NAA 22 mini revolver's safety notches not so safe

[psyprofessor]

In an earlier post, i recall reading about someone with this revolver surprised to find that the hammer of their gun resting on a live cartridge. (This single action revolver is equipped with safety notches between each cartridge cylinder. The hammer is supposed to safely rest on them so that the gun can be carried with all five cylinders loaded.) This person had placed the hammer on the safety notch...but perhaps in handling the gun, the hammer was inadvertently moved...allowing the cylinder to rotate to the live round chamber.

I investigated this incident with my own NAA 22 mag to see how easily this could happen. Lo...to my surprise...it is very easy to do. The hammer..if moved by just a millimeter (which is not hard to do) does in fact allow the cylinder to move from the safety notch position to a live round position.

On the other hand, if the hammer is placed over an empty cylinder, this does not happen. Even if the hammer is moved (prior to reaching the half-cocked position)...the cylinder does NOT move. Only when one breaks past the half-cocked position does the cylinder start moving.

So.. my question is... apart from having one less live round..... is there any safety concern if the hammer is placed on an empty chamber???
Is this not better than placing the hammer on the safety notch? (Again...having one less round is not a concern for me... the gun's purpose is to by me time to draw my main gun....)

Does anyone notice the same thing?

 

[dogrunner]

I dunno, PP. I have carried my mini for well over twenty years. Picked it up as a last ditch defensive 'save my butt' piece as a LEO (remember Wambaugh's "Onion Fields"?).

I have NEVER carried that gun in a pocket holster(did resort to hiding it in a cigarette pack once tho) and other than for the soft rubber NAA grips it is pure stock. I have carried it in both my uniform shirt pocket, my trousers side pocket and even in an oversized watch pocket in my jeans..

With all that time and use I have NEVER had the gun slip from it's safety notch, and I always carry it fully stoked. I have engaged in rolling on the ground fights and still had it maintain its safe position. I have heard the circumstance you describe stated by others but for the life of me I just can't imagine how it could happen if the mechanism is tight, the notches crisp, and the mainspring of normal strength.

Don't know about others, but I intend to keep on packin' mine as I always have.

Fact is, the only AD/ND injury I personally know of involved a fool that shot himself in the buttock when trying to HOLSTER his.....Claimed the design was defective and NAA gave him some hush money after he filed suit. I was asked to testify as to the LE usefulness of the weapon on their behalf and fully intended doing so but they elected the most viable economic out I guess. Dollar to a doughnut, he had the hammer on a live one and.......!

As a post script, I'd suggest you send that gun back to NAA and tell 'em what it's doing. I'll buy you that doughnut if it does it when it comes back. By the way, just checked mine and it WILL NOT rotate when in that safety notch.....your's is broke!

 

[HammerBite]

Deleted. I misread the original post.

 

[doc540]

pocket carried one for over ten years and never had it move from the safety notch

 

[BHPshooter]

I carried mine for 3 years and never had it move off of the safety notch.

Wes

 

[plnkr1234]

Psyprofessor,

I noted this same thing and posted it a few years ago. No one seemed to care or notice at the time. I completely agree with you. I do not trust the safety notches.

When the hammer is in the safety notch, only a little pull on the hammer is required to get the cylinder to rotate. However, as you noted, when the hammer is down over an empty chamber, the hammer must be pulled much further back to get the cylinder to rotate.

When I carry, I keep the hammer over an empty chamber rather than the safety notch.

See the link to my post on this subject:

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=109115

(here's the excerpt of my post)

"November 3rd, 2004, 12:06 PM #8
plnkr1234
Senior Member


Join Date: 12-28-02
Location: East Coast
Posts: 106

Bob,

I, too, have noticed the same thing about my NAA mini that you have. The hammer does indeed rest lower over an empty chamber than over the half-cock notch. (ed. I mean safety notch)

Also, when the hammer is resting over an empty chamber and you try pulling it back slowly just enough to rotate the cylinder, more distance is required than when the hammer is resting over the half-cock notch. (ed. again, I mean safety notch)

For this reason, I feel it is safer to carry over an empty chamber than the half-cock notch (ed. once again, I mean safety notch) because there is less of a chance that the hammer may be pulled back enough for the cylinder to rotate to a loaded chamber.

This is just my opinion, though, because the half-cock is recomended by the factory.

HTH"


Best

 

[weisse52]

If they come off the notch send them back for repair....

Good words. I have also carried mine for quite a while and never had it come off the safety notch.

 

[Dr. Snubnose]

I have carried one in my pocket for more than 15 years..fully charged and never had any movement from the saftey notch position ever....Doc

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Carried mine for years also with no issues or movement.

I'm with '52, if they come off the notch that easy have it repaired/adjusted.

 

[Vonderek]

The holster I have is molded so the gun will not go into the holster unless hammer is in safety notch. Once in, it would be impossible for the cylinder to rotate off the safety notch to a live chamber while gun is in holster.