Black Widow Lemon?

dendrig59 · February-15-23 21:02

Well, I was really excited to buy a Black Widow on Monday. But when I got it home, I noticed that the Black Widow emblem on the grip had a big thumb print of dried glue on it, and glue had run down the grip and damaged it. It looks like the emblem came off, and someone super-glued it back on and made a mess of the job. I called the dealer, and he denied doing it. So, I called NAA, and to their credit, they agreed to send me a new grip.

But today, I took the gun to the range. I fired about 15 rounds of Aguila 22LR (1280 FPS) through the 22LR cylinder. Then the cylinder locked up and would not turn. I took the gun home and cleaned it. That didn?t help. It seems to function OK when no cylinder is installed. But with either cylinder in place, it locks up. Looks like I?ll be sending it in for repair. I?m pretty bummed!

Rex T. Dog · February-19-23 09:02

Sorry to hear you having the problems...give the company a chance to rectify your issues...over the years NAA has enjoyed an excellent reputation for service, and I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised...even Cadillac had the occasional problem sneak out the factory, gun manufacturers are no different...

Uncle_Lee · February-19-23 15:02

Hello dendrig
I think that in the NAA manual it says NOT to use Aguila ammo.
It tends to lock up the cylinder.

OH YES !!!!!!
Welcome to the forum.
Join in on the good stuff too.
Everyone here will try to do their best to help.

dendrig59 · February-19-23 21:02

Sorry, no. the manual doesn't say not to use Aguila. It says not to use PMC or Armscor. It further states, "For best results, NAA recommends any other .22 caliber Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) ammunition, and 22 Long Rifle Winchester, Federal or Remington brands."

Saying the user will get "best results" from using certain brands of ammo is a long way from saying, "Don't use another brand of ammunition because it will break your gun!" If the firearm is capable of firing ONLY Winchester, Federal or Remington ammo without damage, the company should say that specifically.

Sorry to be a little snarky about the issue, but the NAA customer service rep I spoke with told me the same thing, "Oh, you're not supposed to use Aguila." I asked her to point out where in the owner's manual, or even on their website, where the company says not to use Aguila, and she acknowledged that it doesn't.

But I don't want to be TOO hard on NAA. They are going to cover the repair under warranty, and as long as I get the firearm back in working condition within a reasonable time I will be satisfied .(And I won't use Aguila ammo in the gun again!).

billmeek · February-20-23 07:02

I see warnings for PMC ammo and certain models of Armscor & Fiocchi products made in the Philippines. There is also a note about varmint ammo locking up the cylinder. I see nothing about Aguila ammo.

See (click on the plus sign next to 'Product warnings and advisory notices'):

https://northamericanarms.com/safety/

Uncle_Lee · February-21-23 06:02

Oh well, NAA is a little bit better than Seecamp on their .32 acp. They can use only one cartridge in it. NAA only limits a few companies.
Sort of like the NAA .25 NAA and the .32 NAA.

Bigbird48 · March-01-23 18:03

wow I've never had a problem with any of the ammo mentioned and I shoot cheap ammo LOL Thunder Bolt , ASqula , Armscorp what evers on sale cheap and my black Widow shoots it all

OV-1D · March-04-23 08:03

Theonly problem I've ever had with ammo is buying new reloads at a gun show . That will never happen again . Clean weapons don't have any problems but these small slide actions will not act properly after so many loads .

bearcatter · March-04-23 13:03

Quote from: billmeek on February-20-23 07:02
I see warnings for PMC ammo and certain models of Armscor & Fiocchi products made in the Philippines. There is also a note about varmint ammo locking up the cylinder. I see nothing about Aguila ammo.

My .32 ammo stash is Aguila, PMC, and PPU. Those all work fine, I guess .22 is a different story. Something else to consider; those warnings were put up years ago, that ammo could be better now.

Uncle_Lee · March-05-23 05:03

Yep, bet your hands and face that they are better.

bearcatter · March-05-23 10:03

Quote from: uncle_lee on March-05-23 05:03
Yep, bet your hands and face that they are better.

I did say could be better......

Uncle_Lee · March-06-23 08:03

Quote from: bearcatter on March-05-23 10:03
Quote from: uncle_lee on March-05-23 05:03
Yep, bet your hands and face that they are better.

I did say could be better......

desertriver · March-06-23 12:03

Have two NAA mini-revolvers and I've shot several boxes of 22LR Aguila Interceptors (1470 fps) with no problems. These are some of the highest energy 22LR rounds. I do brush out my chambers and barrel after 20-25 rounds to prevent issues though.

NAA customer service has been excellent resolving any issues that I had.

dendrig59 · March-23-23 08:03

So. I received my Black Widow back on Monday from its warranty service. They replaced a bunch of parts. I?ve had it three days. I?ve not fired it. And it?s broken again. It?s the same problem, the cylinder will not turn. I?m pretty angry at this point.

Rick_Jorgenson · March-23-23 16:03

Quote from: dendrig59 on March-23-23 08:03
So. I received my Black Widow back on Monday from its warranty service. They replaced a bunch of parts. I?ve had it three days. I?ve not fired it. And it?s broken again. It?s the same problem, the cylinder will not turn. I?m pretty angry at this point.

Thats not good, sorry to hear that.

Maybe a little more explanation would help us understand why it's not turning. I'm not doubting you about that, just trying to figure out the your guns issue.

#1. Does it turn when you pull the hammer back?
If not...
Is the cylinder pin installed correctly? All the way in and seated.
If yes...

#2. Does it turn after you lower the hammer and then pull the hammer back a second time?
If not...
When the cylinder is removed and the hammer is pulled back in the locked position. Is the Cylinder Hand (Diagram part #11 / 2220 Mag) present? (it should stick out of the frame)
When you lower the hammer does the Cylinder Hand retract back into the frame? (cylinder still removed so you can see the Hand)

Those are the only questions I can think of. If the cylinder is installed properly and the mechanisms are functioning the cylinder should turn.

dendrig59 · March-24-23 08:03

I had loaded the gun, and was placing the hammer in a safety notch, so I was holding the trigger back and had the hammer pulled back slightly past the half cock position so the cylinder would turn to line up the safety notch. I heard a click and felt a slight movement of both the hammer and the trigger, and the cylinder locked up. From watching the action operate with the cylinder removed, it appears to me that the cylinder bolt is broken. It is not pulling out of the lock position to allow the cylinder to rotate when cocking the hammer. I spoke to the NAA gunsmith, who agreed it sounded like a broken cylinder bolt, but could not understand why or how it would have broken so easily. He remembered that my gun had a broken cylinder bolt the first time I sent it in for warranty work. I have asked that NAA replace the gun, since they have already repaired this problem once and it immediately recurred. So, we will see what happens. I have read enough about NAA guns to believe they are generally of high quality, and I realize that any manufacturer will turn out a few lemons. I just hope NAA does the right thing (fingers crossed).