North American Arms Case Hardened Mini Revolver

by Mike Searson

Wednesday, March 27th 2012

North American Arms (NAA) has long been known for manufacturing the Mini Revolver; a small single-action pocket revolver constructed entirely from stainless steel. NAA mini-revolvers are reminiscent of the spur trigger single action revolvers of the mid-19^th century. NAA’s latest effort harkens back to those days as it is constructed of carbon steel and finished in a beautiful case-hardened finish courtesy of Doug Turnbull of Turnbull Restorations.

This particular model is chambered in 22 Magnum; NAA offers this model in 22 lr as an option too. The standard walnut grips were substituted by grips made from imitation stag horn.

Safer than its older brethren from the mid-19^th century, all of NAA’s revolvers have a series of safety notches built into the back end of the cylinder. This allows the shooter to safely load all 5 rounds in the cylinder to keep the hammer from coming to rest on a live round. Because it is a single action revolver, each time the revolver is to be fired, the hammer must be manually cocked.

Our test revolver was a standard model chambered in 22 Winchester Magnum. A conversion cylinder to shoot 22 lr is available for this revolver, but was not included.

Two NAA revolvers pictured next to a .38 caliber S&W

Some shooters claim that these little revolvers are not very accurate. This bias comes from the primitive type sights, the relatively short barrel and the small size of the grips. An added measure to this notion of inaccuracy arises from high velocity 22 Magnum ammunition being most commonly used. This revolver functions best with lower velocity ammunition such as Hornady Critical Defense as there is no worry of unburned powder causing excessive recoil or keeping the bullet from stabilizing while in flight.

While it will never be a target-grade revolver, the NAA Mini Revolver is very capable of a 1.5 to 3 inch group within 15 feet. This is well within the distance that this little revolver was made for.

NAA Revolver in Stainless Steel

North American Arms typically markets these revolvers as a backup or hideout piece for self-defense or pest control. While the author has a preference for the case hardened version due to its looks, it will most likely not replace the stainless steel version that has been carried as a pocket revolver the past several years. This has more to do with wanting to preserve the case hardened finish rather than any other consideration as this revolver was slightly more accurate than the aforementioned stainless steel version. Whether the accuracy was better due to the slightly longer barrel or the quality of the carbon steel over the stainless steel could not be determined.

All in all, it was another testament to the quality work that North American Arms has been producing over the past 25 years.

About Mike Searson

Mike Searson has worked around firearms his entire adult life starting as a Marine Rifleman at 17 and continuing as a gunsmith, ballistician, instructor, and consultant. He is an avid shooter and collector who has written articles for magazines such as Gun Digest, Tactical Gear, Blade, and SWAT. He is the coordinator of the firearms and knives projects on Wikipedia, Admin on the Usual Suspects Network, has a blog on sixguns.com and is author of 4 columns for Examiner.com dedicated to guns, gun rights, MMA, and boxing.

Magpul began their transition out of Colorado this week due to the recent signing of  House Bill 1224, which bans “high” capacity magazines. Rumor also has it the company, leaving with $70 million in Colorado tax revenue stuffed back in their pockets, will expand their operation to multiple states. With this strategy, the folks at Magpul are turning a crappy situation into an advantageous one. They are assisting states that respect the 2nd amendment, most likely expanding their workforce, and will also ensure that the holy grail of polymer magazines will remain ubiquitous throughout the USA. Thank you, Magpul.

Voyager Leatherworks is a 2nd generation custom leather sheath business. The skills of sheath making were handed down through the family, so quality and pride of production are taken seriously. Each sheath takes 2-4 weeks to produce and are personally handmade, stitched, and quality controlled. They are offered in Black, Saddle Brown, Chocolate Brown, Light Brown, and in either Right or Left handed configurations. They can create sheaths for most knives, with some exceptions. Aside from custom sheaths, Voyager Leatherworks also produces a series of fine leather bags . The latest “Scout Carry” series offers an additional storage pouch and fire starter. In order to have a sheath designed, you’ll need to send your knife in so they can measure, test, and obtain the perfect fit. www.voyagerleatherworks.com

Stiller’s Precision exhibits serious due diligence with their new Predator XT AR-15 lower receiver. The lower is a culmination of considerate product design, research, and mechanical aptitude. Machined from 7050-T7651 aluminum super alloy, the magwell and trigger guard utilize Stiller’s “X-Rib” concept for added stiffness and durability.

The lower is chamfered and rounded on all edges for additional strength. The inside of the well is flared and specifically accommodates the angles and alignment of  Magpul’s PMAG for drop free performance and dependable feeding. This manufacturing method is known as “Wire EDM” (Electrical Discharge Machining) cutting and helps control tolerances for better mag positioning and insertion. The front surface of the magwell is flared for additional grip enhancement.

The stock boss is enhanced for structural integrity while an additional set screw is added to help retain the rear pin spring -  the result is a better overall experience when installing and securing your stock assembly. Finally, the  lower is Mil-Spec type III hard anodized for serious surface protection.  www.viperactions.com

Until Thursday March 14th the blog author of My Gun Culture is offering “The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters” at no charge via Amazon. This is the first of the “Insanely Practical” series and offers a primer on choosing a holster, concealed carry methods, carry safety (including techniques on carrying a gun in your underwear), the history of holsters, and the pros and cons of over 120 specific holster models. Tom Mchale will guide you through the decision making process of choosing the right holster safely and economically – all with a touch of humor that MyGunCulture.com is always known for. Available now at Amazon.

Press Release

Charleston, South Carolina (PRWEB) March 12, 2013

Americans are flocking to buy guns like never before. The political climate, a “foaming at the mouth” media and the desire to win the neighborhood arms race are creating millions of first-time gun owners. But how do folks learn about guns, holsters and concealed carry in an amusing and approachable way?

Enter the team of My Gun Culture. They specialize in making sense of all that complicated shooting stuff with a large side helping of humor.

Their new book, The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters is now available on Amazon.com.

From Chapter 5: 10 Ways to Spot Someone Carrying a Concealed Gun
“If you see someone cruising around with a steady or intermittent glow emanating from their pocket area, it means one of two things. Either they have a really, really serious urinary tract infection, or their holster is causing the pistol laser to activate.”

The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters educates on a myriad of ways to safely carry a gun. Whether packing heat on your belt or in your underwear, this book will teach new shooters about the dizzying array of gun holsters on the market. In addition to discussing numerous methods of carry in detail, The Insanely practical Guide to Gun Holsters profiles over 120 specific holster models. Dozens of photographs and Insanely Practical Tips help readers learn how to carry a gun safely and invisibly.

Readers will learn important concepts including:
A brief and entertaining history of gun holsters.
How to weigh concealment versus gun accessibility.
What’s better? Open or concealed carry? How to start a really enthusiastic argument.
What options are available for ladies only?
Is belt carry the best overall option? If so, how? Inside or outside?
How to carry a gun using undershirts, belly bands and harnesses.
How to use an ankle holster without making your ankles look fat.
Pocket holsters. Why some work and others don’t.
How folks can carry one or more guns in their underwear!
Effective ways to stash guns in clothing: pants, shirts and jackets.
Using off premises parking — ways to carry a gun not attached to the body.
Home, office and car holster options.
How to easily carry extra ammunition with magazine and ammo holders.

Let’s face it. Holsters are a tough thing to buy — especially for someone new to the world of guns. Stores rarely have a big selection, everyone has a different opinion, and it’s hard to try them on with your specific gun. Holsters are expensive, and most experienced shooters have a whole box of unused, and very expensive, holsters. This book will dramatically improve the odds of making the right buy the first time. It’s also filled with helpful tips, like how to make sure your gun stays secure.

From Chapter 8: A Word on Gun Belts
“Wearing your jeans with the waist band around your knees is in vogue these days. While stylish and trendy, this doesn’t work so well for concealed carry with waist holsters. It’s bad enough having your wallet swinging around at knee level. Having a gun swinging around that low would certainly make you the center of attention. Unless of course, you live in Mogadishu.”

The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters is free for three days only! Download The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters from Amazon.com at no charge Tuesday, March 12, 2013 through Thursday, March 14, 2013.

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About Insanely Practical Guides
Insanely Practical Guides author Tom McHale was born a helpless, shooting-deprived infant. Later in life, he created Insanely Practical Guides to pursue his passion of creating slightly offbeat, but educational, content related to guns, shooting, concealed carry and self defense. He also produces a website, MyGunCulture.com that is a half-cocked but right on target look at the world of shooting and all things related. If you want to learn with a laugh about all things shooting, visit him there.

The RDZ Case Trimmer is a welcomed step up from the process of manual case trimming. Assuming you have  a standard drill press, simply attach the RDZ mounting unit to the bed of your press securely using 2 bolts. The cutter head and arbor are assembled together and inserted in the drill chuck.  Line up your unit with the drill chuck and insert the correct universal shell holder into the RDZ mount.

Once you have it assembled, you’ll need to run a few test adjustments and determine where to set the stop on your drill press. Using the slowest speed, press down into the shell casing to touch the casing. Remove the casing and measure it. Make the appropriate adjustments until you have the correct height in order to set your stop. It may take a few rounds, but once you have the right height you’re now ready to automate the task of trimming cases at a faster production rate then your typical manual trimming process.

The RDZ unit is CNC machined from solid billet aluminum while all internal components are made of 316 stainless steel. It works with universal shell holders and requires a 3/8″ drill press or greater. Each unit includes a set of 9 most commonly used pilots ranging from .22 to .45, a cutter head, and an arbor which holds the cutter head together within your drill press.

According to a product test done by Handloader, a .223 Remington case took about 3 seconds. Inspecting and removing each case takes about another 10 seconds. A February 2012 Gun Digest review found that “Once complete I turned to the drill press/trim jib setup and went through 50 cases very quickly, much fast than if I had been using my old hand-turned trimmer”.

Overall, chamfering and deburring are still done separately. However when working in conjunction with the RDZ Case Trimmer, one can drastically reduce the time and monotony involved when trimming brass.

The evolution of the paracord survival bracelet continues. It’s not just about adding a compass to your bracelet anymore. RE Factor Tactical has come up with an innovative way to cram as much survivalist micro gear as possible into a single bracelet. Developed by a Special Forces graduate, the RE Factor Tactical Survival Band is your go to piece of equipment when things don’t go according to plan. Best of all, it looks good. Although it’s only available in black so far, the metal and plastic accents give it style.

So what does it offer besides aesthetics? First, you have 12′ of 550 paracord. Keeping the cord together is a plastic buckle with a molded whistle built in. The whistle is operable without having to take anything apart. Underneath, you’ll find a metal P51 can opener held firmly by paracord. The can opener can also be removed without having to undo or damage the bracelet. You then have 30′ of 80lb fishing line as well as a #8 fishing hook integrated into the bracelet as well as a single snare wire for trapping. Finally, the included flint rod acts as both fire starter and sink weight for the fishing hook and line.

If you really want the ultimate in escape and evasion, checkout their “Tactical Operator” version. The RE Factor Tactical Operator Band includes everything above in addition to a tiny handcuff key locked within the bracelet buckle.

Looking to keep a digital inventory of your firearms, ammo, & accessories? MyGunDB is a firearms collection management application running on Windows, OS X, and Linux. It is flexible enough to accommodate any  firearms enthusiast, C&R collector, or even an FFL dealer with a large inventory. Even if you don’t have that many firearms to keep track of, MyGunDB is free and fully functional for the first 10 firearms in your inventory.

The software includes a number of features that any type of gun collector across the board can utilize. As a Curio & Relic collector, important data such as condition, serial number, firearm type, finish, investment values, insurance values, round count, and more can be tracked. As an everyday firearms enthusiast, you can also cross reference your gun with statistical data (barrel length, trigger pull, sight type, etc), storage location, maintenance alerts,  and even which accessories are available to that particular gun. In addition, each firearm record in the database offers searchable descriptions, pictures, and the ability to quickly email firearm information to anyone.

For FFL dealers, MyGunDB’s capabilities extend even further. For example, you can keep track of whether the gun is owned by your business or on consignment. With each entry, MyGunDB stores purchase/acquisition records, NFA classifications, tax stamps, and appraisal values. All of your data will conform with current ATF boundbook requirements.  It also includes reporting features to help you conduct business in an organized and streamlined fashion. All MyGunDB information is encrypted and digitally secure along with options for backing up your database.

MyGunDB also helps you track your ammunition inventories. Whether you reload or just keep factory ammo on-hand you’ll be able to store information on each caliber. Information such as type, round count, bullet weight, powder, case type, and primer are all recordable fields.

There’s also a mobile app for IOS and Android available here. With each version of MyGunDB comes new functionality and feature improvements based on testing and user feedback. With a community of 65,000 downloads and counting, MyGunDB is positioned to help any firearms collector maintain their gun data with an organized and informative approach.