Now I know why eye protection is a good idea.

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May 9, 1983 I was knocked to my knees when the fencing staple I was driving into a hedge post bounced out and struck my left eye.
Fourteen tiny stitches in my iris and a week in the hospital saved my eye, but it was the most painful injury I ever had.

Shooting, grinding, hammering, etc....wear safety glasses.
 
Another happy HP22a owner here. It's also the first time I've heard of the slide busting up. It is well known that the frame/mag well cracks at ~2,000 rounds but the crack is at the top of the mag well and does not affect function or safety. I love reading people bashing guns they know nothing about because of something they read on the 'net. Give me a make and model of any gun and I'm sure I can find a 'net story of a major failure. For a $149 gun, it is fun and accurate and well worth the money. Of course, I actually own one so take the opinion for what it's worth.

 
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This is strange. Normally you buy the cheapest possible Insert Any Item Here and it works fine for years.

Said no one ever.

All joking aside, I don't care if its a bottom barrel pot metal gun or a thousand dollar H&K, I'll always have glasses on.
 
EDIT: I just saw that the OP says the failed gun is a "Phoenix HR22." The model to which I refer, and that I own, is the "HP-22A." I don't know what the HR22 is, or how much difference exists between the two.

That may be a typo as I could not find pictures or any information on that model. So I assume he is referring to a HP.


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Another happy HP22a owner here. It's also the first time I've heard of the slide busting up. It is well known that the frame/mag well cracks at ~2,000 rounds but the crack is at the top of the mag well and does not affect function or safety. I love reading people bashing guns they know nothing about because of something they read on the 'net. Give me a make and model of any gun and I'm sure I can find a 'net story of a major failure. For a $149 gun, it is fun and accurate and well worth the money. Of course, I actually own one so take the opinion for what it's worth.


Maybe the 22A is different, not sure. That slide (HP22) looked like some kind of broken Hot Wheels toy.
 
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Perhaps it was a Phoenix MP22? Totally different design/construction. AKA the Raven.

 
I used to have some pictures of some shelled hard boiled eggs that I had placed near some steel targets that I had fired a few pistol rounds into. The eggs had multiple shards of jacket and/or lead embedded into them. I used these photos during safety briefings to give students an idea of what could happen to their eyes. Also I have shrapnel in my left eye from a RPG that exploded near me. I was wearing oakleys but the explosion was so violent and close that my oakleys were shattered, but they probably kept me from being blinded. All exposed portions of my upper body/head/face were hit by shrapnel.
 
More or less, 1982.

Ruger Blackhawk. 30 Cal Carbine. Right around $115. At the time, I couldn't go that high. Wish I had now.

HAHA. My first gun was a Colt Detective Special. It cost $119.95.

In 1973.
 
Phoenix Arms guns (https://www.phoenix-arms.com/) are made from die case Zamak which is a Zinc-Aluminum alloy with occasionally other alloying elements like Copper or Nickel.

I have read multiple reports of Phoenix Arms guns developing cracks in the frame starting around the 2,000 to 3,000 round mark.

Closer to the 200 to 300 rd mark. I have a buddy who likes to buy junk gun for some reason. His Phoenix fell apart on it's first trip to the range, probably 100 rds of CCI and the slide exploded. I watched him shoot a Jennings 25ACP until it died for an experiment. It took about 100 rounds before it ripped the nose off the slide.
 
My S&W 29-2 would occasionally spit powder and jacket fragments out of the BC gap Does that make it a POS' too? Or, should we ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES when shooting OR ANY TIME near the firing line?
 
My S&W 29-2 would occasionally spit powder and jacket fragments out of the BC gap Does that make it a POS' too? Or, should we ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES when shooting OR ANY TIME near the firing line?

Two very different issues here.

Of course we should always wear eye and ear protection while shooting. I think most of us do. I also wore it on the job.

Did your S&W grenade itself? S&W has enough good sense to make parts that have enough shear and tensile strength to do the job without failure. Strength of materials 101.

Just because you wear ear and eye protection doesn't mean gun mfg's should be building guns with parts that will fail under normal conditions. I don't care if they are the cheapest pistol on the market.
 
I love reading people bashing guns they know nothing about because of something they read on the 'net.

I enjoy putting small (two inch) groups up with my fourty-five Auto. Some one will remark and ask to see it. Then I show them the large bull on the roll mark. Many STILL say they would never own a Taurus. I then ask to use theirs, shoot a small (but not two inch) group with their SA Trophy match, or have the pleasure to handle a Colt Gold something. Proving, again, it is the Irishman, not the Claymore. Unless, of course, the slide makes a ticket-less departure. I abhor frivolous expense, but glasses are not one.
Shoot well. And take care so you may shoot often.
 
When my Glock 20 blew up I had to pry the slide stop lever out of the middle of my forehead. I shudder to think what that thing would have done to an eyeball. I wear glasses anyway to correct my vision, but shooting without some kind of eye protection is something I don't think I will ever do. Heck, I saw a guy who was weed trimming just about blind himself when he kicked up a gravel.

A $2 pair of cheap plastic glasses can save thousands in surgery...or prevent something even surgery can't repair.

Prescription glasses may not be rated for impact resistance, they may end up causing problems if they shatter from impact. $2 sunglasses may protect you, or they may not. Theres a reason safety glasses are safety glasses, its not just a name. Lumber yards have actual safety glasses, if you cant find them elsewhere. That's where I buy my sunglasses, then I don't have to wonder if they are up to the job.
 
Prescription glasses may not be rated for impact resistance, they may end up causing problems if they shatter from impact. $2 sunglasses may protect you, or they may not. Theres a reason safety glasses are safety glasses, its not just a name. Lumber yards have actual safety glasses, if you cant find them elsewhere. That's where I buy my sunglasses, then I don't have to wonder if they are up to the job.

I was referencing the safety glasses sold at Lowes or Walmart, but I did not actually specify that in my post. I think you can still get "real" safety glasses for around $2.

You point about prescription glasses is a valid one.
 
Here is the information on the gun. If you have one of these I would strongly suggest you scrap it pronto.

One can find examples of most any brand of firearm that has self destructed, including Ruger and S&W. Should we scrap those too? Without really knowing the cause of the problem, one cannot lay blame anywhere. Many folks with inexpensive firearms are less familiar with maintenance and proper use. Could have been the fault of the shooter just as likely as the firearm. Who knows. Certainly not me nor you.

Yes, we should always wear eye protection as well as hearing protection when shooting, regardless of what firearm we are using. My closest example of glasses saving my eye was with a pellet gun when the pellet bounced back off a knot in the 2x4 holding the clay pigeon. I could have blamed the gun, even tho the choice of target stands was my fault, but I didn't. Seems to be a trend in our society today, always placing blame elsewhere. Since I didn't "scrap it pronto", I still use that pellet rifle 20 years later for rabbits in the backyard.
 
Here is the information on the gun. If you have one of these I would strongly suggest you scrap it pronto..

So I should scrap my Beretta 92 because by that logic it's had a lot more noted failures of the slide than the one mentioned here so it must be dangerous junk. Bad design should make me toss my Glocks also, before they kaboom on me. Guess my ARs need to hit the trash bin also, I've seen at least one guy talk about how his failed.......................smh.


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I was at the range today and witnessed a serious failure. The guy shooting a few feet from me had a pistol grenade on him. The slide broke in half and hit him in the face. He was wearing eye protection. It knocked his glasses off and left a serious mouse right under his eye. He said it would have hit him in the eye if not for his glasses. I inspected the slide to find it was cast, maybe MIM, not sure. I didn't think anyone would cast a slide but apparently this mfg. did.

Here is the information on the gun. If you have one of these I would strongly suggest you scrap it pronto.

Phoenix Arms, Ontario CA. 22LR model HR22. Made in USA.

I think he will contact the company. Looks like they are still in business.:eek:

You didn't happen to notice what ammo he was using...right? Just looked at the Phoenix owners manual and they say lead bullet 32-40 grain at 1050-1150 fps which I'd take to mean Standard Velocity stuff. Trying to run Stingers or Velocitors through one might very well overstress it and probably wouldn't be a great idea. ANY gun can be blown up if you try hard enough, and I actually sort of blew up a 10/22 one time.:) Wanted to see what a double-load would do, so pulled the bullets out of 40 grain HV lead (think they were Winchester) and stuffed one full. Was surprised that it actually held the double-charge...but just barely. Thing kicked pretty hard for a .22 and the extractor left the gun and stuck in the nearby wall. Case head separated and the body welded itself into the chamber. Once I got that back out and found the extractor spring and plunger it all went back together seemingly no worse for the experiment..but I'll not do that again. Would almost bet money that the little gun the went BOOM was using HV ammo or had in the past.
 
I'm also betting that Hi-Vel ammo was being used or used in the past!

BTW, is not the Henry .22 mostly pot metal as is also many other semi auto rifles?

I also have a HP22 in my collection of a couple hundred firearms, it is fun gun to shoot, as is the Hi Point, as is my Springfield 45 and my Kimper Custom 45. And all the others in between!

Eye Protection?? Well Ya. Just like hearing protection!
 
You didn't happen to notice what ammo he was using...right? Just looked at the Phoenix owners manual and they say lead bullet 32-40 grain at 1050-1150 fps which I'd take to mean Standard Velocity stuff.

Didn't notice the name on the box, yellow and orange. Never thought HV ammo could break a slide that.
 
So I should scrap my Beretta 92 because by that logic it's had a lot more noted failures of the slide than the one mentioned here so it must be dangerous junk. Bad design should make me toss my Glocks also, before they kaboom on me. Guess my ARs need to hit the trash bin also, I've seen at least one guy talk about how his failed.......................smh.
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Yeah, you should scrap your Beretta 92. I would keep the Glock and the AR:D
 
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There are 4 HP22's in my family. All are great pistols I will not be scrapping any of them. Thanks for your concern for our welfare though. 1 failure doesn't mean all of the products made by Phoenix Arms are dangerous or junk.
 
Closer to the 200 to 300 rd mark. I have a buddy who likes to buy junk gun for some reason. His Phoenix fell apart on it's first trip to the range, probably 100 rds of CCI and the slide exploded. I watched him shoot a Jennings 25ACP until it died for an experiment. It took about 100 rounds before it ripped the nose off the slide.

I also had a buddy who liked to buy junk guns - from the parking lot of the GM plant where he worked. Funny - he made lots of money & also bought expensive quality guns, too. He bought a gun from a co-worker's trunk & he was cowboy twirling It. It was a SA , "made in Miami" (FIE, I think) 22 when it fired...well, no FP safety. The bullet went down the inside of his thigh & exited near his ankle. He was lucky, considering the bullet could have damaged something "really important" to him.

Funny, the night before when he was showing me the gun, I explained the FP situation & told him to make sure the chamber under the hammer was empty....
 
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