WB
In high school I remember a magazine cover
Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 08:38

"$50 Raven .25 beats $400 S&W 9mm" I think it was an early copy of "Gun Tests" or something like that. Guys buying guns off the shelf and testing them, not accepting advertising etc. Being an impressionable young lad I had to see. The Raven ran 100% and the M659 they tested had some feeding issues, since it was brand new and needed a little break in. The test and attention grabbing headline were a bit unfair but worked.

The Raven's were particularly ugly with the small, short grip, but the sights, however crude were usable. For a person who could not afford more it did the duty. As you hinted they were actually accurate! I liked the little Jennings in .22 LR more. My favorite vintage was a period where they ran a line with a metal sliding small safety with ball detent and had laminated wood grips. I had a shiny chrome version I carried for years. I pined for a satin nickel, for less shiny sights. When I got it they had switched to a plastic safety with hairpin and plastic stocks. Still it ran fine. The "black" versions had thicker coated surfaces and often were a bit draggy in function.