Looking for thoughts on NAA mini revolvers

[joneb]

Well this maybe an itch that doesn't need scratching, but I just got to know. I figure a micro .380 acp would be a better choice than a .22 lr/ 22mag. but I have my reasons for considering the NAA 22 revolver.
I notice NAA has a few options that I am interested in, the Sidewinder, Black widow and the Sheriff or maybe the Earl. I am in the 2-2.5" barrel length camp but I'm open for others.
I'd like to hear thoughts on these little guns, I've never owned or shot one. Thanks

 

[SterlingBullet]

They are very well made using
17-4 stainless steel
The steel has high tensile strength, hardness and excellent corrosion resistance up to high temperatures. It is t
used in gate valves, chemical processing equipment, pump shafts, gears, ball bearings, bushings, and fasteners.
I have read that the same steel is used in nuclear power plants coolant tubes/valves.

Many of my friends carry it while swimming in the ocean due to its high anti-corrosion properties. Never a problem.

Get the 22mag and get the sidewinder unless you can master keeping that cylinder on the safety notch.

They are very easy to carry, get the folding grip too, it helps controlling the pistol.

 

[PistoleroWadcutterGANG]

This is what I can tell you from selling 5 of them at the store. Very well made. Never had to return a customers for issues. Everyone I handled seemed very tight. Every owner that bought one seems happy. Would I own one? Yes. I want and Earl 22WMR/22lr and their tactical model. It's not a revolver you shoot groups with. you aren't going to get stellar results. It's a revolver designed to be employed in the "Booth" fashion. (surprise contact to vital / vulnerable points on the body). For me their mfc. quality is enough to own one. pretty little things.

 

[Alex Clayton]

I have one left we bought decades ago before they finally started putting out pocket pistols you could carry and not feel like you had a rock in there. The one I still have is the .22LR stubby. Seldom ever still actually carry it but just have never been able to bring myself to part with it. They so damn well made. I no matter how much I practice still can't hit anything with it that is not almost close enough to touch. They of course now make MUCH larger options of it that would be FAR easier to shoot but, if you are going that size seems like it would be better to just have one of the pocket auto's to me. As a last ditch, very easy to hide, get off me gun? They are very damn nice.

 

[DS-10-SPEED]

I like the Ranger II model, easier to load.

 

[Tallball]

My LGS had three used ones and he let me have one for $100 or something like that.

It's nice and well-made, but my hands are way too big for it and I can't hit anything at all.

NAA Mini 22lr

• Tallball
• Jul 9, 2021

 

[CDW4ME]

I had a NAA mini revolver years ago; I consider it sub par to a 380 LCP for self defense and a LCP 380 is a low bar.

 

[Armored farmer]

I hate it, but I'm going to say pass also. I had one, and really wanted to like it. I'm a big 22mag fan. The pistol was built like a Swiss watch....very precise. Very tiny.
Mine had a folding grip...a must.
Mine had to go back to NAA because i manhandled it too hard and broke something in the action....oh and it had very light strikes which occasionally failed to light a cartridge.

I traded mine for my LCP and like it much better for that ultra discreet carry gun.

 

[Ethan Verity]

They are neat little guns, I currently have the 22 Short, and used to also own the 22LR. The 22 Short is so small, that it can fit in my front shirt pocket. I call it my 'not so nerdy' front pocket protector.
I do carry it sometimes as a backup to my backup.



22 Short compared to a Ruger LCP.


When you get up into the magnum frame ones, they start to become too large to be fulfilling their micro pistol niche. Now this 5 shot rimfire single action is getting too near the size of a far more practical pocket 380 or 38 to still be interesting.

 

[trackskippy]

I got one in a trade a few years back and now have three of them, all 22 mag's. As was mentioned, they are very well made, and once you figure them out, good shooters with good ammo.

Accuracy with them is good, but learning how to aim them may take a little getting used to. If you have one with the Big Dot sights, aiming is pretty straightforward. If its just got a front blade, trying to figure out what to use for vertical alignment is more difficult. Best way Ive found to aim with them is, use the front blade for the horizontal alignment, and sight down the top of the receiver fo the vertical.

Grips will likely be a personal thing. All three of mine were used and all came with different grips, the PUG had a Houge rubber grip, one had a set of smooth wood on it and had a couple of others, plastic/bone grips with it.T he last had one of the large, folding grips on it.

My favorite is the Houge rubber grip. Its a little fatter than the others and much easier to hang onto. It may not be as pretty as the others, but it gives a more solid, "one finger" grip that works best. Makes getting ahold of the gun a lot easier too. The others are too thin and slippery for me.

I understand the idea behind the folding gip, but I didn't like it. Made the gun bulky, defeating the purpose of the smaller gun, and its fiddly. And anyone whos seen one knows what that thing is in your pocket.

This is one of mine with the Houge grip on it. The target was shot at around 5 yards, and as fast as I could thumb them off.

I got a couple of boxes of ammo with each gun when I got them and burned it up playing with the guns. It was a mix of a bunch of different stuff, including a box of Remington, which was the only one that had issues. Best as I can tell, their bullets are undersized and youll get keyholing.....

The ammo I settled on is the Gold Dot SB "short barrel". Accurate and no issues.

Youre going to have to decide if you think something like this is really viable for something you want to trust your life too. For me, they are still considered a toy and kind of a joke, but they easily be a deadly joke. Ive been carrying one in my back pocket for a couple of years now basically just as that, a "Noisy Cricket" joke amongst friends. At best, it would be a third or fourth line gun if I were to categorize it.

 

[usaral63]

Carried my .22 lr version for way over twenty years while a LEO......front shirt pocket in a cigarette pack. Last ditch survival piece..............read the onion fields and you'll know why!

Top quality firearm but it does require practice to acquire the dexterity to effectively handle..............that said, it is certainly no 'toy' and can have a very real application...............I also share in the belief that the Mag. version is just a tad too oversize for really deep concealment........but, if that's what floats your boat go for it...............

I ought to add that while some disparage that small caliber for defensive use that I actually finished off a small buck with mine.............friend's son had knocked it down but only stunned it, friend was holding it down and yelling for help and I put the NAA behind it's left ear..........all she wrote, and that is the sort of defensive mode it fits, close and personal.

 

[Alex Clayton]

I like the Ranger II model, easier to load.

View attachment 1229314

View attachment 1229315

That is sweet. Had not paid any attention for a long time at what they were doing now. I like that! Like that a LOT!

 

[Walkalong]

Has more miles on it than the space shuttle. .22 Mag.

 

[jmorris]

I figure a micro .380 acp would be a better choice than a .22 lr/ 22mag. but I have my reasons for considering the NAA 22 revolver.

It more than likely would be a much better choice but what are your reasons?

They don't even have to be good ones. I have one just because you can't have one of everything without one.

They are well machined with crisp edges that enjoy the taste of thumb, the hammer spur is correctly named, once it gets into your pocket and "accuracy" is not a word I believe is descriptive of them, they shoot patterns vs groups but for a "for looking at" gun they are pretty neat.

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

They are very well made using
17-4 stainless steel
The steel has high tensile strength, hardness and excellent corrosion resistance up to high temperatures. It is t
used in gate valves, chemical processing equipment, pump shafts, gears, ball bearings, bushings, and fasteners.
I have read that the same steel is used in nuclear power plants coolant tubes/valves.

Many of my friends carry it while swimming in the ocean due to its high anti-corrosion properties. Never a problem.

Get the 22mag and get the sidewinder unless you can master keeping that cylinder on the safety notch.

They are very easy to carry, get the folding grip too, it helps controlling the pistol.

I'm not saying I disbelieve this anecdote, but I would be very suspicious of rimfire ammunition which had been submerged for any length of time. It's possible to seal a rimfire cartridge as well or even better than a centerfire one, but they sure don't leave the factory waterproof.

 

[jmorris]

With as many pairs of sunglasses I have lost in the ocean, I bet it's not that big of a problem.

 

[jstert]

my deep ccw is a naa bugout1 22lr. i replaced the stock rubber grips with ones by cv revision, a must-do imho. it fits in a dollar store pocket case. i tried a black widow 22wmr but the flashbang was way too bothersome for accuracy and meaningful result. i have honestly put 500ish rounds through my bugout. it is no tactical piece but, truly excellent in its intended close-up, back-up role, it is a very reassuring piece anyplace without a sworn badge or criminal statute prohibition at the entry.

 

[joneb]

but what are your reasons?

They don't even have to be good ones

For when everything else is to big and because I think they are cute

 

[joneb]

Thanks folks for all the input. I think the top brake is very cool but I'm leaning towards this https://www.northamericanarms.com/shop/naa-bwc/ or https://www.northamericanarms.com/shop/naa-1860-250c/
I wish the Sheriff had a half moon front sight.

 

[GEM]

I got some. I don't see the bigger ones with a longer barrel or big grips as I seen them a small BUG. If you start getting bigger ones to make them shootable and it's a pocket gun, there are better choice.

I could be reasonable accurate with the slip on rubbers grip on a 1 5/8 22 LR, out to 5 yards are so. Rounds tend to key hole. The 22 mag is very, very loud and flashy.
With the 22 S gun, so cute, it is an up your nose BUG, couldn't hit much.

So I'd buy one for grins (like the 22S) and as a BUG and thus not the bigger ones.

 

[Eutycus]

Saw a gun shop owner carry one on a chain around his neck. It did not look all that comfortable. How much do some of the 22 mags. weigh loaded?

 

[trackskippy]

The Mini in my pocket weighs 7 oz loaded. For comparison, my 32 Seecamp weighs 13. Ive carried it around my neck a time or two in this.....

Its not bad over a long day if you wear something like a heavy-weight tee with a collar under the chain, otherwise you probably want one of the padded sleeves that goes on the chain. It does tend to get old with the bare chain on bare skin.

Never carried a Mini that way, but I cant imagine it being a problem, even with just the chain.

 

[joneb]

How much do some of the 22 mags. weigh loaded?

5 rounds of 40gr 22 mag will weigh less than 3/4 of an once.

 

[MIKR410]

I wasn't particularly interested in NAA products until I saw these grips from Hamre. The pics are from their website. If they work with the Ranger model I would be very tempted to try that combination out as a deep conceal pistol.

I already have the Hamre Charter Arms grips and can vouch for that grip model's quality at least.

NAA Mini 22 Magnum: Mini Hook - Hamre Forge Inc

NAA - North American Arms - Mini Revolver 22 Magnum Grips that add and enable a comfortable hold, with the option to add a common knife clip for hooking onto things like pockets or belts.

hamreforge.com

 

[jmorris]

For when everything else is to big and because I think they are cutein

They are nicely done, especially for the money. When I carry the tiny one's I say it's when, "I can't carry a real gun."