Images by the author

North American Arms (NAA) has, for a long time now, established its reputation by building tiny 5-shot  .22LR/.22 Magnum revolvers that would fit in a Band-Aid box. These guns are small. I don’t know how many different models they make, but the number is prodigious. They sell very well, according to my FFL buddy. 

The newest idea from the company in terms of upgrading its revolver line is to build a revolver with a swing-out cylinder. If you’re not familiar with the NAA line, you might be excused for thinking that a swing-out cylinder is pretty common, for at least double-action revolvers? You would be right. 

But you need to understand that the NAA line of thumb-sized firearms are single-action and usually require that you pull the cylinder pin and roll the cylinder out to poke out the empties and to load new cartridges. The Sidewinder makes it easier and faster to get the empties out and the reloads in. You don’t even have to poke the empties out… the cylinder has a spring-loaded ejector rod, just like the big boys. Now, THAT is progress!

I own an NAA Black Widow with both LR and Magnum cylinders.

It is a handy little thing… easy enough to stick in a pocket holster when I venture out in shorts or when I can’t take along my normal concealed carry gun. Granted, it isn’t a powerhouse… more of a get–off-me last-ditch device … but it sure beats throwing rocks.

The only downside is reloading. As I stated above, you must pop the cylinder out and use the cylinder pin to poke the empties out. With the Sidewinder, the cylinder can stay attached to the gun, and you don’t have to fumble with its pin, as you have a spring-loaded rod to remove the empty cases. This is better, for sure. 

Build Quality

I want to take a moment to address the NAA revolvers’ build quality. Having owned one for a good while and having reviewed several over the years, I feel able to comment about the subject.

These guns are made of good-quality stainless steel and are assembled, adjusted, and just generally made right. The parts fit very well, there are no machining marks, and the grips fit well.

Plus, the grip panels on this gun are downright beautiful, made of rosewood. The tiny engraving is sharp and clear, and the front sight is polished, as are the cylinder sides and the frame. 

The matte barrel, cylinder flutes, trigger, and hammer make a nice contrast. All in all, this is a very nice-looking gun. 

Specifications

• Caliber: .22 Magnum / .22 Long Rifle (extra cylinder)
• Capacity: 5
• Length: 5″
• Height: 2.88″
• Width: 1.06″
• Weight: 6.7 oz.
• Barrel Length: 1.5″
• Sights: Stainless Post Sight
• Action: Single Action
• Grips: Rosewood Bird’s Head
• MSRP: $525

Go here for more info on the Sidewinder.

Where To Buy

Thoughts On Carrying The Sidewinder

First… I said above that this would not be my first choice in a carry weapon. The “get-off-me” gun category is different. This Sidewinder could still go with you in a pocket, even when you have your main gun onboard. Police have probably carried backup guns as long as they’ve carried their main sidearm, and it’s a good plan. If something happens to your main gun, you’ll still have something with which to defend yourself. 

Would you ever carry this little gun as a main CCW? I would hope not, but that’s not my call. I admit to having done so when I was wearing shorts in the summer and wanted something comforting in a pocket. As I said, it sure beats throwing rocks.

Also, we’ve all heard ad nauseum the old dictum “a .22 in your hand is better than the .45 you left at home” or words to that effect. There is truth to that, but I will leave it up to you where you stand on carrying a sub-mouse gun as primary armament.

Shooting This Little Guy

As I said, I own one of the small NAA revolvers, and have done so for a while. So, I knew what to expect in terms of shooting the Sidewinder.

The main difference between the one I own and this one is the grip… the Black Widow uses a rubber, slightly longer grip that allows you to get a good hold on the gun. This Sidewinder’s rosewood grip is much prettier, but it’s a bit shorter and of bird’s-head configuration, so I was wondering how it might shoot.

My son Thomas set up targets at 5 yards (that might be stretching it… maybe 3 yards would be closer to real-world usage) and gathered .22 ammo.

We then proceeded to test the gun, especially the spring-loaded ejector rod. It worked just fine. (To switch cylinders, remove the screw at the base of the frame under the cylinder rod, remove the old cylinder, and install the new cylinder).

Here are some results.

As you can see from our tiny sample of .22 loads, the accuracy potential is there. In terms of a “get-off-me” gun, this would more than suffice. If you buy one of these (or ANY .22LR firearm, for that matter), it will serve you well to spend the time and money to try a lot of different types of loads.

It’s amazing… I’ve owned .22s, both handguns and rifles, that would shoot one load abominably, and then turn around and put all the shots almost in one hole with another brand. That’s the world of .22s. Thanks to son Thomas for helping with the shooting.

We did not try the magnum cylinder, as the weather was very “iffy” and our time was limited. It has been my experience that magnum loads usually shoot at least as well as LR in these little guns. Again, buy several brands and types and experiment. You do get a velocity bump with the magnums.

Final Thoughts

For those of you who like the concept of a backup gun in addition to your main carry weapon, this gun makes sense. E

ven though the ballistics aren’t of the knock-down variety (what is?), the .22 LR and Magnum are enough to at least take the fight out of a bad guy, maybe even before having to pull the trigger. I mean… who wants to get shot by anything? The purpose is to have the BG stop what he’s doing. If he stops by just showing the Sidewinder, that would be great. 

There is another, totally different purpose for which my NAA “little guy” shines, and this gun would be no different. There have been four times when I’ve had to shoot possums that had gotten into our chicken coop. The NAA is perfect for that role. I can grab it, stick it in a pocket, and take my flashlight to the coop. The gun is small, so it’s easily maneuvered, the sights are usable, and it packs enough punch to send those abysmal creatures to wherever they go after they croak. 

Whatever use you put it to, the Sidewinder will go easily with you in a pocket and be ready when needed. Isn’t that all we can ask?