NAA "Black Widow"...

K

Kentucky Rifle

New member
My wife needs a small pistol to carry in her labcoat pocket. Her .38 snub is too obvious in her pocket, so she needs something smaller. I've had all the talks with her about .22's vs .32's, but she's just a revolver kind of lady.
She like's the looks of the Black Widow and I presume that it comes chambered for .22 magnum. So, does anybody have one and are you happy with it? Would you still buy it if you had it all to do over again?

Thanks in advance,
KR
 
I have a friend who shoots one and Ive had the pleasure..on occasion. Its a fine little gun, much easier to shoot than the "mini NAA guns" ....The larger grip actually lets you grip the gun.
IMO if you get her one...shell like and use it.
shoot well
 
Thanks Eric,

She's kinda particular about her firearms ever since her father's Taurus PT111 "bit" her with it's slide. (Too high a grip.) :)

KR
 
It ain't a cannon but I think it's a fine choice for the purpose you describe. BTW, the smaller rosewood magnum grips fit the BW perfectly and make the gun quite a bit smaller but still (to me) easy to handle and shoot. It's still only .22 caliber but some of the 30 grain offerings are quite speedy from that two inch barrel, between 1200 and 1300 fps. You might look at the CCI "TNT" hollowpoint. Winchester makes a 34 grain load that will do around 1200 fps. They can easily hit with over 100 lbs of energy, far better than any .22 or .25 and equal to most .32s from a short barrel. There is still the shortcoming of caliber and bullet weight but it's a pretty good pop from a truly tiny gun. I think they're great for their purpose. Just MO.
 
The Black Widow is the best of the minirevolvers.

Two points: get the double-cylinder flavor so you can practice a LOT dirt cheap with .22LR, and get the fixed sights versus adjustable.

As to grips: the newest factory BW grip is REALLY nice, it's smaller than that squared-off monstrosity they used to use...more like a flat black rubber well-used bar of soap.

Another choice is a new "folding grip" with integral belt clip that's kinda neat. Slows the draw a bit though, and it's no good for inside-pocket work.

Finally, there's an "oversize wood" grip that some people use in factory layout, or custom-polish down to some degree. The BW will take any grip that the .22Magnum Minis can use, same grip frame under the rubber.

Ammo: the CCI MaxiMag +V and the same in TNT are the top picks. Same weight (30grain), same ballistics, but the original should punch deeper, the TNTs have a more advanced JHP cavity and would do more damage on a torso shot. My pick: a single original formula first at bat, then stagger originals with TNTs.

CCI ignition is FIRST rate. I've had problems with the Winchester Supremes (in two magnum minis) so despite their otherwise good stats, I'm a CCI die-hard.

If you're going to keep the .22LR cylinder loaded as a speedloader :D then fill it with Remington Yellowjackets. They're not bad stuff.

With any minirevolver, you'll need to shoot 300+ rounds of .22LR to get used to it, then at LEAST 100 rounds of Magnums. Then at your monthly practice, at least 50 LRs and a few cylinders full of Magnums. These are not all that easy to master but once you do, accuracy is shockingly good. I have a 1.5" barrel Freedom Arms minirevolver in .22Mag that has made torso-area hits - at 50 YARDS. No joke! The magnums have enough punch to make it through skullbone in situations where .22LR might not.

DO NOT use snakeshot for defense. Don't even think about it.

For .22LR practice ammo, anything will do. Zippier stuff will more closely approximate Magnums that you'd use in a real fight...CCI MiniMags are pretty quick, Yellowjackets are a little bit more dinero but probably the hottest LRs out of these little tubes.

Best "front pocket surprise gun" made :D.
 
Well, she want's it...

And I'm going to get it for her. She enjoys her .38 and she always has the .22 mag cylinder in her Ruger. I intend to get the "convertable" model, but I was figuring on Stingers for practice. Do you really think Yellowjackets are better? I have lots of both. :)

KR
 
Ya, the yellowjackets are the hot ticket in LRs.

I've seen results of wet newspaper tests in minirevolvers. They open up better than any other at short-tube velocities. It's that funky nosecone - they won't feed in slideguns worth a dang sometimes but in a small wheelgun, they're the best answer. They start expanding FAST and at speeds as low as 800fps (1" barrel) but still tend to hold together out of a 6" or more tube.

Now, other hot .22LRs might recoil as much, and are hence decent practice fodder so you can sorta approximate Magnum heat. But if you ever had to shoot somebody with .22LR from a revolver, I know what I'd pick.
 
A good choice.

Jim March has good advice. I've owned 3 minis: 1 LR and 2 MAGS.
I much prefer the Mag. The best round by far for the Black Widow is the CCI Maxi-Mag Plus-V. If you go to NAA's website, check out the velocities achieved by the CCI Maxi-Mag Plus-V round out of a Black Widow. That sucker is potent - around 1,300 FPS! With practice, these little cannons can be quite accurate.
 
Oh, that black widow. . .

Are you sure she wasn't looking for one of these.

ultimate_bw2.jpg
 
Thanks Jim...

The Yellowjacket it will be.

mdlowery: Could be! If that's what she wanted, I'd go get it. The woman is simply not bothered by recoil or noise. My Glock 27, my AR15, or anything else.
When she told me that she wanted to start shooting two years ago, it seemed out of the blue. She had never fired anything but a .22 caliber rifle. However, from the very first range trip, she's outshot me handily, and also, at EVRY subsequent trip. My wife is one of those "mythical" natural shots. Anything she picks up, she's good with. I'm as serious about that as I have been about anything in my life. She's GOOD! I've been shooting for over 40 years. I'm barely adequate with a .38 special snub. From 25 feet, she can put EVERY shot in the black, in an area about the size of your fist with a .38 snub!

KR
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top