The New Arrival- Black Widow Convertible w/"Fixed" Sights

[UncleS2]

I'm finally a real NAA revolver owner, & not just a wanna-be.  The new Black Widow convertible arrived today, & it looks like I got a good 'un. Lotsa rain & no place to shoot mean it may be a week or two until I get a chance to actually shoot it. The steel lock box- I'd have rather have had the plastic MTM case they used to use, but at least it assures me it's current production. Other than a light bit of soot on the face of the installed LR cylinder, the gun was remarkably clean, compared to many reviews I've read. The recessed BW muzzle crown seems to be well done, it passed the Q-Tip test with flying colors- no tell-tale shred of cotton left when pulling the swab out of the muzzle. BTW, I find it really cool that I can use Q-Tips not only for cylinder chamber mops/swabs, but for the barrel too! Cylinders seem perfect.  Bore looks good. Action when cocking & letting the hammer down seems nice & crisp. Dry-firing with cylinder removed shows fairly crisp trigger, if a bit heavy. Maybe it'll get a little lighter with use? The grips aren't gonna be great for pocket carry, but I have to admit they really give you great control, feel, & seem to point instinctively very well. NAA may have come about as close as anyone could to a true "one size fits all" design on the grips. Just to clarify- only the RH grip panel has the black widow symbol medallion, yes?

Speaking of grips- the acrylic grips arrived today too. Gotta put them on a little later today, they won't handle as well as the big rubber grips but they'll sure be more pocket-friendly. OK, got 'em on while waiting for mod approval. The color matches the EvilBay ads, look a lot like black cherry cough drops.

Nit-picks:
*Everyone is right, the rear sight notch is way too narrow for the front sight. Gotta decide whether to try to narrow the front sight, or widen the rear notch. Right now leaning toward opening up the rear.
*The rear sight is a hair left of center, front is even more left of center. Hope I can get it shooting "on" with 'em a bit more centered.
*The barrel-cylinder gap looks large to me, though it does look the same on both cylinders. I'll dig out the old feeler gauges later, but fear they'll be too wide to go between the cyl pin & inside top of the frame. I *do* want to check that gap though. Mebbe- Tin snips? 

Waiting on pins & needles now for the Venom Laser unit. If nothing else it'll be great for dry-fire/trigger control practice. Gotta look through all the guy stuff for a non-holster holster or two. Things I've thought of: Small flashlight sheath/belt case, case for little Tasco monocular, folding knife & multi-tool cases. I suspect the case for the full sized Gerber multitool may be close to perfect.  Cases for eyeglasses & sunglasses.  Please feel free to offer any other suggestions you may have.

I don't know if they'll even let me post photos yet. So far all my posts have to be approved by a moderator before they can be seen. Will still try to take a few pix in the next few days. What is it they say? "If no photos it didn't happen?" 

Sure wish I could go shoot it! 

[auburn1975]

Sounds like you are really going to enjoy your new BW.  It's a great choice for a first NAA mini.  But one always turns into more and each have their own special features.  So enjoy....and have you heard yet about my campaign for NAA to one day come out with a Blued Pug? 😜 LOL!

[boone123]

UncleS2.
Sounds like you were ready to go.
The gun is stainless, so it will take a little rain.  Where I live, I can just go out into the country and plink out of the truck window. A lot of guns I have bought over the years got shot on the way home. Its good that I live where I can do that. Should be that way every where.
Enjoy!

[glenn]

A lot of guns I have bought over the years got shot on the way home. Its good that I live where I can do that. Should be that way every where.

I think they do that in Chicago.

[Uncle_Lee]

Congrats UncleS2,
On the hard trigger pull. Make sure your middle finger is not behind the trigger and getting mashed when you pull the trigger.
I don't mean it hurts. It just makes the trigger pull harder.

[boone123]

Glenn.
There is a difference, I can stop and enjoy.

[Dinadan]

UncleS2 - congrats on getting a fine new revolver!!

I agree with what you say about the BW sights, but I find that if I close my eyes as I jerk the trigger the sights do not bother me.

Regarding the barrel-cylinder gap: wait until you shoot the gun before worrying about it. If the gap is too wide you will know it instantly. The wave of explosive gasses will feel like solid debris hitting your face. Several folks have posted here thinking that they were actually feeling lead debris hitting their faces. If you do not feel any thing like that then your barrel-cylinder gap is just fine. I do not know how familiar you are with revolvers, but you do need to keep your fingers well away from the barrel-cylinder gap when you shoot. Even with a perfectly fitted gun, the escaping explosive gasses deliver a painful sting to any finger that strays near. Take it from one who knows!

[stantheman86]

I also love how I can clean my Minis with a couple Q-tips , a piece of paper towel and a couple drops of solvent.

I like the BW style rubber grips, my Mini Master has the same type grips. They are butt ugly though and dont fit totally tight so I plan to go with the same type in wood.

I like pocket holsters for my Minis, their main strength is ease of concealability.

[UncleS2]

B/C gap- Yeah, I've owned a Ruger .22 convertible for 30 years or so. I realize that the gap I see on my new, still-unfired Black Widow would almost certainly be claimed as "within spec"- but it still looks kinda wide. Still haven't dug out the feeler gauges.

Grips- I also think the factory BW grips are mighty homely-looking  but have to admit they feel, handle,and point very well indeed. So far as I can see their only 2 weaknesses are concealment, and cosmetics. Since handsome is as handsome does, I can live with them just fine so long as concealment isn't required. And if I really wanted concealment, I should have bought a LR, or even a Magnum Mini, not a BW.

Meanwhile- the rear sight has worked loose & now moves back & forth in the dovetail. More details in another post.