New guy- recommendations for 1st NAA revolver?

UncleS2 · March-04-15 02:03

Hello all. I've enjoyed reading on this forum for the past month or so, seems well-run & & well mannered, & have about talked myself into taking the plunge. A trip through some local gun & pawn shops(mostly nothing, a couple that don't interest me, & the one I did like was *Ca$h* priced at $80 over suggested retail!) has convinced me that buying new online will be the way to go- unless something interesting pops up here. I have a couple of regular sized .22 handguns, so for now will go for the pretty small. The regular .22 LR model mini is interesting, the 1 1/8" bbl probably OK but the one w/1 5/8" bbl interests me more. Magnum with convertible cylinder- probably most interesting of all to me. The Mini Magnum Convertible w/1 5/8" bbl looks mighty good- but recently the Black Widow convertible is looking even better, especially when priced at only $5 more by one online seller than the mini mag conv.

I also remember some advice read weeks ago(here somewhere, I think) that suggested the Black Widow as a 1st NAA revolver. I'd sure have a better chance of hitting something with it, and for now I'm not looking so much for deep concealment as I am for a pocketable gun for yard work. That available under-barrel laser for the Black Widow is just way too tasty looking too.

So what do you think? If I do get the BW, & it turns out everyone is right that one isn't enough, then I could get a LR model later. But since the current prices on the Mini & the BW are close, I'm thinking BW would be the best buy.(hmm- also tiny holster, mebbe CVang grips?) All help & suggestions appreciated.

FWIW-the one interesting but badly overpriced NAA mentioned above? It was a Mini Magnum convertible 1 5/8" barrel, no extras at all. Ca$h price was a no-dickering-allowed $333. Credit card was even more.

buffalo · March-04-15 09:03

The black widow is a great choice. Personally I don't think there is a bad choice. I love my black widow. the grips give a great handle for the little guys, especially with my big hands (size 15 wedding ring).

bud · March-04-15 09:03

I agree, get the Black Widow!!

Bigbird48 · March-04-15 11:03

The BW is very nice, Ihave one but find it just a tad to bulky to carry in my pocket, the mini mag 1 1/8 brl is perfect for my front pocket. I don't even know its there and is my every day ccw if I take the BW out its in a holster on my belt.

Jim1392 · March-04-15 13:03

Give the Pug some consideration. I just drop mine in my pocket in it's holster and it's great on the range also.

nastruck · March-04-15 14:03

Don't matter you'll own more then one anyway. It's a lot like eating peanuts, one will never due!!!!

Dinadan · March-04-15 16:03

There are three sides to the Black Widow versus Magnum Mini 1 5/8" question.

1) Accuracy: the sights on the BW are better than on the MM and for me the BW is more accurate. A factor to consider.

2) Aesthetics: the 1 5/8" MM is a very balanced, good looking revolver in my opinion. Possibly the best looking gun NAA makes. The BW ... nothing wrong with the way it looks.

3) Cylinder pin: the cylinder pin design used in the BW definitely locks in better than the cylinder pin used in the MM. I have not had any problem with my MM pin, but if you plan to shoot a lot of mags then it is something to consider.

And my number one recommendation is to get a conversion model: you will probably want both cylinders.

If you get the BW you may want to get a smaller set of grips. I sanded off part of my BW grips to make them smaller.

blue_heron · March-04-15 17:03

For me it's the Pug.

OV-1D · March-04-15 17:03

I feel a song coming on " Meeee and my Pugggg walking down the Avenue " . Nice display Blue_Huron .

Say there Dinadan where or what finger on your hand rests on the bottom of the BW grip you modified ? No matter what grip I hold my middle finger and thumb are the only ones that actually hold the gun and the ring finger holds from the bottom not really hold but rests there stabilizing the shot . Just wondering how everyone holds their mini's which seems to be a big difference from others telling about grips

.

UncleS2 · March-04-15 17:03

If the pug was available with 2 cylinders, it might be a contender. But magnum only, or going through all the hassle & expen$e of sending gun back to factory to get a .22LR cyl fitted, no thanks.

I agree that the Magnum 1 5/8" is a great looking gun, but it seems that almost everyone is out of them. Bud's finally got some back in, but the 1 5/8" Mag Conv was priced at only $5 less than the BW conv; I see that sometime today the Mag Mini dropped to $13 less than the Mag Mini.

IMO, the biggest problem with the Black Widow's looks are those grips! Probably handle & shoot very well, but for pocket carry a set of thinned birds-head grips would sure hide a lot easier. I kinda have my eye on a set of the black synthetic cvang grips right now. And while the BW is a little bulkier out front than the Mag Mini, with identical grips it's only 3/8" longer. Maybe someday I'll get a Mag Mini to keep the BW company, & then can do my own "side-by-each" comparisons to my heart's content.

UPDATE: As Red Skelton used to say, I dood it! Order placed for a Black Widow Convertible with the regular sights. Now just gotta wait.

RogueTS1 · March-04-15 20:03

OV; with the Secret Service grips I can get all but my pinky finger on the grip. My pinky rests along the bottom just like on a like gripped J frame Smith.

UncleS2 · March-05-15 23:03

Looks like I ordered just in time. Wed night, Black Widow convertible "fixed" sights was $272, Thurs night for same model had increa$ed to $316. I've never bought a gun online before, but a $44 increase seems like one heckuva jump for one day. Had I waited a day, wouldn't have ordered anything!

Jim1392 · March-06-15 14:03

Quote from: UncleS2 on March-04-15 17:03
If the pug was available with 2 cylinders, it might be a contender. But magnum only, or going through all the hassle & expen$e of sending gun back to factory to get a .22LR cyl fitted, no thanks.

I agree that the Magnum 1 5/8" is a great looking gun, but it seems that almost everyone is out of them. Bud's finally got some back in, but the 1 5/8" Mag Conv was priced at only $5 less than the BW conv; I see that sometime today the Mag Mini dropped to $13 less than the Mag Mini.

IMO, the biggest problem with the Black Widow's looks are those grips! Probably handle & shoot very well, but for pocket carry a set of thinned birds-head grips would sure hide a lot easier. I kinda have my eye on a set of the black synthetic cvang grips right now. And while the BW is a little bulkier out front than the Mag Mini, with identical grips it's only 3/8" longer. Maybe someday I'll get a Mag Mini to keep the BW company, & then can do my own "side-by-each" comparisons to my heart's content.

UPDATE: As Red Skelton used to say, I dood it! Order placed for a Black Widow Convertible with the regular sights. Now just gotta wait.

The pug Mag does come with a 22lr cylinder. The price is $319.00. You might want to add it to you collection after you get the BW since you ordered it already.

UncleS2 · March-06-15 16:03

While searching & researching all this, I read a lot on the NAA website. Their listings for the Pug show options of regular sights or Tritium sight, but no convertible is listed. They do indicate that a .22LR cylinder can be fitted to the Pug, but who wants to go through all that extra expen$e of $hipping & co$t of having a LR cyl fitted? If their site had listed a Pug Convertible I would have at least considered it as a real contender.

Change of subject- .22 Magnum ammunition: It seems to be strictly unobtanium at Brick & Mortar stores in this area- the other day I heard an employee at Academy say they hadn't gotten any .22 Mag in for over a month. Good thing I have a couple of boxes worth of .22 Mag squirreled away, some of it must be over 20 yrs old! I did find some good .22 Mag ammo online last night- the Speer Gold Dot 40-grain for short barrels, was in stock at several sellers, prices began at $15.xx/box & went up from there.. Midway had it late last night but was sold out today. I ordered several boxes today from Glen's Army Navy online. They had the lowest online, in-stock price I found, at $15.19/box of 50.If I ever do decide to carry the Black Widow for "just in case", that should be a lifetime supply of one of the better choices available. If you're in the market, check Glen's Army Navy online.

boots · March-07-15 13:03

I got the BW and it has been a great choice. My grandson and his wife also got BW's. I carry it every day in my right front pocket of cargo pants as sell as church slacks. For me the standard grip has not been a problem and in fact I like it. At some point I will get a set of Cvang grips No matter what you decide on you will like it. I did get the 22lr / 22mag cylinders and they make practice less expensive.

bleak_window · March-09-15 17:03

You may find the BW is just perfect as is. The larger grips allow for complete control, and the sight picture is much improved compared to the standard minis. I have tried smaller grips on mine, including cvangs, but always come back to the large rubber or large rosewood grips.

Pugmeister · March-09-15 18:03

The BW will probably be my next NAA, but for now the Pug is working out great.
Super easy to conceal, and I've left it with the oe grip which works great IMHO.
I got mine from Buds back in June on sale for $279.00 with the tritium sights.

UncleS2,
Good luck with your BW, I'm sure you'll love it!

blue_heron,
Your picture is outstanding!

PaducahMichael · March-09-15 18:03

Quote from: Pugmeister on March-09-15 18:03

blue_heron,
Your picture is outstanding!

Yes, Blue_heron, a fine, fine photo....I doctored it a little bit to "true-up" the colors...

UncleS2 · March-09-15 19:03

I'm still waiting on pins & needles, the Black Widow will probably arrive this Friday at the earliest. If I had a "do over", would probably pay the extra $8.xx & use the cr card for the faster shipping, instead of e-check. Turns out Bud's hold's e-check for 5 business days before shipping- I think they just want to draw a few days interest on that $$ before it goes in the till!

Last night ordered a set of compact grips on EvilBay. Seller (zac9854) makes them himself from acrylic in several different colors, most are translucent, some are opaque. Google "naa black widow" & you'll see in the photos a BW wearing what appear to be dimpled red bone grips, I think those really look good, in fact they added a little influence to choose the BW. In honor of those I chose a deep burgundy red color for the acrylic grips. When & do want to carry it in a pocket, they'll be about as compact as anything available- they are thinner than the factory wood or nubby rubber grips. For anything else, I suspect the factory grips will do just fine for handling & shooting. Just wish they weren't so homely! I'm unsure of whether I'm allowed to post photos etc yet, so if you want to see some of this gripmaker's work go to evilbay & search for zac9854 . Or just search for grips for naa minis, you'll find some of his in among them. They're fairly cheap as these things go, & if they turn out to be just too slick I'll add some texture to them somehow.

So I have Black Widow, Venom Laser, small grips for pocket carry, and some serious ammo all on the way. Right now, looks like the Black Widow may well be the last to arrive!