NAA Mini Revolver or Charter Arms Dixie Derringer

[m_kirk2001]

Which is a better firearm, the North American Arms Mini Revolver (www.naaminis.com) or the Charter Arms Dixie Derringer (www.charterfirearms.com)? I am not talking about whether or not I want to take one into a thermo-nuclear gunfight, just wondering which one is a better piece with a better company standing behind it.

 

[chuckusaret]

I don't like either, I have a Bond Snake Slayer .45/.410.

 

[Vonderek]

Charter has been in and out of business over the years under different names. I had a revolver under the Charco brand which was a POS that the factory couldn't correct. I realize that Charter is a newer entity but once bitten...

NAA seems like a more solid company to me. I did have to send back a Guardian for ramp work which was corrected promptly along with some extra mags thrown in for the trouble.

I own a NAA mini-revolver which has been trouble free for 15 years and personally would not buy the Charter. I'm sure others will jump in to disagree.

 

[TheProf]

Out of the two you mentioned, get the .22 mini from NAA (you get 5 rounds). But a .22 is not really cut out for serious defense work. Yes, its lethal, but it does not do it quickly. And the whole point is to stop the bad guy quickly. The .22 is enough to get you in trouble, but not enough to get you out of it.

However, if you are looking for a truly lightweight carry gun, try the Ruger LCP (.380 caliber) . It is pretty much concealable in anything you wear. Carry two spare mags...and now you have 19 rounds (3 x 6, + 1 in the chamber) to defend yourself with.

Why not carry both? (NAA .22mag and the LCP)

And while you are at it, why not add the Kahr PM9 (9mm...6+1 rounds) and carry a spare 7 round clip).

Carry the PM9 IWB, the LCP in right front pocket and mini in the left front pocket.

I like the .22 mini mag (not .22lr). It has its place in your defensive arsenal...as a 2nd back-up gun.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Personally, I'd go NAA. Their product quality is very good, as is their customer service.

If you are going to go revolver, go 22Mag, not 22LR. 22Mag is a really nasty little round that doesn't get it's due out there in the SD world. I have an NAA Black Widow that I use as my daily carry.

Would I rather carry my Glock 26? Maybe ... but here in tshirt and shorts country (South Carolina) I can actually -carry- the BW in the front pocket of anything I wear comfortably.

Want 10 rounds like the G26? Get two Black Widows (ie, NY reload)! Still costs less than the one Glock.

 

[jackstinson]

And while you are at it, why not add the Kahr PM9 (9mm...6+1 rounds) and carry a spare 7 round clip).

And while your at it, why not strap a Barrett on your back? That doesn't answer the question either.
It amazes me when someone asks a simple; "A or B?" and gets a ton of the replies; "C, D, E, etc".
Of the two guns asked about; I think the NAA is a better product, with NAA being very good at standing behind their product.
I have one...and yes, I have Kel-Tecs in .32 and .380 (the original LCP)...and dozens of others.
I might add that shooting a mini-revolver with the standard grips is interesting. The first shot isn't too hard, but quick follow-ups are more difficult. Recoil tends to rotate the little gun up and out of your thumb/finger grip. Unless you get the oversize grips...which sort of defeat the purpose of the mini-revolver.

I like the .22 mini mag (not .22lr).

I am confused....the "Mini-Mag" by CCI is a ".22 LR". The CCI "Maxi-Mag" is their .22 Magnum round.
Or did this mean; "mini-revolver chambered in .22 magnum"?
For a standard .22LR mini-revolver, Aquila SuperMaximums or Remington Yellow Jackets (good, albeit dirty) are pretty hot from the little 1 1/8" barrel. NAA has some interesting test specs on their website.... http://www.naaminis.com/naaveloc.html

 

[Towboater]

Have to go with the NAA in 22mag, carry one always. Usually as a back up, but sometimes as main. It is a get the hell off me gun at best , but I have no doubt it will do the job just fine. Oh and I have both btw but the NAA is the one in my pocket 99% of the time

 

[Speedo66]

I own a NAA mini and like it, never any trouble.

Not familiar with that particular Charter Arms, other than it appears to be a complete ripoff of the NAA revolver, but based on another Charter Arms gun I'd never buy one of their products.

 

[B yond]

Ditto the 'have it and love it' for the NAA 22mag minirevolver. These things are both beautiful and fun to shoot.

I'm not going to say it's perfect, but I will give you a detailed breakdown of its plusses and minuses (IMHO).

First, the negatives:
-it's single action (read: slower to get off a follow up shot unless you 'fan' the hammer like a cowboy)
-the 1 1/8" barrel model is only capable of broadside-of-barn accuracy at long distances, minute-of-bad-guy accuracy at closer ranges
-sights usually need some tweaking to be useful (unless you like shooting low)
-the .22 magnum is not the best self-defense cartridge
-muzzle flash might blind you in the dark
-muzzle flash might set particularly flammable bystanders ablaze
-depending on your hands and grip, it may be tough to hold on to
-if you take it to a public range people will be bothering you the whole time you're there asking if they can shoot it.

The positives:
-this is the most concealable handgun that I'm currently aware of. If you have the right carry methods, you can take this thing practically anywhere.
-the safety notch in the cylinder prevents the hammer from resting over a live round, greatly improving safety and preventing accidental discharge should the gun be dropped on the hammer.
-it is LOUD! If you take this thing to a public range people will be amazed at the amount of noise this tiny gun makes. If yo start shooting at someone and they don't see the gun, they'll think you're firing a cannon at them.
-if you put it in a coat pocket you can have you hand on it, thumb on the hammer, pointed at a potential target and ready to fire at a moments notice without anyone knowing.
-if you were to fire it from within a pocket as mentioned above, you could cock the hammer and fire again, where a semi-auto would most likely not cycle.
-while it isn't the best round for SD, not many people want to get shot with it.
-CCI makes a .22mag HP with a very deep cavity (TNT), which would hopefully expand leaving a larger-than-.22" wound channel.
-Load it up with snake shot and it makes a decent snake gun for hiking/fishing/camping
-most importantly, it's so easy to take along that you'll carry it with you more often than you would most other guns.