When a NAA Mini would be appropriate

S

saskuach

New member
Hello,

This is gun-specific, but I'm posting here to get some feedback on it's defensive use. If this is the wrong place, please accept my apologies and move it where appropriate.

Obviously, this is about a North American Arms Mini Revolver, specifically in .22lr with a 1 1/8" barrel. I've heard both sides of the argument regarding how effective or useless it is. While I consider it more like a self-powered knife than a traditional "gun", I personally feel pretty safe with it in my pocket.

The main reason I feel safer with it than without is probably the fact that I can have it hidden in my hand and ready to use, unlike a larger gun in a holster. Second, I look at it as an edge in a hand-to-hand situation. If I make a fist around it, it seems that it would make a wonderful striking weapon; both for stabilizing a punching fist and for hammer blows with the grip and/or barrel. Next, I look at speed. By having it in my hand and ready to rock-n-roll, I can get a snap shot off in about a second or two versus drawing from my concealed holster. Unfortunately, my range does not allow drawing and firing from a holster, so I'm limited to dry fire practice at home. And lastly, let's consider that it inflicts a gunshot wound, regardless of stopping power. Whether or not I survive the encounter, the BG will hopefully be forced to choose between bleeding to death from a gut shot or facing justice if he decides to run to a hospital.

There you have my reasoning, what do you think? Is this sound thinking or just foolish? I'd appreciate any feedback, ideas on proper use, etc. Thanks in advance.

Rob

[edit] I'm not allowed to carry to work, so I carry this anyway. [/edit]
 
Last edited:
Personally, I don't like the idea of using it to harden/stabilize your fist. It is a gun, I can certainly see the police and potential prosecution being very hard on you for bringing out a gun in less than a life and death situation. You really shouldn't produce a gun (seen or not) unless you really think you need it as a gun (i.e. a life and death situation), and in those situations I'm not sure you'll be safe going with a fist fight.

As for the uses of an NAA Mini, I think they serve an important purpose:

-They are incredibly small and light and can be concealed pretty much anywhere. They are ideal backup weapons.

-When the occasion just doesn't allow more, they will at least provide you with something. Sometimes you just can't easily conceal a larger gun, the Mini is definately better than nothing (.22lr is marginal for self-defense, but it certainly can do the job).
 
after shooting a deer i hit on the road in the back of the neck 3 times with my old NAA .22 mag and the deer not being comtorted in the least, i upgraded to a airweight smith. everything you said about your hand already being there applies-plus the .38 gives me more comfort as a stopper. I will add that a gunshop owner told me that the only gun he knew he sold that was used on another human was a .22 lr NAA and it was fatal and 1 shot.
 
From what you've said, you already know that the .22LR is tenuous at best as a defensive round. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to use one if I had to. I do have a High Standard .22WMR derringer that I would use. My limitation there is that it only holds two rounds.

Sure, all of us would rather have bigger iron in a BG situation, but a tiny gun in your pocket is better than nothing. I'd suggest loading it up with CCI Velocitors and keep saying your prayers.
 
I put my .22 mag. "melon popper" in the same catagory as my American Express card. I NEVER leave home without it. Sometimes it's my #2, sometimes my #1. But, it is always with me.
Find a place you can get some practice starting with your arm at your side. Raise the piece to shooting position and fire. I have gotten to the point that I can hit a cantaloupe with it every time at 15 ft., with the first shot in under 2 seconds. Does not take a great deal of practice, but it does take some.
Keeping the fact in mind that it does get lost in the palm of your hand, if you are alert to your surroundings, a quick draw might not be needed.
Just my opinion, and you paid me exactly what it's worth.
 
While I consider it more like a self-powered knife than a traditional "gun", I personally feel pretty safe with it in my pocket.
Click to expand...

Right, in a world where even big handguns are known for not making good stops, a NAA mini is the pocket will make you feel pretty safe when you have absolutely no need to use it for self defense.

It is not a punching tool unless you have already fired all five shots or the gun is otherwise disabled.

Whether or not I survive the encounter, the BG will hopefully be forced to choose between bleeding to death from a gut shot or facing justice if he decides to run to a hospital.
Click to expand...

I am sorry, but this is just plain stupid logic. Whether or not you survive, you are taking some comfort in knowing the badguy might have to deal with his injuries? Kamikazi pilots in WWII took comfort in believing their their deaths would inflict harm on the enemy, but they were defending their country. Dude, you are talking about self defense. Sacrificing yourself in defense of yourself doesn't work. You should be fighting to win and selecting the tools that will help you do it, not selecting tools that will help you to give the opposition a belly ache, but not necessarily do enough to stop the opposition before s/he kills you. Will it really be any comfort to you in knowing that you are dying, but that the bad guy might be inconvenienced by his wound?
 
The reality is that for the overwhelming number of defensive gun uses any gun will do the job, and for those very rare instances where it does matter you have more problems to worry about than that. Carry on, and know that you are adequately equipped for virtually any encounter you are likely to face.
Click to expand...
As I'm fond of pointing out, caliber is probably the least important factor in the outcome of a gunfight. Sure, bigger calibers might do better, but a shotgun might do better than a handgun, and so on. The reality is that for the overwhelming number of defensive gun uses any gun will do the job, and for those very rare instances where it does matter you have more problems to worry about than that. Carry on, and know that you are adequately equipped for virtually any encounter you are likely to face.
 
Last edited:
The reality is that for the overwhelming number of defensive gun uses any gun will do the job, and for those very rare instances where it does matter you have more problems to worry about than that. Carry on, and know that you are adequately equipped for virtually any encounter you are likely to face.
Click to expand...

No, the reality of it is that for very little additional effort and weight, he could carry a gun that fired a larger caliber that would do a better job. Statistics don't mean squat, in reality, because every new situation is statistically mutually exclusive from all previous situations on which you are basing your assessment. HOWEVER, the true reality is in the consequences. In those few instances where caliber does matter, what is the cost to you for choosing to carry as small as possible? The cost if your life.

If you want to play the stats game, then be prepared to play it fully. That means you statistically (99.995+% of the time) NEVER NEED A GUN. In those few instances where you do, YOU DON'T NEED AMMO because you won't have to fire your gun. Hell, you don't even need to know how to work it or need training. If you do have to fire your gun, chances are you don't even have to hit your opposition to get them to break off their engagement. These aren't the critical engagements however. The critical engagements are where you have to effect a stop.
 
Is a Kel-Tec 32 really any bigger or heavier than an NAA mini?

For the tremendous upgrade in speed and firepower, whats the tradeoff?

Practically the same weight and size, yet one's big selling point is "might make the man who kills me face justice" while the other offers an acceptable chance of getting home to your family.
 
I have a .22 mag and I think of it as more of a BBUG. it's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. plus it's just a fun gun to shoot as long as you keep your thumb tucked were the cylinder won't hit it while firing mags. that hurt.
 
again, wounded deer-three .22 mag shots from 5 feet to back of said deer's neck-no reaction from deer what so ever. this animal was begging for death and this weapon didn't do jack. get a friggin j frame and SACK UP.
 
??

How could you miss that shot at point blank? Also, why not shoot somewhere else? Not much vital in the back of the neck. Been hunting since I was 8, no shots to back of the neck. Head, yes. Throat, yes. Back of neck, not so much. I feel confident with the mini I bought. I carry the 22 mag and have only fired it for fun and it will ruin a melon's world. I honestly would only carry it as an absolute last resort. I prefer to carry a small revolver like a .38 or .357 as a BUG or even if I cannot carry a larger primary. Just personal preference.
 
If you plan on using a rimfire to put an animal out of its misery take a brain shot.

As to the orignal posters ideas, it is better than no gun.

If I knew I was going to need a gun, I would not go wherever that was.

So the mini NAA is better than a sharp stick.

And I like the idea that if the BG flees he will need to get medical attention and will get caught. Most of the self defense stories in the American Rifleman end up with the BG getting caught when he goes for medical aid.
 
I see this as a "feel good" gun. There is no way that I'd trust my life to a mini .22. With a combination of low power, poor accuracy, slow repeat shots and awkward manipulation this has got to be one of the worst choices one could make in a defensive firearm.
As far as the limited comfort that after your death the bad guy will go to the hospital, don't count on it. I've encountered several of our thugs with old bullet scars that haven't seen an ER yet. They aren't going there unless the injury is life threatening since they know the cops will be called.
 
No, the reality of it is that for very little additional effort and weight, he could carry a gun that fired a larger caliber that would do a better job.
Click to expand...
Umm, so what? The issue isn't if he could carry a larger gun, the issue is if the gun he has will do the job. And in the overwhelming majority of instances it will.
Statistics don't mean squat, in reality, because every new situation is statistically mutually exclusive from all previous situations on which you are basing your assessment.
Click to expand...
Well, sorry, but all those mutually exclusive incidents come together to give us some pretty important information. Yes, in a particualr incident a .45 ACP didn't work. That doesn't mean the .45 isn't a good choice. The other is equally true. Statistics tell us that for the huge majority of DGUs caliber just isn't a factor.
In those few instances where caliber does matter, what is the cost to you for choosing to carry as small as possible? The cost if your life.
Click to expand...
One can say that about any caliber and any gun. Yes, in some situations it might matter. But in the overwhelming majority it won't.
If you want to play the stats game, then be prepared to play it fully.
Click to expand...
Umm, sorry, but stats isn't a game, it is a way of analyzing information so one can make better informed decisions.
The critical engagements are where you have to effect a stop.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you missed the part of the post where it says "The reality is that for the overwhelming number of defensive gun uses any gun will do the job, and for those very rare instances where it does matter you have more problems to worry about than that."
 
I carried a NAA .22 for years...

... When it was illegal for concealed carry (statute of limitations has expired). I figured, at the time, the only way I would ever try to shoot somebody with it would be a "contact" situation where the muzzle was placed against the BG's body and fired. Anybody who doubts the destructive effect of a hyper velocity .22 round fired point blank into the upper torso, in my opinion, isn't living in the real world.

FWIW, once I dispatched a deer injured in a car/deer collision with one round through the ear canal with the NAA. Dang thing was so little that I had a hard time keeping track of it so I gave it to my wife. She carried it in her cigarette case. One day she left her cigarette case at work and somebody found it... she worked for the city prosecutor. Thankfully, he liked her work and returned the gun. After that we sold it.
 
to answer your question the deer was a 6 point buck with two broken legs, bone sticking out on pavement. This was in the middle of River Road in Columbus, GA. There were on lookers, some non-hunters, who were horrified by the scene and everytime i approached the animal it tried to get up on the exposed bones of his back legs. i did not miss either, 3 shots three hits. 2 things to consider here, stressful situation and an ineffective weapon. could i have "earholed" him? probably. did this gun possess the accuracy or effectiveness i would stake my life on? hell no. if you chose to go on with THE ILLUSION OF SECURITY carrying this weapon, i wish you luck. for my abilities and personal standards, i chose a j-frame or sig 232. your choice is yours. however i bet if you were to plug a feral cat with your naa, you might rethink the choice too.
 
however i bet if you were to plug a feral cat with your naa, you might rethink the choice too.
Click to expand...
Don't know how feral it was, but about 2 years back had a cat in a snare someone had set on my property that tried to rip my arm off every time I tried to get it loose, and my NAA (.22LR) took him out of action without any problem. I've also shot a couple of possums and a racoon with it and not found any problems. It is like any firearm--learn your limitations with it and respect them.
 
It dawned on me despite my "what he said response" and my recommendation to get a j-frame that there is an answer to"

"When a NAA Mini would be appropriate?"

As a last ditch, hideaway, deep cover tool.

Personally, I'd rather rely on a knife for that role but understand not everyone is comfortable with that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top