What was that cute little thing?

P

pax

New member
Hi all,

I stopped by a gun shop an hour or so away from my home a few days ago. Peering into the case I saw some really cute little wheel guns -- .22 magnum -- that couldn't have been more than four inches in overall length. I mean these things were tiny.

Instead of reading the tag carefully and making note ... instead of begging to play with one ... instead of buying one on the spot ... I said, "Wow, aren't those cute" and walked away. Color me stupid.

Anyone got a clue what I was looking at?

pax
"It isn't the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog, that counts." -- Harry Howell
 
I'll bet it was a North American Arms Mini revolver. They have a very good reputation for quality. Do a search in this forum for NAA and you'll find lots of reviews of them.
 
Stopped by NAA's home page -- yup, that was it! Thanks. :)

Are those things fun to shoot? I've already got a primary carry gun and don't think I'd feel particularly well protected carrying a .22, but if it's a fun gun I might be able to talk myself into buying one anyway ...

pax


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"Is there anything wrong with a woman preferring the dignity of an armed citizen? I don't like to be coddled and I don't like to be treated like a minor child. So I waive immunity and claim my right -- I go armed." -- Longcourt Phyllis in Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein
 
Geez Pax,

You're fast on the keyboard. Are you a court reporter or a data entry person?

I don't own one, but I was intrigued with them once too. They seem to have a cultlike following. Everybody says they're well made and the company stands behind their products. Only reason I never got one is they are single action and difficult to manipulate because of their size. I know there's a lot of people who practice a lot with them and can become decently proficient, but I just wasn't sold. Also, they do have limited application (i.e. attacker in CLOSE proximity). I'm not knocking them, I just have never been able to justify buying one myself. There are a lot of people who love them. Maybe you will too.

Sub

[This message has been edited by Sub MOA (edited August 06, 2000).]
 
I'm, sure the NAA minis are fun to shoot, but I don't like the idea of using a SA revolver for defense.... that's just MO mind you.

But since you never said it was going to be for defense, I say get it if you like it. That's why I bought the Jetfire... it was just too "cute." It now keeps the cell phone in my glovebox company when it's not on me.

Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"

[This message has been edited by Ben (edited August 06, 2000).]
 
I'm a BIG fan of the .22Magnum versions of these. Especially when they're the "convertable" models with dual cylinders for cheap .22LR practice and .22Mag defensive carry.

They may be SA, but they've got a good safety system that allows fully-loaded carry. The bull-barrel Black Widow and MiniMaster variants are shockingly accurate for a "deep concealment mousegun"; my MiniMaster can do 5" offhand groups at 25 yards with combat-grade .22Mag fodder every bit as useful as a decent .32ACP load - and that's with my "shaved down grips" (see URL below for pics/specs). Even the Black Widow is more accurate than most small autos.

See also: http://www.ninehundred.com/~equalccw/jimguns.html

Jim
 
I took baby to the range this week. I just tossed her in as a last minute thing since I had not really put many rounds through her yet. I thought I might just see what she could do on paper.

I was a little nervous about the recoil of the .22 WMR as Jim had made several jokes about it in the past. But I found it to be mild at best.

My impressions? The trigger is REALLY tough for someone who is use to shooting custom 1911s. :) But I don't know that the trigger is all THAT bad. After about 20 rounds, I was able to keep a pretty good group. I could hold it to an inch or so out to about 10 feet.

I kinda like the little gal. As has been mentioned, I don't know that I would want to trust my life to the little .22. But there are times when I just CAN NOT PRINT in any way. Having the 5 rounds of .22WMR in my pocket might just give me enough time to get the heck out of Dodge if needed.

One person did give me some very good advise on this little gun. "That is NOT a front sight on that gun. It's a notch to hook into the bad guy's ear before you pull the trigger." :D

Bubba
 
Not 'fun' to shoot, but awesome (in the 22LR) as a true "ALWAYS".

I've found BG's don't want to be shot with anything.

I admit it's an eargun..........but it hangs nicely around the neck, or fits in any pocket, or can be in your hand....know what I mean?

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
THE BEST of these miniguns is the Black Widow with fixed sights and dual cylinders for .22LR/.22Mag compatibility.

You'll need to either put the small wood bird's head grips on ($18 or so ordered from NAA) or take the factory rubber grips and "shave them" the way I did my MiniMaster (see my URL above). The BW/MM family takes all the same grip options that the Magnum Minis take, it's the same grip frame under all that black rubber.

You get excellent accuracy, usable sights and it's still well within "front pocket daily carry size".

The only reason I got the MiniMaster was that I already had the FA .22Mag for the front-pocket role, and I'm used to that little beast.

Jim
 
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