Today’s review is the Phoenix Arms HP22A .22 LR semi-automatic pistol with changeable barrels.
Philosophy Of Use:
I can go two ways on explaining this gun’s POU.
1) The Phoenix Arms HP22A is a gun that no survivalist in their right mind would ever consider keeping in their inventory for use in a SHTF scenario. The gun is a cheap, pot-metal “Saturday Night Special” handgun made by a business that is a descendant of the infamous “Ring Of Fire” firms.
OR…
2) The Phoenix Arms HP22A (configured with it’s longer barrel) is the most reliable and accurate .22LR semi-auto pistols that I have ever owned, and that includes a Ruger 22/45 Target model. No, that’s not a typo, the HP22A is also the most reliable .22LR semi-auto pistol I have ever owned. In the thousands of rounds that I have put through the gun, it has never jammed. Not once. The only non-cycling it has ever done is the occasional misfire, but the misfire rate is about the same as my .22LR revolvers so that indicates the problem is with the ammunition, not the gun.
In it’s stock configuration, it’s also the gun with the single most annoying set of safeties ever. The single most annoying safety, the magazine safety, is easily bypassed by some people… I won’t say in full detail exactly how the modification is done (I will mention the basic ideas of it), but Youtube is your friend if you are seeking detailed instructions. I, of course, would never recommend that a non-gunsmith EVER modify a firearm.
Above: Short barrel, blued
Design & Build Quality:
The Phoenix Arms HP22A is a very small gun, a single action pocket pistol that is available with either a 3-inch or 5-inch ribbed barrel (or a range-pack version which has both barrels). It comes in 2 finishes, blued and “satin nickle”. The frame is made of an “alloy” metal called Zamak-3 (the same metal used in other lower-cost guns such as the Hi-point line), while the barrel is steel. The gun is not ambidextrous. It’s a simple blowback design with one main recoil spring located under the barrel.
The build quality is better than what you might suspect for a sub-$150 gun. It works out of the box, which is more than I can say for the last Ruger I bought (that’s another story).
The magazines are metal, and available in 2 forms, extended grip and flush grip. The extended grip mags ONLY extend the grip, they don’t add rounds to the magazine. The guns are made in California, and are legal for sale in all states that allow 10 round magazines.
The one really, REALLY wonky part of the gun is the 3 safeties. Safety number one is a hammer block, and it’s the one safety on the gun that I actually use. Safety number two is a slide lock, easily accessible to the right handed shooter. Safety number 3, however, is the one that ANNOYS.
The third safety is a magazine safety, which blocks the slide from being activated unless there is a magazine in the gun. Why is this a problem? Let’s say you are at the range, and somebody calls a time out after you have chambered a round. You still have X many more rounds in the magazine to fire, but you need to unload. If you use the safety as designed, you have two options… one is hit the thumb release for the magazine (located conveniently but unobtrusively on the right grip, behind the trigger guard), then place an empty magazine in the gun, then open the slide and eject the live round. OR, conversely, if you don’t have an empty magazine sitting around, you can just rack the slide and eject the rounds one by one, then reload the magazine. Bogus.
SO… Let me tell you all a secret. The magazine safety is located on an easy-to-reach part of the gun. One could theoretically unscrew the left grip, remove the lever (simply pop it out with your fingernail), make a slight modification with a pair of wire cutters, and return it to the gun… placing a little bit of a paper clip under another spring part (easier than I am making it sound) and poof, no more annoying (and to my mind, dangerously excessive) magazine safety.
This gun comes with a lifetime factory warranty, doing a safety mod as described would “void” that warranty if you do it on the original part. Fortunately, Phoenix sells individual parts and they are inexpensive, so you can order the piece you need to modify, modify the spare part, put it in the gun while placing the original in a safe place, and your warranty is still secure. While you are at it ordering parts, go ahead and order a 5-pack of recoil springs… trust me on this, they are cheap and you will eventually need them.
Field stripping the gun is strait forward, but with a caveat… due to the design of the recoil spring assembly, when you pull the assembly lever and lift off the barrel, if you are not EXCEEDINGLY careful the spring will fly free and go sailing across the room. We have learned, through hard experience, to disassemble the gun inside the mouth of a canvas bag, so I can easily find where the spring flies. I made the mistake, ONCE, of cleaning my gun at the range. I’m pretty sure the lawn mower finished off that spring, because I never found it. Basically, the gun comes apart by lifting the barrel off of the frame, then pulling apart the slide. Cleaning is easy and reassembly is simple (although you do have to fuss with the spring a bit). The barrels lock into the frame and are easily interchangeable.
Tale Of The Tape (in the 5 inch configuration):
Above: 5-inch barrel, nickle finish
Grips: Plastic
Capacity: 10 rounds .22LR
Finish: Blued and Satin Nickle
Barrel Length: 5.0″
Overall Length: 7.5″
Front Sight: Ramp
Rear Sight: Adjustable V
Weight: 26 ounces
Suggested Retail: $179 I paid $120
Above: Range pack with locking case, both barrels, etc.
Shooting:
The Phoenix HP22A is the best shooting, most well behaved .22LR semi-auto pistol I have ever owned… and I have owned, over the years, more than 100 of them. It’s the one gun that stays in my range-kit, and I shoot it nearly every time I go out there because it’s just a “load it, fire it” joy to shoot.
For the size, it’s a heavy little beasty, but it feels substantial and well made. With the 5-inch barrel on, it’s absolutely deadly out to 50 yards. The trigger on my gun breaks evenly and cleanly at 4.8 pounds, it’s quite crisp.
One thing my wife does not like about the HP22A is that the spring load on the hammer is quite substantial, so she has difficulty pulling the hammer back with just her thumb.
When I shoot the HP22A, I ignore the slide safety. My gun doesn’t have a magazine lock any more, so for a safety I only use the hammer block. It’s not the easiest thing to activated and deactivate using only one hand, but I have zero intention of trying to use this gun in any type of self defense situation, so that’s not an issue really.
As an experiment, Spice added a bit of white nail polish to the front and rear sights to make a better sight picture.
A dab of white nail polish helps to aim the gun in lower light conditions.
HP22A’s Verdict:
Wow, this is hard, because I love my Phoenix HP22A big time, while at the same time I realize the shortcomings of the firearm and it’s POU.
Would I trust this gun in a life or death situation? No. Even though it has been flawless, just no.
Would I endorse the HP22A as a trainer for new people to learn how to shoot? In it’s stock configuration, with the wonky magazine safety, no. It’s difficult enough teaching somebody how to safely shoot a semi-auto pistol without adding another layer of crazy safety on top of it.
Would I keep these as “pass-out” guns to non-armed survival group members who are just joining the team? No, I would never recommend any type of .22 for that.
Would I use the HP22A gun for concealed carry? Absolutely not, I would never recommend a .22LR for CC. Ever. Not any of them, not ever. The round is just too unreliable.
SO… I love the gun, yet I won’t recommend it for most things… what is it good for?
If you are a gun guy, like me, and want a cheap firearm to keep in your range bag and shoot the snot out of at the range… this is a fun little critter to play with, and mine has been completely reliable… the HP22A comes with a lifetime original purchaser warranty, and the company has been easy to deal with (I have ordered parts, as mentioned above, directly), so if you want something to play with give it a try… I see them all the time for $125 new in the box.
Your actual mileage may vary.
The Phoenix Arms website is HERE (CLICKY)
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Review: Phoenix Arms HP22A – Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You
I have an hp22 and I love it question Is it possible to use the HP22 frame for HP25.if so how much is the kit. thankyou
No, they are close, but not quite the same. Many parts are interchangeable, but not all.
What is best brand of ammo and fps to use? Ran 50 rds thru my new hp22a last night and several ejection issues. Used winchester wildcat target and plink.1255fps. Manuf. Recommends 1140 or less
The manufacturer states that you should only use “regular velocity” ammo as you say. I can tell you that personally my favorite ammo to run through the HP22A is Remington Thunderbolts. Even though they are “cheap, basic” ammo, the HP22A’s that I own love to eat the stuff.
The Phoenix, like all guns, need a bit of a break-in period, and of course they need to be cleaned and lubed before the first shooting. I’m assuming you did this, if not, that’s something that’s important. I don’t recall ever trying wildcat rounds in mine, let me know if you are still having issues after you get 1,000 rounds through yours & I will run a box of wildcats through one of mine and see how it does. I’ve got a whole boatload of wildcats in my inventory.
I have two 9mm handguns and a 22lr colt huntsman. I love them, but want to get a pocket mouse gun as a third CCW option. I am considering the HP22A and am likely to purchase one. I already saw the modification on YouTube. Any other mouse gun 22lr options in the sub $200 worth looking into?
To answer your question, I doubt even the 8 ball could help haha.
Better a reliable 22 LR mouse gun than harsh words to defend yourself when a personal SHTF situation presents yourself. I’ve done some research on the HP22 and with a decent cleaning, slide and ramp polishing and lube they perform quite well. Salty you have good results with Thunderbolt round nose lead ammo? Maybe I need to reevaluate the Thunderbolt brand. Cheap at Wal-Mart.
1. I’ve found that at self defence ranges I’m VERY accurate with my HP-22A. I also feel it would be a great small game getter in a SHTF scenario……
2. I find my HP-22A VERY safe to carry in my pocket with a round in the pipe and No safety’s on. At that point youhave to pull back the hammer manually for it to fire. I honestly don’t see that happening by accident. So I’m not bothered by two of the safety’s. Sliding out the magazine and getting a fresh one back in just takes repetitious practice for it to happen without thinking about it even.
Too many people complain too much about this or that with just about all guns. Each gun has it’s own characteristics to get used to. It simply takes lots of time and practice. Don’t ever buy a gun, put it away, and then know just how to use it in an emergency situation!
Reliable with 10 rounds.Carry a spare magazine or two and call it a day.It is the perfect get off me gun.At bad breath range 10 rounds into the face,neck,head,and chest is going to ruin someones bad intentions.Sure,there are better calibers but when you have no gun at all and you think someone is going to harm you this is better than a stick or rocks.
Hp22a after I modified the safety. Is the best most accurate at 40yards! Yes I said 40 yards 22 I’ve ever shot and that is with the short barrel. Just ordered the long barrel and extended mag. Excellent quality and reliable as f@#$