sterling .22 auto

[jl1966]

The other day I came into possesion of a sterling model 302 .22 semi automatic pistol. It is along the lines of those little Jennings, Davis, or Bryco pistols that I believe everybody must buy at some point in their gun owning life, only to learn the lesson that a really cheap gun is just that, a really cheap gun. That being said , the price was right and I bought it, knowing full well what I was getting. If you are not familiar with this pistol, it is a little vest pocket type of deal, all steel at least, no potmetal or aluminium. A six shot magazine, plastic grips, some are blued like mine, and some are nickel plated. I bought it and a little stevens model 12 boys rifle in .22 LR., I stopped on the way home and ran a full magazine through the pistol, just to see if it would even shoot. I was pleasantly surprised when it popped off the whole six smooth as silk, no jams or misfires, not a bad trigger either. I even plinked a stray plastic soda bottle a few times. I hurried on home then, it was saturday and the wife was waiting for me to escort her on her outing for the day. Reluctantly placing my new purchases in the safe until a better time. A couple of days later I repaired to my gun bench to give my new treasures a good cleaning. I disassembled the little pistol, cleaned and lubricated it well, and reassembled it. Taking it outside with the anticipation of how well it would function after proper attention, I loaded up a magazine and let fly. Bang!....nothing, what.., rack the slide and eject an unfired shell, hmmm, oh well it is a cheap .22, it is bound to have a few malfunctions, try again. Bang,....nothing, Rack, bang...nothing. disassemble reassemble disassemble lubricate reassemble cuss fume! Finally, come to find that the little sheet metal actuating bar between the trigger and the sear was ever so slightly bent, I suppose in the original cleaning. After much gentle straightening rebending and trial and error I have it working again. So the moral of this long story is, if you have one of these cheap little pistol dont try to take it apart. squirt it out with gun scrubber or something.

[Rocky Raab]

So true.

I admit to owning a Jennings J-22 myself. I use it as a tackle box gun because pot metal doesn't rust (!)

When I worked in a gun store, we called these little guns "two-clippers" because two clips was about as long as they'd shoot without breaking. The instructions say to dry fire them as the first step in disassembly, but dry firing them often breaks the firing pin - which the company refused to replace!

On mine, the sheet metal extractor hook was too short to reach over the shell rim. I carefully re-cut the hook so that it would - but the gun would usually fire, extract, eject and reload just fine even with the misfit extractor. It's a bit more reliable now, but a blowback pistol doesn't really need an extractor, anyway.

BTW, I keep mine loaded with a CCI shot load in the chamber, followed by five Stingers in the clip. It won't eject the fired shot round, but all I have to do is rack the slide once. I figure the most urgent need I'm gonna have for it is a rattlesnake between my feet - anything else will wait while I eject the shot load and feed a Stinger.

[Mickey Rat]

I have a Sterling 22 (nickel) and I really like it. It is quite accurate, doesn't jam and is brushed nickel or chrome. I just like a small, cheap gun to plink with and keep handy. I have better guns (nearly 100 total).

BTW, carring a striker fired auto cocked and loaded is courtind disaster. Mayn will fire even with the safety on if dropped.

Early in my life (18) I didn't know better. I checked my gun and went to put it in my reight rear pocket. I missed the pocket, the pistol landed between my feet on the concrete floor slide down and it went off. The fired case was still in the chamber and the safety was still on.

Please learn from my mistake. My fiance ans sister were on opposite side of me and no one was hurt. It just as easily could have been tragic.

[Ahnkochee]

I've had my stainless steel Sterling 302S for over 25 years a wedding present from my dad since my first rental was in the seedier part of town. This gun has a heavy 9 pound trigger so not condusive to target work. She was very picky about ammo HV loads stovepiping, but finally found that CCI Stingers fed 100% and later CCI Velocitors which are perfect for a pocket 22. This gun was my pocket and tackle box gun and traveled the west with me for several years. A buddy of mine made me grips from Hawaiian Koa wood, and I have 2 extra magazines. This gun is alot of fun and has alot of sentimental value even though not the best defensive firearm.

[jl1966]

Mine is a blued one. As you said, I would not want to stake my life on it, but it would be better than no gun at all. It is surprisingly reliable. I stick it in my pocket sometimes when out strolling around. I always carry it without a round in the chamber, as I dont trust the safety to stay on.

[Ahnkochee]

Originally posted by jl1966
I always carry it without a round in the chamber, as I dont trust the safety to stay on.

Amen, me too. I figure I can work the slide about as quick as flipping the safety.