North American Arms .32 ACP Guardian — Pocket Proportioned Protection
NAA Handgun
Innovative Variety
North American Arms, the company that revolutionized the mini-revolver, also makes a handy-sized pocket pistol called the Guardian. Available in two sizes, the smaller Guardian is chambered in .32 ACP and .25 NAA (a .32 ACP necked down to .25 caliber). The larger Guardian is chambered in .380 ACP and .32 NAA (a .380 ACP necked down to .32 caliber).
.32 ACP Guardian
The smaller, more compact Guardian chambered in .32 ACP first appeared in 1997. Admittedly, it’s not known as a man stopper per se, but it’s no mosquito masher, either. Buffalo Bore makes a load with a 75-grain cast slug travelling at 1,150 fps — enough to discourage anyone, especially when headshot. I guarantee anyone will have more than a headache after absorbing 75 grains of lead in the noggin!
Size Matters
What really makes the smaller .32 ACP Guardian handy is its size, or lack thereof. It’s a perfect packing pocket pistol. Sheathed in a pocket holster for easy drawing and safety, it’s the perfect piece to pack in warm weather — when something bigger is more challenging to carry. I know some may fret over carrying such a gun, but to my way of thinking, any gun is better than none! It also makes for a dandy backup gun.
Speculations
The Guardian is a high quality, hammer-fired, double-action-only, semi-auto pistol with a simple, straight blowback operating system. It’s constructed of 17-4 stainless steel and the integral barrel is 2.19″ long. The slide is machined from a single stainless steel bock and has integral sights.
There are no external controls other than a non-ambidextrous, traditionally placed magazine release behind the triggerguard. The hammer is bobbed and exposed. There is no slide lock, hence, the slide does not lock-back on an empty magazine.
It has a capacity of 6+1, length is 4.38″ and height is 3.38″. Width is a scant 0.81″ and weight is 15.6 oz. The grip is hard rubber, sights are fixed and the pistol can only be fired in double action. The Guardian can be fired without the magazine installed.
The Guardian’s stainless steel body, slide and small size make it the perfect proverbial pocket pistol. It’ll slip in your pants/shorts pocket as simple as a wad of money-clipped bills, but with more punch!
MSRP is $409. For more info:
North American Arms
Ph: (800) 821-5783
https://northamericanarms.com
