The Phoenix is actually the best of the breed when it comes to "Saturday Night Specials"… It has a decent rep on the various gun forums as an inexpensive plinker or pocket pistol.
The gun came with a 5" replacement target barrel thats longer than the stock 3" barrel. Will using one barrel or the other give me a measurable advantage?
The longer target barrel will up the velocity of the .22 rounds a bit. Every inch will add about 100 feet per second or so. With something as tiny as the .22, more is better. Also, the longer barrel will be more accurate. Not so much in the physical or mechanical sense, if you put the gun in a vise with both barrels, they'd probably group about the same, but longer barrels are instinctively easier for the human eye to aim down and point accurately.
(Think the difference between pointing at something instinctively with a 2" long ruler, vs. a yardstick, which will be more "accurate" as a pointer?)
A .22 isn't the worst handgun you could have, .25 ACP is often considered to be even worse.
There are a few things in your favor though.
Will it be taken seriously?
- In 80% of armed-victim confrontations, the mere presence of a handgun is enough to end it, immediately.
- And, no one other than the truly deranged, or drugged-out, wants to get shot, even with "just a .22".
The round isn't big enough to be a disabler without getting a critical hit on the chest or the head, to my knowledge.
Are there other places I could aim for that would maximize the stopping power?
- .22 IS a lethal round. Plenty of people are killed by it every year. It's extremely low recoil can allow a shooter pick out vitals (chest and head) on an aggressor more easily than heavier calibers. You can also dump the entire magazine of .22's into an attacker, where the recoil from rapid fire of larger calibers would make all your follow up shots go wide without a great deal of practice before hand.
- .22 is cheap practice. $.99 will get you 50 rounds, or even just a few bucks for a loose carton of 500 .22's at the store. The low noise and low recoil also makes .22 the easiest round to practice with. Someone who's got hours of practice with a .22, and has built confidence and reflexes with it, is much better off than someone with a .45 or a .357 that they've only shot once, IMO.
If you feel the urge to upgrade there are several affordable options for home defense without breaking the bank..
- A 12ga pump shotgun is relatively inexpensive, and much more powerful than any handgun caliber. Maverick brand (Mossberg's economy line) shotguns are decent and very affordable. Wal-Mart and Dunham's sports often has them on sale for $200 or less. Used Remington 870's are everywhere.
- Quality handguns such as Glocks and Smith & Wesson or Ruger revolvers are available wholesale at very good prices as police department trade ins. They may have lots of holster wear, but are often in the "carried lots, shot little" category. Their internals are often in very good shape.
- Quality military surplus handguns are also available if you know what to look for. There are several Eastern European former-communist handguns chambered in 9x18mm Makarov round. It's a decent caliber that sits between .380 ACP, and 9mm on the power curve.
Overall, there are several better choices than a .22 pistol for self-defense, however, you can do lots worse than the Phoenix.
Also, if you care about self defense, please help us get concealed carry passed here in WI. Go to
www.wisconsinconcealedcarry.org and sign up for the mailing list and get involved! The treasurer and de-facto leader of the Wisconsin Concealed Carry Association posts here under the name Monkeyleg.
