North American Arms mini .22 magnum?

[bill2]

I wanted to know if anyone has owned/shot a North American Arms mini .22 mag. It's called the Black Widow, I think. Single action, revolver, with the cylinder actually coming out of the gun to reload. Is the recoil nasty with the .22 mag vs the .22 long rifle? how easy was it to shoot? I've seen the gun, but have never fired one, and am interested in getting one.

Thanks

 

[scbair]

I have two!

Bought one second-hand to try out; shoots great, but the mainspring has apparently weakened with age (hey, it's a pretty old specimen, I think, and has seen much use). Lock-up is still tight, but I get 1-2 failures to fire per box of magnums. Not wanting to be "NAA-less" while it's being shipped back to the factory for a new spring (under the original warranty; NAA rocks!), I bought a new one!

They shoot great. Recoil is what I'd term "noticeable," but certainly not objectionable. I do a bit of shooting with an airweight .38 snub; THAT's objectionable! Accurate to 25 yards; good sights & decent trigger. Small enough to disappear in a front pants pocket. What's not to like?

 

[Joe Demko]

I have one of the .22/r/.22mag versions, but not a Black Widow. To answer your question about recoil, no it isn't nasty. Not even unpleasant, really. The NAA revolvers are sweet little guns and you'll almost certainly be pleased if you buy one. I like all three of mine.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I did not have good luck with the 'Black Widow' in .22WMR.
It functioned fine, but the barrel to cylinder gap on mine was huge! Mabey .050-.075". Recoil was not the problem, the muzzle blast was awful and accuracy was poor, probably due to the gap.
Mine was built about 1992 if I recall. I've seen others since that were better.
I think the .22WMR wastes its powder charge in a small revolver and the .22lr would be just as effective in such a short barrel.
.22WMR bullets are built to expand at much higher velocities. I think the Stinger or other high speed .22lr rounds would have a better chance of expanding.

 

[BluesBear]

but the barrel to cylinder gap on mine was huge! Mabey .050-.075

The industry MAXIMUM allowable b/c gap is .012". That's the approximate thickness of 3 sheets of standard copier paper. Anything larger is UNSAFE to fire.

 

[Jim March]

See my comments here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83014

 

[PO2Hammer]

I am not exagerating when I say .050-.075". I have some training as a machinist and my estimation is probably very close.
The gun was just brutal to fire, it would scorch my hands and the blast was worse than a .357 snubby.
That particular gun should never have left the factory, I was younger and ignorant and thaught I was a wimp for not liking to shoot it.

 

[ducktapehero]

I think the .22WMR wastes its powder charge in a small revolver and the .22lr would be just as effective in such a short barrel.

Here is what NAA says the velocities are of different loads of both 22lr and 22mag. I would like to see if anyone has done any experimenting with them and see how they perform.

http://www.naaminis.com/lrvelnew.html

http://www.naaminis.com/msvel.html

 

[bill2]

See my comments here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthre...;threadid=83014


__________________
Jim March
TFL Alumnus
Equal Rights for CCW Home Page
http://www.equalccw.com
___________________



The thread was very helpful, thanks Jim

 

[ducktapehero]

bill2, your link doesn't work for me.

 

[Jim March]

ducktapehero: don't worry about it, Bill2 was just quoting me and re-posting the same link I posted. So go to the link I mentioned .

 

[Jim March]

Folks, if the CCI MaxiMag +V and +V/TNT loads didn't exist, short-barrel 22Mag guns would be FAR less useful than they are with those CCIs available.

As a generalization, it's fair to say that 22Mag doesn't work that well out of short tubes. The CCI 30grain super-high-velocity loads leave that generalization in the dust...1,200fps from a 2" barrel will put a hurt on somebody and give you energy levels into 32ACP territory - with more penetration.

The other good load is the Winchester 33Grain Supreme BUT in my experience, CCI 22Mag rimfire primer reliability is worlds ahead of Winchester. I've not had a failure with any CCI 22mag primer and I've shot a lot across three guns (FA mini, NAA mini, Ruger SingleSix), more than I can say with just two boxes of Winchester.

The 40grain CCI load is generally easier to find and OK for practice but the 30s are the ticket for defensive loading. All the CCI 22Mags in the nickeled cases use the same primers and cases so you can reliability-test with any of them.

 

[Ala Dan]

Positive Experience-

Well Folk's-

Actually, we have two NAA "minis" in camp! The first is
the standard .22 LR; with the second being a .22 mag;
and both have the 1-1/8" barrels. While accuracy is
nothing to brag about; they have functioned without
even a hiicup! Recoil and muzzle blast is not a problem.
The magnum version is my "always" gun; as it rides
comfortably in the front pants pocket.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Ben Shepherd]

I've got one of the freedom arms beltbuckle 22 mags. I plan on using the speer tnt loads.

But so far, I've been a little chicken of it. I mean a one finger grip?

So yes, Mr. Magnumitis is scared of a 22.