And lest you think you’re smarter than me, remind me to show you my double shoulder holster “system” for a Quadrangle of powerful packing pistols from NAA. Prepare to be subdued.
Tom: You bring up a great point. I’m currently losing a debate with myself over what type of ammo to keep in this Anti-Venom. The problem is I’ve been tinkering with two great options. Hornady makes a Critical Defense round loaded with a 45-gr. FTX bullet. I clocked these at 915 and 976 fps from the bird’s head and boot grip (longer barrel) models. It’s surprisingly controllable in this tiny package and nothing to sneeze at for up close and personal defensive use. On the other hand, the CCI Shotshell is muy bueno snake medicine. Hmmm. Decisions …
After less than 1.6 seconds of careful debate, I arrived at the perfect solution: buy another revolver and do both. I like the bird’s head grip model, so my second will be near identical except for the grip color and design — this will be my “color code” to know what’s loaded in each revolver. The new one will pack Critical Defense while the Anti-Venom will naturally carry shot shells. Choose your grip for the job at hand.
Point Counter-Point
Maximum Fun with Mini Revolvers
Upper left: Roy’s pocket pals include (starting at one o’clock) the PUG .22 Mag., Sidewinder
(.22 Mag. and .22 LR), NAA-22LR and a limited-edition case-hardened PUG. Snapped holsters
(pouch holds spare ammo) are by Thad Rybka, the other is by NAA.
Recently I got my greedy little mitts on a stunning pair of special-edition mini-revolvers. Dubbed Anti Venoms, they’re the result of a partnership between North American Arms and Bill Hicks & Co. You can’t miss the homage to the name: Both are adorned with wicked snake engraving and snakeskin grip treatment scaled on there by Black Ice Coatings.
I’ll freely admit Publisher Roy has some sweet handguns socked away in his seven-level underground bunker-slash-armory, but I think I’ve got him outclassed this time. It’s a rare day when my wife sees me unbox recent arrivals and states with immutable authority, “I’m keeping that.” There you have it.
Just so you can enjoy his humiliation in the face of overwhelming verve and dash, I felt it appropriate to share our conversation …
The .22 Magnum CCI shot (right) and .22 LR shot (left) grouped well at about one yard. But the .22 LR shot
didn’t penetrate the cardboard backing of the target while the magnum shot went right through. Roy’s experience
is the magnum shot will kill rats and such while the .22 LR is essentially useless other than for fun!
NAA offers all sorts of limited editions and special finishes like this gold trio! You can also get custom
serial numbers. This sort of thing is a great graduation, retirement, birthday, promotion, etc. gift idea.
Tom: Roy Boy. Check these out. A matching pair of NAA revolvers with bite, and I mean this in the literal sense. As you might surmise by the elongated cylinders, these little reptile slayers are geared to handle .22 Magnum while fitting niftily in the pocket of my snakeskin pants. Heck, I might even stow one in my Howard Knight custom rattler-skin boots. Jealous yet?
Roy: Amateurs … I’m forced to deal with ’em. But then again, Tom, at least you’re heading in the right direction. You’ll find the little NAA guns to be a bit like jewelry — but jewelry you can shoot. You’ll likely have seen those tiny silver 1911 earrings in the jewelry tchotchke booths at SHOT? These aren’t anything like those. They’re not earrings — although perhaps we shouldn’t encourage this certain segment of society? — and they’re not toys, but they have the same sort of “I gotta’ have those” appeal. And, obviously your wife has excellent taste.
For me, I keep mine in a drawer and decide on which to use as the mood strikes. Tuxedo? Gold, obviously. Kayaking? Why the minimalist .22 Short version to save weight. Grizzly Bear? That’s easy, the .22 Magnum Pug — real stopping power for the big bears. Some day you’ll understand.
Tom: Jewelry? I’m all about serious use, not metrosexual adornment. Ain’t got time for cosmetics …
One reason we’re keeping these little doses of Anti-Venom is their usefulness for snakes. I’m guessing up there where you live in Fantasy Land, all you’ve got to worry about are bunnies and teddy bears. Here in the land of shrimp and grits, secession and tough folks, we’ve got Copperheads and Water Moccasins growing to a length of 94 feet or so. Check out the nifty snake evaporation pattern from the CCI WMR Shotshell Loads. Now that’s Anti-Venom!
Roy: Well, we don’t have 94-foot snakes, but we do have some wild pigs. I’ve found a .22 Magnum solid between the eyes at 50 yards does the job. Just kidding. At least in my dreams it does. But surely — and no, I didn’t call you Shirley, although I’m tempted at times — you’ve heard of the Great Missouri Field Rattus Norvegicus Gigantus which infests raw pastureland here? Children under the age of five have been known to disappear forever in farm fields. But not here at Che Huntington Ranchero Del Diablo El Sasquatch, no, not here, thanks to ultimate Stopping Power Of — The Pug.
The newest special edition: the Anti-Venom. Tom has been testing two models with boot and bird grip profiles.
While smaller with less to hold on to, Tom prefers the bird’s head model. It’s just insanely handy and easy to pack.
With most models, you load and extract empties by removing the cylinder and using the cylinder pin to poke out shells.
A “carry” load should be four rounds, leaving the hammer
down on an empty chamber. This is the NAA-22LR tiny model.
The Speer or similar “Personal Defense” .22 Magnum loads are effective,
delivering around 950 to 1,000 fps velocity from the short barrels.
Roy: Your points about handling are spot-on. In the spirit of fair play, I just shot my .22 LR model and the PUG in .22 Mag. using CCI shot shells. I also chronographed some Speer Gold Dot “Personal Protection” .22 Mag. (40 gr.), made for short-barreled revolvers. Just for grins I ran a .22 LR Mini-Mag through the tiny .22 LR version. The Speer load delivered about 980 fps while the Mini-Mag did a surprising 860 fps. I’m not actually sure you gain much with the magnum load, so we need to do more testing.
Tom: Speaking of loading ammo, for those who aren’t familiar with these mini revolvers, part of the reason they’re so small and light is the redesigned function. Features like swing-out cylinders and ejector rods add size and weight. To load a mini, just pull the hammer to half-cock. Then press the spring-loaded button on the cylinder pin and draw it out. Now you can remove the entire cylinder. If you’ve got empties, just use the cylinder pin to pop any out that won’t shake loose on their own. Loading is this process in reverse.
Roy: But, one clear difference is the “bigger” guns (like the PUG) are much easier to handle than the tiny ones and, frankly, don’t want to jump out of your hand. Speaking of safety, while the factory offers a sort of “notch” in between the chambers to rest the hammer, I’ve found leaving the hammer down on an empty chamber (like a Colt SAA) is the safest way to carry them. Extra-caution is always a good thing! And likely you say, you can always carry two, giving you eight massively powerful .22 magnum shots!
Just kidding on the massively powerful thing.
Nonetheless, I find the PUG in my pocket more often than not, virtually always loaded with CCI Magnum shot cartridges for unexpected encounters with bull field mice in the pole barn or attacking swarms of killer wasps. Call me Walter Mitty if you want … but that’s not my name. Besides, wait until you see what it does to an attacking potato.
For more info: www.northamericanarms.com, www.blackicecoatings.com, www.billhicksco.com
