Range Report: NAA Guardian .380 ACP

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AdamSean

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I have been waiting for this big sticking my tongue out at all the nay sayers, telling me that the Guardian is too heavy and te recoil is much worse than the small, lightweight polymers. So... :p I took her out to the range this morning and had the place to myself, awesome! I set my target up at 7 yards (21 feet, as this is a belly gun). I loaded it up with Blazer 95gr FMJ and fired my first magazine. Here are the results.

Sorry about the glare. First magazine fired through my new NAA Guardian .380 ACP
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I was very impressed! Also, the recoil was very manageable. My old Ruger LCP was no fun to shoot and I could only fire about 75 round before my finger started to blister and I gave up. I continued on with 100 rounds of FMJ without any issues. I could have fired another 100. Now I know for next time. All rounds were fired off hand standing. No bench rest for me. I fired, two handed, one handed, slow and rapid fire. All without a hitch. I then ran a basic self defense drill to see how well she really performed when it counts. Standing at arms length from the target, start walking backwards, after 2 steps, draw from concealment (my pocket in this case), fire 2 rounds from the hip at center mass, continuing walking backward, fire 3 rounds center mass, stop, look around as if to check if all is clear, assume the BG is still up, fire 2 rounds to head, check for clear, end. All this is rapid firing. I was very impressed here too!

Self defense drill.
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After the FMJ, I tested a couple hollow point rounds to see which performed better in the Guardian. First was the Winchester PDX1 95gr. This round functioned well, no hangups, fed well and fired. The only down side was the somewhat harsh recoil which caused my accuracy to suffer. The next round was the Hornady Critical Defense. As expected, it fed perfectly, fired perfectly, and the recoil was softer which made the accuracy dead on. And so, I believe I will be carrying the Hornady CD for personal protection, unless I can test something that performs better.

As an added note, I did polish all the internals to improve the trigger and slide function. This gun is very gritty, but after a little fluff and buff, it is very smooth. I absolutely love this gun!
 
Thanks for the report. Have been considering one of these for a while but have been a little hesitant. Your report may push me over the edge. Nice shooting by the way.
 
AdamSean

Great range report! I'm always interested in ultra compact .380s and how well or not so well they perform. I haven't seen any NAA Guardians in quite some time but I will keep it in mind at the next gunshow I go to.
 
I have considered one of these for a long time. I am so glad I finally pulled the trigger, pun intended...lol. The only thing that kind of stinks is trying to find the holster I want for it. I want a kydex pocket holster and double magazine holster for the other pocket, but nobody seems to have the mold to make them. There are a few good leather ones out there, but I want a thin lightweight kydex. I did go ahead and order a Remora with a magazine compartment on board and a double magazine holster. It should be here within the week and I will report on that.

I have discovered that this gun is not for everyone. But if you are looking for an all metal, heavy weight DAO pocket pistol, this is it!
 
have discovered that this gun is not for everyone. But if you are looking for an all metal, heavy weight DAO pocket pistol, this is it!
What is it that you discovered about it that it may not be for everyone and as for all metal guns, what about the P238?
 
I don't like the Sig P238. I don't like single action firearms for self defense, or weapons with manual safeties to worry about. And the Two pistols are totally different. Locked breech vs blowback, single action vs double action only. I can shoot the Guardian better than I did my old P238.

The thing I discovered was that a lot of folks seem to keep telling me that it feels lik carrying a brick in your pocket and the DAO trigger is heavy too. But those were the reasons I bought it. I wanted a double action only trigger for pocket carry, but a good weight to tame the recoil of the small package. It fits my needs perfectly, but others don't like those features. To each his own. Just like some folks prefer Sigs over Glocks. I myself am a Glock man. Its just what I am comfortable with and use them well. And that is what is most important in a defensive pistol selection.
 
I have, in the past, owned a .380 and two .32's. They are a GREAT company BUT there is a employee/friend/senior member of the N.A.A. site , C.J, or C.P. something with two initials, who is VERY anti Military ( isn't that what it's called when someone says "ONLY ONES STUPID ENOUGH TO JOIN THE MILITARY WERE PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T HOLD A JOB.")

If you try to correct him Sandy, the company owner, will throw you off the site. As I said good product, but I wouldn't spent another dime with them.
 
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