.22 Short NAA

[TTv2]

I have two .22 Mag NAA's, they're fine, but when I bought them I was unaware they had a larger grip frame that added to the length. Since learning that I've wanted a smaller frame NAA with the 1 inch barrel, and that leaves me two options in either the .22 Short only or .22 LR.

The LR is about half an inch longer and I'd like to hear from others if they feel the smaller size of the Short model is worth the tradeoff in power, or if the Short just carries significantly better than the LR.

The way I look at it, neither are ideal for primary carry everyday, but when I need one of the minis, regardless of what they're chambered for, I'm aiming for the head and face at point blank range and figure either Short or LR will be equal in effect.

Thoughts?

 

[Landgroove]

I have two .22 Mag NAA's, they're fine, but when I bought them I was unaware they had a larger grip frame that added to the length. Since learning that I've wanted a smaller frame NAA with the 1 inch barrel, and that leaves me two options in either the .22 Short only or .22 LR.

The LR is about half an inch longer and I'd like to hear from others if they feel the smaller size of the Short model is worth the tradeoff in power, or if the Short just carries significantly better than the LR.

The way I look at it, neither are ideal for primary carry everyday, but when I need one of the minis, regardless of what they're chambered for, I'm aiming for the head and face at point blank range and figure either Short or LR will be equal in effect.

Thoughts?

Probably likely. I knew a Stockton cop who, in his training classes had the students "pat him down."
They missed the tiny gun he had hidden in his....collar.
They were pissed. But learned something.
He said after that, they nearly ripped him apart looking.












'

 

[GEM]

The 22S is much harder to shoot accurately than a 1 5/8 inch barrel, with the slip on rubber grips 22 LR/Mag NAA. It is not hard to hit a head at 5 yards with the latter, hard to to do with the former.

They are what they are - deep concealment guns or BUGs. The 22S just disappears into clothing, the 22 LR does too but a little bigger, Both need a pocket holster.

 

[Monac]

I used to want one of these NAA 22 Short revolvers. My father taught my brother and I to shoot with 22 Shorts, so I've always liked it. Then someone, somewhere in these forums remarked that this model of NAA was so short that it was easy to get a finger too close to the muzzle in the process of cocking and firing. Personally, that sounded exactly like something I would do, so I changed my mind about them. Other people are far more careful and less fumble-fingered than I am, so this is entirely an individual opinion.

 

[Coyote3855]

I have NAA in .22 LR and Magnum. The .22 short is cute and I want one. I wouldn't carry any of them except very deep cover.

 

[TTv2]

The 22S is much harder to shoot accurately than a 1 5/8 inch barrel, with the slip on rubber grips 22 LR/Mag NAA. It is not hard to hit a head at 5 yards with the latter, hard to to do with the former.

They are what they are - deep concealment guns or BUGs. The 22S just disappears into clothing, the 22 LR does too but a little bigger, Both need a pocket holster.

I did get the 1.5" barrel for the .22 Mag because at the time I was aware of the intermittent keyhole issues these NAA's have, so I figured more rifling the better. Then when I found shooting at 10 yards was difficult even with the larger Magnum, I figured keyholes weren't something to be concerned about, nor sight radius.

The focus now is on being as small as possible and I whether I get the Short or LR it will be the 1 inch barrel.

There was a laser made by Laserlyte that replaced the stock grips. I have thought that would be faster and better than relying on the stock sights and at 5 yards the laser would be easy to pick up. They're no longer made, but I figure someone else will make them someday.

 

[GEM]

Keyholing, yes indeed. You will see some perfect outlines of a horizontal bullet instead of a hole.

 

[chicharrones]

I did get the 1.5" barrel for the .22 Mag because at the time I was aware of the intermittent keyhole issues these NAA's have, so I figured more rifling the better. Then when I found shooting at 10 yards was difficult even with the larger Magnum, I figured keyholes weren't something to be concerned about, nor sight radius.

The focus now is on being as small as possible and I whether I get the Short or LR it will be the 1 inch barrel.

There was a laser made by Laserlyte that replaced the stock grips. I have thought that would be faster and better than relying on the stock sights and at 5 yards the laser would be easy to pick up. They're no longer made, but I figure someone else will make them someday.

Viridian offers them now. Not sure if they fit the small frame models, though.

Edit: Only magnum frames.

https://viridianweapontech.com/products/lasers-lights/red-grip-naa-magnum-frame

https://northamericanarms.com/shop/firearms/naa-22ms-vl/

 

[tactikel]

Will a .22 short from a barrel that short penetrate 12”? If not it is not a viable SD option (please, no “ I wouldn’t want to be shot with one”). IMHO at contact shot distances, a fixed blade knife would be preferable to a .22 short.
A .22 LR or magnum is a setup I would consider viable.

 

[GEM]

It is what it is. Puts a little bullet into some depth. If you want to knife fight, that isn't fun either. Note the first SW revolver was a 22S and sold quite a few, even to folks going to the front in the Civil War. I know that folks in that period had a fear of a death sentence infection from any sort of wound.

They have worked for people. There haven't been reports of them failing when used. The larger 22LRs have quite a few successes. But it's not a primary except in NPE, specific concealment circumstances.

You buy one for fun or that specific usage.

 

[film495]

I clip an NAA mini, with the folding grip in my pocket when I go hiking. .22 MAG. Works fine, I try to practice with it more with .22 LR cause it is cheapter to shoot, but anyway - if you haven't tried the little folding clip on grip, highly recommend it.

 

[TTv2]

Will a .22 short from a barrel that short penetrate 12”? If not it is not a viable SD option (please, no “ I wouldn’t want to be shot with one”). IMHO at contact shot distances, a fixed blade knife would be preferable to a .22 short.
A .22 LR or magnum is a setup I would consider viable.

No, they don't, but the same can be said for the .22 LR in these mini revolvers. I remember watching years ago a video on youtube where the 1 inch .22 LR NAA was used on gel with a variety of ammo and it seemed whatever got over 800 fps with a 36gr or heavier bullet exceeded 10 inches, but nothing consistently got more than 12. .22 Short gets maybe 6 inches from the couple videos I've seen of gel tests.

These are all reasons I don't consider body shots viable, so the head and face are target #1.

I've given it some more thought and due to not having as much Short ammo as I do LR and acquiring ammo isn't as easy as it use to be, I'm going to probably go with the LR instead.

 

[Tallball]

I always thought the NAA's were cool and finally ran across a used one for cheap as a range toy.

My hands are too big to use it for anything else. I have to be relatively slow and careful if I'm not going to fumble while I'm cocking or shooting it. I can keep shots on a piece of notebook paper at seven yards, firing slowly, but that's about it.

A smaller-handed person might be able to use it as a BUG.

I'd go for the LR every time. Shorts are much harder to find and will be gone one day. LR is more effective on critters, too.

Not enough pics!

NAA Mini 22lr

• Tallball
• Jul 9, 2021

 

[Ethan Verity]

I am sure you will appreciate my older thread titled 'Ballistic Testing the NAA 22Short' in which I shot this Ballistic Dummy Labs head multiple times with the gun.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...esting-the-naa-22-short-mini-revolver.888665/




That thread will give you a better understanding of exactly what a headshot can do using the NAA 22Short.

I have owned both the 22Short, and the 22LR models. I find that the 22Short is just small/light enough to carry in my front shirt pocket, whereas the 22LR is getting too big for this. Also, the 22Short has less problems with tumbling bullets, due to the inherently shorter bullet of the round (my 22Short has never keyhold, but my 22LR did every now and then).

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

I will eventually get a NAA mini, and I want it to be the .22 Short model. It would only be for fun, and to try out making grips and other weirdo modifications.

I wonder if many people who have one have tried holding it with one hand and working the hammer and trigger with the other? It seems to me that helps a lot in manipulating such a tiny weapon when I’ve tried it on examples I’ve held.

 

[.455_Hunter]

The .22S NAA Mini fits perfectly in a Wrangler fob pocket, even with the wooden round-to-square butt conversion boot grips.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Just be almighty sure that the firing pin is in the safety groove between the chambers...if it ends up resting on a primer, a hard bump will spoil your day.
Moon

 

[Landgroove]

A friend used to be a probation officer and had a 22LR version.
He and the department went out on a probation "pickup" one day and he only had that gun.
He pulled it out and stood next to a window.
Another PO came up and said, "Gimme that!" and handed him a shotgun.

 

[herrwalther]

I have one in 22 Mag. Excellent little deep concealment piece/BUG/Jogging firearm. Not much use for anything else though.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I really like the NAA revolvers, have a couple of them. Really wanted the .22 short version and finally got one. It is SMALL. So small, for me, that it is very hard to shoot when compared to the magnum frames.

Not saying that it doesn't have its place and won't work for some people but for me it is the least favorite of my NAA's.

 

[Armybrat]

My .22 LR Mini fit pretty well in this buckle, but too small for me to manipulate the action reliably.
Gifted it to my son for Christmas.
Bought a Ranger II just for fun, not carry.

 

[TTv2]

I am sure you will appreciate my older thread titled 'Ballistic Testing the NAA 22Short' in which I shot this Ballistic Dummy Labs head multiple times with the gun.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...esting-the-naa-22-short-mini-revolver.888665/
View attachment 1154658

View attachment 1154659

That thread will give you a better understanding of exactly what a headshot can do using the NAA 22Short.

I have owned both the 22Short, and the 22LR models. I find that the 22Short is just small/light enough to carry in my front shirt pocket, whereas the 22LR is getting too big for this. Also, the 22Short has less problems with tumbling bullets, due to the inherently shorter bullet of the round (my 22Short has never keyhold, but my 22LR did every now and then).
View attachment 1154665

I remember your topic and it, along with Paul Harrell's videos on small calibers and micro guns, changed my opinion on the .22 Short NAA as before I figured that the .22 LR is much better for only a bit more length.

Then I thought more about it, rewatched some videos, saw that even the .22 LR most of the ammo only hits 8 to 9 inches deep with the NAA, and it's not consistent, likely because of the keyhole shots.

Even tho ShootingtheBull found one load that got 11 inches consistently in HIS NAA, that doesn't mean that ammo or others will do the same in someone else's. So, the belief that one can find a .22 LR ammo that duplicates the performance he got is foolish.

If what you're telling me is that the .22 Short NAA never keyholes, this is significant because a headshot with a keyholing bullet isn't going to penetrate well compared to a bullet flying straight and true. From one video I saw, the .22 Short seems to be consistent with its penetration.

Every time I think I've figured out the answer, the question changes.

If you could only have one small frame NAA, which would it be? The Short or LR?

 

[Landgroove]

But this is what I use. When we were dating, my wife gave me the derringers.

 

[Ethan Verity]

If you could only have one small frame NAA, which would it be? The Short or LR?

Well, I have since sold off my NAA 22LR, but I still have my NAA 22Short!

If what you're telling me is that the .22 Short NAA never keyholes, this is significant because a headshot with a keyholing bullet isn't going to penetrate well compared to a bullet flying straight and true. From one video I saw, the .22 Short seems to be consistent with its penetration.

This has been my personal experience at least. I have over 1,200 rounds through that little gun so far (I know, that's a crazy high round count for one of these little guns... but, I really enjoy shooting it!), and have never once noticed a key hole tear in my target paper. It's always round 22cal holes as you would expect. Even out to 25 yards, it's still making 22 cal holes in paper. I have only ever shot the hyper-velocity 22Shorts though, I'm not sure how the slower CB cap or lead target rounds would perform. My 22LR model wasn't bad either, most rounds did fly true... however, I would see an occasional keyhole round every once in a while (often a flyer, that struck on the outer edge of the target). I just assume the super short barrel, and twist rate combination, is a better match for the 29gr bullet over the heavier, longer rounds the 22LR was spitting out. I had also re-crowned both guns for best possible performance (NAA doesn't do a good job there). The problem would have likely been even worse, had I not done this.

 

[MikeInOr]

I have two .22 Mag NAA's, they're fine, but when I bought them I was unaware they had a larger grip frame that added to the length. Since learning that I've wanted a smaller frame NAA with the 1 inch barrel, and that leaves me two options in either the .22 Short only or .22 LR.

The LR is about half an inch longer and I'd like to hear from others if they feel the smaller size of the Short model is worth the tradeoff in power, or if the Short just carries significantly better than the LR.

The way I look at it, neither are ideal for primary carry everyday, but when I need one of the minis, regardless of what they're chambered for, I'm aiming for the head and face at point blank range and figure either Short or LR will be equal in effect.

Thoughts?

The .22wmr pistols do have a bigger frame than the .22lr and the .22 short is even smaller. I personally don't find my .22lr NAA very practical. The stock grip panels it came with is too small for my big hands. I literally can't hang on to the .22lr. So I put one of the folding grips on my .22lr NAA and it was bigger to carry than my .22wmr NAA plus there was an extra step to deploy it. I put the factory grip panels back on the .22lr and then put one of the NAA rubber grips that slip over the factory grip panels and I can shoot it reliably without it wanting to jump out of my hand but the size advantage of the smaller frame is gone.

The only thing that has kept me from buying the .22short version of the NAA is I can't imagine any way that I would actually be able to shoot it, no less shoot it with any kind of accuracy.

Just my $.02 though. A smaller more nimble hand might be much more comfortable with the smaller frames.

As much as I would love to have a NAA Ranger II, $400+ is just more than I am willing to spend on one. They are very cool though!

I always considered the .22 short NAA a body cavity pistol, i.e. a butt gun, to smuggle into restricted places.