Rimfire safety?

[spirit4earth]

Hi everyone!  I'm new to the forum, and new to NAA firearms.  I'm also not a gun expert by any means.  I'm thinking about getting a Black Widow (or other suggestion?), but I have a question about using 22lr.  Is it safe to have your hand so close to the open cylinders?  Don't rimfire cartridges "explode" sometimes?
Thanks for any and all advice, and for yourpatience with my novice status!

[smokeless joe]

First off welcome spirt4earth. I think the Black Widow would be an excellent choice for your first mini (notice I said first, they tend to multiply) I would also consider one with a conversion cylinder so you can plink and practice with the cheaper lr ammo and carry magnum if you need something concealable that goes bang. I've put many thousands of rimfire rounds down range and have never had an issue with any "explosions." Buy with confidence and post some pics of whatever you decide on.

[Warthog]

WELCOME spirt4earth

Any revolver means not putting your finger near where hot gasses come out, like near the forcing cone.  As for exploding?  I suppose that might happen but I have never had it happen with any rimfire ammo I have used.

Get yourself a Black Widow with conversion cylinder, plinking is great with a 22LR, then you can switch to a Magnum for any sort of Self Defense stuff.

[adp3]

After 55 years of shooting .22LR I've only had one .22 rimfire case rupture. It was years ago in a very dirty Ruger MKII where the round fired without the round being completely chambered. In a revolver like a NAA where the case heads are recessed in the cylinder chambers it is very unlikely you'll get a case rupture.

Best Regards,
ADP3

[bearcatter]

Rimfire cases can on rare occasion rupture, but no one is telling you what to expect. I've had two over the years. One I just got a brief fright, no harm done. The second, I got a few tiny nicks on my hand and a little soot. No harm to the guns. No big deal when they do happen. The hardest thing is, sometimes, removing the remains of the case from the gun.

[Canoeal]

None here.. that sayin', mine are 22 mag and the case is slightly thicker.
.

[Ruger]

Hey SPIRIT . . . WELCOME to the Forum.  So glad you jumped up to the firing line and threw a good question down range.  Please don't hesitate to spend some time here on this virtual range.  We need you opinions, stories, questions, and of course, your pictures!!  So reload and step up to the firing line soon!

As to exploding 22LR; I have not ever had a 22 LR explode.  I've had them not explode, and had bad ammo where every other 22 LR was a FTF issue in a semi-auto.  Some ammo expands more than others, so as Bearcatter stated, they are harder to remove from the cylinder.  But in revolvers, the cartridge is contained within the chamber when first struck, unlike in semi-autos where the cartridge is first struck as it is peeled from the magazine and advanced into the chamber.

I have a mini with me most of the time.  You have made a great choice. There are some that will tell you that a 22LR is not the caliber for self defense.  But I have always said that a hole where it doesn't belong is never good; in the wall, in your gas tank, in you pants, or in the guy threatening to kill you. 

[Uncle_Lee]

Welcome Spirit4earth,
That is about all I can say.
The subject has been covered pretty good.
Join in, let us know what life is like.
Good caring folks here.

[RICKS PLACE]

Now you got on my gun favorite subject, the NAA B/W.  My second would be the Pug.  I never heard of a 22 exploding in the chamber.  I have been shooting .22s for a mere 72 years.  I have had some very poorly stored  40+ years old ammo where the hammer would fall, then 2-3 seconds later the bullet went off. We expected problem and were at a range and were giving plenty of time before going to the next chamber on our trusty H&R revolvers.  I have had misfires with bargain basement ammo.  Never a round "blowing up".  Nor have I had "lead shaving" out of any of the NAA revolvers I have owned.  (And there have been many)   

[SteveZ-FL]

With decent-brand .22 ammunition these days, the potential of an "exploding round" appears highly doubtful.  The better manufacturers have exceptional quality control to alleviate the problem of days/years gone by.  The discount-label foreign stuff is another matter, but you do get what you pay for.

All that being said, I primarily use CCI and Federal .22LR ammunition and have never had any problems.

[pietro]

Hi everyone!  I'm new to the forum, and new to NAA firearms. 

I'm also not a gun expert by any means. 

I'm thinking about getting a Black Widow (or other suggestion?), but I have a question about using 22lr.

Is it safe to have your hand so close to the open cylinders ? 

Welcome to the insanity !

AND, keep your flesh away from both the front of the cylinder and the muzzle when firing any revolver... 


.

[billmeek]

I'm wondering if spirit4earth might have heard about the double-discharge in NAAs with "Made in the Phillipines" ammo.  From the 'Product Warnings and Advisory Notices' section at:

https://northamericanarms.com/safety/

May, 2004 – PRODUCT PERFORMANCE ADVISORY BULLETIN (PMC AMMO)

This Product Performance Advisory Bulletin is issued for the benefit of NAA's customers, owners and users of its .22 caliber revolvers. NAA has recently learned that the use of PMC .22 caliber ammunition (Magnum and LR) may affect the performance of its revolvers. Specifically, NAA has become aware of a phenomenon where an inadvertent, double-discharge (two rounds simultaneously discharging, one aligned with the barrel and the other out of battery) may occur when PMC Brand ammunition is used in NAA .22 caliber revolvers. These double discharge occurrences have been investigated by NAA and, based on the results of our investigation to date, it appears that the inadvertent, double-discharge has only occurred with PMC Brand .22 caliber ammunition*, both in magnum and long rifle. However, NAA has not learned of any confirmed double-discharge occurrences involving any other brand of manufacturer's ammunition.

At this time, NAA recommends that its customers, owners and users of NAA .22 revolvers DO NOT USE ANY PMC .22 CALIBER ammunition (Magnum and/or LR) in any model of NAA revolvers. As with all of its firearms, NAA encourages its customers to exercise the utmost caution and care when using its products, including always wearing appropriate eye and ear protection and following all of the Basic Rules of Firearms Safety.

NAA takes tremendous pride in its finely crafted products. Its products have been certified by independent testing laboratories to meet or exceed every published firearms standard for safety, performance and reliability. All of NAA's products are warranted for a lifetime and its customer service and technical teams are ranked among the best in the industry, serving its more than 500,000 customers over the past thirty years.     NAA appreciates that, among other things, its products are purchased and used as back-up weapons for law enforcement and for personal protection. As such, NAA recognizes that its customers should be supplied with any information that may affect the safety, performance and reliability of its products.

If you have any questions concerning this Product Performance Advisory Bulletin, please contact us at (800) 821-5783 or write us at North American Arms, 2150 South 950 East, Provo, Utah 84606-6285, Attention General Manager.

*This advisory is being extended to additional brands of ammunition which may be made under subcontract to PMC.  These include certain models of ARMSCOR & FIOCCHI products.  If the box identifies the contents as "Made in the Phillipines", we recommend against using the product in NAA mini-revolvers.

[riadat]

If you get a 22 magnum and shoot 22 lr in the cases they can bulge and possibly even split and so forth.

Don't do that.  Quality 22 ammo like cci mini mags are pretty reliable and the naa mini has a safety notch.

If you aren't careful during the loading process you can flash yourself with the muzzle due to small size, so again, just be careful and naa minis are safe.

[Honky Tonk Man]

If you get a 22 magnum and shoot 22 lr in the cases they can bulge and possibly even split and so forth.

Don't do that.  Quality 22 ammo like cci mini mags are pretty reliable and the naa mini has a safety notch.

If you aren't careful during the loading process you can flash yourself with the muzzle due to small size, so again, just be careful and naa minis are safe.

Welcome Spirit!  Sometimes we long-time shooters take the basics for granted.  Riadats scenario is probably the the most likely to cause a problem for you.  These little revolvers are chambered to fire either .22LR, or .22WMR ammo.  This is not interchangeable.  Some magnum models are sold with an extra cylinder to also shoot .22LRs.  These are referred to as "Combo" models.  If you buy any of the Magnum models, and want to shoot LR rounds, you must send your revolver back to the factory, and they will fit a LR cylinder to your magnum frame.  Just remember to only shoot the ammo your gun is designed for.  Spending a little time on the NAA website looking at what they offer will clear this up for you.  BTW, I've never had a .22 cartridge rupture in my 60+ years of shooting. 

[jennflip]

Yes, I have had many 22s explode, and when they do they spit a hunk of lead out of the barrel!!!  The firing pin causes that-----just saying----lol

[linux_author]

welcome to the forum -

if you're a bit concerned, start off by shooting Colibri .22 or .22 shorts:

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[OV-1D]

  Just keep with made in the good old U.S.of A. and you can't go wrong . Any package having both English and Spanish or any other language I'd veer away from . Oh and welcome aboard .

[billmeek]

So US companies that make 22 ammo:

Federal, Savage, CCI, Winchester, Remington are all I can think of.  CCI makes some decent stuff.  But there is better ammo out there such as:

RWS, Wolf, Norma, Lapua, SK, and of course Eley.

Besides creating rounds that that no US company produces (that I know of) like the Colbri and Super Colbri, which are super quiet rounds, Aguila also makes some very fine ammo for the money.  Their Standard Velocity is 80 percent the cost of CCI Standard Velocity, but is close in quality.  It depends on the rifle.  Some shoot CCI better.  I've seen other rifles that shoot the Aguila much better.

When talking 22 ammo, I don't think "Buy US made" is necessarily a good choice. You need to buy the best 22 ammo for the given purpose. 

[Ruger]

Buy American made ammo and keep our people working.

[OV-1D]

  Thank you Ruger to say just what I was getting at .