NAA Mini revolvers redux

[gndboy]

Glad I found this website. The wife and I have been shooting these fine little guns since the mid '90's. I just got a laser sight for the 1-5/8" barrel Mag. Should be fun sighting it at the range. The NAA's are perfect for my low-stress preference. We own three: two as described above, plus a Mini Master, all in .22 WMR. What's not to like? We also have a Rossi .38 Spl snubby and a NEF single-shot in 12 GA. We like to shoot black powder revolver repros, but it's been a while since the Navy was moving us around. Looking forward to getting the black powder thing happening again. I recently put the oversize rosewood grips on one of the 1-5/8" Mini's - very nice, if a bit larger. My best to all here.

 

[BCRider]

Welcome to THR!

Sounds like you're the sort that shoots guns for fun and relaxation moreso than for protection. If you like the black powder stuff be sure to check out that forum and post pics of your guns. The BP fellows are a really friendly bunch.

 

[wnycollector]

gndboy welcome to THR.

I love my NAA .22 mag. It is always in my right front pocket in a grandfather oak kydex holster. I strap on a bigger gun when I hike or canoe out in the boonies or when on those rare occasions I must visit one of the "finer" parts of my fair city. 99% of the time I'm in a very, very low risk environment and the little 5 shot .22 mag in my pocket is both comforting AND comfortable.

 

[Nushif]

I really should pick one up for my wife sometime. She's been dropping hints an awful lot.
This is kinda how it goes when she gets her hands on one of them at the range...

*loadloadload*
Click - Bang
"Hurrhurr"
Click - Bang
"Hehehehehehe"
Click - Bang
"Hihihihi"
Click - Bang
Hurrhurrhurr"
Click - Bang
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Click - Bang
"Bwahahahaha!"
Click - Click
"Awwww!"
*loadloadload*

... rinse and repeat.

I swear, the more she shoots it the stupider and more entertained her laugh gets. It goes kind of from a low amusement to constachuckle after every shot.

So yeah. I can definitely appreciate the beauty of these little guns. They're cheap, the ammo is cheap and plentiful, they look good and they elicit snickers and grins.
I think it's the only gun I could buy her as a surprise... mainly because I know she'd love it.

 

[BCRider]

I run around and show my NAA "The Earl" to all the girls at the range. They all think it's cute and then ask why I want such a small gun. I just smile and say "It's fun to shoot and it shows that I don't need to "compensate" for anything" They all smile or laugh but so far as a pickup line it's failed miserably...

 

[breacher]

I've had one with the 1 5/8 barrel for a couple years now. For some reason it goes click- nothing about once every 5 or 10 rds with the magnum cylinder. The 22 LR cylinder seems to be fine though. Anyone else have reliability issues or light strikes with their mini?

 

[BCRider]

It's been good so far with all the rounds I've tried including shot loads that someone gave me. And I even slightly reduced the power of the mainspring to make the trigger pull a little lighter (including stoning the hooks a touch to reduce the creep). It still fires everything just fine.

SPEED of the hammer fall is more important than actual force behind it. If your gun isn't setting off the magnums correctly and you're seeing a crimp in the rims I'd say that there's two possible issues. First is that the hammer is gummed up with a "grease" of oil and fouling. Clean and oil it lightly and you'll likely find it's well again. The other is that the cases are not seating fullly so that the rims are properly supported by the cylinder. If the firing pin can't correctly crush the rim you won't get good results. Perhaps clean and check the cylinder to ensure that the rims are able to seat fully in the recesses. Oh, one other thing. Check for end float in the cylinder. If for some reason your Magnum cylinder has more than just a slight movement then the magnum cylinder may be able to float too far and so again the firing pin can't get a good crush on the rims.

 

[REAPER4206969]

My mini-revolver is amongst my favorite firearms. Unbelievable quality.

 

[murf]

breacher,

pop out the cylinder and check out the cartridge rim recesses on the back of the cylinder. there may be burrs on the cutout for the firing pin. you may need a magnifying glass to see them. my cylinder had several burrs and i believe this is what was binding up my cylinder by keeping the cartridge from seating fully into the chamber. i filed off the burrs and fixed the problem. fwiw

murf

 

[breacher]

thanks for the tips and diagnosis, I'll check it out tonight. so if the rounds aren't fully seated all the way forward when struck by the hammer they will tend to absorb the hammer blow by moving forward at that time thereby causing a light strike? I am seeing light indentations on the cartridge rim on the misfires.

the little revolver does not appear dirty or gummed up as it has never been shot very much. I just remembered I had a larger Mini-master for a couple months many years ago and it had similar light strikes as well.

I like tinkering and kitchen table gunsmithing but I think I read a post somewhere about disassembling the NAA's is a real bad idea. very tough to put back together and a odds are you'll wind up mailing NAA a box of parts to reassemble for you. I'd like a better trigger on the mini but not enough to risk that scenario.

the little guy doesn't see much use these days except when the wife puts it in the NAA IWB leather holster and tucks it in her shorts or sweats before going for a jog in the desert nearby. it's the only thing small and light enough that she'll carry while running.

 

[lloveless]

I have had a NAA .22 lr with the 1 5/8 inch barrel for 10 plus years. It is a last ditch gun as accuracy wise ya can't hit the side of a barn at 10 feet. It is a screw in someones ear and pull the trigger if ya want to hit them. I'll never buy another.
ll

 

[G27RR]

NAA Pug, .22 magnum - about six inch groups are easy at 7 yards, without practice. The Big Dot sight helps a lot, as does the rubber grip.

 

[BCRider]

Breacher, that is exactly the trouble if the rounds don't seat. The other is the end float that doesn't hold the rims in place to achieve a solid hit.

The cartridges not going in far enough should be pretty easy to see. Slide some into the cylinder and see if any are sitting up a hair more than the others. If so can you push them in with a firm finger press? If they seat more fully from such pressure then you likely found your trouble.

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

I love my Black Widow and the LR cylinder has allowed me to practice cheaply and frequently. They make fine belly guns but are actually capable of excellent accuracy at longer distances. It just takes some practice.

If anyone is having problems, I would just contact NAA. They are good on the support end and can usually get it fixed and returned to you quickly.