NAA mini-revolver review

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The basics.

This is a teeny-tiny little, single-action, rimfire revolver. My version happens to have both .22 LR and .22 WMR cylinders.

Specifications.

• Model: NAA-22MS
• Caliber: .22 WMR and .22 LR
• Capacity: 5.
• Empty weight: 6.56 oz
• Loaded weight: 7.09 oz
• Length: 5.2”
• Width at the cylinder: 1.2”
• Width at the grip: 1.4”
• Height: 2.8”
• Trigger pull weight: Not a clue. I couldn’t get the trigger pull gauge consistently on the trigger to get an accurate reading. The trigger pull length is about 1/10” so I’m not sure that weight is even a useful number.

Why would you carry this tiny little thing?

Well, I’ve carried it for four reasons.

1. I’m at home and have much more effective arms nearby. As you can see, this weighs almost nothing. Even with a holster and an extra five rounds it’s less than 2/3 the weight of my J-frame .38.
2. A backup gun. Self-explanatory, no?
3. When, for some reason, I think it’s absolutely essential that no one know I am carrying. I normally take the “concealed” part of concealed carry seriously, but there are times when it’s even more important. A small .22 magnum is better than nothing.
4. When driving. Funny thing about that little birds head grip. It can just hang out of a pocket with the seat belt pressure providing retention. I can draw it without moving my body in the slightest. And if I have to get out of the car, it just naturally drops back into my pocket.

How to carry it.

Many options. I use a pocket holster. North American Arms has an entire selection. Belt, belly band, shoulder, and pocket. I’ve even seen a necklace holster. There’s a grip replacement you can get that will clip into a pocket or onto a belt. I’m not a big belt buckle kind of guy but if you are, then here you go.

Again, it’s tiny. It will go pretty much anywhere you can figure out how to safely stuff it.

Safety.

Speaking of “safely”, I want to hit some of the safety features of this gun. As you can see, the trigger is outside of the holster that I have in my pocket. While that would normally be a concern it isn’t in this case. Since it’s a single-action I can pull that trigger all day long and nothing will happen. The hammer must be manually cocked first. There’s even a little loop on the holster that will prevent the hammer from cocking should you choose to use it. I don’t but that’s me.

There is no transfer bar or any other kind of hammer block safety here. As you can see above the firing pin is just part of the hammer. In the old days that may have meant that you’d have to let the hammer ride on an empty chamber. That’s not the case here.

If you look at the picture of the bare cylinder you’ll see little notches between the cylinders. That’s where the hammer rides when you’re carrying it. You get there by holding the hammer back past half cock, pulling the trigger, and manually moving the cylinder into the correct position. I practiced that procedure quite a bit before I tried it live. And the first few times I did it live I was in the back yard with the muzzle pointing at a pool. Paranoia is our friend.

Ergonomics.

The front sight is a technicality. It’s a blade. The same color as the rest of the gun. It’s visible but not any contrast at all. I hardly ever practice with this gun past three to five yards so I don’t really care, although if I was going to fix it I’d probably paint it either red or green.

There is no rear sight. Not even a groove. I don’t think that’s a big problem, considering the ranges I normally expect this to be effective at.

I’ve already mentioned the best part of the bird’s head grip. It’s polished wood so it’s not the most grippy thing. Nevertheless I don’t have any trouble with it slipping. But then I live in Arizona. I have little rain; perhaps someone in Oregon should get different grips. I get one solid finger on it. That’s about it. It’s enough, really. I’m able to hold it steady while cocking the hammer.

The hammer is easy enough to find and cock by feel. It’s small enough it’s never caught as I was pulling it from my pocket. No complaints at all about it.

The trigger. Well, it fires the gun. I honestly don’t know how to describe it. It moves all of 1/10 of an inch. I guess I’d have to say there’s no creep or takeup since there’s no room for that kind of thing. I apply pressure and it drops the hammer. It’s very easy to do without changing point of aim. Although with the rudimentary sights, “aim” is a grandiose term.

Shooting it.

I’d have to say it’s the hardest recoiling rimfire gun I’ve ever shot. Especially with the magnum rounds. It’s still almost nothing. The tricky part is the considerable muzzle flip. But it has a 1 1/8” barrel and I have a one finger grip so I can’t say I’m really surprised by that. It’s very easy on the hand; you just have to bring it back down on target. On the upside the muzzle flip does put the hammer closer to your thumb for cocking.

As mentioned, aiming is kind of a vague concept here. I once saw a video with someone putting one of these in a rest and shooting groups at 15 yards. They were less than 5”, which I found most respectable.

You’re not going to be shooting it from a rest. For me, five yards is about it. Maybe seven. Three is better; I can do an effective head shot there. At five yards I can put an entire cylinder into the critical areas on a torso target. At seven I can put that cylinder into the target but they’re more scattered. Past seven it gets really iffy really fast.

It’s fine at the ranges it’s designed for.

Reloading.

Hope you don’t need to. My holster holds an extra five rounds. They’re ballast as much as anything.

My best time reloading a cylinder is around 30 seconds. At a range. No real stress. On a shelf that was right in front of me.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Put the hammer at half cock.
2. Push the little button at the end of the pin under the barrel.
3. Remove the pin but keep it handy.
4. The cylinder will drop out the right side.
5. You’re now going to need that pin to push out the fired rounds. Maybe not all of them but some will be pretty stuck.
6. Put new rounds in, one at a time.
7. Put the cylinder back in place.
8. Put the pin back; you do have to push the button in again to get it to seat.

At that point you’re ready to fire again. If you’re done shooting you pull the hammer back until the cylinder free wheels then line the hammer up on one of the previously mentioned notches and drop it into place.

Just like the old black powder days, a spare cylinder might be your best bet if you think quick reloading will be in your future.

Conclusion.

This is a fine little gun as long as you don’t try to use it past its capabilities. Or at least your capabilities with it. I was looking at NAA’s site and I discovered there’s now a version of this gun that comes with a Veridian laser grip. The grip itself is available separately. That seems like a pretty useful addition and if I may get one soon.

For me, this gun is a fine little plinker and an excellent last-ditch defensive pistol. It’s the most concealable pistol I own and I can’t imagine anything smaller that I could still shoot effectively.

Things are coming back but it seems that these are still a bit hard to find. If you do stumble across one pick it up. You’ll have a lot of fun with it.  Current guns.com search.