New (to me) NAA .22LR mini-revolver

[Scoundrel]

Some of you may have followed my troubles with the Charter Arms Dixie Derringer: http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10760
Well, nothing new to report on that front yet. Still waiting for Charter to produce a .22LR to send back to me in place of the .22 Magnum I originally bought.

In the meantime, I got my hands on a North American Arms .22LR mini-revolver (NAA-22LR). I traded a gun I didn't really want, plus some ammo, for a used one.

I took it to the range today, and during that trip, plus some time afterward, I learned a great many things in a short period of time:

1. I learned that this mini-revolver suffers from light hammer strikes, so it does not smack the primer hard enough and about 80% of the time does not go bang! It usually nails them OK on the second strike. Some rounds take three. I tested this with eight different .22LR types - three different Aguila rounds, three different CCI rounds, Federal bulk pack, and Winchester bulk pack.
2. I learned what happens when you get careless and part of your hand gets in front of the cylinder (but, thankfully, not in front of the barrel) of a revolver. Ouch!
3. I learned that nearly all parts for the NAA mini-revolver are available to purchase online here: http://www.northamericanarms.com/accessories/l-accessories/lr-parts.html
4. I learned that replacement springs for this gun are $3.00 each.
5. I learned that it is very easy to take this gun apart to get to the springs.
6. The inside of this gun was VERY dirty, possibly accounting for the light hammer strikes, but probably not.
7. It's a PAIN IN THE BUTT to put this gun back together once I've taken the side panel off.
9. It's a LOT LESS of a pain in the butt if I use a screw to hold the hammer in place from the bottom as I snap the side panel back in place carefully, while trying not to disturb the springs, then carefully push the holding screw out and replace it with the main screw from the top side.
10. UPS projects a shipping time of 2 days (Ground) from Provo, UT to Snohomish, WA.
11. I'm having a lot of fun playing with this gun.

So here's the plan:
After disassembling the gun, cleaning the hell out of it, and re-assembling it, the action feels a little snappier. But, I don't think the hammer is hitting harder. I am gauging this by how it feels, and how big an indentation it puts in some yellow nylon wall drywall anchors that make GREAT .22LR snap caps. I may decide to go to the range and find out.

I ordered a complete set of springs and some other stuff that looks a little worn but is probably not related to my issue. When that stuff arrives, I'll take the gun apart again and replace those bits, put it back together, and check the snap caps, and maybe do another range trip.

If the gun is not fixed then, I will contact the manufacturer, tell them what the gun is doing and what I have been doing, and ask them to please replace the bits that are not available for purchase online (I'll be happy to pay for the parts) and give it a working over to make it fire better.

...but I really think that the replacement "main spring" ($3) will do the trick. I'm replacing all of the springs and some other stuff not because I think it needs them, but because while I have the damn thing apart, I want to replace everything I can that isn't spendy.

...and yes, it is definitely worth it for me to spend this money. I was a little disappointed to find that it does not work properly, but I'm also having a good time working on it.


Oh, and while I was at the range, 90 more rounds through my new S&W AR-15 flawlessly. This time I heated up the barrel pretty good!

[JFootin]

Are you going to carefully polish the parts a bit while you're at it?

[Scoundrel]

Well, most of those bits are VERY small, and have sharp edges. Makes it hard to do more than brass-brush them. They're a lot smoother now, and the action feels better.

[Scoundrel]

Quick update: After disassembling, cleaning and lubing, and reassembly, it still strikes light. 3 of 5 rounds fired, and after examining all 5 casings, there wasn't really any noticeable difference between the ones that fired and the ones that did not. It was just chance that the light strike was enough to set off the primer in three of them, but not the other two.

But hey, I have a complete overhaul kit in the mail shipping from UT this morning!

[Scoundrel]

OK, got the new parts for the NAA mini-revolver today. I ordered a lot of extra bits that I didn't really need, but I figured while I had the thing apart I might as well replace everything I can.

Well, that initiative has been mostly unsuccessful. I think that the design has changed significantly since my model was built, and I did not specify (indeed, I don't know if it is possible to specify) that I have an older model when I bought these parts. The only part that seemed correct was the "hand" spring.

http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5364&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1328757531

The hand is the thing that moves the cylinder when you pull the hammer back. As irony would have it, at some point the new hand spring went springing across the room and I have lost it forever. So I was forced to use the old one, which still works.

I also ordered a new bolt, bolt spring, a couple of other springs, new trigger, and a new hand. None of those worked in this gun.

The new bolt spring was too long (I could have cut it, but the old one was working OK, so...). The new bolt did not fit properly in the cylinder grooves, and - get this - the new bolt spring did not fit into the new bolt! The spring showed obvious marking where the wire cutters had made a lip, and I could have smoothed it out with a metal file, but even the old bolt spring did not fit in the new bolt - the hole was too small. So even a matches set - new bolt and new bolt spring - did not fit together. Someone tell me how much higher quality NAA's stuff is, again?

I'll keep the new bolt handy. If I need to, I can drill the spring hole bigger, and file down the tooth that sticks into the chamber groove to make it fit. But, the old one still works, so I put it back in.

http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5366&stc=1&d=1328758650

Anyway, moving on. The trigger was mostly the same, except the new one had knurls on it, which I don't care for, but that would have been OK. However, the new one also had a big flap on the back of the trigger, which seems to fit into a slot in the hammer - but when I had this trigger in place, I could not pull the hammer back. So I went back to the old trigger. If my old trigger ever fails, I'll file the new one down to look like the old one and try again.

http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5365&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1328758399

The new "hand" did not fit properly either. It is longer than the old one, and jammed the cylinder when I tried to pull back the hammer. I'll keep it and file it down if I ever need it, but the old one still works, so...


Anyway, now we get to the main point: The Main Spring. This is what I figured was wrong with the thing. I just ordered those other parts while I was at it. So the new main spring was definitely longer, and I was disturbed to see a sharp edge filed on it, and there was discoloration on part of the sharp edge, indicating that it had gotten very hot and possibly lost the tempering.

I tried to fit it up as it came from the factory, but it was way too long, and the sharp edge was angled away from the notch in the hammer. I could tell that even if I squished it in there somehow, it would damage the hammer and it would likely shift and come loose. The old spring was squared off at the end, so I attacked the new one with a metal file and squared it off too.

See before and after photos:

Before:
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5362&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1328757523

After:
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5363&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1328757528

Let me tell you, it was still a right royal pain in the BUTT to get that new main spring in there, especially because the hand spring kept flying off in various directions when I tried to close the side plate.

The problem is that the side plate comes off the left side, and to remove it, you have to first remove the "main screw", which releases the tension on the hammer. When you put it back together, especially with a stiff spring in there, you pretty much have to put a post (I used a framing nail) through the right side of the frame and through the hammer's pivot hole to hold it in place, carefully line up that damned hand spring, snap the plate closed, and then (and here's the really fun part) remove your temporary post while shoving the main screw in there.

If I had designed this thing, I would have put a post coming from the right side of the frame so you could assemble it all without sticking something through from the right side. That post would have a threaded hole in it, so after you assemble it and snap the left side plate on, then you could just drop a screw into the threaded hole to hold the side plate there. I feel like they did it backwards, and I hope I never have to take this thing apart again, just because of that one problem. Threaded post instead of removable pivot screw. How hard is that, guys??

http://www.northamericanarms.com/media/PartsExplodedPics/expview-lr.jpg

Anyway, on to the really good news! After assembling it again, I definitely felt that the hammer had more spring to it, and it definitely made a deeper impression on the snap caps and empty casings I had laying around.

So I gathered up a bunch of live rounds and headed over to the range. VERY good news! I fired a variety of ammo types as before, and every single one went BANG! on the first hammer drop. I put 75 rounds through it without a single failure!

I am now a happy camper. I doubt I'll ever put that many rounds through it at one time ever again, but now I know I CAN if I want to.

[ltxi]

Good Lord! I have a good half dozen of these NAA guns in .22 short/LR/mag and in various barrel lengths. I've fired every one at least several times. My most used is a carry .22 mag with somewhere between 1000 and 2000 rounds through it. I've never had to take one apart nor experienced a misfire with any of them. They all date to the mid-late '90s.

[Scoundrel]

Well, I think that the one I just acquired has been heavily used. I didn't mention that for a while I thought the rifling was worn away in places. A more thorough brushing with copper solvent changed that, and the rifling looks great now.

I probably would have done better buying a brand new one, but I didn't have to put up the money up front, I was able to trade a gun I didn't intend to carry or use for it, then do a bit of work on it. The work was (mostly) fun.

Overall, I have no complaints. When the Charter version comes back, I'll have two. I'll probably stop there. :)

[Bawanna]

Sure a lot of stuff in a very small package.

[Scoundrel]

Oh, and I have this to add: The CCI Subsonic 40 grain lead hollow points have become my absolute favorite .22LR round. They're great in every gun I shoot them in. They aren't the loudest, and don't have the biggest punch, but they consistently go where I tell them to go, don't keyhole much, don't make huge clouds of smoke, and they make a very snmall amount of of gunkus. When purchased in sufficient bulk, they get down to about $0.06/round, which is well worth it to me.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/2CCI56-1.html

I think I'll go order some more, I'm down to a little less than 5,900 of them.