NAA Guardian

[Bunny921]

I'm looking into getting a NAA Guardian, and i was wondering if someone could help me out on some information on it. Is .32 ACP or .380 ACP better? Stuff like that. I just want to know as much about it before I make a decision. Thank you!

 

[Dan Forrester]

Pros: The fit, finish, and overall quality is superb. Excellent reliability. Just ran another box of 50 through mine today. No problems what so ever.

Cons: The trigger is truly terrible, and I’m not one to complain about crappy triggers. However for its intended purpose it’s adequate. The sights are about as useless as I can possible imagine. It’s also very heavy.

.380 is a bigger cartridge, and also inherently more reliable, regardless of the launching platforms design.

Let me know if you want any specific questions answered.

BTW: Always carry ball ammo.

Dan

 

[Alan Fud]

The trigger on mine is okay. It's a bit on the heavy side but better than what's on a PPK/S.

The .380 is a much more effective caliber than the .32ACP by about 50%.

The .32ACP is much easier to conceal. Half an inch here and half an inch there may not seem like much but it does add up. If I was going to carry the .380, I would give serious consideration to a J-frame in either .38 or .357magnum.

I would not feel comfortable with either .32 or .380 as my primary CCW unless I couldn't effectively conceal a larger caliber. Even with dress pants, tucked in shirt and no jacket, I can still effectively conceal a J-frame.

... .32ACP pictured above -- .380 about half a inch longer and half an inch taller

 

[Third_Rail]

For anyone that might know, how would an NAA Guardian rank up in size against the .380 Kel-Tec? I've never seen a comparison picture.

 

[kokapelli]

I had a 32 cal guardian that was so punishing to shoot, I traded it for a KelTec P-32 which is thiner, has a much better trigger and weighs much less than the guardian.

The Keltec also has a locked breach tilt barrel action that makes it a much more comfortable pistol to shoot than the blowback action of the NAA.

I now have two P-3ATs that are essentially the same size and weight as the P-32.

IMO the P-3AT is superior to any other pistol available in this combination of size, weight and power.

Buy a KelTec P-3AT!

 

[George Hill]

Hmmm... well... the P3AT has a rep for not being reliable some times.
The Guardian, especially in the .32NAA caliber is very reliable. With a better fit and finish too.
Which one is better? It's a matter of personal opinion.

 

[kokapelli]

"Hmmm... well... the P3AT has a rep for not being reliable some times.
The Guardian, especially in the .32NAA caliber is very reliable. With a better fit and finish too.
Which one is better? It's a matter of personal opinion."

George, do you have any experiance with the P-3AT and if so, how do you feel about it's shootability compared to an NAA in 380 or 32 cal? I find the KelTec much easier to shoot accurately and faster than the NAA.

As for fit and finish, I will admit the NAA is prettier! The KT has a plastic lower end with an aluminium frame inside and a steele slide, while the NAA is all metal. Pistols that are part plastic, like the glock for example, usually have gaps between the plastic sections and the slide that look like poor fit. A good example of this is the glock and as demonstrated by glock's reliability, has no effect on performance or reliability.


My NAA Guardian was not 100%! I had failures to feed and failures to eject from it, even after it was well broken in!

If you visit the KT owners ng you will note that some Keltecs did have some initial problems, but after being corrected they are absolutely reliable.

I use one of my P-3ATs for practice and it now has just passed 1600 rounds with the only problems occuring when I used Wolf ammo.

My other P-3AT had the assembly pin problem when it was new. KT corrected the problem and I have since fired 600 rounds of mostly PMC fmj and 150 rounds of gold dot without any problems of any kind.

 

[azrael]

ahhh something that I can weigh in on....

Naa .32acp is a fine weapon...I have one and have been known to shoot it...Trigger is a bit ruff, as has been stated, but isnt awful unless you are going for X count on the range..

Naa .380 is also a fine weapon...I do not own a "firing model" but the "pattern" I have is nice...The customer's pistola that I handled and fired at the range was nice...but it is a bit chunky for me<~~WEIGHT!!

KT 32 acp...I have 2 of them and I am not selling<~~~nuff said

KT P3AT....see above^


The NAa is a bit more refined...The KT is more "pedestrian"...the best way to judge would be to handle and fire both..


I carry my kt in a sock!

 

[E36M3]

The Kel-Tec .32's and .380's are suprisingly great shooters. Really a pleasure. The designs are outstanding.
I went into my friendly local shop leaning towards a P-3AT until I saw a .32 Guardian with Gutter Snipe Sites and a very smooth trigger job. Not sure who did the trigger, but the choice was clear.
Went with the Guardian and didn't look back. My Hedley Front Pocket holster's on the way.
Shooting it is slightly painful to the trigger finger, but pales in comparison to what happens to the target. I'm getting the better end of the deal. For comfortable shooting I turn to my CZ PCR and RRA 1911.
The .32 Guardian (vs. the .380) is a better fit for the pocket. The .380 is a little on the heavier side. The Kel-Tecs do carry better, but don't carry a pride of ownership, IMHO. The Guardian does. Instilling a higher level of confidence, whether real or imagined, is another benefit.
Can't go wrong, really, either way.

 

[kokapelli]

The NAa is a bit more refined...The KT is more "pedestrian"

JMO, but I think that is backwards!
IMO the KT is the more refined pistol because it is a locked breach action while the NAA is a blowback action that produces more felt recoil and is painfull to shoot and to the trigger finger.

The NAA weighs almost 19 oz vs 7-1/2 oz for the KT.

The NAA is almost 1 inch thick vs 3/4 inch for the KT

NAA trigger pull is almost twice as heavy as the KT!

The NAA cost almost twice as much as the KT.

The way I see it_
the only thing the NAA has over the KT is when you pull it out the BG may say, "gee what a nice looking pistol you have".

 

[Drjones]

Bunny:

You simply must look at the Seecamp before you make a decision.

The Seecamp is, IMO, significantly lighter and smaller than the NAA. Remember, with carry guns, pocket guns in particular, every ounce and millimeter matters.

The Seecamp is generally considered to be the all-around better gun; better fit and finish, more reliable, smaller and lighter, etc.

As far as caliber, there was a thread on .32 vs. .380 recently: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=93044

The consensus was that the difference is marginal at best.

Someone on GT is selling both a .380 and .32 Seecamp, both NIB. Pretty good prices too, especially considering that .380 Seecamp is as common as chicken's teeth.

One other potentially major difference between the NAA & Seecamp is the mag release position; the NAA has the traditional button, same as other autos, the Seecamp has its release on the butt.

This could be a big issue because some have reported that mags accidentally get ejected on pocket guns with the traditional button release.

This is pretty much a non-issue on the Seecamp with its release.

How common this problem is, I'm not sure, but it definitely warrants further research.

I'll close by saying that I have a Seecamp and am thrilled with it. I handled a NAA first, and after doing so, was very glad I had the option of getting a Seecamp.

Don't get me wrong; the NAA is a fine little pocket rocket, but the Seecamp is just better.

 

[George Hill]

I've fired about 20 rounds through a P3AT, and I had no problems...
KT is sending me one for review for CCMag and I'll be pumping about 600 rounds through it and treating it like an unwelcome cousin.

 

[kokapelli]

George, I wiil be very interested to see what you think about the P-3AT after extensive use. I have read some of your reviews and thought they were unbiased and well done.

 

[kokapelli]

I think the seecamp and Naa are good guns, but if anyone thinks they are offering a better product and better customer service than Keltec, just take a look at the information at__
This link!

How many pistols does Keltec make?
Look Here!