North
American Arms, Inc. Has been manufacturing mini guns since
the early 1980s. The revolver designs and styles over the years
have gotten better, new mini auto loaders have been added to the
line, and a new cartridge (the 32 auto necked down to 25 caliber)
has been developed for the Guardian Auto Series.
I
have had the chance to do yeoman’s duty with the mini revolver
I think has the best design and cosmetic lines, the Black
Widow. And to add to it, having two cylinders, one in 22
long rifle and one in 22 rimfire magnum is icing on the
proverbial cake. I
am most interested in the 22 rimfire magnum as a backup pocket
gun.
As
many of my readers have learned from my first book on lever actions,
I spoke of an incident in the late 1960s as a young undercover
Narc with the Treasury Department about the 22 magnum rimfire
round. I took to
carrying a High Standard two shot 22 rimfire magnum
derringer as a backup gun.
And
as it goes sometimes, one dark night on First Avenue in New York
City I had the occasion to fire a warning shot with the little
derringer into the air...which had some varied results.
The drug dealer immediately laid down on the ground
yelling something about giving up, and in the process throwing
away a knife that he had just previously pulled out to show
me... My back up Agents came screaming up in their G-Cars,
lights glaring and flashing with a calliope of colors. Which suddenly brought the New York City police patrol car
that was a block away at the time... also screaming up to join
the festivities. Later when it was all sorted out, the patrolman
told me he had been looking in our direction when my little
derringer went off... He said it was like the electric company
suddenly lighting up the night
The
Black Widow I have been testing is the 2 inch barrel model. It
is perfect to drop into your front pocket, small, flat with the
cylinder only .85 of an inch wide, 5.5 inches long and 10 ounces
in weight. It is so
unobtrusive even I forget it’s there. Much better than the old
High Standard two shot, because the Black Widow holds five
rounds.
At
first I thought the hammer spur would hang up in my pocket when
I would try to pull it quickly.
But that never happened testing in tight pockets and
loose ones. The cylinder is 1.4 inches long. And has detents between the
chambers that the hammer’s firing pin slips into making the
little revolver exceptionally safe.
If you measure from the bullet nose to the muzzle, the
length for gas expansion and velocity gain is 2.2 inches.
Many
wonder if it is just a waste to use 22 rimfire magnum ammo in a
two inch plus barrel. Well
everyone has to decide that one for themselves... but a little
back up gun that gives a 40 grain bullet 1000 to 1100+ fps at
across the room ranges is going to do a lot of damage to an
individual, pest or varmint... two legged or four.
I tested a number of different types of rimfire mag ammo,
and got some rather surprising results.
First of all the lowest velocity (not counting the two 50
grain low velocity 22 MRF squirrel loads) 22 rimfire mag ammo,
was more than 100 fps higher in velocity than the fastest
22 (non mag) hyper velocity rimfire 22 RF loads. The fastest RF
mag ammo was well over 200 fps faster.
In
the 22 standard rimfire cylinder the little Black Widow clocked
an average of 910 fps for five 32 grain CCI Stingers. But
the Remington 40 grain HP 22 magnum RF ammo came in at
1025 fps. Winchester Super-x 40 HP mag was 1040 fps and
the same ammo in the solid form was the lowest at 1012 fps. The
high ground in velocity was CCI Maxi-Mag RF V-Max HP at 1120
fps. All of the mag
ammo expanded in very wet newsprint.. except the Winchester
solid FMJ.
A
new comer on the 22 mag RF block in ammo is Lellier &
Bellot. They produce a 45 grain, what appears to be
solid copper washed bullet. At 1050 fps it did expand, about
half what the CCI mag ammo did... but it penetrated three inches
deeper than the seven inches of the CCI ammo. The 50 grain CCI Maxi-mag... isn’t so maxi. It penetration
is good but it’s velocity couldn’t break 1000 fps, running
in the low 900s.
For
those that want the 22 rimfire standard cylinder and not
interested in the magnum cylinder availability... Stinger was
the highest velocity at 910 fps.
Remington’s Yellow Jacket ran close to it with 902 fps.
But the Yellow
Jacket opened up very nicely in five inches of soaked paper
Stinger didn’t. Velocitor was a disappointment at 880
fps with no expansion. Remington’s
high speed 40 grain HP was 840 fps with no expansion.
But a surprise: Aquila’s 60 grain S.S.Subsonic
ammo clocking at 720 fps, and with the nose of the bullet given
the ACU’RZR dish treatment
...expanded to 34 diameter and went seven inches into the soaked
paper. Remington’s
subsonic 40 grain load went 709 fps but no expansion, just a
little upset.
The
Black Widow is also given a set of drift sights front and back.
The back sight square notch for me, had to be opened a small
amount so it had light on both sides of the front sight when
aiming. These are generous sights, not like most on small guns
that have no use at all. After a little practice I was able to
keep 5 Leller & Bellot rounds in a ragged inch at 20
yards.... but that is with a lot of slow concentration and
focused aiming from a rest.
I wanted to know the gun’s potential. CCI Maxi-Mag
Max-V went into 1 and ½ inches.
So the accuracy is there.
The standard 22 rimfire ammo showed the same promise...
though the Aquila did tip slightly at that range.
Drawing
from my pocket, bringing the gun up to eye level looking over
the sights, then cocking and firing as quickly as I was able, I
could keep every type of mag ammo in groups under the size of my
palm at 10 yards. Thinking of times past, I asked my wife to stand outside with
me, at night and tell me what she saw when I fired the little
gun straight up with Maxi-V ammo.
Her
comment... “Very bright, but if the bullet doesn’t do it,
the noise will scare the hell out of him!”
As a pocket gun, so I can be armed 24 hours a day... as a
back up gun to a regular sidearm.. and as just a fun gun to
own... the Black Widow is hard to beat.
And it can be as deadly as its name.
Paco
Kelly
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