Now I know why eye protection is a good idea.

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CoalTrain49

CoalTrain49

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I was at the range today and witnessed a serious failure. The guy shooting a few feet from me had a pistol grenade on him. The slide broke in half and hit him in the face. He was wearing eye protection. It knocked his glasses off and left a serious mouse right under his eye. He said it would have hit him in the eye if not for his glasses. I inspected the slide to find it was cast, maybe MIM, not sure. I didn't think anyone would cast a slide but apparently this mfg. did.

Here is the information on the gun. If you have one of these I would strongly suggest you scrap it pronto.

Phoenix Arms, Ontario CA. 22LR model HR22. Made in USA.

I think he will contact the company. Looks like they are still in business.:eek:
 
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I'm surprised the little phoenix had enough energy to do that. I have heard of their frames cracking but since they are so cheap and they have a good warranty, people still buy them.
But regardless of the gun eye protection is important. My prescription glasses caught a chip of a Krag receiver that blew up on me, likely wouldn't have hit my eye but it did a good job of reminding me of the importance of eye protection.
 
No matter what kind of gun you're shooting eye protection is a good idea.

This sounds like a good example of why, but it also sounds like a chance to smear a brand.

I have absolutely no idea what the original gun in question is, I've never heard of it. Just saying.
 
Good Ol' Boy said:
.

I have absolutely no idea what the original gun in question is, I've never heard of it. Just saying.
Click to expand...

Probably something like this.


slide_2.jpg
 
Ruger has been using castings for years. Have you heard about any Ruger slides failing. Any process can give good or bad results depending on whether it was done properly or not. I haven't had any problem with any of my Ruger pistols.
 
Mike J said:
Ruger has been using castings for years. Have you heard about any Ruger slides failing. Any process can give good or bad results depending on whether it was done properly or not. I haven't had any problem with any of my Ruger pistols.
Click to expand...

Do they use MIM or investment cast for the slides? Most mfg's don't.
 
When my Glock 20 blew up I had to pry the slide stop lever out of the middle of my forehead. I shudder to think what that thing would have done to an eyeball. I wear glasses anyway to correct my vision, but shooting without some kind of eye protection is something I don't think I will ever do. Heck, I saw a guy who was weed trimming just about blind himself when he kicked up a gravel.

A $2 pair of cheap plastic glasses can save thousands in surgery...or prevent something even surgery can't repair.
 
CoalTrain49 wrote:
I inspected the slide to find it was cast, maybe MIM, not sure. I didn't think anyone would cast a slide but apparently this mfg. did.
Click to expand...

Phoenix Arms guns (https://www.phoenix-arms.com/) are made from die case Zamak which is a Zinc-Aluminum alloy with occasionally other alloying elements like Copper or Nickel.

I have read multiple reports of Phoenix Arms guns developing cracks in the frame starting around the 2,000 to 3,000 round mark.
 
They use investment casting I believe for slides & frames. They do use MIM for small parts.
 
CoalTrain49 wrote:
I think the guns sell for about $140 new.
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My LGS has them in stock right now for $149 in your choice of silver or black.

I'm planning to ask my wife's consent to get one for my birthday since I don't have a .22 pistol.
 
Yeah, the HP22 is cast zinc, like a Hot Wheels car. It's not designed for hyper-velocity ammo, which tends to cause cracks.

One of the worst pistols I've ever fired. It wasn't unusual for it to malfunction on every round in the magazine. It had severe accuracy problems too. You'd probably safer behind a soda can than behind the pistol.
 
Mine is a surprisingly nice shooter. One of the most consistent and crisp single-action triggers I've had, and DOB-reliable with CCI MiniMags. Now, I'm not dumb enough to run crap ammo through a small blowback pistol and then complain the gun is crap when it won't run it.

It's true the frames are known for developing cracks near the mag well several thousand rounds in. These cracks don't affect function, and Phoenix typically just replaces the gun when the owner returns it under warranty.

This is not the first time I've heard of a slide cracking in a handgun. It is the first time I've heard of it happening with a Phoenix.

That all being said, I'll definitely consider trying mine with the CCI standard-vels I have the next time I take it out, and take this all under consideration before shooting MiniMags again through it. However, I'm not about to "scrap it" over this one report just yet.

EDIT: I just saw that the OP says the failed gun is a "Phoenix HR22." The model to which I refer, and that I own, is the "HP-22A." I don't know what the HR22 is, or how much difference exists between the two.
 
Mike J said:
Ruger has been using castings for years. Have you heard about any Ruger slides failing. Any process can give good or bad results depending on whether it was done properly or not. I haven't had any problem with any of my Ruger pistols.
Click to expand...
Don't quote me but I think Ruger, at least early on, used a form of investment casting. Regardless, they got it right early and to my knowledge they don't get many failures, they really over engineer their guns.
 
Good Ol' Boy said:
No matter what kind of gun you're shooting eye protection is a good idea.

This sounds like a good example of why, but it also sounds like a chance to smear a brand.

I have absolutely no idea what the original gun in question is, I've never heard of it. Just saying.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with smearing a brand that's junk. For that price, it can't be anything but junk.
 
Mike J said:
Ruger has been using castings for years. Have you heard about any Ruger slides failing. Any process can give good or bad results depending on whether it was done properly or not. I haven't had any problem with any of my Ruger pistols.
Click to expand...

When was the last time you saw a Ruger for $114.95?
 
Shaq wrote:
After you buy it, you still won't.
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Still won't, what?

You need to explain yourself.

Still won't have .22 pistol? Well, I'm pretty sure I will unless it fails on the first magazine.

C'mon and actually take the time to say what you mean and explan yourself.
 
Shaq wrote:
For that price, it can't be anything but junk.
Click to expand...

Many users and reviewers have reported near-trouble-free service after a short break-in period until they encountered frame cracking at around 3,000 rounds. Considering that's more than most people will fire in a lifetime, how can you dismiss it as "junk" simply because it is inexpensive?
 
Shaq wrote:
When was the last time you saw a Ruger for $114.95?
Click to expand...

More or less, 1982.

Ruger Blackhawk. 30 Cal Carbine. Right around $115. At the time, I couldn't go that high. Wish I had now.
 
2 points here people need to take away -

Wear your eye protection! We're dealing with things that go boom and they sometimes fail catastrophically sending bits of metal our way. Even if that never happens they sometimes throw casings at us. AND if your gun never does that someone else's may throw a casing at you or fail.

The finicky feeding/firing and frame cracking after 3k rounds issues with the little Phoenix .22s are well know, but shattering slides isn't one of them. That's a matter for the company and the owner to work out. But it is a cautionary note we should pay attention to. It also might be good to report to the the consumer protection agency
 
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