MCgunner
Member
I bought this POS HP .22, Phoenix Arms, way back when they came out. I had a cracked slide I sent it back for. They had a redesign on that. It shot well for a long time, then the recoil springs started wearing out on me. The last one I had in it was too long. Well, the slide wouldn't ride back far enough over the magazine to pick up the next round. No matter what I did, couldn't make it work, so I stuck it away and gave up on it.
The little thing has uses. It's the only pocket size gun I've ever fired that could group under three inches and dead to POA at 25 yards. Put the five inch barrel on it and it'll group 2" or less!!! Astounding accuracy for such a POS and so cheap a gun. It's just a little pot metal thing. I only gave $70 for it and used it a LOT as a pocket carry when outdoors just for shooting snakes, small game if I'd ever come across any, but never did shoot a rabbit with it. It's just a light gun I can stick in a pocket for what the Aussies call a "walk about". I DO NOT rely on this POS for self defense.
Actually, if I'm out and about with it, I usually am wearing my 9 or .38 IWB. I just plinked with the HP and did have occasion once to do some snake shooting.
I was on this hunting/fishing club and they had a 43 acre lake up near Seguin, Texas. We were camping there and I was fishing once. The danged lake was loaded with water snakes. Things aren't poisonous, but are aggressive and mean and they aren't good for the fish and frog population in a pond. I was shooting 'em left and right with that little HP, LOL! Made a couple of shots at 25 or so yards with the short barrel on it! I hit one hefty one off a log about 20 yards, he came up, spotted me, and started swimming toward me. I started firing as he came up out of the water toward me. Fired six or eight shots until I finally hit him as he was reaching the boat. ROFL! I was about ready to throw the danged gun at him. It is a very reliable thing, too, when it's right. No feeding or extraction ejection problems ever.
So, reading this board and a post or two about the thing got me to order three recoil springs for it. Got 'em today, same problem, slide wouldn't go far enough back. Well, one of 'em compressed too much as I fiddled with the slide straining it. Then, I had the idea to trim one of the springs. Just looking at the spring in place, slide fully retracted as far as it'd go (not enough), the spring was fully compressed and too long, not allowing the slide to travel any farther. So, I trimmed a bit off one of the springs and got the thing to work fine! ***!!!!!!!!!! I also took out that stupid bit of a "spring guide" that's in it and just let the spring ride on the frame. That seems to have helped a lot.
I don't really understand why these springs come from the manufacturer too long, but at least I've figured out how to fit 'em. And, with less coils on 'em, they shouldn't overly compress and goof up, either. At any rate, I have one spare. I'll take the thing to the range and play with it next range trip. The thing really shot CCI mini mags GREAT, as I recall. Odd, but they were more accurate in the gun that anything else, at least with the short barrel in place.
The little thing has uses. It's the only pocket size gun I've ever fired that could group under three inches and dead to POA at 25 yards. Put the five inch barrel on it and it'll group 2" or less!!! Astounding accuracy for such a POS and so cheap a gun. It's just a little pot metal thing. I only gave $70 for it and used it a LOT as a pocket carry when outdoors just for shooting snakes, small game if I'd ever come across any, but never did shoot a rabbit with it. It's just a light gun I can stick in a pocket for what the Aussies call a "walk about". I DO NOT rely on this POS for self defense.
Actually, if I'm out and about with it, I usually am wearing my 9 or .38 IWB. I just plinked with the HP and did have occasion once to do some snake shooting.I was on this hunting/fishing club and they had a 43 acre lake up near Seguin, Texas. We were camping there and I was fishing once. The danged lake was loaded with water snakes. Things aren't poisonous, but are aggressive and mean and they aren't good for the fish and frog population in a pond. I was shooting 'em left and right with that little HP, LOL! Made a couple of shots at 25 or so yards with the short barrel on it! I hit one hefty one off a log about 20 yards, he came up, spotted me, and started swimming toward me. I started firing as he came up out of the water toward me. Fired six or eight shots until I finally hit him as he was reaching the boat. ROFL! I was about ready to throw the danged gun at him. It is a very reliable thing, too, when it's right. No feeding or extraction ejection problems ever.
So, reading this board and a post or two about the thing got me to order three recoil springs for it. Got 'em today, same problem, slide wouldn't go far enough back. Well, one of 'em compressed too much as I fiddled with the slide straining it. Then, I had the idea to trim one of the springs. Just looking at the spring in place, slide fully retracted as far as it'd go (not enough), the spring was fully compressed and too long, not allowing the slide to travel any farther. So, I trimmed a bit off one of the springs and got the thing to work fine! ***!!!!!!!!!! I also took out that stupid bit of a "spring guide" that's in it and just let the spring ride on the frame. That seems to have helped a lot.
I don't really understand why these springs come from the manufacturer too long, but at least I've figured out how to fit 'em. And, with less coils on 'em, they shouldn't overly compress and goof up, either. At any rate, I have one spare. I'll take the thing to the range and play with it next range trip. The thing really shot CCI mini mags GREAT, as I recall. Odd, but they were more accurate in the gun that anything else, at least with the short barrel in place.