Simak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2017
- Messages
- 22
I wanted to post a short review of the NAA Companion in 22LR configuration.
The Companion uses 29 grain lead bullets and comes with a handheld press. The cylinder has a step in it, so you can only load the quantity of BP or substitute with the accompanying Lee powder measure (0.17).
The cylinder timing is excellent and locks up tightly. The wood grips, however, is the weak point, which I will touch on later. Before I tested the Companion out, I decided to break out with a fine diamond file followed by emery paper to remove the sharp edges on the frame, which were quite noticeable.
I started out with some Goex 3F followed by some Pyrodex FFFG, and the velocity with these powders was nothing to write home about. In a nutshell, firing into a 1/2" plywood plank at ten feet would dent it about a quarter of an inch with a resulting bullet ricochet off the plywood.
I decided to step it up a bit and ground some Triple Seven FFFG with a mortar and pestle into a makeshift 4F powder. I used the same 0.17 powder measure filling each cylinder up to the step where the bullet seats. I then sealed the bullets in a mixture of beeswax and olive oil.
The T7 was definitely the ticket and punched clean through the 1/2" plywood and lodged another quarter of an inch into a pine plank. Interestingly, there was little smoke with the ground up T7 and a nice bang. The Remington #10 caps fit snugly on the nipples providing an excellent moisture seal. These caps seem to work the best in the Companion and I prefer them over the Remington #11s, which are recommended by NAA. 50 shots and no misfires or cap jams!
The major negative with the Companion is the wood grips. Instead of using a nut sleeve that is the thickness of the grip, it is thin and doesn't utilize the full thickness of the grip to burrow into. I've already noticed the grip screw no longer tightens or loosens, because the thin nut is spinning freely and has minimal wood to bite into.
Considering how diminutive the grip size is, this is not a small point and better grips should be installed at the factory. I also noticed, the part of the grip that extends into the frame is not sized properly and is too small, resulting in loose side to side play.
Other than that, the NAA Companion packs a decent wallop when using T7 FFFG ground into fine powder. It burns fast and leaves little smoke. By comparison, Goex and Pyrodex are just not happening, unless you like ricocheting bullets.
So, there you have it folks
The Companion uses 29 grain lead bullets and comes with a handheld press. The cylinder has a step in it, so you can only load the quantity of BP or substitute with the accompanying Lee powder measure (0.17).
The cylinder timing is excellent and locks up tightly. The wood grips, however, is the weak point, which I will touch on later. Before I tested the Companion out, I decided to break out with a fine diamond file followed by emery paper to remove the sharp edges on the frame, which were quite noticeable.
I started out with some Goex 3F followed by some Pyrodex FFFG, and the velocity with these powders was nothing to write home about. In a nutshell, firing into a 1/2" plywood plank at ten feet would dent it about a quarter of an inch with a resulting bullet ricochet off the plywood.
I decided to step it up a bit and ground some Triple Seven FFFG with a mortar and pestle into a makeshift 4F powder. I used the same 0.17 powder measure filling each cylinder up to the step where the bullet seats. I then sealed the bullets in a mixture of beeswax and olive oil.
The T7 was definitely the ticket and punched clean through the 1/2" plywood and lodged another quarter of an inch into a pine plank. Interestingly, there was little smoke with the ground up T7 and a nice bang. The Remington #10 caps fit snugly on the nipples providing an excellent moisture seal. These caps seem to work the best in the Companion and I prefer them over the Remington #11s, which are recommended by NAA. 50 shots and no misfires or cap jams!
The major negative with the Companion is the wood grips. Instead of using a nut sleeve that is the thickness of the grip, it is thin and doesn't utilize the full thickness of the grip to burrow into. I've already noticed the grip screw no longer tightens or loosens, because the thin nut is spinning freely and has minimal wood to bite into.
Considering how diminutive the grip size is, this is not a small point and better grips should be installed at the factory. I also noticed, the part of the grip that extends into the frame is not sized properly and is too small, resulting in loose side to side play.
Other than that, the NAA Companion packs a decent wallop when using T7 FFFG ground into fine powder. It burns fast and leaves little smoke. By comparison, Goex and Pyrodex are just not happening, unless you like ricocheting bullets.
So, there you have it folks
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