NAA Guardians

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Mark39

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Anyone have tips for a more pleasant range experience and accuracy with a NAA Guardian? I have a .32 ACP with about 300 rounds through it and it is truly painful to fire. I have hands that are about average to on the larger end of average for a male. I can only get a finger around the grip and the long trigger pull makes it difficult for me to fire the pistol while aiming. I love everything else about it and it's perfect for my personal situation so this is really frustrating for me. Any suggestions or advice are appreciated.
 
Anyone have tips for a more pleasant range experience and accuracy with a NAA Guardian? I have a .32 ACP with about 300 rounds through it and it is truly painful to fire. I have hands that are about average to on the larger end of average for a male. I can only get a finger around the grip and the long trigger pull makes it difficult for me to fire the pistol while aiming. I love everything else about it and it's perfect for my personal situation so this is really frustrating for me. Any suggestions or advice are appreciated.
<----owned the Guardian .380.....most painful pistol I've ever fired.

The best advice I can give is to sell it and buy a better, more comfortable pistol.
While the Guardian is well made, its a blowback design. That translates to more felt recoil than a locked breech design.
The Guardian is a sold hunk of steel, so heavy it doubles as a boat anchor.
NAA used to claim the trigger pull was a safety feature.

I sold mine and bought an LCP.
 
An extended magazine will make a huge difference in controllability! I own extended magazines for all most my pocket pistols. They make practicing easier and I end up practicing a lot more with them. The Hogue overmold grips also help... I don't know if they really reduce felt recoil that much, I think they just give me a better grip and better control making the pistols nicer to shoot.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/north-american-arms-guardian-32-acp-10-round-stainless-magazine.html

I bought one of the very first NAA Guardians when they first came out (and were only available in .32 acp) to replace my CZ 45 (.25acp). It was surplanted by my P32 and LCP when I bought them. The all stainless Guardian will last life times longer than the plastic guns... the Guardian was just too heavy as a pocket pistol... for me.

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There's nothing you can do, no one I've read or seen shoot one has ever said they were comfortable or easy to shoot. They're a terrible design that just happens to be well made by NAA. Post #2 hits it on the head: sell it and get something else.

About the only thing that I can praise the Guardian line for is they're the reason the .32 NAA cartridge exists and it is a underrated cartridge that's better than the .32 ACP in every way.
 
I have a NAA .32 Guardian and have carried it often. When I go to the range I put 3 or 4 mags through it.

Why does it need to be comfortable to shoot? It's not a target gun. You won't complain about it if you need the Guardian for real.
 
Sell it and buy a kel-tec p32. It is a much more practical gun.

My guardian was nice to look at but way too heavy, horribly inaccurate, and was more a novelty than a pistol,
 
I have a NAA .32 Guardian and have carried it often. When I go to the range I put 3 or 4 mags through it.

Why does it need to be comfortable to shoot? It's not a target gun.
Because some people put far more than twenty four rounds through a gun they are planning on carrying.



You won't complain about it if you need the Guardian for real.
Which doesn't really address the issue.
If you need any gun (insert name/type/caliber here) you'll be glad you had practiced and trained with that carry gun.
You may find yourself complaining about a 6+1 in .32 that weighs more than many 9X19 pistols.
 
Because some people put far more than twenty four rounds through a gun they are planning on carrying.

Really? You don't say...

Some people do think that a 24 round range session with a micro compact is sufficient to retain proficiency with said micro compact.

Once again, it's not a target gun for an extended range visit- Shoot it and be done.

And yeah, you don't to have a super ergonomic masterpiece of a firearm to be completely capable with gun in it's designed role.

Once again, it's a micro compact defensive pistol, not a target gun.
 
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Being an FFL I sod a bunch when they first came out. I read all the reviews and carried one. I thought the had a pinky grip on the mag. Being a vet who shot a lot in the past, I think 24 rounds every few months is plenty of range time in a small pocket piece. Also get Winchester Silvertips as the recoil is softer. Shot 3 mags of whatever and then soot your old carry Ammo. I really liked my Guardian. Easier to clean than a Secamp
 
Why does it need to be comfortable to shoot? It's not a target gun. You won't complain about it if you need the Guardian for real.

I think a lot of people don't understand the difference between a carry gun and a range gun. I always chuckle about the guys that complain about the trigeres on a carry gun.
 
I really wanted to like the NAA when I was looking for a hideout .32, as I really do appreciate the craftsmanship in an all-stainless gun. But, I did indeed find it heavy, and knew (though didn't test it) it wouldn't be all that light to fire. Bought the Kel-Tec instead, and it rides with me everywhere.

I still want a NAA just to have, and I'd buy one in .25ACP if I came across one. I have one of their mini revolvers in .22LR, and that thing is like a nice piece of jewelry.
 
"Sell it and buy a kel-tec p32. It is a much more practical gun."


if you want to carry a small 32acp, buy a P32. If you like the NAA at all, or if it amuses you, keep it. There's nothing at all wrong with owning them both. :)

My P32 is my lightest handgun, and probably my smallest. I got it used for $120-something. It goes bang every time. I even bought an extended mag, just for grins. I do wish it had real sights. If I were going to carry a 32acp, it would be my choice. I own a number of others, but it would easily be the best for CC.
 
Recoil is not a problem with this gun (like a .22 Ruger Single-Six) and I never expected it to be fun to shoot as a "range gun". Problem is my fingers actually blister and bleed from the trigger pull. After a couple of magazines each session I have to set it aside. My concern is if I don't practice enough with it I won't be able to use it with accuracy if I ever need it. I've looked at the 3032 Tomcat, P32 and LCP and they all have very mixed reviews as well. I don't want to trade for something else if I end up in the same position. I'm going to dry fire practice and maybe get it checked out by my gunsmith to see if anything is wrong with it. I just didn't know if there was a trick to making it easier to handle.
 
Recoil is not a problem with this gun (like a .22 Ruger Single-Six) and I never expected it to be fun to shoot as a "range gun". Problem is my fingers actually blister and bleed from the trigger pull. After a couple of magazines each session I have to set it aside. My concern is if I don't practice enough with it I won't be able to use it with accuracy if I ever need it. I've looked at the 3032 Tomcat, P32 and LCP and they all have very mixed reviews as well. I don't want to trade for something else if I end up in the same position. I'm going to dry fire practice and maybe get it checked out by my gunsmith to see if anything is wrong with it. I just didn't know if there was a trick to making it easier to handle.

OK. Now it's more clear. I suggest getting the five pack of .32 snap caps and keep processing them through the gun, a few strikes on each before cycling and then restart the process. Minimize true dry fire strokes without any form of firing pin stop.

Please don't take this wrong, but it's sounds like you have literal "thin skin" on your hands and fingers. Dry fire could build-up some callouses, but even two mags relatively often at each range session will maintain a skill set for such a platform like the Guardian.
 
I have a NAA .32 Guardian and have carried it often. When I go to the range I put 3 or 4 mags through it.

Why does it need to be comfortable to shoot? It's not a target gun. You won't complain about it if you need the Guardian for real.
You have a point on practicing with a limited number of rounds considering if you ever had to use it for self defense, the most mags you'd use is maybe two, but the problem is still that it's an uncomfortable gun to shoot, carry, and isn't exactly inexpensive compared to modern polymer options like the Kel Tec P32 or Ruger LCP.

Can also argue that the sights on the P32 and LCP are superior to the Guardians sights too. I know the counterargument is these are "point & shoot" or "belly guns" but I've stepped back a good 12 or 15 yards with my LCP Custom and been able to hit steel with reputable ease. I doubt I'd be able to do the same with a Guardian.
 
Being an FFL I sod a bunch when they first came out. I read all the reviews and carried one. I thought the had a pinky grip on the mag. Being a vet who shot a lot in the past, I think 24 rounds every few months is plenty of range time in a small pocket piece. Also get Winchester Silvertips as the recoil is softer. Shot 3 mags of whatever and then soot your old carry Ammo. I really liked my Guardian. Easier to clean than a Secamp
Yeah, sorry, but I can't advocate people use hollow points in a .32. Firstly, I don't think they'll expand at the low velocities of a .32 and if they do, they lack penetration.

Get with the times and use Lehigh's 50 grain Xtreme Cavitator solid Copper .32 ACP ammo.
 
You have a point on practicing with a limited number of rounds considering if you ever had to use it for self defense, the most mags you'd use is maybe two, but the problem is still that it's an uncomfortable gun to shoot, carry, and isn't exactly inexpensive compared to modern polymer options like the Kel Tec P32 or Ruger LCP.

Can also argue that the sights on the P32 and LCP are superior to the Guardians sights too. I know the counterargument is these are "point & shoot" or "belly guns" but I've stepped back a good 12 or 15 yards with my LCP Custom and been able to hit steel with reputable ease. I doubt I'd be able to do the same with a Guardian.

I have no idea how big "steel" is, but I have practiced with full size silhouettes to 25 yards with my Guardian and achieve good hits.

Have you ever shot a Guardian, or just surmising?
 
I practice with my Guardian using handloads as it's the only way I've found that's not too painful. I cast an 80 grain bullet from a modified Lee 311-93 mold and load them to just under 600fps. I can shoot this round all day and still have the hand strength to fire a few mags of SD ammo to stay proficient. Although my Guardian is reasonably accurate out to about ten or twelve yards, I doubt I'll ever find myself needing it for anything other than a "get off me" last resort gun.
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I agree with the others who suggested dry-firing. Mine smoothed out a lot after a few sessions of dry firing, maybe 3-400 times or so. It is easier to shoot now.

I like it as a niche gun. I use it in the handwarmer pocket of my winter jacket when getting to my primary gun with any speed is near impossible. The profile of the Guardian is much smaller than the LCP and similar guns (though it is much heavier) Sights are tiny and hard to see, so it is a very close range, get off me type gun.
 
I bought a used Guardian in .32 acp and it came with an extended magazine which makes it easy to hold while shooting. Without the extended mag it's a bi+ch.
The trigger is good for a DAO but the weight is excessive for a carry gun. If it fills a niche, I don't know what it is.
 
I have no idea how big "steel" is, but I have practiced with full size silhouettes to 25 yards with my Guardian and achieve good hits.

Have you ever shot a Guardian, or just surmising?
Steel knockdown targets, probably 2 feet high and 8 inches across.

Never shot one, have shot enough guns to know how the Guardian shoots tho.
 
No reply was intended to be 'snarky', but its unlikely that the shape of your pistol and/or your hand can be changed. You have a firearm that was intended for close quarters self protection.

I like my NAA. So far, it has been reliable. .32 Ball and Buffalo Bore .32 ACP works just dandy through my magazines and the empty brass briskly out the ejection port. I don't understand what else you would expect of gun and ammunition.

Pocket lint trash can find its way into small out of the way recesses of whatever you carry in the pocket. If you consider pocket carry of a handgun a long look at pocket holsters might be a decent ide to consider.
 
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