Which North American Arms should I get?

your gonna get the cheapest one...

What do you want to do with it or what purpose do you have in mind for it?

The black widow in 22 mag was really fun and I wish I hadn't sold it. The trigger was good and it was surprisingly accurate for being so small. But the black widow is a LOT easier to hold on to than the standard model.

10-20 yards is a long distance with these guns. I have difficulty shooting it accurately at any distance beyond 4-5 yards, but I haven't practiced with it much. This works for me though, because I use it for a BUG(or BUBUG). They take a lot of practice to shoot well because it tends to rotate up in your grip after you fire and you only have a 1 finger grip.

It's hard to give a generic answer regarding the NAA firearms (well, probably any firearm) because so much depends on the size of the shooter's hand, and other considerations.

I like the Black Widow, and opted to change out the BW grip for a Pug grip to reduce the profile. But my hand can accommodate it. I have never fumbled with a NAA revolver (even the .22 LR mini with a standard grip) because, again, my hand can accommodate it. Definitely can't say that for everybody.

To answer the other question -- .22 LR's must be fired in a .22 LR cylinder. I have the NAA BW and Earl with both cylinders (.22LR and .22 WMR). I also have a .22 LR Mini.

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If I were looking for a mini .22 I would probably go with Black Widow model. Don't know if it would be worth the extra money for the .22 Magnum conversion cylinder or for the adjustable sights.

To the OP: Also -- NAA stopped making the Ranger after their initial test run, because they couldn't manufacture the revolver at a price point that what worth it to them. I'm sure they're still floating around out there, but probably more as a "collectible."

NAA does make the Sidewinder with the swing-out cylinder...

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I have the Black Widow in .22lr. I Can only hit a beer can 1 out of 4 shots at 10 feet. It's a riot to shoot. I will keep it.

My brother has a NAA .22 Mag/.22 LR convertible with the 1⅝"(?) barrel and a folding grip with a belt/pocket clip. The muzzle blast is pretty impressive with .22 Mag ammo. and the folding grip is large enough that he doesn't have to worry about repositioning his grip. He carries it everywhere he goes.

Pug. Those sights make it a viable, useable pistol.

I absolutely love my 4.2 inch Earl. It's superb fun.

And if a person can figure out how to hold it consistently they can be darn accurate. The longer sight baseline of the long barrel versions makes using them at out to around 20 to 30 yards very doable. I've managed to produce 7 to 8 inch groups at 20 yards on more or less a regular basis. The 4 inch barrel and longer baseline makes this not to hard to manage. I wouldn't expect the same from the short barrel guns though.

The trigger pull is up around half a ton or so. I don't know if it was on purpose or not but that little spur trigger needs a fierce pull. And no using the fleshy bits of your trigger finger. I couldn't even make it fire unless I put the trigger right onto the harder cartilage bit of the joint. But despite the pull needed again they can shoot well if you can get a nice consistent hold on the gun. Oh OK, the "half a ton" is a little exaggerated. But I'm pretty sure that if I put a scale on the trigger that the pressure would be up around 16 to 18 lbs. A light target trigger it most certainly is not.

I keep mentioning the hold. For me it's a two handed hold I wrap my middle and ring fingers around the grips as best I can and then reach in with my support hand to pinch these two fingers a little harder. I've shot it one handed but the gun moves around in my grip too much to offer good accuracy.

I keep thinking that some day I'll make up a new set of grips more about the size of the Ruger Bearcat. These would still be small for my big hands but at least I'd be able to hold the gun more easily and they wouldn't be TOO much out of scale with the rest of the gun.

.22LR out of a Mag cylinder is a bad idea. First off the bullet isn't guided into the forcing cone at all well and secondly WHEN the cases deform and split it lets that much more gas and burning powder spew out the back of the cylinder. One time I loaded up mine with the wrong cylinder and shot some LR ammo. About half the cases split and peppered my hand with the blow back. It was more just new and uncomfortable. But I hadn't shot the gun in a while so I didn't really figure that it was something different. Then I shucked out the empties and found them ballooned out and two of the five were split...... I really wish that NAA marked the cylinders with more of a positive way to identify them. I'm almost thinking of mounting mine in my lathe and put a very light score line around the outside of the LR cylinder. As it works now I don't use the Magnum cylinder so it's the clean one.

Should you get one? If you want it for serious use I'd say "no". If you just like the idea and shoot for fun then I can't express how much of a giggle these things are.

Clearly if you're looking at the Mini Mag you like the Colt Python look. For me it was the similarity of the Earl to my Uberti New Model Army percussion black powder revolvers that made me take the leap.

TruthTellers said:

Ranger is coming back

http://news.northamericanarms.com/soapbox/december-2015-ranger-ii-on-track/

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No kidding...Well, that's news!

Hmmmm...

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I have one and like it. It is a challenge to shoot it well.

They are very sensitive to how they are gripped - any change in where, or how much, your hand applies pressure to the gun will alter the point of aim significantly. The bigger grips make it easier, but can defeat the purpose of having such a small gun to begin with.

I have one of the 3" Earls and put a Pug grip on it. It looks strangely endearing and I can shoot it better than I can with the larger wooden grips. A lot of my enjoyment come from being challenged by it. I think it's good training for shooting larger guns more consistently too.

My gun has a minor defect which I consider a feature - the trigger has a hitch in it, which makes it almost like a set trigger if handled properly. A firm gentle squeeze results in a bit of give, and a stop. Pressing beyond that stop results in a fairly light, crisp pull that releases the hammer.

Earl with Pug grip.

MikeJackmin said:

Earl with Pug grip.

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Hey -- the Earl DOES look good with a Pug grip...

I put a Pug grip on my Black Widow, and put the BW grip on my Earl (thinking to make the Earl sort of a minimalist "kit gun") -- but I may have to consider getting another Pug grip.

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I have a sidewinder in 22 mag for pocket carry. The swing out cylinder makes reloading easier, but not very smooth. The rounds next to the frame get caught on the grip, and the extractor is still a little stiff.

I had the 22/22mag 1 5/8 barrel. I owned a few years . Barn safe shooting at from inside .I sold it couple month's back . I considered a total waste of money . As a Carry gun about 30th back up after all 380 ,32 's and 25 autos ,knives, and clubs used up

thank you .....Michael T......a reality check!!

I like my Pug.

JN01 said:

I like my Pug.

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I've seen those grips before -- they're wild!

If you don't mind my asking, where did you get them?

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I own a Sidewinder, my dad and one of my brothers own Black Widows with fixed sights, and my other brother owns a Mini in .22 LR.

I find the Black Widows to be fairly easy to shoot, with useable sights and grips. The Sidewinder comes in second, the grip isn't quite as friendly (I will probably change it) and sights aren't as precise as the Black Widow sights.

Third place goes to the Mini, it is a bit harder to hold onto and more difficult to aim. The gun seems to be accurate enough mechanically, it's just a bit more difficult to shoot well at a distance.

All of these guns are fun to shoot and accurate enough for their intended purpose. The triggers on 3 out of the 4 are decent, with one of the Black Widows having a heavier pull.