NAA .22 Mag Mini Revolver - any good?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned NAA service. In a word, it's FANTASTIC. The pistols have a lifetime warranty, regardless of the age or original ownership.

I had problems with a Black Widow I'd bought used and tried to repair myself. Shipped NAA back a box of parts with an explanation and request for a repair quote. They repaired it at no charge. I received what looked like a new pistol back from them! All I had to pay was shipping.

There are a number of manufacturers who could take few lessons from Sandy and the rest of the NAA crew.
 
Well made, very concealable little gun. Wish that they made a double action model. You can do a lot of damage with a .22, at short range, if you can rapid fire five rounds into your target. Single action takes too long for follow up shots.
 
My uncle manufactured the NAA revolvers before they were NAA, (along with the Casull .454 before Freedom Arms took over, early 70's). As a test, they secreted two of the little .22's on a police woman, one in each cup as it were, and had her challenge airport security in Salt Lake City. They didn't even find them even when told she was carrying. He claimed it was largely the quality of the steel used that made it possible. I doubt they have suffered in the interum.
 
Based on my Black Widow (thanks runt!)

Advantages:
reliable
fairly accurate (POI changes depending on how firmly the gun is held)

Disadvantages:
Loud, large muzzle flash
Complex manual of arms, required two hands and a bit of time to reload
 
Bringing this back to top.

I searched and found this and one other thread on the folding revolver subject.
Does anyone else have anything to add?
I found a LR and a Mag. at a gunstore last week and fell in love with both of them. (Or maybe I am lusting for them.)

I know alot of people think a 22 is way to small for SD, but the noise from a mag. would be enough to paralyze a bad guy at 8' away.

These things should be easy enough to conceal in most any kind of situation.

Talk me into buying one (or both) of these.

Thanks in advance.
 
Wow, this may take the prize for a resurrected thread, being from 2002. :)

Interestingly enough, there's a timely thread about NAA revolvers going on at another gun forum, too.

I've had one of the basic, shortest barreled .22LR versions for some years. It's been languishing in the safe for at least 15 years because there came a point when anything below .32 ACP was specifically prohibited for off-duty/secondary carry. I was doing so much training and shooting as a firearms instructor/armorer that I was seldom thinking of doing any shooting for "fun & leisure", so my .22's hardly ever came out of the safe. (When they did, it was either my older Ruger Standard 6", or my 4" MKII.)

Now that I'm retired, the little .22 has seen some time outside the safe and on the range ... and in my pocket, occasionally.

I've always looked at the NAA revolvers as being interesting and fun, as well as something that might be handy for a last-ditch hideout weapon in an Onion Field type situation.

Their diminutive size and single action operation does make them more difficult to manipulate and shoot, granted, but I grew up learning to shoot using single action revolvers. The ultra small size required some familiarization and practice. If my hands were any larger, it might not be as easy to use them.

A close friend of mine (another retired peace officer & firearms instructor) recently examined my .22LR version. He decided to pick one up and carry it as a 3rd retirement weapon (he commonly carries a pair of guns during his normal daily activities, having done so for a lot of years). It's basically become a "backup" to his "backup" LCP or .22 MAG kitgun.

I think there's an element of nostalgic enjoyment in owning the little NAA guns. I also think they can be a bit gimmicky (belt buckle, where legal, and the folding grip).

I tend to think of them, in the hands of a skilled and experienced revolver shooter, as probably being a better last-ditch defensive option than a "tactical pen".

They can certainly be carried unobtrusively (I use a leather pocket holster, and carry in the condition recommended by the gun maker).

I recently asked one of the cop shops where I know the folks to order one of the basic, short barreled .22 MAG versions for me. The local retail gun stores where I've seen them in the display case have them marked quite a bit above the MSRP listed on the NAA website, so I decided to have the cop shop find one for me. Oddly enough, I was told that their usual handful of distributors all reported being out-of-stock, so they had to order one for me.

Maybe there's something going around about the little NAA's, making them suddenly interesting? Dunno. I probably should've bought the one that was in the display case of the cop shop a couple years ago, but I didn't know I was going to want one.

Anyway, it's something I've decided I'd like to have, and I've spent more than enough years ordering/buying the larger common pistols and revolvers. I could carry the pistols & revolvers with which I've trained and qualified, and not have to carry the same one twice in more than a month. Now, I'd like to buy something just because it might be fun, as well as possibly practical in some limited sense.

I think Bill probably offered the most common reason for owning one ...
Everyone should own at least one-just because they are cute.

As good a reason as any. ;)
 
Yeah, that's one of the things I noticed (and remembered) when I started thinking about adding a .22 MAG to my collection.

There's quite a bit of size difference (pocketability-wise) between the LR & MAG versions, if only for the grip, and some of the longer MAG versions are fairly large, overall. The cylinder frame window adds some length, though, even with the shortest barrel. Might as well carry one of my LCP's of J-frames, perhaps, as one of the longer barreled fancy NAA models.

I sort of expect I'll probably find the MAG version (even the 1 1/8" model) to not be as small and handy as the LR version, but I've decided I want one, anyway.
 
The NAA mini revolvers started out as the tiny .22 short model. There was no way to do anything but make them bigger-and they have. And, I'm not so sure that the bigger ones are an improvement.
 
I have the NAA 22 mag mini revolver and love it. I have large hands, so the 22lr model wouldn't work for me. There's not much to hold onto even on the mag version. Even it is small enough to fit in the pocket of any of my clothes and still be comfortable.
 
By FAR the best round for my mini is the Speer gold dot. Heavy for caliber weight, good penetration and expansion from a 1 1/8th barrel. Reliability is paramount in this caliber which tends to be all over the board but with the Speer no fail. I've gone only rotating rounds no more than once a year and all go bang every time the first time. This exceeds my experiences with other brands.
 
As far as accuracy goes with mine, I can hit a pie plate at 5 yards consistently. Never tried further, or rapid fire.
 
That mini master doesn't look much smaller than my Ruger LCRx!

It is!

I bought a 4" Mini Master several years ago. Bud's had a great price at the time and had them in stock so I picked one up. Both cylinders so I can enjoy playing around with the .22 LR version.

Many years ago, I used to carry a Ruger Bearcat from the 1960's when I needed a fishing gun. Something for snakes and snapping turtles. Great little gun. To my surprise, the Mini Master can pull off the same job. Nice big sights that are easy to see.

My primary carry is a much larger and heavier gun. But sometimes you feel like a BUG. Or very occasionally I will carry it as a primary but it has to be a situation where I really need light weight and the perceived threat is nearly non-existent. I had a local guy make me a little slide on Kydex holster. It fits right into the inside pocket of my 5.11 concealment vest.

Back to size, it is obviously longer with that 4" barrel. But even loaded the weight is just nothing. The barrel is more like a large pen. It isn't a key chain gun but it will conceal very, very easily in something like a chest pocket of a vest. I wanted something that could be used as a short range utility gun as well as a BUG. And I wanted the longer barrel so that the .22 Mag ammo could really get going. Success on every count.

Some guns you buy, and you like them and you keep them... but... if that gun somehow disappeared you wouldn't automatically buy another one just like it. In the case of the Mini Master, oh yes I would. Wonderful little revolver.

Gregg
 
I've said this a few times. I have two. One is a 1 5/8" 22LR/22Mag. I replaced the wood grips with the slip on rubber ones.

It is LOUD. I shot a 22 mag load in an indoor range between the range partitions. It scared the oops out of me. I felt a blast push my hair back and actually under my glasses. Wow!

They are reasonably accurate - I shot the old TX DPS bottle target test for a CHL and scored a 238. I did loose points for a few that went over the shoulder for a miss.

I have a 22S - bought it like Bill did as it is SOOO cute. I shot a 150ish with it. It is not that easy to shoot but I didn't practice much.

The 22 mag is a BUG for me with Hornady Critical Defense ammo in it.
 
I have the Black Widow with both cylinders, and I consider it one of the finest small handguns available. The larger rubber grip allows full control and excellent accuracy.

I use Speer Gold Dots for defense.
 
Ok, thanks for the replies. What would a good, almost new condition be worth?
How much money would it take to buy yours?
Looking at both the LR. and the Mag. with LR. cylinder included.
Thanks.
 
Carried the .22 Magnum during the late '80s. The .22 lr was too small to handle so gifted it to my son a couple years ago - he likes it. Am thinking about putting the wood NA boot grip on the Magnum so as to have better handling.

They are all nice, well made little guns - kinda like a Swiss watch:

b032bab3-8a88-44e7-ba67-635c6056200c_zps377510b7.jpg
 
Got mine 8 yrs. ago and now my wife carries it. It's a great little gun with a big bang and the 22 mag hps are pretty lethal. I totally agree with Jim March on
5 feet max for distance. I took mine to my range last year and at 5 feet I hit right on every shot. Further than that, ng.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top