the low price of these junky pistols.
I carried an AMT backup as a backup and they are actually really nice little guns. One of the grips was cracked and AMT was located in El Monte Ca. Close to me so I stopped by to buy another grip , not only did they put on new grips they took the gun apart checked it test fired it then cleaned it and to boot gave me 2 new magazines plus the grips all for free...
Awesome.....thanks for sharing! 👍😎
A coworker of mine recently bought one of these for $40 but the magazine was broken and the extractor was missing so he asked if I could tinker with it a bit, so I fixed the magazine, put a new extractor on it using BIC lighter spring for the extractor, polished the feed ramp, and sanded down a bit where the extractor meets the casing without compromising chamber pressure and now it feeds, fires, and extracts every time
Long ago, I decided to pick up a Jennings J-3880. It was priced at $95 new. I really don't remember what the trigger was like, but it was actually very reliable, and very accurate. Other than the high price of .380 ammo, it was really a joy to shoot.
That gun died at the hands of defective ammo. I had just put up a new target. I started firing. I could see the fresh hole made with each shot. When I fired the second to the last round in the magazine, the gun jumped hard, nearly out of my hand. The casing flew out, spraying my face with burning powder, which was certainly no fun. The slide slammed back and would not move again after that. The barrel had bulged, locking the slide where it was. And there was one more hole in the target... though this one had a black ring around it.
I had a Jennings 22 if you filled the mag up it would jam. If you only put 6 in it it would fire every time.
Glad to see if finally cooled down on southern Nevada.
A better title for this video would have been: "Let's check out a few paperweights I overpaid for." Or maybe, "The best malfunction clearing device available today."
I had a couple of Lorcin .25 autos back in the early 90's. The problem with the Lorcin and Raven (same design) is no slide rails or guide rod. The gun has a recoil spring that sets in place in the frame. The only thing that holds the gun onto the frame is a small button hook and spring which causes alot of free floating slop, very dangerous. The 2 Lorcins that I had would fire after releasing the slide when chambing a round. I immediately sold those guns and bought a Smith & Wesson.
I had a raven 25. It wasn't dangerous after about 50 rounds run through it...because it quit firing 😂
I actually purchased a sterling brand new 40 or more years ago. Found extra mags ,actually works good . Do not dry fire sterling 22
So, which would you rather have, Mixup, a Lorcin jam-o-matic or a Kel-Tec paperweight? I wouldn't want either one.
Brands I avoid: Lorcin, Raven, Jimenz, Davis, Phoenix, Jennings, Cobra - as you say - many related and all crap IMHO. however, I always enjoy your vids regardless of the topic or if the gun of interest works or not. It is cool that you review these type of guns though even if as a warning to your viewers lol
Hey Boss, I was surprised to see your little Sterling Arms pistol! My Sterling looks exactly like yours but mine is a .25 cal. I haven’t shot it in awhile but it likes to jam. I Came to the realization that if I didn’t load the magazine to full capacity by leaving it one cartridge shy it worked better. My first pistol, my neighbor gave to me years ago as he had bought it new for his wife as a purse gun but she ignored it. Hope yours works better than mine once repaired.
Appreciate you showing us this, always good to know what to look out for 👍
I believe the first pistol made by the companies you mentioned was the Raven, usually chambered in .25 acp. I used to have one, given to me by my uncle almost 40 years ago. I never did try to shoot it, the ammo cost more than it was worth, and it looked and felt scary. Those guns are where the term "Saturday night special" originally came from. The design remained the same, whatever the brand was. Somebody may still be making them. Try grinding down and polishing the feed ramp just a hair and put some oil on it.
Remington Golden Bullets are my favorite plinking ammo.
Raven was one of the other companies that used this basic design.....lorcin, Jennings, Raven and a couple others.
The sterling was a copy of an old Beretta design
This was my first pistol. Only Jennings labeled. Was satin with the faux pearl grips.
Back in the late 90's, when I was younger and more foolish, a local bicycle shop was selling these in .22LR and .25ACP for just under a hundred bucks, and I wanted one BADLY. I was smart enough to know that I wouldn't be able to resist the urge to walk around with it in my pocket, which even I knew would lead to trouble, so I held off.
A few days later, flush with a paycheck, I went back to the shop to get one. Earlier that day, the store had received a shipment of brand new, first generation HiPoint .45 ACP pistols, also selling for a hundred bucks.
I bought the HiPoint, and it was a massive piece of junk. It never cycled a full magazine in its life. It was, however, much too big to fit in my pocket, so I never shot myself in the leg with it, or got arrested for concealing it.
I'm glad I bought the HiPoint.
Great video!
@@Dingusdankus13 It was a weird joint. They mostly sold/repaired bikes, but also sold stamps, guns and model rocket kits.
I bought a black powder revolver from the tire shop across the street.
Ah, the '90s.
My first impression - 40 seconds into the program as you displayed the Lorcin pistol - was "That looks like a piece of junk."
Mine does the same. I will say running a premium ammo helps the cycling a little. But it's still a piece.... Fun to shoot when it functions, but definitely not a carry or back up weapon
Yeah, quite a useless piece of junk. Some years back there was an altercation between two local criminals. One of them took out a knife, the other took out a Lorcin pistol. Hi fired one shot in the air to scare the other guy but without much effect. Next he tried shooting the guy with the knife and the Lorcin jammed. He died later from wounds inflicted by a "sharp, pointed instrument".
I was going to buy one of those cheap pistols back in 1993. But somebody talked me out of it. Thank goodness.
When I worked in retail firearms & customers handled a cheap gun & asked me, "Is this a good gun?" I'd say, "You get what you pay for, & you aren't paying much."
This is the perfect backup gun to a Type 14 Nambu.
Thanks for the video.
I would never buy a Lorcin. I might consider a Raven or a Phoenix at $30 or so. I think that they are a little less horrible in .25 ACP, but .25 ACP is so expensive for such pathetic ammunition that I can't bring myself to want a .25 ACP firearm.
I'd have a hard time saying that the AMT shoots high because I've never been able to see the sights on one. I wouldn't mind a tiny .380, but I'd prefer the Kel-Tec or the Ruger LCP. If I found the AMT at a low enough price, I might consider it.
I appreciate you going through the frustration for your viewers. I also kept thinking to myself, "The Lorcin is so bad that he wouldn't let his son come to the range with him."
The thing I've learned with cheapies like that is the price is low because of what they didn't finish at the factory.
My Phoenix HP22 (pre-22A) came to me barely used in the box, reportedly "worked great" for the couple magazines he said went through it. Had to smooth out quite a few burrs in the rail surfaces and the ramp, slightly relieve the chamber, and fiddle with the magazine lips to get it halfway reliable.
Brand new Savage 62F rifle had to have the same sort of treatment. Receiver was rough inside, bolt was the same, and the magazine which has a ramp built in was too tight and shaved lead as the cartridges were fed. Slicked that all up, but it absolutely will NOT eat anything with a semblance of a flat or hollowpoint bullet. Keep it to Federal Automatch, CCI anythings, even Aguila Subsonic, it runs just fine.
Sometimes the challenge is worth it, if you can call a little light filing, sanding, stoning, and polishing while watching Mixup videos a challenge 👍
We all get that one stinker. Mine was a Detonics Combatmaster - could never get it to go through a mag without at least a couple stoppages. My brother-in-law has a Jennings .22 like your Lorcin. He put a bunch of time into making it work, and dang if he didn't finally get it to run. What did he do? He removed the extractor so it runs like a Beretta Bobcat, which doesn't have one. He once told me he'll never get rid of that Jennings - not because it is so good, but because it was such a stinker.
I have to wonder about your Sterling. Did someone remove the ejector to make it more reliable, or was it broken off?
The Phoenix Arms HP22 is one of the best, most accurate, 22 LR pistols ever in the $129 - 189 range. The factory is 25 minutes from my house and I've been there. Phoenix rose from the ashes ... formerly Raven Arms of the Saturday Night Special. But it'd be nice if after many decades people stopped trash talking the highly worthy Phoenix HP22. 3.2lb trigger, 5" barrel, easy golf ball shots at 75-90 yards. Don't trash talk great guns.
Nice video. I have never had any issues. Flawless runs. Accurate. Fun to play around with.
Makes me even more happy that I own a Walther TPH 22. The sterlings are usual pretty good though. Looking forward too that video. Thanks.
Coming soon!
I have three Ring of Fire pistols. I have a Raven 25ACP, Phoenix 22lr and a Cobra 380. The Phoenix is accurate and reliable. The Raven is accurate but the reliability leaves something to be desired. My Cobra was accurate until a squib load screwed up and bulged the barrel. Thanks for the video and keep shooting 👍.
That's crazy a squib load only bulged the barrel, sounds like you got lucky!
@@texasrex2222 Yes I did!
God is truly merciful upon the curious!