(Note - to read the end of my "perfect small pistol" quest click this LINK.) For over a year, I struggled with the defacto modern state-of-the-art backup/pocket/concealed carry pistol, the KelTec P11 9mm. It took a chunk out of my thumb once. It left my hand sore every time I fired it. But worst of all I could never hit squat with it. I was all over the paper with no rhyme or reason. I couldn't even fire enough of a pattern to figure out what to correct.
So, I went to a much larger and more expensive weapon for regular carry, a Glock 19, which, after a reasonable amount of practice, I am able to fire fairly accurately. The 19 is the defacto weapon of choice for probably the majority of plainclothes law enforcement these days and the military forces around the world are increasingly standardizing on Glocks, particularly the 19's slightly bigger brother the 17. The British Army has adopted the Glock and is retiring its Brownings. But, the Glock is a larger weapon, summer is coming and I really wanted something small to just stick in my pocket in the yard, around the farm, etc. My non negotiable selection critiera were (1) it had to be dead on accurate, (2) it had to be well mannered enough that you can fire it regularly without pain, (3) it had to have excellent second and third shot recovery characteristics and (4) it needed to be small enough to hide under a shirt tail. After a ton of research on the internet, I found something startling. Probably the most accurate pocket pistol around for non expert shooters is a less than hundred and fifty dollar Saturday Night Special, the Phoenix Arms, HP22A. Yes, it is a .22. I was willing to pay a lot more and would have preferred a larger caliber. But, I ordered one figuring I could always get most of my money back out of it if it didn't work out.
The downside of the gun is that the "California" safeties on it are ridiculous and it is a royal pain to field strip. It took me an hour to take it apart, wipe off the excess oil from the factory and put it back together again. The same operation with a Glock would take about a minute.
But, all in all, I am very pleased with the little gun and am glad to have a pocket gun again. The gun comes in either brushed aluminum or blued finish. It alsocomes in a number of different combinations. The basic gun with a 3 in. barrel costs about $130.00. The Rangemaster kit comes with a 5 inch barrel, an extended magazine and a cleaning kit all packed in a lockable hard plastic case. These sell for around $160.00. The Rangemaster Deluxe kit includes a 3 inch barrel, a 5 inch barrel, two magazines, the cleaning kit and and the lockable case. It costs around $199.00. It's a great value.
Granted, the .22 long rifle is nowhere near the most effective round of choice for personal defense. However, if you can shoot well enough to place your shots properly it can be deadly. And, .22 ammo has come a long way. The video below shows a high powered hollowpoint .22 lr round penetrating ballistic gel, a compound which is similar to human flesh for ballistics purposes. As you can see, the round is moving fast and creating an amazing wound channel for a bullet its size. Don't forget that the standard rifle round for U.S. military, the .223, is only slightly larger.
I wouldn't recommend one of these little guys as the primary self defense weapon for the average person. But, the gun you will carry even when wearing shorts and a tee shirt is far better than the larger weapon you won't carry. And, if you do practice regularly and can hit what you aim at, a .22 can be quite effective.
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Postcript: The reason the Phoenix is more accurate than the more expensive KelTec goes back to basics. The KelTec has no safeties and relies upon the striker fire mechanism and a long, hard trigger pull to avoid misfires. Compromises in accuracy are a natural result of this combination. The long trigger pull makes real accuracy impossible and the light weight combined with a powerful round make it a weapon nobody is going to fire enough to get accustomed to it.
The Phoenix is an old fashioned, single action, hammer fired weapon. It relies on too many safeties to prevent misfires but the trigger pull is short and relatively crisp for an inexpensive weapon. The annoying safeties can be modified leaving a small, old fashioned, little pocket pistol that shoots quite well and is still safe enough to carry if you know what you are doing. BTW it will half cock. Anyone who has ever carried a 1911 or a Browning would be at home with it. Half an hour with a Dremel tool, a tiny shim or two and some luminous sight paint to make the tiny sights light up and you have a fairly nice little weapon with a lifetime warranty.
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A later note. Yesterday, I decided to practice drawing this little guy from Condition 3 (no round in the chamber). This is commonly known as the "Israeli Carrry" method. It requires you to quickly rack the slide to load a round into the chamber after the draw. If done right it adds only half a second to the time it takes to get your first shot off and is a much safer way to carry the weapon. This is important in Israel where it is common for citizen soldiers to carry handguns. It also has the advantage of working on any semi auto without requiring intensive drills on the safeties of that particular weapon. The first time I tried a "combat draw" with the HP22 I ripped a chunk out of left forefinger. I naturally went looking for the problem and saw it immediately. The top of the hammer drop safety had not been finished completely and was razor sharp. So, if you are following this saga while considering buying an HP22 be advised you will probably need to spend an hour or so with a Dremel tool or a piece of emery paper to take the sharp edges off some of the roughly finished parts on the weapon.
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