This is why I bought a NAA mini

[Smokey57]

My wife and I have our conceal license
I carry. She doesnt feel comfortable yet
We have a variety of good carry firearms. Lots of options

Last night I came home with a NAA 22lr and 22 short

This morning she said she will probably want to carry one of them in her belly band holster next week at work when she will be working alone

The NAAs broke the resistance to carry

[chutethemall]

Wonderful guns, but not an ideal choice for beginners.
Hard to master the safety notch, the reloading procedure, and de-cocking without proper technique and practice.
Congrats and best wishes.

[Ozark75]

My wife decided to carry when I got her a Black Widow. In my experience, the standard 22lr and 22short are a little tough to hang onto, they are just a touch too small. The Black Widow is built on the magnum frame, thus making it just large enough to not be "fumbly". Plus, the Black Widow grip fits her little lady hands perfectly. Overall, I feel the magnum frame with any grip larger than the birds head style is very usable for just about anyone. Even though there is not much difference between the standard frame and the magnum frame, there is a world of difference in usability.

[Ozark75]

Hard to master the safety notch, the reloading procedure, and de-cocking without proper technique and practice.

This is so true. But, an hour at the range this past Saturday and my wife who had never used a mini was quite proficient in all three of these areas. I showed her how the first two times. Then helped her as she did it a few more times. And then let her do it on her own. By the end of the hour, she was handling the mini as if it were an old friend.

[Smokey57]

Wonderful guns, but not an ideal choice for beginners.
Hard to master the safety notch, the reloading procedure, and de-cocking without proper technique and practice.
Congrats and best wishes.

Fair enough my friend. Agree with the learning curve. She is experienced other firearms , my hope was that this little gem will peak her interest in carry, and it seems to have. 

[pietro]

.

Welcome aboard, Smokey57 !

Please pass on our congrats to your wife for bellying ( ) up to the bar - Has she shot any Mini's yet ?

I wouldn't want her to fumble it if she needed to use it @ work...? 

[Anvil]

"Hard to master the safety notch, the reloading procedure, and de-cocking without proper technique and practice."

I finally gave up on that! It is easier to just keep an open slot on the trigger round for said safety reasons. It leaves you with one less round but how many of us has really needed all of them in just one instance? 

[top dog]

Smokes,
Welcome to the forum and thank you and the wife for making such good choices.

Getting used to the minis takes a bit of practice but you will do fine in a short period of time.

Now that you have the permits and proper gear,make sure to pack heat always!!!

                                                                Top Dog

[OV-1D]

"Hard to master the safety notch, the reloading procedure, and de-cocking without proper technique and practice."

I finally gave up on that! It is easier to just keep an open slot on the trigger round for said safety reasons. It leaves you with one less round but how many of us has really needed all of them in just one instance? 

   Never gave it much thought but some mini's are easier than others to get that safety notch , no particular model either , some are just  more difficult than others . Good question for the NAA gunsmith .   

[barrytheprof]

I found the fluted cylinders easier to insert with the hammer in the safety slot. I had my unfluted BW cylinders fluted by NAA. I can tell by feel when the safety slot is at the top.

[heyjoe]

I found the fluted cylinders easier to insert with the hammer in the safety slot. I had my unfluted BW cylinders fluted by NAA. I can tell by feel when the safety slot is at the top.

Did you mean that you found the fluted cylinders easier to insert the hammer into the safety slot?

[barrytheprof]

Yes, that's a little clearer. I center a flute on each side of the bottom of the frame. I can do it in the dark easily. When I slide the cylinder in it's already close to the correct position. A minor move to center the bottom 2 flutes finishes it.

I think the flutes look better too. YMMV

[OV-1D]

  Yup thats what I do to algin the two insert pins for the pin insertion . Some mini's as I said are a little more difficult to release the trigger to fall into those empty slots ,  all I can figure is they need more usage to make a cleaner drop of the hammer .  Practice ,practice ,practice and I bet it will become easier .

[bleak_window]

My wife didn't carry until I bought her the Pug.  Now she won't carry anything else.  I'm the same way with my BW - I have a J-frame but it feels too bulky, so I just carry the BW.  If I wanted to go bigger, I'd probably just buy a couple more BWs and a custom holster from Rick.

[Uncle_Lee]

My wife didn't carry until I bought her the Pug.  Now she won't carry anything else.  I'm the same way with my BW - I have a J-frame but it feels too bulky, so I just carry the BW.  If I wanted to go bigger, I'd probably just buy a couple more BWs and a custom holster from Rick.

You got it...
I carry 2 Black Widows and a Pug.

[copfish]

Great news!  Taking the time to show her how to run the gun is awesome!  As for the choice, I think any gun is better than no gun.  I often carry a 22 and am comfortable with my choice.

[top dog]

Copfish,
My thoughts exactly.

                         Top Dog

[smokeless joe]

Copfish,
My thoughts exactly.

                         Top Dog

Great news!  Taking the time to show her how to run the gun is awesome!  As for the choice, I think any gun is better than no gun.  I often carry a 22 and am comfortable with my choice.

I?ll second that

[pietro]

I carry 2 Black Widows and a Pug.

Now, THAT's an instant reload !   

I've heard of a two-gun shooter, but never a three-gun shooter, before.

[Gun1]

When I was in Arizona last year I finally had the chance to carry. I alternated between a NAA .22 LR, a NAA .22 WMG, and a Baby Browning. The Baby Browning is supposed to only be 9.5 oz but for some reason felt pretty heavy in my pocket, and this is even with a custom pocket holster. I'm still not sure why, maybe the weight is in the butt of the pistol so it moved around back and forth which made it feel heavier? The NAA .22 WMG felt significantly smaller than the Baby Browning even though it's actually longer and exactly the same height and supposedly not that much lighter. The NAA .22 LR felt like I didn't even have anything inside my pocket, Lol.
I do find it hard to hold on to the NAA .22 LR so I really can't cock and fire that fast as I need to rearrange my grip on the mini. Do boot grips significantly help, or not really? And about how much length do they add to the mini?

[Ozark75]

Yes, boot grips make a huge difference on the NAA 22lr.

[Gun1]

Yes, boot grips make a huge difference on the NAA 22lr.

About how much height and width do they add to the .22 LR?

[Ozark75]

Yes, boot grips make a huge difference on the NAA 22lr.

About how much height and width do they add to the .22 LR?

I no longer have the gun, so I can't take measurements, but the width didn't really change and the height only changed 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Did not effect the feel in my pocket. It was substantially more stable when shooting. The flat bottom of the boot grip rested on my pinky, thus all but eliminating muzzle flip.