NAA Guardian 380 ACP. Anyone shoot these?

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Rule3

Rule3

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I was going through a log book of SD guns I had and tested recording how well they shot and any malfunctions
Back in 2008 I had one of these and it was 100% reliable no matter what ammo I shot!

Very well made USA, but sold it to move on to something else. Yes the 12 lb trigger was like a revolver and the 20oz weigh was like a rock in the pocket!

Still kinda like them:)

Not my gun/picture.


p-317-380_1.jpg
 
I’d rather shoot it than a lot of other light weight polymer .380’s.

That being said, I’d rather carry a much lighter pistol all day.
 
Nice. I need to add a pocket pistol to my collection so if I do start to carry I can have my S&W 642 for my main gun and the pocket pistol backup for a New York Reload.

Might it be this Guardian is a better choice than the Beretta Tomcat?
 
aaaaa said:
Nice. I need to add a pocket pistol to my collection so if I do start to carry I can have my S&W 642 for my main gun and the pocket pistol backup for a New York Reload.

Might it be this Guardian is a better choice than the Beretta Tomcat?
Click to expand...

It is reliable and accurate.Lifetime warranty. The slide does not lock back and it is a heavy gun(much more than a Tomcat)
Mine was a 380 don't know about the 32 acp, Pretty much the same gun I would think.
 
Rule3 said:
It is reliable and accurate.Lifetime warranty. The slide does not lock back and it is a heavy gun(much more than a Tomcat)
Mine was a 380 don't know about the 32 acp, Pretty much the same gun I would think.
Click to expand...

Not terribly heavy, just under a pound. So basically after you fire the last round it ejects the casing and then re-closes? I would stick with the .380 for more stopping power over the .32.
 
aaaaa said:
Not terribly heavy, just under a pound. So basically after you fire the last round it ejects the casing and then re-closes? I would stick with the .380 for more stopping power over the .32.
Click to expand...

There is no slide lock. Many blow back guns are like that.

Only issue is if there is a malfunction (like a stove pipe) it's a bit more hassle to clear it.
 
The Guardians are well made, but are antiquated compared to more modern guns. The straight blowback design makes recoil feel much heavier than it ought to be, the trigger sucks (tho being a true DAO is nice for second strike ability), and the sights are pure garbage. I don't want to hear the "belly gun" argument, I'm tired of hearing how every gun that can fit in the palm of someone's hand is a belly gun when with proper sights they could be 15 yards capable.

Had Hornady not discontinued their .32 NAA Critical Defense ammo I might be interested in a .32 NAA Guardian, but thanks to old Fudd farts the .32 is basically dead as a self defense caliber for a semi auto pistol in the US.
 
-Heavy as a boat anchor.
-If you pocket carry it will cause your pants to sag to one side.
-Recoil from this straight blowback semi auto is a beast. For me it was the most unpleasant gun I've ever fired.
-Trigger pull is so heavy it's considered a safety feature.

I sold my Guardian a week after getting a Kahr CW9...lighter AND a 9mm.

I would NEVER recommend Guardian to anyone. It WAS a reliable, well built firearm, but there are much better choices for a pocket .380 auto.
 
dogtown tom said:
-Heavy as a boat anchor.
-If you pocket carry it will cause your pants to sag to one side.
-Recoil from this straight blowback semi auto is a beast. For me it was the most unpleasant gun I've ever fired.
-Trigger pull is so heavy it's considered a safety feature.

I sold my Guardian a week after getting a Kahr CW9...lighter AND a 9mm.

I would NEVER recommend Guardian to anyone. It WAS a reliable, well built firearm, but there are much better choices for a pocket .380 auto.
Click to expand...

On the one I had the frame was stamped KAHR

My Kahr PM 9 required 3 trips back to the company before it would work Guess the Moonies were busy chanting or something,
 
Rule3 said:
On the one I had the frame was stamped KAHR

My Kahr PM 9 required 3 trips back to the company before it would work Guess the Moonies were busy chanting or something,
Click to expand...

I remember seeing those early NAA Guardians.

I owned a .32 ACP version for many years. I really like true DAO in a gun like that, but I grew to dislike the blowback action in such a small gun. My pocket guns now are locked breech and much easier to shoot well.
 
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TTv2 said:
The Guardians are well made, but are antiquated compared to more modern guns. The straight blowback design makes recoil feel much heavier than it ought to be, the trigger sucks (tho being a true DAO is nice for second strike ability), and the sights are pure garbage. I don't want to hear the "belly gun" argument, I'm tired of hearing how every gun that can fit in the palm of someone's hand is a belly gun when with proper sights they could be 15 yards capable.

Had Hornady not discontinued their .32 NAA Critical Defense ammo I might be interested in a .32 NAA Guardian, but thanks to old Fudd farts the .32 is basically dead as a self defense caliber for a semi auto pistol in the US.
Click to expand...

NAA's custom shop has offered sight upgrades for a long time. An extra cost, but it can be done.

Scroll down and open Guardian Sight Options.
https://northamericanarms.com/accessories/custom-shop/#1462471752899-5ad74751-5fe0
 
They're nice guns, heavy and solid. I'd own one but I doubt it would see much use, I prefer a polymer pistol for carry but I appreciate the feel of a dense little pistol. I'm not a fan of the trigger but it's useable.
 
One of my friends has one in 32 NAA. He also has 500 rds of ammo, half of which is hollow point.
 
I always find it interesting how so many shooters are EXTREMELY recoil sensitive.

I laughed out loud when watching a recent episode of Active Self Protection. John Correia, a man who has probably put an order of magnitude more rounds downrange than myself, declined to continue firing a 642 more than five shots due to it's "abusive recoil".

Really John? Five rounds of some standard pressure .38 range fodder is too much for you?

Good grief...
 
"The Guardians are well made"
Huh? The barrel is welded to the frame, not a quality way to design a handgun IMO (If the barrel has a problem replacement includes the frame!).

I have one and the trigger is atrociously heavy, I don't know if I ever shot it since I had one in the 90's too. But they were the smallest .380 auto for a short while I think.
 
Nice-looking and well-made pistols but, as many have acknowledged, much too heavy for its intended purpose. That's why they make LCPs. ;) If I'm going to carry something concealed weighing close to a pound and a half, it's going to be chambered in something way more "potent" than a .380.
 
I had one a long time ago, 2006 or so maybe.

Occasional carry.

From what I can recall, and mine was a 380, it struggled to make it through one low capacity mag without jamming.

It was no fun to take apart.

It was a brick in the pocket.

It went for a lot when I traded it in (about what I paid if I recall), so... Bye Felicia.
 
I have one in 32 NAA which is a necked down 380. It always works. Simple, rugged design, with few parts. Bad thing is ammo availability. And reloadability... Mine was made by Kahr and is well made. I might have 40 rounds for it and havent seen any in the last couple years so i cant get better shooting with it...

Trigger pull is pretty tough. Sights are basically non-existent. But it makes one heck of a club! So it is a 2-yard SD gun for me. Up close and personal. I do not shoot it well due to the heavy trigger.
 
I have trried the .380ACP Guardian and based on my experience with the .32ACP Guardian, I would not want to. The .32ACP is a smaller gun, but very similar in that it is all steel and double action only. That is fine with me as I have been shooting DAO for over 25 years. The .32ACP is one of the most unpleasant guns that I have fired. I have a BERETTA 3032 Tomcat in .32ACP. The Tomcat is lighter because of the aluminum frame and almost as small, however it is no problem to shoot a Tomcat with 50 or even a 100 rounds. With the .32ACP Guardian, it is painful and I rarely shoot it and then only for 25 rounds at a time.

It is really compact and can hide in a pocket like nothing else, but it is not a gun you want to use.

Jim
 
.455_Hunter said:
I always find it interesting how so many shooters are EXTREMELY recoil sensitive.

I laughed out loud when watching a recent episode of Active Self Protection. John Correia, a man who has probably put an order of magnitude more rounds downrange than myself, declined to continue firing a 642 more than five shots due to it's "abusive recoil".

Really John? Five rounds of some standard pressure .38 range fodder is too much for you?

Good grief...
Click to expand...

Hand fit may be a problem.

If I get my base thumb joint in the wrong place on a hard grip snub nose revolver, that bone takes the hit and I feel every shot as my hand is if getting hit with a ball peen hammer.

If I move my hand around to get that joint to a different location on the grip, I can shoot until I get tired or run out of ammo.

Perhaps some hands don't fit snubbie boot grips too well.

Speaking of that, the reason I grew to dislike my .32ACP Guardian was the grip was too small for me to hold on to during recoil. The damn thing would slip in my hand which would allow some limp wrist type malfunctions. I bought the super wide grip that NAA offers, and it helped shooting it, but the thing was then wider than a typical snubby revolver cylinder. I figured that I might as well carry a revolver instead, or a different autoloader.
 
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