Thoughts on a NAA .22 Mag

[doncb]

I currently have a Sig P238 and an LCP. When I carry, they both work most of the time but there are times that both are just not the right fit. I have been pondering picking up an NAA .22 Mag to throw in my pocket when needed. Comes under the idea that any gun is better than no gun. Depending on the ammo it can get fair velocity out of the short barrel.

Pro:

Very light.
Very small. (size matters)
.22 Mag is better than nothing and it can get close to a .25 in power.
Safety notch in the cylinder between rounds.

Con:

Only 5 rounds.
No real reload ability.
Only good out to say 10 - 15 feet.
Not the same stopping power as a .380 or 9mm.

Thoughts?

[The Annoyed Man]

Whatever floats your boat!

[J.R.@A&M]

Depends on your situation.

I have had one for a number of years. Because of convenient pocket carry, there was a year or two when it was what I carried the most. Then I decided that if I was only going to carry one handgun, I preferred a beefier snub nose. I have recently started carrying several beefy snubnoses (on my ankles and/or under my shirt), and have resumed carrying the NAA. It fills a small niche of being able to draw quickly while standing. But since I spend six hours sitting in an office and four hours sitting in a car, the revolvers in the other positions are the main choices because they are more accessible, more powerful, and I am more accurate with them.

[Soccerdad1995]

My thoughts would be to try a Kel-Tec P3AT. That gun is truly tiny and you get .380 instead of .22.

[goose]

NAA owner here. You can see a picture of my rig in the EDC thread.

My caveats:
I do know a man in Las Vegas that used his NAA in 22WMR to fight off a man with a .45 at bad breath distance. The .45 owner's arm was displaced to move the muzzle away from the friend of the family. The friend of the family then put the NAA in the .45 owner's neck and fired. The .45 owner and two of his buddies did not cross the threshold of the house they were fixing to invade. So, can the NAA be used to defend one's self? Absolutely.
(".45 owner" should probably be in quotes. I do not know the particulars, but I would suspect the guy holding it didn't pay market value for it.)

I carry mine a LOT. Mainly because it takes up close to zero space on my person.

Having shot mine a fair amount and patterned how quickly a slug tumbles out of mine. About eight/ten feet will give you regular keyhole prints in the paper. I would never assume that I was going to use it for anything much over that. It is a derringer at best. As long as it is bought with that constraint in mind, I say go for it.
[/caveats]

It is fun to shoot with the 22lr cylinder in it. It is a mini-bear to shoot 22WMR. (buy the model with both cylinders included) With such tiny grips it wants to spin in your hand quite a bit. Accuracy is nil, but for a derringer I think that is to be expected. I also only use this as a primary firearm when I feel like I absolutely cannot risk being discovered. One of the organizations that my family belongs to does not allow for concealed carry. But the only penalty would be a smidge of shame and my being removed from the organization. It is not a religious organization (excommunication is not a concern) so I carry the NAA to these meetings.

It has a fairly limited usage profile, IMO. Is it useful? Possibly. Can it be a waste? Possibly. With the right understanding, it is a fine purchase. I have zero intention of giving mine up.

[cbunt1]

Love the NAA .22 mag.

Don't let anyone tell you the .22 mag isn't a capable SD round; it is. I dont know too many bad guys that'll keep coming your direction if you're sending a hail of .22 mag their way...and frankly, the ones who wouldn't stop probably wouldn't stop at .45's coming their way either. I'm talking about armed citizen confrontations, not a "Must stay in the fight" or "Must Go After 'em" situation (such as LEO).

Is a .45, 9mm, .380, .40, etc. a potentially more effective (stopping potential) round? Probably. Still I've used .22 mag to dispatch plenty of living flesh over the years, and it's surprisingly effective.

I have one, my wife has one, and my mother has one. We each love 'em. It's not my primary carry, but it *IS* the gun I have when I don't have any other gun. It has been the "goto" in that rare occasion that without it, I simply would have to go without.

Do I want to get into a gunfight with it? No. Of course, I don't want to get into a gunfight with an AR or a BAR either...so there's that.

Personally, I think the .22 NAA Mini revolvers, especially with the folding grip holster, is a GREAT addition to any dedicated CCW wardrobe.

[J.R.@A&M]

Love the NAA .22 mag.

Don't let anyone tell you the .22 mag isn't a capable SD round; it is. I dont know too many bad guys that'll keep coming your direction if you're sending a hail of .22 mag their way...and frankly, the ones who wouldn't stop probably wouldn't stop at .45's coming their way either. I'm talking about armed citizen confrontations, not a "Must stay in the fight" or "Must Go After 'em" situation (such as LEO).

Is a .45, 9mm, .380, .40, etc. a potentially more effective (stopping potential) round? Probably. Still I've used .22 mag to dispatch plenty of living flesh over the years, and it's surprisingly effective.

I have one, my wife has one, and my mother has one. We each love 'em. It's not my primary carry, but it *IS* the gun I have when I don't have any other gun. It has been the "goto" in that rare occasion that without it, I simply would have to go without.

Do I want to get into a gunfight with it? No. Of course, I don't want to get into a gunfight with an AR or a BAR either...so there's that.

Personally, I think the .22 NAA Mini revolvers, especially with the folding grip holster, is a GREAT addition to any dedicated CCW wardrobe.

I don't disagree with you. But as Harry Callahan observed, "Man's got to know his limitations." I could not generate a hail of accurate single action fire with mine, unless I'm maybe shooting at a retreating sea turtle on the beach. (No, I would never do that.) I do expect that it would help as a startlingly loud counter-surprise to somebody who was trying to rush me at close range. I hope it would give me an opportunity to run, take cover, and/or draw a .357.

[cbunt1]

I don't disagree with you. But as Harry Callahan observed, "Man's got to know his limitations." I could not generate a hail of accurate single action fire with mine, unless I'm maybe shooting at a retreating sea turtle on the beach. (No, I would never do that.) I do expect that it would help as a startlingly loud counter-surprise to somebody who was trying to rush me at close range. I hope it would give me an opportunity to run, take cover, and/or draw a .357.

You're absolutely right. When I'm down to my NAA Derringer, I'm banking on the likelihood that the mere introduction of a firearm into the situation is a game-changer (as it is in most occasions) -- beyond that, we're talking bad-breath distance at best.

They are difficult to keep in a pie-plate beyond about 10 feet...but they're (barely) usable at that range.

Suffice it to say that if one is down to the NAA, it's already been a bad day...

[dhoobler]

I have a NAA Black Widow dual cylinder revolver. I carry it as a BUG in an ankle holster. I could carry it in a pocket if I chose to do so.

I chronographed some Critical Defense rounds through it. The 45 grain bullets had velocities well over 1,000 fps, so I think it is more effective than a .25 auto.

I might note that with magnum ammo, that gun is downright unpleasant to shoot. More than once the back edge of the cylinder drew blood from my thumb during recoil. No problem with LR ammo.

Here is a jello test for .22 mag Critical Defense.

[goose]

Here is a jello test for .22 mag Critical Defense.

Sweet! Thank you for this post. This is what i carry in mine.

[karder]

I don't have the NAA, but I remember a local news story from a couple years back. 3 or 4 cholo gangster types tried to rob a restaurant in northeast El Paso. There was an older gentleman there who pulled out an NAA and shot one of them in the face as the guy walked around collecting customer's wallets. If I remember correctly, the bullet when through his eye. His buddies ran away and the police arrested them all. Sounds like they work ok to me.

[WTR]

Know a guy who was thrown in jail for disordaly conduct a number of years ago in Austin. He had one in a boot holster. It was never discovered and he spent the night in jail with it.

[Javier730]

Know a guy who was thrown in jail for disordaly conduct a number of years ago in Austin. He had one in a boot holster. It was never discovered and he spent the night in jail with it.

I hope it stayed in his boot the whole time!

[Medley86]

I'd like one in 17 hmr with a 17 mach 2 cylinder to go with it

[treadlightly]

Wyatt Earp once said, "No wise man ever took a handgun to a gun fight."

But I believe I can justify my NAA in a pocket holster. Maybe not as a gun, maybe as a knife with power steering, or as both a rescue noisemaker and a weapon. Something to give an attacker a moment of doubt, if it's the only thing handy.

But no wise man would choose the NAA revolver as a sole defensive tool when planning to attend hostilities.