Quality form 15 years ago...

[baron66]

I bought a 22lr NAA pistol in 1999 and it was a great little gun, but I got out of shooting for a while and I do not have it anymore. Now, I am shooting again and I want one. I can't decide if I should get the old one back (it is perfect and hasn't even been fired since) or if I should get a new one. Are the new ones any different than the old ones?  Better or worse? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

[OV-1D]

  Welcome aboard and finding a new one right now would be a challenge unless you go to an auction site . Nothing really any different except the Sidewinder or Ranger ( Sidewinder having both L.R. and Mag. ). Old styles are cheap enough now even brand new . Easier shooting L.R. of course . Decisions , decisions , decisions . Good luck . 

[Dinadan]

baron66 - welcome to this forum! I have not read anything that makes me think that the quality of NAA has either declined or increased since 1999. If you are planning to do some shooting for fun with the gun, I would suggest getting a 3" Earl with a conversion cylinder as top choice, Black Widow with conversion cylinder as second choice, 1 5/8" Magnum Mini with conversion cylinder as third choice. If you see a Sidewinder with a conversion cylinder then grab it as a top choice tie, but I would guess that it is a fairly hard to find one. I like shooting the Magnum frames more than the LR frame Minis. In my area there is no problem finding new Minis in shops, though if a person has his heart set on a certain model, that would add another layer of difficulty.

[redhawk4]

With NAA's warranty and customer service it's hard to go too far wrong, worst case they'll fix it if you are unlucky enough to get a bad one. I would guess, and it's only a guess, that quality in terms of tolerances may be better now than in 1999 based on the more up to date machinery they now use. I'm sure somewhere we have someone with a big enough collection to be able to answer based on a side by side comparison.

[luke1]

I don't know that the quality has gone up or down, but the design has changed.  The more recent NAA mini revolvers have the safety slots between the chambers that came sometime after 1999? I believe? (old timers help me out with dates here), so you may want to keep that in mind, although the last I checked, NAA was willing to provide new safety notch installed cylinders for free of charge to older models, (minus postage?)...so if you can get a hold of your old one for a fair price, then go for it.  If nothing else, for nostalgia's sake.

I bought a .22lr mini from gunbroker.com last summer with pearl-lite grips for $199.00 plus shipping and FFL, so it is possible to go to an auction sight and buy one for a reasonable cost.  I agree with other posters who have stated that finding an NAA under glass at your local dealer is something that is not a good bet, especially with Sandy's announcement at SHOT, that NAA currently has a backlog (big surprise).

If it was me?...get the old one back, get the new cylinder and go from there. 

[stantheman86]

I was at a gun show today and I saw dozens of .22 LR and Mag standard Minis,and a few Earls , all brand new. No Pugs or Shorts though.  If you want a new one they are easily found.

My .22 LR mini was made in 2012 and the quality is just fine, you really can't go wrong with a gun that's $200 brand new that NAA will fix for free if anything goes wrong with it.