OT- Need info on tiny .22 SA's

[86er]

I'm looking for a tiny gun to carry running. Weight and bulk are major considerations. The only use would be a coyote at point blank range or a mugger at in your face range. Was thinking about those tiny 5 shot .22 single actions with the less-than-two inch barrel. .22LR would do, although I realize the guns come in .22 Mag. Any experience with reliability, saftey features, accuracy, holsters, etc. is appreciated.

[Pisgah]

I have one of the NAA .22 LR minis. It is a little gem of a revolver, but for me its only practical application is as a stick-it-in-an-ear-or-nostril last-ditch defensive piece. Accuracy at anything betond a few feet is a real challenge and, while a round fired from it will perforate a tin can, its effect bears no comparison to what the same round willl do to the ame can when fired from a 6" revolver. If I had any interst in a more practical gun, but still wanted the mini format, I would opt for the Magnum with a longer barrel -- and this would compromise the ease of concealment.

My pick would be a KelTec P3AT or Ruger LCP, tiny flyweight .380s that carry almost as easily as a mini-revolver and grant you a quantum leap in both accuracy and power.

[jdad]

Too much fumbling & thinking, in a stressful situation, with those tiny SA revolvers.

There's lots of High Standard DA derringers (22mag) out there. I forget the model #, but it's the one that they made a wallet holster for (no longer legal to combine gun & holster).

[2ndovc]

Joe,

I keep buying those nifty little NAAs and then sell them a year or so later.
Just too small for my hands.

The little Cobra derringers aren't much bigger or weigh much more.
I used to carry mine in an Uncle Mikes pocket holster.
Just have to make sure your running shorts are tied good and tight

jb

[ceb]

I'll second the Keltec or Ruger LCP. I own the Ruger, and its a good little gun, less than 10oz and with a good double action only trigger that to me feels better than my J-frame Smith. Its easy to shoot 2-4" groups out to 10yds or so, with a much better cartridge.

I used to own one of the little SA mini-revolvers, found it hard to get any real accuracy out of it at anything other that contact distance and it was a bit hard to control with speed.

[O.S.O.K.]

Joe, when I want a really small and light defensive pistol - I carry my Kel-Tec P-32. Should be just fine in your shorts pocket...




TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Calibers: 32 AUTO
Weight unloaded: 6.6 oz. 186g (about the same as one of the NA mini revolvers...)
Loaded magazine: 2.8 oz. 81mm
Length: 5.1" 129mm
Height: 3.5" 89mm
Width: .75" 19mm
Barrel Length: 2.7" 68mm
Sight radius: 3.8" 96mm
Muzzle Energy Max: 200ft-lbs 240J
Capacity: 7 + 1 rounds
Trigger Pull: 5 lbs 23N

Attach this $12 accessory clip and you can just clip it inside your waistband...

[jnyork]

I shot one of those mini-revolvers in .22 Mag. VERY difficult to hold on to, not a thing I would like to depend on to defend my life, but better than nothing I suppose.

+1 for the little Keltec or one of the ultralight revolvers by S & W.

[madman4570]

The .32 or .380 Kel-Tec by far! A Loaded 8rd .32 auto @ 9 ozs. Thats the one. Or the .380@ 11 ozs.(Loaded) they are unreal.Just keep em lubed and grip em tight when shooting them(no problems)If after 7-- .32s in the briscutt and 1--.32 in the forehead if someone still wants to bother you, better start sprinting!

[foxtrapper]

Hey Joe, a few cylinder fulls with a NAA mini in 22lr and you will easily master the revolver You can not compare any 32 or 380 with the size of a NNA. I have big hands and have no problem shooting one or two handed. I had mine for years ,goes bang every time! Here's a good carry option. http://www.stellarrigs.com/gun_neckchain_rigs.html

[madman4570]

If I did get one of them, I would get the 22mag one w/22LR conversion(like $50 more)only 1 oz heavier.
To be far though you cannot compare the power of the .22s(with those barrels choped down to a like 1.5" compared to the .380 or .32 also less rds and I like the idea of somtimes just having the mag in and not one racked for like running/running mountain trails etc.But hey thats why we all have choices!

[JRD]

I've got one of the NAA 22LR mini's. After carrying it plenty, I decided to either carry a more effective gun or not carry anything. (I now carry a 38 J frame.)My NAA has a tendency to keyhole bullets occasionally. Couple that less than stellar accuracy with no sights and you are at contact distance for effective range. The tiny grip is tough to hold and when I do shoot it, I need to regrip the gun between shots.

A S&W J frame is way bigger than the NAA, and admittedly not as flat as a compact 380 auto. For an all aluminum gun, at 10.5 onces you could consider the 317 in 22lr with 8 shots, or the 351 PD 22 mag with 7 shots.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... y_rn=15704

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... y_rn=15704

[deerwhacker444]

I have one of the NAA .22 LR minis. It is a little gem of a revolver, but for me its only practical application is as a stick-it-in-an-ear-or-nostril last-ditch defensive piece.

+1

I've got one in .22 Mag. It's definitely a "stick it in their guts and pull the trigger" type of pistol. Anything beyond a few feet is hard to hit with the terrible sights and stiff trigger. However it carries easy, is well made and dependable.

[madman4570]

Lets see The 22MAG in the NAA from what I read has an average velocity of around 1100fps with a 30gr bullet.How does that compare to a 80gr bullet with about an 80% bigger bore dia doing about the same speed?
Even the little Kel-Tec .32 shoots - 75 gr. Hardcast F.N. (1150fps/ M.E. 220)
How does that compare to the little .22 LR in the 1.5 incher?(its 32 grain CCI stingers will run around 700 fps)??
I know what I would rather have if some bad doer jumps out in from of my wife and myself running a log trail(providing I bother using a gun)

[wm]

I will toss out the Ruger Bearcat into this discussion......I would even go so far as to say I'd scrounge up a second cylinder and ream it out to 22 mag.

I've been meaning to do this for years with mine but a) it isn't mine anymore because the kids have appropriated and b) when comparing the cost of acquiring a new cylinder with just buying a second pistol I start thinking getting a second one would be better.

Wm

[Mike Rintoul]

Get a spandex cross draw bandolier holster custom made and get a 500 Linebaugh. .22's are for soda cans and mice.

[madman4570]

Right on Mike! I say the Kel-Tec .380 stocked with the new Grizzly Ammo???????
I thought Joe was your friend????? A .22

[BigSky56]

Ive used a 22 mag fmj in a pistol to kill bears works just fine, a couple of years ago a gentlemen in south africa used a NAA SA 22 mag to successfully stop 3 guys trying to jack his SUV in his driveway when he got home from work at night one dead one wounded and one screaming like a little girl running away and a 4th was in a getaway car, they where armed with pistols. danny

[Pete44ru]

I've owned/shot/carried NAA Minis for the last 20 years, and currently have three, one each in Short/LR/Mag.

There's no issue, shooting them accurately, if they're held/handled correctly - NOT like a full-sized revolver, or any other revolver for that matter.

They're best shot via holding the butt of one buried deeply in the tightly closed fist of the dominant handm for aiming/pointing, with the hammer/trigger worked by the thumb and forefinger of the off hand while using a two-handed type grip.

The best of the lot for your needs would be a 2" Black Widow in .22 Mag-only, with the huge rubber bumpers replaced with NAA's smaller black rubber panels for their birdshead grips (the frame underneath's a birdshead, anyway).



.

[rjohns94]

I carried one for years in my boot in leather clip on holster. Carried it everywhere. I got rid of it for a Casull in .22. Double aciton only, collapseable trigger and the same size as the NAA .22. A neat little revolver and it has a safety on it too. Thats what I would choose for a hideaway mouse gun.

here is one on gunbroker: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =145200902

[tman]

i'm not LEO or an active combat infrantry man. the keltec goes with me everywhere, i forget i'm carrying it. anything larger, and i know it's there. 8 rounds of hardcast .32 acp. should take care of any situation i might find my self in from bad guys to wolves and black bears. if i am looking for a fight , i'll pack a SMG or a .454 for bear defense. it's been done with less,but the keltec is there in my pocket when the SMG and the .454 are left at home.

[Ysabel Kid]

Get a spandex cross draw bandolier holster custom made and get a 500 Linebaugh. .22's are for soda cans and mice.

Another "vote" for a Kel-Tec - and then load it with the Grizzly ammo!!!

[madman4570]

Joe, They are all nice little guns and any of them is better than nothing.I say everyone likes/feels comfortable with their own little protector and thats the way it should be.Whatever works for ya,then thats the best! Good Luck Friend! Actually I have nor the experience or knowledge to cut down any ones gun and if it appears I did.I apologize to any offended party!

[Hank Dodge]

I have one of the NAA .22mag revolvers. It does "go bang" every time and it sure does carry nice. There are many methods of carry, but I generally just have mine in a pocket. That little revolver with a few different types of rounds works quite well out wondering around. If I knew a fight was on deck, I'd certainly want something more appropriate; but, I'd not feel "unarmed" one bit with that little shooter in my pocket.

[Hobie]

Just a thought but a .22 WMR through the kneecap of an attacker will pretty much change the whole scenario. Noise, light (at night) and sudden/intense pain will combine to ruin an individual's life. Better than an icepick. Coyote? I'd get a .327/.38 Spec/.357 Mag snubbie.

[AJMD429]

Get a spandex cross draw bandolier holster custom made and get a 500 Linebaugh. .22's are for soda cans and mice.

Or a Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum, if you prefer a semiautomatic...

[Doc Hudson]

I don't like the .22 WMR. I've owned revolvers with .22 WMR cylinders for over 30 years and have not shot two boxes of cartridges through them.

With that out of the way, if I were going to buy one of those NAA, or Freedom Arms mini-revolvers, I'd buy one in .22 WMR.

I remember Paco telling of a shop-lifter he ran down. The much larger and much younger man got Paco in a headlock and was rapidly putting lumps on his head. Paco pulled a NAA .22 WMR from his pocket, pressed it to a knee and pulled the trigger. The young fellow immediately released Paco and grabbed his leg. Paco said < "That guy is going to remember me every time it rains for the rest of his life."

Those are my thoughts on the mini-revolves, other than this. A good vest pocket sized .22 LR pistol would be a better choice, IMO.

Three good choices come to mind, two are currently in production and one is long out of production. In no particular order they are:

Any of the numberous Taurus Model 22 variations. They weigh around 12 ounces and carry nine (8+1) rounds of .22 LR ammo. These pistols feature a tip-up barel a la Bereta. In current production.

Speaking of Berettas, the Beretta Model 21 Bobcat would make a good choice as well, The Bobcat is a fraction of an ounce lighter than the Taurus, but also has a smaller magazine capacity, i.e. 7 versus 9. The Bobcat also features a tip-up barrel. In current production.

My favorite vest pocket .22 LR is the Iver Johnson TP-22. It holdes 7 rounds plus one in the chamber and is surprisingly accurate. I've often popped soda cans out at 50 yards. Unfortunately this pistols are long out of production and are not easy to find on the used gun market. I have two of them and neither are for sale.

Good Luck,

[Doc Hudson]

Hey Joe, a few cylinder fulls with a NAA mini in 22lr and you will easily master the revolver You can not compare any 32 or 380 with the size of a NNA. I have big hands and have no problem shooting one or two handed. I had mine for years ,goes bang every time! Here's a good carry option. http://www.stellarrigs.com/gun_neckchain_rigs.html

Our friend Big Jonh Delavan often carries an NAA .22 WMR in a very similar holster.

Big John's is made of Kydex and hangs vertically, butt downward