Dusty Boxes & Tripped-Over Treasures…
Big Al’s North American Arms Big Bore
Big Al DiPrima, holding his rare NAA 450 Magnum Express,
proving Mullets and big-bore Magnums go hand in hand.
Gun nerds can generally be broken down into three categories: users, collectors and accumulators. Rare is the person who’s neatly packaged into one of these categories; we’re all a mixture, or combination of all three, to varying degrees. Users are just as the name implies. They own guns for the single purpose of using a gun for a specific reason, be it self-defense, hunting, competitive target shooting, or simply plinking fun. Most Users have only one, maybe two guns, but are very proficient with them.
Collectors are more complex. Most die-hard collectors are never satisfied. They are constantly seeking the holy grail of guns, always searching for better representatives of guns they already own, then selling the lesser model. They memorize serial numbers, makes, models and tend to be walking encyclopedias on every fact, run, or variation of said makes and models. They toss and turn at night thinking about finding the matching box for a newly prized gun they’ve just obtained. They’re a tortured lot, for sure.
Lastly, we have accumulators, the most laid-back of the bunch. Accumulators tend to take things in stride. While always on the prowl for their next conquest, they have no idea what it is. But they know…as soon as they see it. Most of us fall into this category. I sure do. It’s like hunting. You can either roam the woods searching for game or set up in a nice spot and let the game come to you. Either way is effective. Most accumulators are opportunistic in nature, too. Guns seem to land in their lap from acquaintances needing a fast buck.
The gun, ammo, and Ralston knife make a handy package.
The NAA 450 Magnum Express and Freedom Arms 83
could easily be cousins from the outside looks. Inside?
Lady Luck
Sometimes Lady Luck deals a hand, leaving a smile on our faces. That’s what happened to my buddy, Big Al DiPrima, years ago. Big Al hails from California and was a commercial electrician by trade. One day, while working in an old store, he noticed a box on one of the shelves. Blowing two inches of dust off the box, his eyes lit up. It was a North American Arms gun box with a rare sixgun inside. It was an NAA 450 Magnum Express. While NAA is known mostly for compact .22 rimfire revolvers, back in the early 80s, they tried venturing out into the big bore arena. NAA developed the 450 Magnum Express, which was simply a .45 Winchester Magnum case elongated by .40 inches.
Why NAA went with a rimless cartridge case is beyond me. Being rimless, the cartridge is seated by the cartridge mouth, meaning it must be taper crimped. This limits bullet weight, as taper crimping isn’t conducive to holding heavier bullets from jumping crimp, caused by inertia, under heavy recoil. This effectively ties up the cylinder.
Now it made sense for Winchester to make 450 Magnum Express ammunition, as it was just a longer case than the .45 Winchester Magnum. With Winchester being the only source of ammunition, NAA smartly offered an auxiliary cylinder chambered in .45 Winchester Magnum. Either way, the NAA .450 Magnum Express was doomed from the beginning.
Rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation.
The Gun
Made of 17-4 stainless steel, this single-action sixgun closely resembles the Freedom ArmsFreedom Arms 83, on the outside, but with very different parts on the inside. Holding it even feels like a Freedom Arms. The guns were offered in three finishes: high polish, matte, and black chrome. Big Al’s gun is in brand new condition, and of the matte finish persuasion. On the left side of the barrel is North American Arms Corp. and Spanish Fork, Utah 84660, below it. Serial # is on the frame’s left side, 5392. On the right side of the barrel is .45 WIN. MAG./450 MAG. EXPRESS.
The NAA 450 Magnum Express has an action like a Ruger New Model Blackhawk. There’s no half-cock, and the cylinder spins freely when the loading gate is opened. The hammer has a high, serrated spur for positive cocking.
The front sight is attached by two Allen screws and has a fluorescent orange-marked face on the angled portion of the sight. The rear sight is both windage and elevation adjustable with a white line outline and is serrated, negating any glare. Together, they provide an excellent sight picture. The base-pin is knurled and polished with a setscrew that is drilled sideways, so it seats into the ejector rod housing to prevent jumping.
The walnut stocks are large, target style, but nicely thinned out for nice gripping and comfort. The grip frame itself is made so there’s ample clearance from your middle knuckle to the trigger guard, so it doesn’t get bashed during recoil.
Close-up of the front sight.
Shooting
The factory 260-grain jacketed hollow-points Big Al sent with the gun clocked at 1,530 FPS, which is moving damn good! Accuracy was excellent, as the sights are wonderful. The only problem encountered was that the cylinder tended to bind up every few shots.
The 450 Magnum Express is approximately .04"
longer than 45 Winchester Magnum brass.
History
Though NAA began developing the .450 Mag Express in late 1981, the gun didn’t ship until 1984. Sales were never great, and the model was discontinued after roughly 530+ guns were produced. In 1987, NAA’s parent company was sold, and the new proprietors had no interest in resurrecting the 450 Magnum Express project.
As a result, all remaining primed brass, tooling, and other pertinent parts were warehoused. When the company sold for a second time in 1992, none of the .450 Magnum Express inventory was included in the deal. Word has it that the previous owners destroyed the brass and tooling.
450 Magnum Express chambered in cylinder.
More Background
Talking with Bob Baker, owner of Freedom Arms, I asked him about the NAA big bore project as I’d heard his father, Wayne Baker, may have had some connection. Bob said his dad was approached but declined getting involved with the project, feeling it was ‘dead in the water’ before it ever got started.
Complete with the owner’s manual and original cleaning kit.
Back to Big Al
After seeing the like-new gun, Big Al makes an offer to the owner of the shop, and he agrees to sell it to him, along with two full boxes of factory ammunition. With only 530+ guns made, this gun definitely has collector value, besides being pretty cool to own. This is what makes guns so interesting.
Like people, they all have a story behind them. A rare gun, chambered in a rare cartridge, for a uniquely rare guy, just makes sense. May Big Al DiPrima keep finding rare gems like this 450 Magnum Express, for he’s the rarest gem of all, a great friend.
