I’ve long been a fan of North American Arms. The company is audacious. Their micro-revolvers are tiny fun-guns—especially the ones in 22 short. But my fixation on the pocket pistols has way more to do with their build quality and genuine novelty than it does their potential for self-defense. But they have a new gun that is solving some of my old complaints: The NAA Ranger 2.
Most of the older NAA revolver designs have pinned cylinders. If you want to reload, you need to drop the cylinder free of the gun and reload. That’s hardly a hassle if you’re on the range, but it is less-than-ideal for any defensive scenario.
The new NAA Ranger 2 changes that. This is a break action. There’s a clasp on top of the gun that locks the barrel and cylinder to the rest of the frame. It is a tested design. Smith used to use it. Iver Johnson made some great break actions. While they’re out of fashion with most modern revolver makers, the design works well for the Ranger.
The NAA Ranger 2
The Ranger’s break action is also its rear sight. There are serrations in the latch to help you overcome the tension of the catch. The gun should be in the half-cock position to open—so it does require some basic thought function to make it operate correctly.
The hammer on the Ranger is also serrated. From the back of the gun, the hammer blocks the sights until it is cocked. Again, this is common in single-action designs, and since the hammer has to be cocked for the gun to fire, this feature is hardly a hindrance.
As you break open the gun, the spent brass (or live rounds, if you are unloading without shooting) sits flush in the cylinder. As you bend the barrel over, the plunger extends, pushing the brass out—some.
Rimfire brass expands and can catch in the chamber. Some of these rounds are so dirty that the gun gets sticky, quickly. The plunger has enough force to overcome this grab and I’ve yet to have any brass hang up excessively in the chambers.
22 Mag
The grips on the Ranger are wooden—Rosewood. I think it is a plywood. Regardless, the wood itself is hard. The steel of the frame is also hard. And the .22 Magnum, in such a small package, kicks hard. This is hardly a wrist-breaker. And I don’t get the brutal slap in the web of my hand that I do from other small steel-framed pocket guns. But you’ll know you’ve shot it. And if you run any volume through it, which you should if you are going to carry it for self-defense, you’ll feel it.
The .22 Magnum’s velocity is tamed, slightly, by the short barrel. The round still has the potential for one-shot lethality—but (as is always the case) shot placement is everything. In the role of the get-off-me-gun, the Ranger has genuine potential. As far as accuracy goes, keep your expectations modest.
Accuracy
Before I dive in, I want to say that I really do see the potential here. I’ve not been shy in the past about praising the unique and quirky designs that have made North American Arms so popular. I’ve also not pulled any punches about the genuine potential for self-defense. I wouldn’t carry this gun as my only means of defense, as so many do—unless I couldn’t conceal anything bigger.
My first shots with this and other NAA revolvers almost always hit about 6″ high on the target. With five rounds to work with, I can walk it down to the right area. My windage usually isn’t bad.
I’ve never shot any of the longer barreled NAAs. part of what I’m seeing on paper with this one is that the rounds are key-holing when shot from any distance. That’s not a problem for defensive shooting unless those shots miss the mark. These don’t. A tumbling .22 Magnum produces fine terminal ballistic performance.
The Craftsmanship
When I got this gun in for review, I actually picked up two. The other, a NAA-22MS, doesn’t have a break-action. But I was just as smitten with the craftsmanship. Both of these are paradoxically robust and delicate at the same time.
How can something feel so small and yet so finely tuned? The feeling is the same sensation I experience with some well-made pocket knives and watches. It is deeply satisfying.
The NAA Ranger 2 has more moving parts than the NAA-22MS. I enjoy its clicks. I have a habit of cocking the hammer, dropping it slowly, popping it back to the half-cock stop and then thumbing open the cylinder. It is an excellent fidget toy, even if the motion does tend to make some folks nervous. Check to make sure it isn’t loaded and then run it through its mechanical paces. Deeply satisfying.
Long barrels
The Rangers, like some of the other North American Arms designs, is available with longer barrels—up to four inches. There are also versions of the gun with cylinders that can be easily swapped out for different calibers (like .22 LR).
The longer barreled guns have grips that flare out at the end like an old Peacemaker. That extra surface area and extra barrel length for stabilizing bullet flight should work wonders on the accuracy issues I experience, but they come with the typical price. Though thin, the longer guns with bigger grips are that much more difficult to conceal.
In the End
And that’s the appeal of this. Concealability. The NAA Ranger 2 in its compact form fits in a pocket. I’m not one for carrying a gun in my pocket without a holster of some sort—but this would be an option here. Not cocked, of course. That’d be a sure-fire way to lose a testicle or two—or whatever it is you have near your pockets.
Holsters are available. DeSantis makes this dude for OWB carry. Hard to believe I’m writing about a micro-revolver and advocating for a holster that rides outside the waistband, but here we are. This is a beast of a holster, too. Like everything I’ve seen from DeSantis in the last couple of years, this holster is damn-near perfect. I’m unsure about the exact model name, but I think this is a Lil’ Shot from DeSantis. Current models, though, seem to lack the tension adjustment.
For pocket carry, I’ll again plug Beard and Owl. The NAA revolvers feel artisan and I like the compliment that comes from a handmade holster, too. This is how I’ve been carrying the Ranger during this review period. I usually keep an ancient P3AT in my front pocket, but this has a smaller footprint. And the Beard and Owl pocket holster keeps it in place perfectly.
So what is it exactly?
Fun gun? Yes. Most definitely. Self-defense? For deep cover, sure. I could go there—easily. Backup gun for summer carry? Third gun? Something akin to a dangerous fidget spinner? Yup, that too.
The Ranger’s sticker price is $479. They usually sell for a bit less, even in this absurd market. Check them out—they’re sure to make you smile.
