Reloading NAA mini, the need for speed

[Kevin55]

There are two reloading conditions, target shooting and combat shooting (real or practice).

The fastest reload is a second gun.  Second fastest is...
Sidewinder,
top break,
spare cylinder,
reload the one cylinder (you're that fast.)

Mainly interested in the convience and speed factor of the Sidewinder vs regular mini.
Tips for speeding up reloading any or all models.
22lr vs 22mag.

[doc_stadig]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170941667325?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I don't own a Sidewinder or top break, but I think this would serve the purpose, as I don't think they retooled for the cylinders in those models. This might be even more efficient, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Speed-Loader-Unloader-for-North-American-Arms-/170987601878?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cfa7bfd6


Doc

[heyjoe]

i find it faster to swap the cylinders on a mini revolver than to reload either the breaktop or sidewinder. yes i have one of those exceedingly rare already been fired breaktops.   

[Dinadan]

The Sidewinder is a bit faster to reload than a regular Mini. However, for me, it's greatest advantage is that I do not have to keep hold of three parts (cylinder, cylinder pin, frame) while clearing and reloading the cylinder. In normal plinking it is all to easy to drop the cylinder pin and I expect that in a crisis situation it would be even easier.

[n9znd]

   Make your own  Speed loaders.  They make plinking fun and faster!   Jim

[Kevin55]

Interesting.  Do you peel back the rubber pad and leave the ammo in the cylinder?

A block with 5 wood dowels would be great for target shooting.

[n9znd]

  Yep,   I just put the cylinder down over the top of the ammo and peel away.  Pretty slick and fast.  The unloader I let go with another mini that I sold but I am going to make another.   Jim

[Silentknight]

If you start making them to sell,let me know!

[fistmil]

The cylinder pin in my revolver is so hard (tight) to remove, a quick reload is not an option. The five rounds in the gun will either have to do the job or buy time for an escape. I think this was the intended purpose of these guns . On the other hand, the Side Winder and top break models, do offer a chance to reload.

[OV-1D]

 Just to tuck a mini up under someone's chin or shoved into a belly , all that is needed is one trigger pull but remember to cock it first .

[theysayimnotme]

A "combat reload" in a Mini sounds insane. The gun is for up close & personal. It is probably unlikely you would have time for five shots & certainly no time to reload before the bad guy was all over you.
I also see little use for a speed loader or extra cylinder. I have removed & replaced the cylinders on all of mine for a great many years & it still is a hassle even when I am not under any pressure.

[Maccab]

I thought about a kind of, Nordenfelt gun arrangement but as a sort of strip magazine kind of Hotchkiss M1909 type lark.

Instead of a cylinder, you would have a steel block magazine... A parallelogram shape say, with chambers running top and bottom horizontally.

The outer of the magazine would have grooves in it, into which the lug on the revolver would engage with in a similar manner upon a cylinder however the pawl or whatever it's called "Rod thing to turn the cylinder" would act differently instead of rising in order to turn it, it would move horizontally so as to push the magazine.

This would be achieved by the appropriate shaped grooves being positioned accordingly along the outside of the magazine, into which the modified pawls lug would engage with, so you'd pull the hammer back and the magazine would move from say right to left inside the frame each chamber would then align and lock, pull the trigger hammer falls upon the chamber mouth's upper as per.

Say ten rounds along the top, ten along the bottom turn it upside down if you follow me to reload upon reaching the last round the design of the grooves would facilitate it's removal.

[Maccab]

It's a rudimentary idea, some sort of guard to prevent the rounds from falling out is required etc, etc.

Still might be ok for a small calibre gun, possibly.

The magazine holding twenty would be roughly as long as the gun so it would remain fairly compact.

Kind of resemble a Mini with a mini Sten gun mag sticking out the side.

[boots]

I am not fast at either changing cylinders or reloading the cylinder in my BW so I am thinking of a Pug.  Any excuse to buy a new gun is a good excuse.

[heyjoe]

some people have more experience with stress than others and perform well even while under extreme stress.
i ferfently hope never to have to find out if i can swap cylinders quickly or at all while under fire.

[Kevin55]

A "combat reload" in a Mini sounds insane. The gun is for up close & personal. It is probably unlikely you would have time for five shots & certainly no time to reload before the bad guy was all over you.
I also see little use for a speed loader or extra cylinder. I have removed & replaced the cylinders on all of mine for a great many years & it still is a hassle even when I am not under any pressure.

Oh, I would agree with your statement. 
Along the lines of, "If you think you might need a firearm, bring a handgun.  If you know you need a firearm, bring a rifle.  Why foot soldiers have rifles and officers have pistols."   Or "the fastest reload is a second gun".

Mainly, I was curious about how easily people were able to reload the Sidewinder.  I read posts about the 22mag shells being too long and not easily ejecting.   Likewise,  some people talked about bringing a spare cylinder.

The proper use of a Mini is as a BUG or hideout gun.  If I was going into a dangerous situation, I'd bring a Glock or rifle.

For target shooting, I like the block of wood/dowel trick.  And the rubber speed loaders.   I might make some.

[OV-1D]

  The need for speed came with the development of the magazine feed handgun .

[Silentknight]

I carry 2 22lr's,one in each back pocket and am looking for another for the wife.

[richardb]

Combining "NAA Mini" and "Speed" creates an oxymoron. It's a 5 shot then run tool.

[wd345]

I carry two almost always but for me the fastest reload is the breaktop. Sure hate they discontinued it. My second carry is the sidewinder but it's not easy or far to reload. Shells catch on the grip so you have to spin the cylinder and sometimes it's hard to push the ejector. Still it's better than taking the cylinder out.

[Smoothboy]

I've taken to the carry of two minis, I have several. It depends on what I'm wearing. I may carry the LR in belt buckle with BW in pocket or belt holster or a SW and BW, with minis there are lots of options. I took a dremel tool to the cylinder guard on the SW to make the ejection easier without having to rotate the cylinder so as not to block shell ejection. The tiny bit I removed is not noticeable. I bought a speedloader off ebay but only use it during practice. It doesn't hold shells in loader so not practical for carry.

[OV-1D]

  I came up an idea to have the cylinder pivot out away from the frame it involves shaving the tip of the arm and edge of frame but wonder if NAA will honor the warrantee if altered , myself I wouldn't . 

[Smoothboy]

With the ability to buy replacement parts if it made the gun where I liked it better I wouldn't worry about it.

[Dinadan]

  I came up an idea to have the cylinder pivot out away from the frame it involves shaving the tip of the arm and edge of frame but wonder if NAA will honor the warrantee if altered , myself I wouldn't . 

I do not think that increasing the cylinder swing angle would help. If it swung further the cases would hit the grip when ejected. Also, I think that the edge of the cylinder needs to catch on the edge of the recoil shield for the ejector to to work properly. That is a precise fit and increasing the cylinder swing angle would allow the cylinder to bypass the shield.

[Smoothboy]

I did away with the catch on mine and it works fine, just needs to be clean.

[OV-1D]

  Dinadan................. pivot away not swing down . Seeing have only one with both cylinders I don't want to change that one but if I ever get another I'll surely shave it because it will work without any draw backs . To have the cylinder pivot out and away from the frame in the open position just 3/16 maybe just 1/8 would be a great improvement on loading and unloading . Easily done really . I sent a rough drawing to NAA's engineer but never heard anything guess they didn't think it to be important enough issue , I think it is .

[TwoGunJayne]

  I came up an idea to have the cylinder pivot out away from the frame it involves shaving the tip of the arm and edge of frame but wonder if NAA will honor the warrantee if altered , myself I wouldn't . 

I do not think that increasing the cylinder swing angle would help. If it swung further the cases would hit the grip when ejected. Also, I think that the edge of the cylinder needs to catch on the edge of the recoil shield for the ejector to to work properly. That is a precise fit and increasing the cylinder swing angle would allow the cylinder to bypass the shield.

What's the clamp on the top of the frame for?

[Dinadan]

Smoothboy - any chance of a photo showing how you altered it? Sounds interesting.

TwoGunJayne - that plastic clamp was just to hold the gun upright while I took a photo.

OV-ID - I do not understand what you are proposing. How is the cylinder going to pivot further out from the frame when it is already at 90 degrees or pretty darn close.

[OV-1D]

  Dinadan take your sidewinder open it up to except loading , now look at it and think how you could make the arm turn out so the shells would pass the grips with no interference . I can't make a drawing to show you just imagine how . It consists of oblonging or conicalling a hole and shaving some metal the rest is yours to figure out . Frankly speaking I think NAA marketed the sidewinder before it was fully developed not thinking that the grips would interfere with the mag shells especially not alone being too tight a space for l.r. , kinda dumb when it's so easy a procedure in production .

[TwoGunJayne]

Why not just make the sidewinder grips have a little cutout on the swing out side?

[Goatpacker]

The Breaktop is a fine instrument and I would love to actually own one!!! But really not willing to pay the price today for one even though I know where they are!!! The SW in my opinion is just plain "butt ugly" and now seeing this issue makes it less desirable for my dollars!!!

[n9znd]

  I am glad I am not the only one that thinks the SW is "Butt Ugly".     I have always had trouble with ejecting Mag rounds out of a cylinder and don't see how the ejector will eject empty's very easy.      I will stick with the original design myself but can see the appeal of the swing out cylinder because it is more like a full size revolver.    I just hope they keep producing the old design also because I think it is more bullet proof.      Jim

[OV-1D]

Why not just make the sidewinder grips have a little cutout on the swing out side?

   TwoGun it's not my job to redesign this piece sure there are simple fixes but for the cash these things go for ,which is way over the top for just what it is , it should have been thought out BEFORE it went on the market because it only hurts the manufacturers credibility in the field . If it wasn't for me being a collector and not so much a shooter I myself would have passed on these prices and pieces . Just an opinion of course as they say .

[Dinadan]

SNIP
it's not my job to redesign this piece sure there are simple fixes but for the cash these things go for ,which is way over the top for just what it is , it should have been thought out BEFORE it went on the market because it only hurts the manufacturers credibility in the field . If it wasn't for me being a collector and not so much a shooter I myself would have passed on these prices and pieces . Just an opinion of course as they say .

It seems strange that NAA cannot keep up with orders for something that is so poorly thought out!!

I agree that the Sidewinder did not strike me as especially beautiful when I first saw it. Now that I have got used to it I do not think it is ugly. Maybe not beautiful, but certainly not unattractive.

[G50AE]

The pocket watch is a nice touch too.