What do you know about the .22 magnum?

[KYXDM]

Received a recent copy of Guns magazine and while skimming through the issue I saw an article about the North American Arms pocket carry .22 LR revolver.  I had free time so I jumped out to the website and found the Pug (http://www.northamericanarms.com/pug.html).

Its a nice looking little pocket gun, but I'm not that familiar with .22 magnum.  I know some will say there is no value in carrying such a small caliber, but wouldn't this make a good BUG?

How well does the .22 magnum perform?  Is it easy to find?

[fightingquaker13]

Here's my take. I was asked to help my bird dog trainer to help him kill some coyotes. I thought "Well, they're varmints, why not use a varmint rifle"? So I borrowed grandads .22 mag rifle. What I found after two not so clean kills is that I don't like the round. Accurate? Check. Flat shooting? Check. Light? Check. Big enough hole with a shot through the boiler room? Not even close. The future hunts were done using a .270. Hey, it worked just fine. Here we're talking 30 pound animals, not 150 plus pound critters.
That's in a rifle. Now imagine a 1 3/4" pistol. Thanks, but no. Look. People on this board question my judgement politically, but I do know my guns. BEST ADVICE YOU WILL EVER GET: If you want a derringer look no further than Bond Arms. Small, concealable, interchangeable barrels and built like a tank in Texas (also only around 5 bills or so). Get them in any caliber you want from .22 to .357, to 45 colt to 10mm. They will do the job.
FQ13 who is saying that in today's market you don't really have to trade size for power like we used to. Buy enough gun. Please.

[ericire12]

The .22 mag out of the NAA gets ya about 75 ft lbs of energy (give or take) compared to about 35 ft lbs out of a .22 LR version.

See here:
http://www.naaminis.com/naaveloc.html
Use this:
http://www.handloads.com/calc/quick.asp

.22 LR gel tests here:
http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/22lr/gel22lr.htm







*For about the same price and a little more weight (6.6 oz for the .32 vs 5.9 oz NAA) you can get a kel-tec in .32 acp or .380..... And with that you get larger caliber, more energy, premium expanding hollow points, faster reloads...

[twyacht]

Fired a NAA Thurs. Recoil was not as bad as I thought. Accuracy is measured in feet. It is what it is. The on your back last ditch BUG. When the BG attacks you at the ATM, or literally is on top of you in the parking lot. It works. Better than nothing.

However, it is single action. That presents additional actions to fire the weapon. That presents the time and training to do so.

Yes they are available, I know the round in a rifle is very effective. Those in a little derringer are just a last resort option, easily carried, but technically a little more difficult to work than a Kel-tec or Ruger LCP, or a few others.

check out http://mouseguns.com/  just for some other models.

The NAA is what it is, but does require familiarity and just being able to get it to a firing position, the NRA show had a folding grip version as well.

FQ brings up the Bond Arms line in larger calibers,,,,,your limited to 2 shots, the P3AT, or LCR, will give you more.

Explore all your options.

[KYXDM]

I have a Bersa Thunder .380 that I carry regularly.  I just came across this in the article, it is a compact little thing.  I certainly know that the .22 can kill a person (had a distant family member killed by a .22 LR).  Obviously this would not be your first choice in a bad situation, but if things got tight and you had little room to operate, this looks to be a good option.

It really fits somewhere between novelty and ultra concealment.  I think its a great looking little gun.

[Sponsor]

[ericire12]

I think it fits more between novelty and knife.

They have a break top version in the works, that I would love to have as a plinker..... but for any defensive work I would rather have the knife. My Kel-Tec P32 can be smuggled anywhere.











*The NAA would make a nice BUG for squirrel hunts..... "Its coming right for us!"

[Walter45Auto]

Yeah it's easy to find ammo. The 22 Mag NAA barks... LOUD. Really gets your attention. The one dad has is the traditional one without anything but the blade sight on it (Not the one with XS sights like you posted.).  So It's kinda hard to hit with. His also has the 22 LR cylinder with it. It would be a "Last hope before pulling out my pocketknife and playing Jim Bowie after using up my primary ammo and BUG ammo, because today is the day I should have never left the bed and I'm in really deep S**T here!" gun. A Kel-Tec or J-frame is a better BUG, in a bigger caliber.  They are kinda fun to shoot, though.

[david86440]

This is my NAA with 60 grain .22LR.

It is better than nothing, not much better .........but the 60 gr do make a pretty hole!

[tombogan03884]

If you have normal sized hands it is a royal SOB to shoot.
Because it is so small, it is impossible to get any type of "Grip" on the gun.
As for the "trigger" it's more like a "Firing nub" and seemed to break ( finally) at a brisk 15 pounds.
That being said, it still beats the heck out of the .44 Mag you left home.

[Big Frank]

I have a .22 Magnum mini with a boot grip on it. It's a lot easier to hang onto than the bird's head grip and easier to conceal than the oversize grip I also bought. It's still impossible to aim.