Opinion from NAA .380 owners, please.

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user110011

New member
I'm considering getting one of the new Guardian .380 pistols, and would like to hear owners opinion of this new pistol. I know there must be some of you out there with a few hundred rounds through your new Guardians. Care to share your thoughts on this subject?

This is would not be my only carry gun, so we don't need to dwell on the caliber (or lack of) issue.

I'm interested in real world experience (function, fit, reliability, handling, quirks?) with the NAA .380.

We just got one in the shop, and it looks like it needs a good home.... maybe mine.

Thanks.
 
No first-hand experience, but I'd be very wary of this and the similar .380 Seecamp. Both of them can be a handful in .32, are likely to have very limited shooting lives (3000 rounds?) in this larger caliber.

And from what I hear, they are BRUTAL to shoot.

I want the bad guy to be hurt when I shoot; not me...
 
The Seecamp .380 has yet to be put up for sale, at least that was the case a few months ago. Larry Seecamp was quoted as saying (in Gun World) over 1.5 years ago that it had an expected life of 1,000 rounds rounds. Since the NAA .380 is much more substantial, I don't know that it has an advertised life expectancy.
Davell Hunt on the Yahoo Concealed Carry forum got one of the first ones, you might ask him.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/concealed
 
I have been looking them over myself. If you haven't been to their website yet, check them out at www.naaminis.com I thought it was interesting to see that Kahr Arms done some of the engineering on the little .380. Or maybe they just cast the frames for them, I can't remember what the article said, but they have a good reveiw on their site. It ought to be a good compromise:)
 
I have actually shot the .380 Seecamp. I helped out Dean Speir do the T&E on the .380 Seecamp that resulted in his article in Handguns magazine. We shot a good variety of ammo through it, both hot and not so hot.

It is not a gun I would choose to shoot for pleasure, but it is managable enough that one can become reasonably proficient. I would not call it "brutal" but I am not particularly recoil sensitive. And for its intended purpose -- deep concealment and engagements at conversational distances -- either the Seecamp or the NAA should serve well.

I cannot comment on durability, but I doubt most people will fire (or need to fire) over 1,000 rounds in a pistol with this type of intended purpose.
 
Why would the NAA 380 be regarded (or just conjectured) as "brutal", and you never hear this comment about the Walther PPK, which is only 3 ounces heavier and also uses blow back system to cycle a .380 ACP round?

That's why I hoped to hear from a .380 Guardian owner or shooter.
 
Make sure you check out the Message Board on the NAA website. There's a lot of candid discussion from owners.
 
Hold the Walther PP in your hand, notice that you grip it with all your fingers. Now, hold the NAA in your hand, notice that about 1.5 fingers don't have a home. It makes a lot of difference!
 
FWIW, I just shot the .380 Guardian, and I'd describe the recoil as just about anything but brutal. I can get 2 fingers on the grip, and I had no problems controling the little gun.

In comparison, a Makarov kicks much worse.
 
I own a Guardian .380 and the recoil isn't anything to worry about. My preferred carry gun is a Glock 30 (which is too fat for a lot of people), but this little pocket rocket fits my hand alot better than I expected, it is very comfortable to hold, I can get 2 fingers on it, and I even prefer it WITHOUT the finger extension. It is pretty accurate too. My only real complaints are the incredibly stiff recoil spring. Opening it is no big deal, holding it open to extract the empty you put in it to dry fire it is an ordeal. It extracts fine under power of a fired round, but doesn't extract fully by hand. Other than that I LOVE THIS GUN!
 
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