NAA Companion Experiences

[DeadEye9]

Hey guys, new to the forum here. I've been a reader for some time and an avid shooter/CCW holder for over a decade but this is my first day joining. I'm mostly into centerfire but the last year or so I've gotten into BP revolvers. I have a few Pietta/Uberti repro guns, but honestly my favorites so far have been these little NAA minis. I have the .22lr and .22 mag version and will be ordering a 4" Earl this week. I love these little things and they're very well made. A lot of people say you can't hit anything with them, but to that I say user error/poor technique. I reliably hit 12oz Soda cans at 10-15 yards with a single shot. I think that is more than adequate for what it is. I've also been experimenting with smokeless with good results. Triple7 3F is decent, and with a max charge of around 5gr I'm seeing almost 900fps or a hair over that with the 30gr conicals from NAA. With smokeless though I'm blowing .22lr and even most .22 Mag out of the water, with an average of 1183fps with 2gr Unique. That's respectable in my book for a 1 1/8" barrel. Anyway, just wanted to share some of my experiences. Anyone else a fan of these little minis?

 

[noelf2]

I picked up a super companion a couple weeks ago at a gun show. Haven't had an opportunity to shoot it yet, but I don't think I want to push it hard with smokeless.

 

[DeadEye9]

Some do, some don't. As long as you don't exceed the overall pressure level it was designed for though you will be fine. I was skeptical at first myself until I actually Researched the numbers. With the powders that im using in the charge weights I'm using it isn't making any more pressure than NAA tells me it will handle. My main reason for wanting to use smokeless is that I shoot them very often and cleanup with black is a pain. Also sometimes I shoot them indoors and the smoke from black is very dramatic lol. The accuracy/velocity increase from smokeless is just a bonus side effect. If you want a good load with fairly minimal cleanup without using smokeless though just use Triple 7 3F. It isn't quite as accurate or fast as smokeless but the blast/recoil is the same so it's still a fun little barker, and cleanup can be done with just warm water or alcohol. Regular 3F/4F Goex black powder works well in these also, but it makes a nasty mess after just shooting a couple cylinders worth. Pyrodex P is decent as well, but for the price being the same as Triple7 I would say 7 is a better product overall. I wouldn't recommend Pyrodex RS though, the charges just end up being too minimal with that product in my experience and accuracy is horrid because the drop is so bad from lack of velocity. Also a last little tidbit I've learned, CCI #11 primers don't fit as snug as Remington #11's so if possible use the Remington's. They fit perfectly tight on the nipples and when fired peel ever so slightly into the little slot and lock themselves in place every time untill YOU remove them so as not to jam the cylinder. CCI caps only peel perfectly like this for me about 75% of the time as they fit a bit more loosely.
Have fun!

 

[BHP FAN]

I have two of the Super Companions, with two spare cylinders. Fun guns.

 

[4v50 Gary]

No personal experience but a classmate left school to work for one semester assembling them.

 

[DeadEye9]

That's probably a cool work experience. I've only ever had a few products from NAA but they all feel like quality in my experience. Just had some Black Powder fun today for Thanksgiving and had a few of my Nieces and Nephews from 9-14 enjoying the little mini revolvers out in the yard. They had a blast and since I chose to use a true black load this time they got a big puff of smelly smoke every time they shot which they got a kick out of. Also broke in this new .22LR quick conversion for my ARs that worked surprisingly well. You simply remove the 5.56 mag, insert a .22lr mag, remove your 5.56 BCG, swap it for the .22lr BCG and your ready to go. Had a few bobbles with standard velocity stuff but zero issues with Mini Mags or Federal 40gr high velocity. Thinking about biting the bullet on a 5.7mm upper next. I don't really "need" one, I just think they're cool because the mag well on your lower becomes the ejection port and the upper uses standard P90/PS90 50rd Mags mounted up top. Man it's so easy to spend money on these toys haha. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[robhof]

I've got the Super Companion and a spare cylinder as well as the Blackhills conversion cylinder with button firing pins, that allows you to fire 22Lr's in the Super. Works great and I've also tried the 2gr of Unique, the guns are made from the same metal and thickness as the regular NAA 22's, so the only problem is blowback, but it hasn't blown up any of the caps yet.

 

[DeadEye9]

I haven't gotten any issues with caps blowing off either. In fact I really like the design, because with nice snug fitting caps like Remington 11's it actually just peels part of the cap skirt into the little slot on the side of the cylinder and locks the spent cap in place. Very cool. Wasn't aware Black Hills made a .22LR cylinder for them, how much does that setup run? I wouldn't mind getting one for my Companion to play with. I have a few cartridge conversion cylinders for my .44 and .36 cal BP revolvers and they have worked well over the years.

 

[midland man]

well I own a 22 mag version c&b super companion model and I love it its fun to shoot! I just bought a hornady g2 1500 powder scale so next I look forward to tryin smokless powder! I wonder if theres a load using greendot as I have a bunch of that to use? I use goex 4f bp in mine and I just use hot soapy water to clean mine with compressed air to blow it out! plus I just lawayed the 22lr version in c&b the companion model so it'll be soon coming home! so I would like to hear what charges loads you guys are using if I may ask?? plus deadeye9 where are you getting your earl from as I want to own all three models!

 

[robhof]

The conversion I got from Gunbroker, for $150, shipped, they say used, but I think that's a means of not paying dealer fees. They're apparently, machining NAA 22 mag B/P cylinders and adding firing pin buttons, mine worked fine and was easy shooting. I did add the Black Widow style grips to mine, as I was having trouble holding on to the tiny factory grips. I've also seen them on Ebay, but they add shipping and some are buy it now or bid and some bids get well past the $150.

 

[midland man]

got the companion in today it's super cute fired one shot after dark wow what a blaze of fire lol tomorrow looking to go play with it as the wife wants to shoot it too!!