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I just picked up a used Phoenix HP22A which is a .22 LR. It came with a 3-inch barrel, but there is an optional 5-inch barrel. I have read a lot of good reviews on the accuracy of this gun and a few that were negative, claiming it is a cheap Saturday Night Special made of pot metal. Well it may be a zinc alloy but, according to this article, it has steel inserts in the right places, likely making it every bit as good as a plastic fantastic:
Another complaint is the numerous safeties make it hard to run this gun. There are three safeties I am aware of: a firing pin block safety, a hammer block safety, and a a safety that prevents firing one in the chamber if there is no mag in the well. However, most or all of these safeties can be easily defeated (see numerous You Tube videos on how it is done). Most annoying probably is that you cannot drop the mag when the hammer safety is on fire, must move it to safe first.
I haven't fired mine yet (except to fire an empty case and the primer lit) but I bought some standard velocity lead round nose ammo for it because there have been frame cracking issues that apparently are because of people firing high velocity ammo. Phoenix has a very strict limit for what ammo to fire out os the .22:
Another quirk is there is no slide lock for an empty magazine, which if you don't count your shots will result in dry firing a .22, which is a big no-no. The hammer safety is used to manually locks the slide back. I already purchased some modified followers that will stop the slide from returing on an empty magazine. The factory follower is rounded at the back so the slide pushes it down and comes forward. The modified followers are squared at the back and the slide cannot push them down so stops. Also I purchased a extra strength slide spring because the stock one supposedly wears out in 500-1000 rounds (Phoenix sells them in 5-packs).
The Company has a good website that offers spare parts at reasonable prices as well as extra magazines and barrels. They even have a .25 ACP model. They sell the .22 separate or in kits that have various accessories such as the spare 5-inch barrel.
Once i have the slide locking followers and the heavy duty slide spring, I'll hit the range. Oh, and their is no guide rod to stick out the front of the gun when the slide is back. I kind of like that feature. The slide spring is captured between the frame and the stationary barrel, so really can't go anywhere when running the gun.
The frame, slide, and barrel housing of the single-action Phoenix are made of non-magnetic material, presumably zinc castings, but with steel inserts at appropriate locations, such as within the barrel, on the breech face, and where the slide presses against the hammer to cock it during ejection. Most internal parts are steel. Before you reject this gun out of hand, note that this is a similar concept to putting steel inserts into plastic guns, as done by Glock, Ruger H&K, and a host of others. Is plastic stronger than zinc alloy?
Another complaint is the numerous safeties make it hard to run this gun. There are three safeties I am aware of: a firing pin block safety, a hammer block safety, and a a safety that prevents firing one in the chamber if there is no mag in the well. However, most or all of these safeties can be easily defeated (see numerous You Tube videos on how it is done). Most annoying probably is that you cannot drop the mag when the hammer safety is on fire, must move it to safe first.
I haven't fired mine yet (except to fire an empty case and the primer lit) but I bought some standard velocity lead round nose ammo for it because there have been frame cracking issues that apparently are because of people firing high velocity ammo. Phoenix has a very strict limit for what ammo to fire out os the .22:
HP22/HP22A
CARTRIDGE: 22 LONG RIFLE
BULLET WEIGHT: 32/40 GRAINS
BULLET STYLE: LEAD ROUND NOSE
VELOCITY: 1050/1150 FPS (FEET PER SECOND)
Another quirk is there is no slide lock for an empty magazine, which if you don't count your shots will result in dry firing a .22, which is a big no-no. The hammer safety is used to manually locks the slide back. I already purchased some modified followers that will stop the slide from returing on an empty magazine. The factory follower is rounded at the back so the slide pushes it down and comes forward. The modified followers are squared at the back and the slide cannot push them down so stops. Also I purchased a extra strength slide spring because the stock one supposedly wears out in 500-1000 rounds (Phoenix sells them in 5-packs).
The Company has a good website that offers spare parts at reasonable prices as well as extra magazines and barrels. They even have a .25 ACP model. They sell the .22 separate or in kits that have various accessories such as the spare 5-inch barrel.
Once i have the slide locking followers and the heavy duty slide spring, I'll hit the range. Oh, and their is no guide rod to stick out the front of the gun when the slide is back. I kind of like that feature. The slide spring is captured between the frame and the stationary barrel, so really can't go anywhere when running the gun.
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