YES, I DO CARRY A NAA .22WMR REVOLVER FOR DEDICATED SELF-DEFENSE

[Roy Odhner]

I bought my first NAA .22wmr revolver about six months ago. Just the basic model with the 1&5/8" barrel. Wasn't happy with the dinky grip, so I went with the over-sized rosewood grips. Very nice indeed. I'm not about to claim that .22wmr is the equal of 9x17 or 9x19, but I will say that it appears to fall somewhere between .25ACP and .32ACP. This being the case, I'm gonna say that it is adequate for self-defense. In fact, I've been looking at the actual ballistics of the .22wmr (specifically a .22wmr hollow point) and I'm gonna opine that .22wmr for self-defense is effective, but counter-intuitive.

Here's what I mean. The .22wmr Maxi-Mag is a varmint round. It's designed to be fired from a rifle, and hit coyotes and such at distance. Once it hits, it bores in and fragments all to heck - looking at the fragments in ballistic gel, it looks almost like it has exploded. The wound is devastating to the poor coyote on the receiving end - but that's a coyote hit with a round fired from a rifle. This is what most people think about when they think about the .22wmr, and logically they argue that a rifle round like the .22wmr would be not be effective from a short barreled handgun like  NAA mini because it either won't expand far enough, or penetrate deeply enough, or it just fragments too easily. This line of logic seems reasonable, but in the case of a mini revolver (or any other snubby-type .22wmr revolver) something else appears to go on.

From what I can tell from the little I can find on the subject, the .22wmr behaves in an interesting way when fired from a short barreled weapon like a NAA mini. In this case, it actually expands like a good JHP round ought to do, penetrates a respectable distance, and all the while it tears and tumbles its way through flesh. This is a good thing in a self-defense round. However, the problem has always been that the slug fragmented too easily so it off-set the devastating effect of the wicked expansion, penetration, and tumbling of the slug. It appears that this was not lost upon the bullet designers at Hornady and Speer, who appear to have realized that bonding between the jacketing and lead projectile in their new generation Critical Defense and Gold Dot slugs would greatly eliminate the fragmentation effect observed in older .22wmr bullets like those used in the really nasty Maxi Mag ammo. The trick was tweaking and tuning the slug to minimize the fragmentation and maximize its effectiveness when fired from a short-barreled handgun, and it looks like they have managed to have done just that.

The result is a truly devastating little round. No, it will never be the equal of .357mag but it certainly will not be something that the freshly shot thug is just gonna blow off and then keep on coming. A 40-45 grain slug, hauling butt at about 1000fps, that expands to about .30 or so, and that tumbles and penetrates to about 10" is going to create a horrifically deep and ragged wound channel that will either incapacitate or run off all but the most methed-out assailants. There is a good chance that it's also going to induce a dirt nap, and in fairly quick fashion. This probably will not be enough for LEOs who might regularly face the possibility of engaging in a running firefight with multiple opponents, but if we're really honest with ourselves I think that most of us are gonna have to admit that it's probably more than enough for any self-defense scenario in which we are likely to find ourselves. This is not meant as a criticism of shooters who do not share this assessment, but it is a nod to those of us who do - the .22wmr NAA mini revolver stoked with Speer Gold Dot or Hornady Critical Defense ammo is a nasty critter that is gonna effectively get the job done.

I think that old Bill Jordan was thinking about such a nasty character when he first expressed his thoughts on the subject, and I'd bet that if he was still alive he'd be packing a NAA mini full of Hornady Critical Defense ammo. I'd also bet he'd be packing one over a .32ACP polymer automatic due to the stronger build, simpler design, and greater reliability. Three factors that are indispensable in a self-defense handgun. I'm no Bill Jordan, but I was so favorably impressed with my first NAA mini that I went out and bought a second about two weeks ago - a Pug. It's not that I fret over not having enough gun, it's just that I recognize that a New York reload might come in handy, and having a back-up is always sound practice. I carry Hornady Critical Defense in both.

Some might think I'm playing the odds just a bit too much, but all I often carry are my two NAA revolvers. I rarely carry the S&W 640 anymore. My first NAA revolver was purchased as a BUG, but then I got to thinking about a BUG. If a gun makes sense to carry as a BUG (which many of us use our NAA's for), then why would it not make sense that it should also work as a main carry? I guess it all involves our own personal risk assessments, but in my circles and day-to-day activities, the odds are that my NAA mini is gonna be about all the gun I'll ever need. I respect others and their belief that they might need more in a self-defense gun, but I've weighed my odds and believe that my NAA revolvers are gonna give me what I need. I've worked around offenders for over 15 years, and none of the ones that I've met - even the most assaultive ones - are gonna take a .22wmr slug and keep coming. They're looking for an easy victim, not multiple gunshot wounds, no matter the size, so they're gonna haul buns in the opposite direction.

So there you have it - I carry two NAA mini revolvers, and I'm not shy about it.

[Silentknight]

  So do I...carry on brother!   

[G50AE]

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high

Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know

On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
No!

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)

[Uncle_Lee]

That would make a good song.

[top dog]

Roy,
I agree with you 100%.

I remember reading Bill Jordan's comments about the 22 mag in a lightweight revolver when his book "No Second Place Winner" first came out in '65.

It seems that the NAA 22 mag fills that bill just right.

There are a number of lightweight 22 mag revolvers out there but none are as lightweight or handy as the Mini.

Past experience with bad people (I was an LEO for forty yrs),has shown,that any resistance usually sends them running for their lives.

                                                                                                              Top Dog

[pocketcarry]

It is all I have carried since the mid eightys. I have upgraded to a BW.

[OV-1D]

Roy,
I agree with you 100%.

I remember reading Bill Jordan's comments about the 22 mag in a lightweight revolver when his book "No Second Place Winner" first came out in '65.

It seems that the NAA 22 mag fills that bill just right.

There are a number of lightweight 22 mag revolvers out there but none are as lightweight or handy as the Mini.

Past experience with bad people (I was an LEO for forty yrs),has shown,that any resistance usually sends them running for their lives.

                                                                                                              Top Dog

Ditto +1 .

[mdzcpa]

Although I do prefer to carry my LCP for more stopping power in a diminutive size, I also often carry my PUG when dress dictates.  This is actually a frequent occurrence and I have no reservation whatsoever that I'm carrying enough gun for my SD needs. I also stock my mini's with  Hornady Critical Defense 22 mag rounds and believe that all but the most determined pyschos will think twice after being hit with this combination.  That eliminates 99 percent of the threat in my book. And I am willing to trade the easy ability to ALWAYS carry over a larger weapon that might be uncomfortable or restrict me or be left at home.

I've been hassled by a few for the diminutive size of the PUG when I carry it as my main carry weapon, but none of those guys are willing to take a shot to the chest to prove their point. Go figure.

[top dog]

Looks like everybody here is pretty much on the same page.

When fly fishing,I used to carry a Bond Derringer in my fly vest pocket either in 410 or 44spl bbl and an NAA Mini 1  1/8" bbl loaded with snake shot in another pocket. The derringer was for two legged snakes and the mini for snakes.

In my area,poisonous snakes are very few and far between but the two legged variety seem to be in good numbers.

Now,instead of the Bond derringer,I have a NAA Mini  1  5/8 bbl loded with a CCI Mag round and the other still loaded with CCI snake shot.

The two minis weigh less than the Bond Derringer.

Don't get me wrong,I love the Bond derringer with the six different bbls that I have for it plus my snubbies,but the truth be told,it is ALWAYS the mini 22 mag that is in my pocket.

I would like to get the Hornady rounds for my Minis but 22 ammo of any type is pretty much non-existant in my area.

                                                                                               Top Dog

[Roy Odhner]

...I would like to get the Hornady rounds for my Minis but 22 ammo of any type is pretty much non-existant in my area.

Isn't that the truth! I've got half a box of the Critical Defense left. When it comes to my NAA's, I'd like to practice with what I carry but that is pretty much a no go right now. I managed to lay my hands on a few boxes of basic Winchester .22wmr, and I practice with those. I'm keeping the Hornady stuff as strictly carry ammo for now.

[G50AE]

Oh, what a night, late December back in '63
What a very special time for me
As I remember what a night!
Oh what a night,
You know I didn't even know her name
But I was never gonna be the same
What a lady, what a night!

Oh, I got a funny feeling when she walked in the room
And I, as I recall it ended much too soon
Oh what a night,
Hypnotizing, mesmerizing me
She was everything I dreamed she'd be
Sweet surrender, what a night!
I felt a rush like a rolling ball of thunder
Spinning my head around and taking my body under (Oh what a night!)

Oh, I got a funny feeling when she walked in the room
And I, as I recall it ended much too soon
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit

Oh what a night,
Why'd it take so long to see the light?
Seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right
What a lady, what a night!
I felt a rush like a rolling ball of thunder
Spinning my head around and taking my body under (Oh what a night!)
I felt a rush like a rolling ball of thunder
Spinning my head around and taking my body under
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit
Oh what a night!
Doo dit doo dit dit doo dit doo dit dit

[ikoiko]

One can only assume you like the lyrics:
Doo dit doo dit dit doo etc

[Silentknight]

American Idol thread?   

[G50AE]

One can only assume you like the lyrics:
Doo dit doo dit dit doo etc

You mean you've never heard of "The Four Seasons"?

[Uncle_Lee]

One can only assume you like the lyrics:
Doo dit doo dit dit doo etc

You mean you've never heard of "The Four Seasons"?

I didn't know "The Four Seasons" made that.
Course I don't remember too much about that time period. 

[ikoiko]

One can only assume you like the lyrics:
Doo dit doo dit dit doo etc

You mean you've never heard of "The Four Seasons"?

Franky V and the Four Seasons, yep know of them, heard them in early '60's. didn't know they wrote that. Don't know I ever heard their version. Probably a remake that I heard.

Went right over my head.

[Bigbird48]

I thought this was a gun forum not a music site, if I want to sing along I'll turn on the radio thankyou

[heyjoe]

dont be such a stick in the mud.

[Bigbird48]

 

[Kentucky Kevin]

always carry two with floppy wobblers pants on gun on

[G50AE]

always carry two with floppy wobblers pants on gun on

I see someone decided to quote Bigwheel. 

[jw1128]

I can easily carry 3, the ankle rig is comfortable all day long, plus one in pants pocket and one on the belt.  Ky summers the wallet in the pants pocket is unpleasant, but the minis never bother me.  Can't say that about my jframe.

[Uncle_Lee]

I always have my two carry minis.
If we are going somewhere, it is them and a Kel-Tec P3-AT.
Just don't get off topic.....

DO WA DITI DITI
DO WA

Everyone now, and a 1, and a 2, and a Zip Zap Zowie....

[Kentucky Kevin]

I wanted to go to an IDPA BUG match this morning with my NAA's, they do this match once a year and state any gun, any caliber, must have strong side holster. They conceded and let me use my ankle glock two years ago. I want to use my NAA's for shock affect, ant to showcase thier accuracy Love those holster grips

[pvq]

I go back and forth between my Ruger LCP and NAA Pug for pocket carry. At the moment I am carrying the Pug. The Pug is on my list of guns I will NEVER sell. I just keep coming back to it because, as reliable as my LCP has been, I will never feel quite as comfortable with it as I am with a revolver.

[Roy Odhner]

I go back and forth between my Ruger LCP and NAA Pug for pocket carry. At the moment I am carrying the Pug. The Pug is on my list of guns I will NEVER sell. I just keep coming back to it because, as reliable as my LCP has been, I will never feel quite as comfortable with it as I am with a revolver.

I picked up a Pug a month or so ago to keep my regular NAA mini-mag company. My Pug is my EDC, and depending on what I'm doing or where I'm going, I'll also carry either my regular NAA min or my S&W 640 Pro Series. I'm not about to posture either of my NAA's as the equal to my 640, but they are certainly enough to get my point across. Which is good, cuz I really only carry the 640 on every now and then. (I spent too *** much on the thing not to carry it every now and then).

[Bigbird48]

My EDC is my BlackJack Talo with 1-5/8 barrel,  the Pug has a 1" barrel and I think the little bit extra  accuracy  you get with the 1-5/8 is worth the extra size. My Black Widow is the best to shoot but with a 2" barrel and oversize grips, a little big for my pocket. I have bigger guns but seldom carry them. Keep a 9 in the truck, and everything else spread around the house. We have a lot of home invasions, crazy druggies and all so I'm ready for them. When out and about the blackjack should do the trick if needed, and its always with me.

[TwoGunJayne]

Everytime in this state that there is a home invasion robbery, we hear about it in the news. As the old saying goes... don't worry about what they say on the news. Worry about it when they STOP reporting about it.

.40, .380, .22 mag mini. I've also probably got a brighter flashlight than most people have ever seen.

As another old saying goes... "Be just and fear not." I don't attract the bad types. If it happens, it isn't my fault.

Anyway, my EDC NAA is a Black Widow. I carry it outside-waistband in a weak hand same-side holster. An untucked shirt covers it completely and I don't have to claw for it. It works for me and I carry the conversion cylinder in my day pack. You never know when it's plinking time!

[Smoothboy]

A .22 is a deadly weapon period. A .22 WMR is even more deadly. There was a story on the NAA site of I believe an insurance executive who defended his life and that of his wife and daughter with a NAA mini revolver. The thugs all had semi auto pistols. There are endless accounts of people defending their lives with the lowly .22 often resulting in the death of the thug. The thug that ignores my BW will take a dirt nap!

[Uncle_Lee]

If I don't kill the bad guy with my 22 mag, they WILL know who killed me when he shows up at the hospital.

[seeker]

I like your reasoning, Uncle Lee

[Smoothboy]

While I agree with your reasoning, in that situation I don't really feel like I would be comforted!

[Uncle_Lee]

It wasn't mean to comfort, it was meant for humor.

[Smoothboy]

Don't quit your day job! 

[Bigbird48]

  Hey Uncle Lee I thought it was funny well sort of I hope they never have to catch your killer by identifying the guy with a bunch of 22 holes in him LOL