Phoenix Arms HP22

Phoenix Arms was a firearms manufacturer established in 1992. A predecessor company owned by George Jennings, Raven Arms, ceased operations in 1991, after which Jennings retired and sold his designs to Phoenix. Phoenix was founded and owned by Jennings’ ex-wife, his children, four of his grandchildren, and by Raven's former general manager. Phoenix is described by the U.S. BATF as one of the "Ring of Fire" companies, known for producing inexpensively-manufactured firearms often given the pejorative term " Saturday night special".

Phoenix initially continued production of the MP-25, Raven's flagship model, before later augmenting it with two new pistols: the HP22 and HP25, chambered in .22 LR and .25 ACP, respectively. Production of the new HP pistols began in 1993 while sales may not have started until 1994. In 2001, the California Attorney General ordered Phoenix to cease manufacture and sales of certain HP22 pistols. Independent DOJ-certified laboratories had initially found mixed results for safety and reliability of the HP pistols, and ultimately it was determined that the 3" model in particular was not reliable enough to meet the 1999 standards. The pistols were later revised as the HP22A and HP25A models. The pistols are constructed of injection-molded Zamak, a zinc alloy. The low cost metal moldings were not always cleaned of flash before being assembled into full firearms and sold.

Phoenix Arms offered a lifetime warranty for the original owner of the HP pistols, provided they had registered their purchase with the company. Terms and limitations were outlined in the pistol manual.

In early 2025, Phoenix Arms ceased production and sales. Remaining parts and accessory inventory is available for sale from Garrettson Industries, though no full firearms or frames are available.

Products

HP22 and HP25

The HP22 and HP25 are small semi-automatic pocket pistols chambered in the .22 Long Rifle or .25 ACP cartridge, respectively. They are blowback-operated pistols and come with 3-inch barrels. Optional five-inch 22LR barrels are available. The frame is Zamak zinc alloy. The detachable barrel is a steel sleeve inside of an alloy casing with an integral front blade sight and vented rib. The vented rib continues back along the alloy slide to the windage adjustable rear sight. They are single-action pistols. The HP22 feeds from a single-stack 10-round magazine, and the HP25 feeds from a single-stack nine-round magazine. They have a slide-mounted manual firing pin block safety in addition to a regular manual slide combination hold open and safety. The pistol includes a magazine disconnect feature, which prevents the gun from firing without a magazine. The magazine cannot be removed without engaging the manual slide safety. They are available in satin nickel or matte black finish. The HP22 is designed for use with standard-velocity .22 Long Rifle ammunition only.

A primary change of the HP22A and HP25A models was the addition of a half-cock hammer position, as well as internal parts changes that are not compatible with the previous models.

Accessories

A nylon holster, custom locking transport case, cleaning kit, various parts, as well as branded merchandise such as patches and shirts were offered. Though available separately, the case was primarily part of their Rangemaster branded Range Kits. The HP22A Range Kit includes a five inch barrel, a magazine with an extended floor plate (as a pinky finger rest), a custom magazine well pistol lock (model PAL2) keyed to match the case lock, as well as cleaning supplies. They also marketed a Deluxe Range Kit that includes all of the parts in the regular Range Kit and adds a regular length 3" interchangeable barrel as well as a second magazine with the standard flush floor plate. A 2-IN-1 Conversion Kit with a 5" barrel and magazine with an extended floor plate was offered for the HP22 and HP22A. Early marketing materials mention a 5" barrel for the HP25, but parts lists in the manuals, as well as parts lists offered online, do not show it.

References

See also

*Arcadia Machine & Tool
*Davis Industries
*Jimenez Arms
*Raven Arms
*Lorcin Engineering Company
*Sundance Industries

External links

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Archive of official 2021 PDF manual

Copy of official 2018 manualArchive

Undated official PDF manual, archived 2009

HP22 and HP25 Manual
- Undated 3rd party scan

HP22 Rangemaster reviewArchive

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phoenix Arms
Firearm manufacturers of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in California
Companies based in San Bernardino County, California
Ontario, California
Manufacturing companies established in 1992
1992 establishments in California