Naa_collector - sent you a pm earlier this week. Did you receive?

Hey everyone - two weeks ago, I finally found a price on a Mini I couldn't pass up. I've wanted one for years, and know I'd be kidding myself to think of it as the only Mini I'll own.  After registering the .22lr on the NAA website, I start poking around and found the PDF of the J. B. Wood review of three different .17 models offered 6-7 years ago. Is there any chance I might be able to find one of the little convertibles somewhere after all this time? Here in Ga. (I'm in Cherokee County), we're limited to rimfire, shotguns or black powder for small game and predators other than coyotes. I've built up a pretty nice .17 HMR rifle on a Savage platform, and I'd really like to have a .17 Mini in my pocket when I'm in the woods with it. The convertible appeals to me because I'd get .17HM2 with it. I don't have anything chambered in it now. I hope it's clear that I'm not a collector; I'm a shooter, so pristine condition is not a big issue for me. Thanks in advance for any information. I'm happy to be a member here, and at long last, a Mini owner.

I have two ... for now. I carry the .22 LR Mini with the 1 1/8 barrel in a pocket holster daily - loaded with Winchester Varmint HE loads, which it really likes. I also picketed up. .22 Short from forum member Grayelky, who's owns a gun shop just a few miles from me. It's been to the range twice - 100 rounds through it total - and I'm starting to be more consistent with it. I'll be shooting it a lot more to get more comfortable with it. I confess to being a bit surprised that I'm so much more accurate with the LR gun, which has the same barrel. The overall-length difference resulting from the shorter cylinder (and, thus, slightly shorter frame) of the .22 Short is proving to be a challenge. But I'm enjoying it. At some point, I will get. 3rd One - most likely a Pug - with a custom serial no. And if I ever run across a decent price on an old Mini in .17, I'll likely bring it home. I seem to do things in 4s more often than not.... Tim

   

No worries, Louie. I just thought I should note the published (on the packaging) velocity ratings so folks would know exactly which ammo I used.

Louie - From Part One of my post:

   

   "NOTE – I'm providing the velocities for all the rounds mentioned in this post just so folks will know exactly which loads I'm referring to; I realize muzzle velocity out of a 1.125-inch Mini barrel is far lower."

   

   Yes ... I do know the posted velocities are NOT for a Mini revolver.

   

   Tim

Trying to post the picture again; don't know why it didn't work.

   

   

(continued)

   

   After I posted in Buy-Sell-Trade about a Mini in .17, I heard from Forum member Grayelky. Good news – he owns a gun shop about 10 minutes from me. Bad news (for my wallet) he owns a gun shop about 10 minutes from me.

   

   I stopped by and met him the day I shipped the .22 LR back to NAA, and I returned a few days later to pick up the .22 Short Mini he had in his display case at the shop. He had a good price on it and I wanted the littlest Mini, so we never talked price – and I didn't pay attention to the final price until I got home and discovered that he knocked 10 percent off the price tag he had on the gun!

   

   I didn't expect that, but I appreciate it a great deal – and hope that any of you who can will do business with him. Thanks again Grayelky!

   

   So, the .22 Short went to the range for the first time yesterday when I took the repaired .22 LR. CCI is the only .22 Short ammo I was able to find locally – 29-grain copper-plated RN at 1,080 fps, and 27-grain copper-plated HP at 1,105 fps.  

   

   I fired four cylinders (20 rounds of each), and they were all over the place – and a few of each keyholed. It never occurred to me to try a cylinder of each in the .22 LR just for comparison; I'll do that next time I head to the range.

   

   At this point, I'm going to pick up Aguila, Remington and Winchester .22 Short ammo to see whether I can get any of them to group better than the two CCI loads I tried.  

   

   I suppose the overall length of the .22 Short revolver (3 5/8 inches to the .22 LR's 4 inches) could be affecting the groups. The grip (and, as a result, my holding of the Short) is identical to the LR, however, so I wasn't holding the guns any differently. The overall-length difference is a result of the shorter cylinder in the .22 Short model.

   

   Many years ago when I lived in the Kansas City area, I was blessed with the chance to get to know the chief ballistician for Hodgdon, and to visit their ballistics lab multiple times. I learned many things during those visits – the most important of which is that every gun does, indeed, prefer certain ammo.  

   

   I'm confident that I know what to expect with the Winchester Varmint HE round in the .22 LR – if I do my part. I hope to reach that same level of confidence with the .22 Short.

   

   I'll close with a picture of my first two Minis – definitely not my last. I've already received a quote from Jessica on a Pug with a custom serial number! And, of course, there is that ever-elusive Mini in .17....

   

   {guns}image

   

   Tim

Keith - Grayelky said the same thing when I showed him the revolver before closing the box for shipping ... "that's a timing issue." So it appears it was timing, not the hammer. Thanks for the kind words on the posts, and the hammer idea. Thanks to you, too, Ikoiko.

As I mentioned in the post I made to the Buy-Sell-Trade section about my interest in a .17 Mini (still interested, by the way), I recently picked up my first Mini – a .22 LR revolver with Staglite grips.  

   

   When I went to the range for my first shooting session with it, I wasn't able to get 10 rounds through it before suffering a FTF. Ultimately, I wasn't able to get another 15 rounds through the revolver before it virtually stopped firing rounds.  

   

   NOTE – I'm providing the velocities for all the rounds mentioned in this post just so folks will know exactly which loads I'm referring to; I realize muzzle velocity out of a 1.125-inch Mini barrel is far lower.

   

   I started out using CCI Mini-Mag rounds loaded with a 40-grain copper-plated round nose bullet. The packaging notes the round is rated for 1,235 fps. My first FTF occurred in the second cylinder I fired, at round No. 8 (total fired).  

   

   I then switched to Winchester Varmint HE ammo, loaded with a 37-grain bullet in a round rated at 1,435 fps. I had multiple FTFs before I was able to get a total of 6 rounds to fire. Two others actually jammed in the cylinder, as did a round of the CCI ammo when I switched back to it to try one more cylinder of that ammo.

   

   I was only able to successfully fire 20 rounds total (14 CCI, 6 Winchester), and had three FTF rounds that I turned in to the range officer for safe disposal. All three of the FTF rounds jammed in the cylinder and had to be forcibly removed.

   

   When I got home and disassembled the gun for cleaning, I noticed damage to the left edges of all five chambers in the cylinder, and to the bottom of the hammer/firing pin. You can see it in this photo:

   

   

   

   I emailed Jessica at NAA CS the same day, a Saturday, and had a response from her in less than two business days. She asked me to return the Mini for repair, and provided NAA account numbers for me to do so. The gun shipped on Aug. 15, and it arrived back to me, repaired, on Aug. 23.  

   

   In the letter I enclosed with the gun describing again what happened, I mentioned that I really like the skeletonized hammer on the Wasp series, and offered to pay to have my hammer replaced with one of those if NAA determined that the hammer needed replaced. As you'll see in the photo below, NAA replaced the hammer with the skeletonized version – at no charge.  

   

   I got back to the range yesterday with the same ammo mentioned above, and I also took some CCI Mini Mag with 36-grain hollow points rated at 1,260 fps. The revolver performed flawlessly – and it LOVES the Winchester Varmint HE ammo.  

   

   About ammo performance in this gun – during both sessions, multiple CCI rounds (both varieties) keyholed; none of the Winchester keyholed. And the CCI didn't group very well out of this gun; but that's sure not the case with the Winchester.  

   

   Here's a photo that explains why I say the Mini loves the Winchester – five shots at 5 yards, with three of them touching. These were fired one-handed at what I would describe a moderate rate – gun went bang, I cocked the hammer, aimed and squeezed the trigger again.

   

   

   

   I intended to pick up some CCI Quick Shok to carry in this gun, but saw and bought the Winchester before I found any Quick Shok. I'm glad things worked out that way because of how well this gun shoots the Varmint HE. I'll be stocking up on it.

   

   (continued)

Deets - I intended to try this round, too, but ran across a box of Winchesters's similar .22 LR round, the Varmint HE.  It also has a segmented bullet, and it has a slightly higher velocity rating than the CCI. My Mini loves this ammo. I have a 2-part post In the Stories section with a target photo that shows the performance of the round out of my gun. That's what I'm carrying in mine. Let us know a little more about how the CCI works for you.  Tim