likesblackpowder
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2006
- Messages
- 11
Well my .22 magnum companion C&B came in last week and it's a fine weapon. The manufacturing is very high quality, the gun has a solid, balanced feel and the cylinder action is very smooth.
My lady and I went out to one of my fav shooting spots yesterday with the Companion and the Remi to give the two guns a side by side comparison. Obviously these two guns can't be compared point for point, they are very different firearms for different purpose, but it's good to get a perspective from the spectrum they create: the remi is one of the larger C&P pistols one can buy, and the companion is one of the smallest. We tested the Remi from 25 paces and the Companion from 10.
The first round of five shots through the Companion was awesome! It sounds just like a .22 short rimfire crack with just a bit more smoke. The kick is smooth and the gun holds well during the fire thanks to the small but chunky grip. From 10 paces I put a 6" group onto the paper.
I have seen posts here and on other sites that doubt the lethality of this gun. The accuracy, speed of action, and the ragged holes it tore in the paper were pretty convincing for me. Not many would doubt the lethality of a .44 derringer at over-the-table range, and I would rather have one of these than a derringer in my vest pocket anyday.
And it fits in your vest pocket too! The gun is amazingly small. I can palm it and stand casually and it's invisble. The included inside-the-pant holster can be hidden under a T-shirt or swim trunks, with none the wiser. It works good as an outside-the-pant open carry holster as well for left-handers like me. The attached pic gives you an idea of its size next to my 58. And this is the magnum, the "long rilfe" companion is even smaller (and NAA makes an even *smaller* 22 short cartridge mini revolver).
This is not the kind of gun you pull out for indimidation purposes, but for personal defense it has great advantages: it's easy to conceal, very easy to present, it fits well in a clenched fist and so light and small you can actually forget you're wearing it (which happened to me already, something I need to practice!).
Someone posted on this board that the companion is "not safe to carry" and although they didn't elaborate I think there is some merit to that, but I feel safe with it. The hammer has a "quarter cock" that locks the hammer a eighth inch or so over the floating pin and locks the trigger. The gun can't be discharged by dropping it at that point, although without a trigger guard I suppose the hammer could be accidentally cocked back in holster and then fired more easily. Not very likely though.
The companion is particularly good for ladies. Mine loved shooting the companion even more than the Remi, which she enjoys but has terrible accuracy because the gun is too oversized for her hands and strength even with 20g loads. Her accuracy improved incredibly when she switched to the companion, she actually put a whole cylinder on the paper for the first time!
Something to watch for with such a tiny pistol, we fired it, I cleaned it (stainless cleans up in a snap) and then I reloaded it and took it over to a friends for some more test fires. It had fired reliably all day and when we took it out the second time it misfired all five cylinders! After we broke it down we found the problem, the powder had absorbed the risidual gun oil in the cylinders and turned to muck. Never a problem with the Remi cylinders which hold so much more volume of powder, the low-volume (5g) companion cylinder needs to be *dry* of any residue when you load it.
My lady and I went out to one of my fav shooting spots yesterday with the Companion and the Remi to give the two guns a side by side comparison. Obviously these two guns can't be compared point for point, they are very different firearms for different purpose, but it's good to get a perspective from the spectrum they create: the remi is one of the larger C&P pistols one can buy, and the companion is one of the smallest. We tested the Remi from 25 paces and the Companion from 10.
The first round of five shots through the Companion was awesome! It sounds just like a .22 short rimfire crack with just a bit more smoke. The kick is smooth and the gun holds well during the fire thanks to the small but chunky grip. From 10 paces I put a 6" group onto the paper.
I have seen posts here and on other sites that doubt the lethality of this gun. The accuracy, speed of action, and the ragged holes it tore in the paper were pretty convincing for me. Not many would doubt the lethality of a .44 derringer at over-the-table range, and I would rather have one of these than a derringer in my vest pocket anyday.
And it fits in your vest pocket too! The gun is amazingly small. I can palm it and stand casually and it's invisble. The included inside-the-pant holster can be hidden under a T-shirt or swim trunks, with none the wiser. It works good as an outside-the-pant open carry holster as well for left-handers like me. The attached pic gives you an idea of its size next to my 58. And this is the magnum, the "long rilfe" companion is even smaller (and NAA makes an even *smaller* 22 short cartridge mini revolver).
This is not the kind of gun you pull out for indimidation purposes, but for personal defense it has great advantages: it's easy to conceal, very easy to present, it fits well in a clenched fist and so light and small you can actually forget you're wearing it (which happened to me already, something I need to practice!).
Someone posted on this board that the companion is "not safe to carry" and although they didn't elaborate I think there is some merit to that, but I feel safe with it. The hammer has a "quarter cock" that locks the hammer a eighth inch or so over the floating pin and locks the trigger. The gun can't be discharged by dropping it at that point, although without a trigger guard I suppose the hammer could be accidentally cocked back in holster and then fired more easily. Not very likely though.
The companion is particularly good for ladies. Mine loved shooting the companion even more than the Remi, which she enjoys but has terrible accuracy because the gun is too oversized for her hands and strength even with 20g loads. Her accuracy improved incredibly when she switched to the companion, she actually put a whole cylinder on the paper for the first time!
Something to watch for with such a tiny pistol, we fired it, I cleaned it (stainless cleans up in a snap) and then I reloaded it and took it over to a friends for some more test fires. It had fired reliably all day and when we took it out the second time it misfired all five cylinders! After we broke it down we found the problem, the powder had absorbed the risidual gun oil in the cylinders and turned to muck. Never a problem with the Remi cylinders which hold so much more volume of powder, the low-volume (5g) companion cylinder needs to be *dry* of any residue when you load it.
Your Companion would fall into the same category.
