The hammer is not at half cock when the hammer is in the safety notch.  You must pull the trigger while securing the hammer with your thumb as you lower the hammer into the notch. The hammer does not remain in half cock position.

That said, I don't admonish anyone that chooses to carry on an empty cylinder. To each their own.  I simply don't see the point in my own personal opinion. Especially when doing so robs you of one valuable chamber with an already diminutive 5 round revolver. But, hey, different strokes as they say.

Safety notch.

I really don't understand why you would want to choose to carry on an empty cylinder.  If the hammer can "slip out" of the safety notch, it can almost as easily slip out of the empty chamber. Both require inadvertent hammer movement. It obviously made sense to carry on an empty chamber before the notch as you never want to carry on a live round (in my opinion).  But now with the safety notch, not so much.

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.

I'm late to the party here, but $400 for a brand new PUG plus conversion cylinder is not a bad price today.  And I think it will be a while until you see much better pricing.  Many folks have waited for the insanity to drop (which it is beginning to), but with pent up demand we are seeing desirable models to continue disappearing off the shelves pretty quickly.  For a small premium you can enjoy the PUG now.  I've seen the pricing on the PUG much higher than $400 recently.

Randy,

I'm sorry to hear you didn't like the NAA BW holster.  It does work well for me when I IWB carry but I position it directly at 9 (left handed) so the chance of hammer giving me problems is reduced.  My normal carry is 8 o'clock but that's for larger guns where concealment is more of an issue. Sorry for the bad referral 

And there we have it. Thanks for the pic.

wd345,

That is a very nice holster. I really like the inside shield to keep body oil of your weapon and improve comfort. Nice.

I've  purchased 6 guns off of Gun Broker over the last year. I'm guessing I over paid on 2, paid market on 2, and got a great deal on 2.  It really just depends on the time you put into the search, your patience and willingness to walk away when the price isn't right, researching a good seller, and knowing yourself enough to know when you would pay a premium for time and convenience to acquire the gun you really want.

Because I paid a premium on 2 of my guns doesn't make me a shill.  It just means I wanted the gun at that price.  Sure it was above MSRP but who cares.  I've been enjoying those guns now for a while and the premium was well worth it.  Especially when I consider the time and gas save from hunting the local gun shops in my area.  The 2 guns I know I paid a premium for was a Ruger Mini 14 poly-stainless steel patrol rifle (#5819) and the NAA Sidewinder.  This Mini 14 specific model can be hard to find and the recent craziness wiped out the inventory. I was tired of looking around time and on the internet for months. So I paid a little more when one surfaced on GB.  The NAA Sidewinder I simply wanted quickly.  I paid $100 more than I might otherwise had I found one locally, but I've been enjoying that gun now for several months. In my book, I'm happy.

On the other end of the scale, I purchased a Ruger LCP (new model) and M&P Shield under market on GB. It takes a lot of time and patience but auto bidding does most of the work and when you lose a bid it's no big deal. Find another item with no reserve and low ball again. Worked for me 2 times as I was not in a hurry.  The Shield is a hot item the last year and I paid under retail

I think GB and similar sites have a place in the market. They are there for willing sellers and willing buyers to strike a deal.  Nothing wrong with that. 

Hi Randy.

Fitment is always a bit subjective, but I really like how the Sidewinder fits into the BW IWB holster.  If you check my photo you will see the SW fits deeper and the holster fully covers the trigger which I prefer. There is still plenty of grip to grab as well.  Directly to your question, the tip of the SW barrel comes right to the end of the holster in my photo, so it cannot sit any deeper than what you see there.  I think it's a perfect fit. Frankly I wish the BW itself fit as well into the holster it is designed for LOL.  You can see the BW rides high with the trigger exposed a little.  I know its a single action, but I still prefer a deeper seat.

Hope this helps!

I have the NAA in waistband holsters and they work just fine. I haven't had any issues using them.  That said, I converted to pocket carry using Concealment Specialties and prefer that option more. Most of the time I am wearing loser fit pants with roomy pockets that accommodates this.  However when I am in tighter fitting jeans wear a faster SD draw might be hindered, I use the NAA IWB holster.

Here are some pics with the NAA IWB and Concealment Specialties holsters (with BW, SW, PUG):

I would call customer service. Although I understand the point of view that the magnum loads are much harsher, NAA offers these cylinders for this specific and intended purpose. We could only assume the firearms have been tested rigorously for use with these rounds, To deny yourself the full capability of the weapon to solve the issue is a temporary work around at best and not the actual solution.  Call NAA. These revolvers come with lifetime warranty and NAA's exceptional customer service will take care of the issue.

I also use a Concealment Specialties holster for pocket carry.

Here is a photo with the BW, SW, and Pug all fitted with a CS holster:

Quote from: 45flint on June-03-13 06:06

Quote from: mdzcpa on June-03-13 05:06
I have the PUG, BW and Sidewinder.  I like them all!

But if I had to have only one, it would be the PUG.  It has the best balance of concealment, grip, caliber, and sights.  The BW is easier to shoot and more accurate but long enough to make my LCP a better carry weapon if I want something that size.  The Sidewinder is the best looking and easier to reload at the range, but it's trickier to shoot with the laminate birds head grip. 

Although I like all these weapons, my primary concern is the ability to carry conceal, and the PUG wins that fairly easily.

Grips are a easy fix for the sidewinder, and it certainly is short enough to conceal easily?  Only advantage of pug really is sights and i would argue that is pretty irrelvant for a 1 inch barrel?

Not sure about anyone else, but I've trained in low level light on a number of occasions and the tritium sight alone on the PUG makes it a better CC weapon. Obviously your not trying to draw a bead down for tight groupings at the range, but when you want to hit on center mass at 7 yards in low level lighting in a SD situation, the better sight is more than helpful in assisting with point and shoot.  This is the same reason I tipped my LCP front sight with night glow.  For those that haven't shot low light during SD training, you should try it.

Don't get me wrong, the SW is cool. It is indeed an evolutionary step to the mini.  But for my personal use it doesn't bring enough to the game.  Yes, it is a bit faster to reload at the range.  But reload speed is the least of my worries in a CCW SD situation. Not to mention your still needing to pull some of the magnum shells out as the ejector doesn't clear them well (though definitely an upgrade from tapping them out!!).

I'll stick to my gun here (pun intended) and say the SW is a good range and plinking gun with major enhanced ease of use....but for a CCW backup the PUG is still the gun always in my pocket.  I suppose the one gun you want to stick with depends on intended use. 

I have the PUG, BW and Sidewinder.  I like them all!

But if I had to have only one, it would be the PUG.  It has the best balance of concealment, grip, caliber, and sights.  The BW is easier to shoot and more accurate but long enough to make my LCP a better carry weapon if I want something that size.  The Sidewinder is the best looking and easier to reload at the range, but it's trickier to shoot with the laminate birds head grip. 

Although I like all these weapons, my primary concern is the ability to carry conceal, and the PUG wins that fairly easily.

I like the Concealment Specialties. Nice and sticky. Tends to stay put without a clip. Good for pocket an IWB.

Tritium.

Even under fast draw conditions at short ranges the aid of the tritium is worth it. Your eyes can pick that up in the dark in a fraction of a second even for point and shoot circumstances. Your not trying to draw a bead, just make sure you barrel is pointed at target.  White dot will offer nothing in low light conditions. I have a PUG with Tritium as my back up carry. I practice with it and it is remarkably useful at 5-7 yards and effective out to 10 yards for me.  If your willing to practice with the PUG is can be a great back up carry, or your primary if you cannot carry anything else. It's more easily concealed than the BW or SW.

These are very good points you bring up. I definitely need more practice with the Sidewinder...and working on my technique as well. I appreciate the tip and I will try that on my next outing.  Same for bench resting the PUG.  There is still so much to learn about handling these pistols, and I really enjoy that!

Thanks!

Quote from: heyjoe on May-13-13 08:05
you can buy the grip you have on your pug and put it on the sidewinder.

I'm definitely considering this.  I'm torn as the BW grip and emblem is really cool and part the pistol's personality. But a small grip may indeed make it the better carry choice. This is funny because I just posted this same comment in the BW Hideout Gun thread.

Decisions, decisions...

Dinadan,

I really like the different grips on your BW.  It looks awesome.

I am torn on the idea of different grips.  On one hand I think the big grip and BW emblem are really cool and definitely part of the character of the BW pistol. On the other big grip really reduces conceal options for me.  I'm torn 

I have the Sidewinder, PUG, and Black Widow.

The Sidewinder is the coolest.
The Black Widow is the best shooter.
The PUG is the best hideout revolver.

The BW is more accurate, and easier to shoot, but it is a little too large. For the nearly the same size I can carry my Ruger LCP with 6+1 in semi auto.  Now the BW is far more classy and simply more cool than my LCP...but you get the point. 

The PUG...what can I say. The grip size is perfect, the pistol itself is small and incredibly concealable, and it handles 22 WMR.  Yes the barrel is a bit short and accuracy is affected, but we are talking about a hideout pistol right?

Frankly any of these 3 make a great back up or hideout gun.  I love them all, but the PUG gets the nod for daily deep conceal back up carry,

Thanks for the nice comments so far. I know most of you guys have seen this stuff already, but you know how it is. Like a proud parent thing. I did the best I could with my camera phone

As for the sidewinder being better for shooting and plinking...I think that's going to require more practice.  The Sidewinder is indeed faster to reload making range use and plinking way easier.  But at the same time I am more used to the grip on the PUG which I find much easier to hold.  And it's even easier with the Black Widow.  The Sidewinder I need more practice time with as the smaller laminate birds head grip is a bit handful when firing 22 WMR.  It's quite snappy.  I find the BW the easiest to hold and is by far the most accurate of the three with the longer barrel.  I can put together some nice tight groups 7 yards.

I really like them all.  My favorite is the PUG because that's my back up carry and I feel confident handling it.  The BW is my range and plinking shooter. And the Sidewinder is the coolest.

More NAA porn

Just thought I'd share.

Started out with just wanting the PUG as my back up carry. But later had the itch for the Black Widow for accuracy and coolness factor.  Then the Sidewinder became a must have pistol.  The PUG is still my favorite, but I luv 'em all.

Thank you all for your responses.  From reading through the forums and posting on this thread I get the sense of a nice community here.  I am planning on carrying the PUG all the time regardless if I carry my other larger SD pistols or not.  This way I am always armed.  With summer approaching I may find myself on occasion with only the PUG, but I feel way better about that then only throwing rocks.  I have to concur with most of you that anyone hit with .22 LR or WMR is going to have a bad day.

And, as a few of you called it already, I've started to eyeball the Black Widow and Sidewinder
Is there an early intervention program for NAA obsession collection??  LOL

Hello All

Just a quick post to say hello, introduce myself, and gather a few opinions.  I'm relatively new to handguns (about 1.5 years).  But in that time I have gathered a few pistols, spent lots of time at the range, and a few months back secured my CPL in Michigan.  I carry every day now, either a M&P Shield in .40 when clothing permits, or my Ruger 380 LCP for deep concealment.  I also acquired the new Ruger LC380 for it's mild recoil, easy slide, and smooth operation at the range.  I sometimes carry that one as well.

As I was lurking around the local gun shops, looking on line and reading up on all the fine possibilities in firearms, I can accross the North American Arms minis.  To be honest I was immediately smitten by the pistols.  I read nothing but good things about the quality of these peices, and after assembly my other pistol collection for duty, the thought of something unique, collectible, and usable really peaked my interest.

I'm proud to announce my first NAA acquisition was new PUG. It is a dealer item with tritium sights and included the extra 22LR cylinder!!  So far all I've done is admire the pistol, but I plan to take it to the range soon.  I started with the PUG as I began to consider the possibility of it being a daily carry when I was lightly enough dressed that even the LCP wouldn't work.  But that's where I need advice. What is the consensus here about the 22MLR as a SD caliber?