NAA Mini .22LR, will it save my life?

But... the comparisons of the P-32 versus the NAA .22LR, while technically accurate, don't tell the whole story. The P32 is very small, light, and flat. Equipped with a pocket holster or one of the pocket clips they make for them, you can carry one just about anywhere you could carry a gun. They're fairly shootable and decently accurate at the range they're meant to be used at. If you're carrying a mousegun, a P32 isn't the worst choice you could make. In fact, the NAA even gets criticized for being too small, and many of the posters here note that they've replaced the grips to make them more shootable (but at the cost of size)

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My .22 magnum black widow shoots 3.5" groups at 25 yards off the bench. Free hand, it's as shootable as any snubby .38, too, nearly the sight radius and most excellent compact Novak sights. I carry it muzzle down in the same Blackhawk number 3 soft holster I carry my .38 or 9mm Kel Tec in when I have to carry it. It is completely discrete. I reach in, grab the grip and unfold it either in the pocket or on the draw, pretty danged fast.

I seriously doubt a P32 is CLOSE to as accurate, though I've never fired one. I know, most think the NAA is a contact weapon, but not in the case of the Black Widow. It shoots as well as a lot of duty weapons at extended ranges. And, with the grip folded, it's still smaller than the P32 and any outline in the pocket it MIGHT give (very thin gun) would look like a pocket knife, not a gun profile.

To each his own, but I'm a fan of the NAA.

MCgunner said:

My .22 magnum black widow shoots 3.5" groups at 25 yards off the bench. Free hand, it's as shootable as any snubby .38, too, nearly the sight radius and most excellent compact Novak sights. I carry it muzzle down in the same Blackhawk number 3 soft holster I carry my .38 or 9mm Kel Tec in when I have to carry it. It is completely discrete. I reach in, grab the grip and unfold it either in the pocket or on the draw, pretty danged fast.

I seriously doubt a P32 is CLOSE to as accurate, though I've never fired one. I know, most think the NAA is a contact weapon, but not in the case of the Black Widow. It shoots as well as a lot of duty weapons at extended ranges. And, with the grip folded, it's still smaller than the P32 and any outline in the pocket it MIGHT give (very thin gun) would look like a pocket knife, not a gun profile.

To each his own, but I'm a fan of the NAA.

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Have Mini Master which shoots both .22 LR and .22 WMR with 2 different cylinders.
Have it with Laserlyte sight but never got it sighted in. With .22 Mag the Cylinder pin works its way out because of the recoil and so it doesn't lock in. Sent it back and NAA corrected it with a different pin. These mini revolvers are very well made.

A lot of opinions here and I think all worth considering . I carry a keltec P3AT not because I think it is the best but because I can carry it all the time. I live in Florida in Columbia shorts and a golf shirt, hard to hide my glock 21! All that being said could it save your like absolutely if like these guys said poke them in the eye or the nose or mouth or ear and letter rip. You know dangerous game are called that because they are hard to kill not that they won't die, they just might kill you before the die, dangerous game! Using that 22 or for that matter my 380 can be applied here too, shot placement is critical !

Have Mini Master which shoots both .22 LR and .22 WMR with 2 different cylinders.
Have it with Laserlyte sight but never got it sighted in. With .22 Mag the Cylinder pin works its way out because of the recoil and so it doesn't lock in. Sent it back and NAA corrected it with a different pin. These mini revolvers are very well made.

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Does that gun have the ball detent type cylinder pin? My Black Widow has a different set up. You pull down on the front latch thing, rotate it 90 degrees. This pulls a square piece out of engagement with a slot in the bottom of the barrel. Then you can pull it out. This way, there is NO way for that pin to work out under recoil unless the pin/latch were to actually break which ain't real likely.

MCgunner said:

Does that gun have the ball detent type cylinder pin? My Black Widow has a different set up. You pull down on the front latch thing, rotate it 90 degrees. This pulls a square piece out of engagement with a slot in the bottom of the barrel. Then you can pull it out. This way, there is NO way for that pin to work out under recoil unless the pin/latch were to actually break which ain't real likely.

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i now have what you have. Before had that other kind of pin.

I had 3 NAA mini master revolvers. If I had to do it all over again I would just get one which would be the .22 mag model and if it came with .22lr that's fine but it won't be the Minin-master or black widow it would be the smaller mini revovler.

I'd rather have it than not.

Cocked & Locked said:

I'd rather have it than not.

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Beautiful and quality made.

I've had one for a few years. I have both cylinders, so can switch between LR & Mag. I carry it almost every day.. not as my primary carry gun, but on walks with the wife's dog. We have coyotes around, & i figure this would do the job. I've taken it out & shot it a bunch of times, & inside 7 yds it is decent. At distance it sucks, though.. not its intent.

I have the black widow, with the big rubber grip. I just slip it in my back pocket, no holster, & have it on the safety indent. I don't carry this as a CC piece.. i have a few others i prefer for that. But to scare a coyote or bobcat, or if i had to shoot one at close range, it would do the job.

I have managed to acquire 5 NAA revolvers over the years. My favorites are 2 -3" -Earls. Although my Black Widow gets a lot of use. Lots of timber rattlers around here. The Earls are pretty accurate for their size.I use Hornady C.D.loads with them. The Earls can be very accurate & will do as well as a snubnose rov. I prefer the cowboy grips for the B.W. but like the bigger grips for the Earls. I stick a Earl in a boot & it sits ready & out of site.I favor the .22 mag. round.

usfan said:

I've had one for a few years. I have both cylinders, so can switch between LR & Mag. I carry it almost every day.. not as my primary carry gun, but on walks with the wife's dog. We have coyotes around, & i figure this would do the job. I've taken it out & shot it a bunch of times, & inside 7 yds it is decent. At distance it sucks, though.. not its intent.

I have the black widow, with the big rubber grip. I just slip it in my back pocket, no holster, & have it on the safety indent. I don't carry this as a CC piece.. i have a few others i prefer for that. But to scare a coyote or bobcat, or if i had to shoot one at close range, it would do the job.

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Using .22 mag, .22 LR or .22 snake shot. to scare these animals away will work (noise) but are these adequate for coyote and bobcats?

Using .22 mag, .22 LR or .22 snake shot. to scare these animals away will work (noise) but are these adequate for coyote and bobcats?

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IMHO, .22 magnum is.

I think .357 or .38 also comes in snake shot? other calibers?

stinger 327 said:

Using .22 mag, .22 LR or .22 snake shot. to scare these animals away will work (noise) but are these adequate for coyote and bobcats?

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I've killed some fairly big predators with a 22 rifle, so i know a well placed shot will do it. I would not expect to do it at 100 yds, but at point blank, the intent of the pistol, it would.

I would think that the snake shot would jam in an auto but if it does work that's great.

I think .357 or .38 also comes in snake shot? other calibers?

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I can build shot loads for any caliber for which I can get gas checks for to use as over and under wads. A smidge of Bullseye for powder and you got your shot load. I don't carry 'em, though, don't load 'em. I tested this after reading an article in a gun rag, did it with .38 special, and it works just fine.

They sell the plastic shot cases for reloading, but gas checks are cheaper. I shoot a snake now and then, but have no problem head shooting 'em with a buillet at the short ranges which they are encountered. I've taken a number of rattlers and cotton mouths with my .22LR mini revolver, actually, head shots at 10 feet or so. These guns are capable of much better accuracy than some believe, but it takes practice and experimentation to find the ammo they like and, for me, it takes the folding grip so I can get my hand around it. The NAA's reputation for inaccuracy comes from folks that either try it once and give up or just plain can't shoot a pistol for squat. But, many are used to their Browning Buckmarks and when they can't hit a golf ball at 15 yards, they declare the NAA an inaccurate POS. But, off the bench from a full 25 yards, my 1 5/8" standard .22LR mini can put 'em into 7 or 8 inches and my Black Widow .22 magnum with it's added barrel/sight radius and REAL Novak sights can put 'em into 3.5"

BTW, shot loads out of a NAA short barrel are not impressive. Don't know they'd have the umph to kill a good sized rattler and you'd have to get too close to the thing to have much of a pattern.

Hmm, I have one of those lil pistols its called a hog's leg, it has a long barrel. I think I'll take it to my gunsmith and have the barrel trimmed.

It will fit my pocket alot better with the shorter trim!

Time to find some 22 magnum bullets.

be safe

MCgunner said:

But, off the bench from a full 25 yards, my 1 5/8" standard .22LR mini can put 'em into 7 or 8 inches and my Black Widow .22 magnum with it's added barrel/sight radius and REAL Novak sights can put 'em into 3.5"

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That's pretty impressive accuracy for a gun of that type. However, the accuracy issues with NAA minis have to do with the difficulty in manipulating them offhand, so accuracy off the bench isn't really relevant to its utility as a self defense gun.

The NAA may be easy to conceal, but a shooting bench isn't.

MCgunner said:

I can build shot loads for any caliber for which I can get gas checks for to use as over and under wads. A smidge of Bullseye for powder and you got your shot load. I don't carry 'em, though, don't load 'em. I tested this after reading an article in a gun rag, did it with .38 special, and it works just fine.

They sell the plastic shot cases for reloading, but gas checks are cheaper. I shoot a snake now and then, but have no problem head shooting 'em with a buillet at the short ranges which they are encountered. I've taken a number of rattlers and cotton mouths with my .22LR mini revolver, actually, head shots at 10 feet or so. These guns are capable of much better accuracy than some believe, but it takes practice and experimentation to find the ammo they like and, for me, it takes the folding grip so I can get my hand around it. The NAA's reputation for inaccuracy comes from folks that either try it once and give up or just plain can't shoot a pistol for squat. But, many are used to their Browning Buckmarks and when they can't hit a golf ball at 15 yards, they declare the NAA an inaccurate POS. But, off the bench from a full 25 yards, my 1 5/8" standard .22LR mini can put 'em into 7 or 8 inches and my Black Widow .22 magnum with it's added barrel/sight radius and REAL Novak sights can put 'em into 3.5"

BTW, shot loads out of a NAA short barrel are not impressive. Don't know they'd have the umph to kill a good sized rattler and you'd have to get too close to the thing to have much of a pattern.

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That's great that you can do reloads and save $$$ too.

natman said:

That's pretty impressive accuracy for a gun of that type. However, the accuracy issues with NAA minis have to do with the difficulty in manipulating them offhand, so accuracy off the bench isn't really relevant to its utility as a self defense gun.

The NAA may be easy to conceal, but a shooting bench isn't.

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very easy to conceal n carry.

That's pretty impressive accuracy for a gun of that type. However, the accuracy issues with NAA minis have to do with the difficulty in manipulating them offhand, so accuracy off the bench isn't really relevant to its utility as a self defense gun.

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The guns handle just fine off hand. Just need a full grip. The folding grips I have on mine give me that full grip.

I will criticize a bit. The guns don't point instinctively, just too short. They are slow to acquire sights on from the pocket. They are not my first choice in primary carries, but I always have one on me to back up my .38 or 9 or .357 or a combination of those as primary/back up. Today, I carried my Ruger SR22 in my strong side pocket, put my Black Widow weak side to back it up replacing my .22LR NAA. That's because I took the boat down the river exploring and searching for fishing spots. A .22 is a great outdoor carry when I'm fishing, . One has dispatched a few cottonmouths, a few nutria, when I'm fishing. I like having aan accurate .22 pistol along when I'm fishing, something more accurate than the NAA. We just got open carry in Texas. When that goes into effect on Jan 1, I'll carry my normal pocket .38 and open carry a .22. Lookin' forward to that.

MCgunner said:

The guns handle just fine off hand. Just need a full grip. The folding grips I have on mine give me that full grip.

I will criticize a bit. The guns don't point instinctively, just too short. They are slow to acquire sights on from the pocket. They are not my first choice in primary carries, but I always have one on me to back up my .38 or 9 or .357 or a combination of those as primary/back up. Today, I carried my Ruger SR22 in my strong side pocket, put my Black Widow weak side to back it up replacing my .22LR NAA. That's because I took the boat down the river exploring and searching for fishing spots. A .22 is a great outdoor carry when I'm fishing, . One has dispatched a few cottonmouths, a few nutria, when I'm fishing. I like having aan accurate .22 pistol along when I'm fishing, something more accurate than the NAA. We just got open carry in Texas. When that goes into effect on Jan 1, I'll carry my normal pocket .38 and open carry a .22. Lookin' forward to that.

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Some real fun .22's are the Browning Buckmark pistol and the Ruger 10/22 rifle.
Had a 617 Smith which was a heavy .22 10 shot revolver. The Buckmark was still more fun than the Smith.

natman said:

The NAA may be easy to conceal, but a shooting bench isn't.

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stinger 327 said:

very easy to conceal n carry.

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Perhaps you'd care to share your method for carrying a shooting bench concealed.

Some real fun .22's are the Browning Buckmark pistol and the Ruger 10/22 rifle.
Had a 617 Smith which was a heavy .22 10 shot revolver. The Buckmark was still more fun than the Smith.

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I'd like to get a Buckmark. I own a very accurate little Rossi 511 kit gun type revolver. It really loves the Federal Auto Match stuff, is just kinda so so with anything else, if 2" 25 yard groups are "so so". My SR22 does that good with several rounds, but the Rossi shoots 1" 25 yard groups with the Auto Match. I have a VERY accurate Ruger Mk2 with a scope on it and I have a 10/22 along with a few more rifles and pistols in .22 caliber, but I don't have a Buckmark. I NEED one.

The shooting bench accuracy at 25 yards is my standard way of expressing accuracy. I wanna know what the GUN is capable of and off hand at ten feet tells me absolutely nothing about the gun's intrinsic accuracy. I have never been able to justify the cost of a Ransom Rest or the inserts for the different guns, so I just shoot rested off a bench, using sandbags preferably, but the NAAs are too small to rest over sandbags, so my accuracy testing with them is just hand held, hands resting on the bench. This accuracy depends on how my old eyes are working that day, too, as well as the quality of the sights. I'm sure the guns can shoot far better than I can shoot 'em!

With a SCOPE mounted on a handgun, accuracy testing is up there with mechanical rests. I have my Mk 2 and a TC Contender barrel in .22 Rimfire both mounted with scopes and they both rival rifle accuracy. That TC is my single most accurate .22 caliber handgun, but the Ruger ain't real far behind it.

But, to get 7-8" groups at a full 25 yards with the little short barrel NAA with rudimentary sights that it has, just resting my hands on a bench as if shooting off a car hood or some other barricade in the field (since I can't fit a shooting bench in my pocket ), well, I thought that pretty impressive of the little gun. It'll only do that with Federal 550 round bulk pack, though, and pretty close with Auto Match. It HATES CCI stuff. Just the quirks of the gun, but these things seem to be quite ammo picky. You have to play with 'em to find the right load. Also, I had to file a bit off my front sight to bring POI up to POA with the Federal stuff.

I've heard all the scoffing possible about these little guns. Don't buy one if you don't like 'em. Me, I own 3. One thing, no one ever seems to put down the quality of the construction of 'em. They're little jewels.