The Phoenix Arms HP22A Full Review

There's no denying that this is a cheap gun, but as such things go it's surprisingly good.
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[@scooterc6412]

I bought one about 10 years ago. I paid $99 for it brand new. You’re right! This thing has 3 or 4 safety mechanisms and it is hard for an old man like me to remember the combination! But seriously, every time I pick up this quirky little gun, I can’t stop smiling! I have found it to be exceptionally accurate, and I have never had a malfunction. I’ve probably fired it 500 times and it just chews through whatever garbage ammo I have laying around! After all the years and ammo I’ve run through it, I’m still not sure if I like it! In the one hand, all the safety’s it has are annoying and puzzling. Like you said, California gun compliant was my guess as well. On the other hand, the little gun feels good in my hand, hits exactly where I aim is perfectly reliable! I’ve never run the stinger’s though it, but the way its constructed, I’m confident it will handle them without issues. But the main thing for me was it makes me happy for some inexplicable reason! The cheapest little gun I think I have ever bought. I’m keeping mine because…. I guess I do like it! 😂

[@donwyoming1936]

The parent companies to Phoenix (Lorcin, Raven, Jimenez, etc) were all sued into bankruptcy because their pistols were unsafe and had safeties that didn't work. Phoenix continued the family legacy of making very cheap pistols from Zamak. But Phoenix did two things differently. First being that their pistols actually work. Second being that they are never going to get sued out of existence for selling an unsafe pistol. Has absolutely nothing to do with California safety requirements. All those safeties are why Phoenix has survived for 32 years. No one has been able to make the claim that they are unsafe. They have every safety mechanism known to man.

[@TheGunfighter45acp]

Well said. Happiness is a fun, reliable gun that doesn't break the bank. 👍👍

[@notnowchief.3089]

I've have mine 10 years, $120 well spent. I have the 5" Range barrel as well. I did do the Mag safety disconnect modification. Fun gun over all. PS: Don't Dry Fire it. It dents the back side of the barrel. Deforms the firing pin. I replaced both the barrel and Firing pin. Not fun/ I've seen videos of these customized with electroplated bright finishes with really cool custom grips. Cool Look.

[@marstondavis]

Nice review. I have the HP 22 and the HP 25. I like both. You can have a lot of fun at the range with the optional longer barrel in both calibers. It will become quite an accurate firearm. A nice application of grip tape makes all the difference. It makes it just a better shooting gun. I have thousands of rounds through each gun with no issues. They both love gun oil. The .25 is expensive to shoot but since I'm retired, and I don't have kids, I can afford to shoot it at my heart's content. So, take it out and shoot the hell out of it. If something goes wrong Phoenix Arms will fix it for free...for life!

[@martkbanjoboy8853]

A long barrelled .25 ACP? Sounds very interesting.

[@Scrap_Goblin]

Owned one of these for years and used almost exclusively ammo that voided the warranty without issue. Not a bad little gun I'd still own it but my uncle decided he wanted and kept making higher offers until i finally said yes to stop getting bothered about it

[@JohnGianiris-nc2xq]

I like the design.

[@j33pfyn4tik6]

Bought one about 3 years ago but shot it for the first time a couple months ago. After a good cleaning, lubing, and doing the mods we put about 500 rds. down range in several hours. We never had one issue with the unit and it was a blast to shoot. We also used ammo from four different manufacturers, all different spec too. She ran flawlessly.

[@oo7-ro6bu]

Have owned a few over the years. They have always ran good. Never an issue.

[@zipper396]

Bought some hold open followers for my mags on ebay .They work great.Also bought recoil and trigger springs from M-carbo.Fixed the mag safeties and polished the feed ramp and it shoots anything i feed it without a problem.Great value for the money invested.

[@user-ex4rd7hv4m]

I have pocket carried the hp22a up until I bought a micro 9 for ,my pocket. Mine has been a great little gun fun I enjoy shooting it and have become very accurate with it . @ 6 12 15 yards plinking dead center 1 inch groups all day long. SO yes it would work to stop a threat

[@rbm6184]

Mine was $125 and it runs. Its accuracy improved when I put a new barrel in it and I removed two of the four safeties. I also modified my mag followers to lock the slide open when empty so I am not continually dry firing it. Dry firing it can damage the firing pin and chamber face. I only shoot the rated standard velocity in it as stated in the owner manual mostly CCI standard velocity and Federal Auto Match bulk pack almost exclusively. A little high velocity might not be bad but continuously used and a steady diet of it can crack the slide or frame. The recoil spring should be replaced after every 1000 rounds as it becomes too weak causing the slide to slam hard on the frame that again can crack the slide or frame. I only use it for practice, training, small game, and varmint control. I do not use it for self defense unless it was all I had. Rimfire ammo by the nature of the primer pad dislodging is not reliable enough. I have well over 1000 rounds through mine and did replace the recoil spring. Thanks for sharing.

[@donwyoming1936]

One of the best selling pistols in my shop since the mid 1990s. All the other Ring of Fire gun manufacturers were sued out of existence because their pistols had safeties that didn't work, and the pistols were generally unsafe. Phoenix has survived for 32 years because of two reasons. 1st being their pistols work. 2nd being the pistols are lawyer proof. They have every type if gun safety incorporated into them. They will not suffer the fate of their parent companies.

[@CarstenVsTheMarket]

The very first bullet I shot from my brand new PhoenixArms HP22A, put black marks on my hands, put a little piece of copper into the magazine, charred the bullets in the magazine black, and made more smoke and smell than usual, and I felt debris hit my face. But I think it shot fine after that.

[@Gunsmith-4570]

Not an idiot just sometimes sure of the wrong information everyone makes mistakes, except me I thought I made a mistake but I was wrong. Thanks for the videos.

[@onofframp]

Dang that was fast. Musta gone home very quickly! Pretty cool little piece! Not sure what it was, but I had one of those small pistols in .25 Fun little shooter and 25 caliber was cheap back then and you could have a pistol at 18.

[@Salieri47]

If it shoots reliably with no/very few light primer strikes, it's a step ahead of my Ruger LCP II .22 (and I like my Rugers). I'm thinking maybe a desk gun, car console, etc and of course fun plinker.

[@user-ex4rd7hv4m]

Have owned the nickel version for around 4 years. Did the bypass safety mods. I love this little gun. Like the Walter/ Bersa type ppk styling . Very fun runs about every junk 22 lr I load a mag with. I Take it to the range when I am shooting my other 22 lr rifles and pistols. I always put a least a box of 50 out of it everytime I go. I WOULD SAY IF YOU BUY ONE...JUST BUY THE GUN WITHOUT THE RANGE KIT MUCH CHEAPER. Would i recommend this firearm? Yes!.....would I USE IT FOR SELF DEFENSE.! ONLY IF IT WAS ALL I HAD IT WILL WORK, BETTER THAN TROWING A ROCK but spend a few more beans round 50 bucks and you can have a p17 kel tec or a taurus tx 22 both excellent firearms with 16 round magazines

[@martkbanjoboy8853]

It seems there are two avenues of thought wrt defence pistols. 1: break contact 2: hitting power. Of course the debate between the two lines of thought never ends. I looked up the Federal Punch .22 ammo and it sounds like it fits into the break contact category. Most of the time a citizen can get away with a shopkeeper special. It is mostly up to the hard pressed duty constable to unfortunately do battle with madmen wound up on say bathsalts. Recall the classic line of H&R .22 & .32 double action revolvers of earlier eras. I'm not at all offering defence advice. That's a very personal decision for citizens to make. Some might even say they consider .38 Super to be marginal.

[@rustyauerswald1069]

It's a offshoot of the Lorcin family..sold about 200 of this model from 85-14

[@mikesal8088]

The vent rib is supposed to make it look like a Colt Python!

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

🤣It fails.

[@palerider7171]

You’re welcome back to Phoenix anytime and with my dyslexia I thought you were right. Good review … it reminds me of cheaper online swords and some cheap fixed blades. Is it something to brag about… not really, would I want to take into long term combat, not really… would it hold up to be effective enough to get the job done…. seem to be so and to spare. Thanks for the video.

[@davidscroggins5853]

I had a cousin that had the long barreled 22 long rifle version of that pistol and she loved that pistol it was either silver or stainless steel I do not know which it was

[@martyadams3915]

I got mine in I think 1990 or 91 from my dad for Christmas. He and my Brother had a hunting and fishing sport store and I think he bought 10 of them for 50 dollars each in a wholesale deal. I have run probably about a thousand to 12 hundred rounds through it and occasionally it may have a hiccup but that's usually the result of needing cleaning or out of spec ammo. The mag safety is a pita but it is what it is. I don't think I have put the firing pin safety on in forever as it normally is resting on an empty chamber if it's in my pocket. It's easier to remember to rack it than to go through switching safeties. Mine doesn't have the staged front sight but the front sight is black so yeah it can be a little hard to see sometimes.

[@donwyoming1936]

Close. The company didn't exist until 1992.

[@cameronking3551]

I bought one of these around 2012 and took the stupid safetys off.It ran 100 percent and I shot probably 1500 rounds.The design is good but the build quality sucks as the silver bar attached to the frame which is not a replacement part was starting to bend and would eventually fail so I sold it to someone who wanted it and I told him before about the issue so I didnt screw him over.

[@jamesW8316]

I want to get the Range kit with both barrels, 3 and 5 inch, I've heard is accurate.😅

[@smokingcrab2290]

If this gun was in 32acp, it would give the Beretta tomcat a run for its money big time

[@kevanhubbard9673]

That silver one on the box picture had a long barrel guessing about 4" or 5".

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

5". It's available on their website.

[@rustyauerswald1069]

FIE...was our supplier

[@davidmcgaha3848]

A decent (enough) utilitarian pistol for the masses. What's not to love? I'm just amazed that CA allows for the sale or manufacture of any guns with a Zamak frame. It seems a perfect excuse to further limit gun ownership.

[@russbilzing5348]

You'll find that the 5" barrel is far easier to enjoy, as the increased sighting radius affords better accuracy.

[@rtz549]

At the end of this particular video; he shows an alternate way to install the recoil spring and barrel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/np2xdIVmnJKSZ6M

[@Salieri47]

I haven't read any of your work, but I suspected you were related to Stephen King. In fact I'm going to watch your "my book" vid.

[@MegaBait1616]

Hmmm I have the S&W's, Rugers, ect. but might be a good lil piece to have and not worry about ?? I think they make a longer barrel too but not sure .. MB .

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

That have a 5" barrel available. It's not very expensive.

[@johnt.chambers4204]

I have a box in the bottom of my gun cabinet that has several 22lr handguns in it. None of them ever get carried because I seldom feel the need for a backup and as we all know they are not the best choice for a primary EDC. Nevertheless, I do get them out occasionally when I get in the mood for some cheap range time and, let's face it; feasible or not they are still fun to shoot. I do not have a Phoenix, but based on your review I may grab one to add to the stable. Honestly, I can go to Saltgrass and have a steak dinner and two or three shots of rye and have spent half the cost of the pistol. Just curious, did you try it out with any subsonic ammo? I have a few thousand rounds of CCI sub-sonic and almost as many Winchester super-suppressed. Some of my 22s don't like the sub-sonic rounds.

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

I haven't tried it with subsonic; the only ammo of that type I have are CB Long, and they will not cycle it.

[@edisonfrisbee6345]

O after E except after Phoenix....or not😊

[@guaporeturns9472]

A plethora?

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

Indubitably.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@tinkertalksguns7289 Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas? My all time favorite scene in any movie.. ever.

[@amadorchavez3233]

Ontario Canada

[@christocc]

You are far from an idiot. As a retired editor and proofreader, I can (and do) attest to the fact that many, many writers can't spell, punctuate or use grammar correctly.

[@rustyauerswald1069]

It comes in 22lr 32acp and 25acp

[@tinkertalksguns7289]

This one only comes in .22 and .25 according to their website.

[@donwyoming1936]

They have only been made in 22LR & 25ACP. Never been a 32

[@craigcook1571]

Man don’t contaminate that Colt by laying it atop the other one, what’s wrong with you. That’s Blasphemy! like parking a Harley next to a Honda 🤣🤣

[@guaporeturns9472]

True , but the Honda can just easily start up and smoothly ride away as the Harley sits sputtering in a puddle of its own oil shrouded in a cloud of its own smoke…..as usual 😂🤣

[@craigcook1571]

@@guaporeturns9472 🤣🤣🤣

[@P_RO_]

You don't get what you don't pay for, but for the price I doubt that you can better this in a new gun. Probably sells mostly to the poor who "want a gun just in case" who will most likely never use it beyond testing a magazine-full or two with it. If it lets them sleep better then it's done it's job. To the rest of us it's whatever we make of it and we know there's better choices, but that doesn't keep it from being fun and economical to shoot.

[@donwyoming1936]

Most of the people who buy these in my shop are not poor. That demographic seems obsessed with High-Points. These are usually picked up by regular shooters, merely intrigued by a $100 pistol that has a good reputation. They get used quite a bit. Though I would suggest replacing the recoil spring every 1000 rounds. They're dirt cheap. All spare parts for this thing are cheap.

[@rustyauerswald1069]

We asked $225.00 with a box a ammo..86-99

[@user-ex4rd7hv4m]

cheap self defense.., manageable 22 lr hardly any recoil you can practice a lot because it the cheapest round u can buy. just make sure yours is worn in . just got back from shooting mine 80 rounds not one hiccup I have put thousand of round out of this cool little gun