NAA PUG .22 Magnum For Everyday Carry?

[EW3]

I have one of these little NAA PUG .22 Magnum mini-revolvers and love it, and have a question. What do you guys and gals think of carrying a pair of these (5 shots each) for self defense purposes? I find myself throwing this little puppy in my pocket more and more and the P239 and even the LCP getting carried less and less. It's just so easy to carry, hides well and I feel much less conspicuous with it in my pocket than any of my other guns. You can even get the XS Big Dot night sights for it! (I have the regular Big Dot on mine)

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ErikGr7]

I wonder what the difference is between that
one and the Black Widow?

[Horsetrader]

man, you just opened yourself up to arguments about caliber, single action, one hand operation blah, blah, blah......the best handgun is the one you CARRY ! The behemoth semi automatic that you consistantly leave on the nitestand or in the glove box is not the right weapon when you need it NOW and NOW in your pocket.

Enjoy the qualities of the Pug (and they are numerous) if the Pug is what you will consistantly put in your pocket and daily carry with you. I have the NAA 22 Mag and you are right, it goes everywhere and seems to be the last item out of the pocket at the end of the day. I'm considering getting another for the other pocket.

[Horsetrader]

I wonder what the difference is between that
one and the Black Widow?

Black widow is 5 7/8 inches long by 3 5/8 inches tall.
Pug is ............ 4 1/2 inches long by 2 3/4 inches tall.

Black Widow is HUGE compared to the Pug...yeah way to big for the front pocket.

[Air,Land&Sea]

Pocket-carry nirvana.

[EW3]

I was actully thinking of two of these; one for each side, rather than one for each pocket (I carry my wallet in my left front pocket, due to chiropractor's orders):



Would that make me a 21st century Cowboy?

[Horsetrader]

Why not just get a full on western two gun rig ? I think I saw one that was made by Simply Rugged. As small a OWB print as that would be covered by an UNTUCKED "Homeland Security" T shirt.

Now you got me thinking about TWO NAA revolvers ! Crap. Maybe I could give one to the wife for Mother's Day and then just always leave for work before her with it. Auuuughhh I want yet another firearm.

[retsupt99]

I have the little NAA .22LR...better than nothing, but not by much.

You'd be much better off with any semi or revolver and having that little guy as a BUG...OMO

The NAA in your pocket is better than a machine gun at home in the safe.

Stay armed...with something...stay safe!

[Stetson]

I wouldn't use it for regular carry.Maybe as a bug.

[QKShooter]

.22 Magnum in a super short barrel is quite anemic for purposes of Self-Defense.

At least for many possible/potential SD scenarios.

Permit me to explain......

For sure a few rounds of well placed .22 Magnum will give a Bad Guy a very bad day in combination with a certain trip to the Trauma Center.

The big Self-Defense question is:

What portable caliber will give me the best chance of shutting down and stopping a determined bad-guy/deadly threat as instantly as possible before the bad guy can react/retaliate and shut me down?

If your personal future deadly scenario is that your adversary is just going to stand there right in front of you...a few feet away and ask you for your wallet while you "real calm & sneaky-like" reach for a .22 single shot revolver and put one "dead center" into his brain case then the .22 Mag should work out just fine.

If your personal future deadly scenario is that there are multiple bad guys hopped up on drugs and Hell Bent on terminating you and one of them is charging at you full speed and wanting to crush in your skull with a baseball bat...you sure are going to wish that you had something larger, quicker, and more effective.

It will not do you any good to send an enraged attacker to the ER where he may even die...eventually...if you yourself are not alive to care or not.

SO...the answer to your question of the .22 Mag being adequate as your primary or not cannot be anything other than: "It just depends." AKA "Maybe & Maybe Not."

The one definite answer is:
Any firearm usually always trumps having no firearm at all.

And the one argument that I HATE...is:

"Well, nobody EVER wants to get shot with anything! Would you stand in front of my .22 and let me shoot you?"
Of course that IS correct. Nobody normal ever wants to get shot for the heckovit and not even with a BB in the eye!

That all goes without saying.

But, those are not the applicable questions.

The real question is....if I am totally adrenaline pumped "mad as Hell" - don't give a crap for nothing - and I am absolutely determined to end your life would I rather that you tried to stop me from accomplishing my task with a single shot rim-fire revolver or....8, 10, (however many) instantly available rounds of 9mm ~ 40 S&W ~ or .45 acp...and then (naturally and hands down) the only answer is that I would rather that you attempt to stop me with a .22.

[SIXTO]

Its a neat addition and an interesting novelty, but I dont think one would ever be my primary carry. With that said, I wouldnt mind having one for certain occasions.

[randy7601]

I have a NAA .22 Magnum mini revolver that I carry occasionally. (Hmm, it's overdue for a trip to the range.) I think it's a fine weapon, and I have both a pocket holster and a crossdraw holster for it. I've also replaced the standard grips with oversized grips from NAA. It looks like the pug already have oversized grips.

The main purpose of a self-defense weapon is to stop the threat. Not to kill, not to kill eventually, but to stop the threat right now. And that's where all the opinions come in. If you were in a fire-fight with someone with a AR-15, a .22 magnum is probably not enough to stop the threat. Being mugged by a group of armed thugs? Again, don't think the .22 magnum is going to make a difference.

But for a lone attacker? Maybe! Car jacker? Maybe! Close-contact assault? Maybe!

I think the .22 magnum is fine as a close-contact/belly gun. Most petty thugs are looking for an easy target. They want quick, profitable encounters. They don't want to get hurt. Producing a firearm instead of a wallet may be all the incentive they need to turn and run.

Is an NAA PUG .22 Magnum good for everyday carry? Personally, I want to carry more. In my case it's a 9mm Para Ordinance PDA. But a .22 magnum is better than nothing!

Edited to add: If you're going to carry it, practice a lot! Fortunately, .22 ammo is still cheap!

[QKShooter]

If we could pick our poison a .22 Mag would be great.
Unfortunately we cannot...although we can always try to avoid likely serious threats as best as we are able. It's not always possible.
Fate has a way of tossing us into unexpected self-defense situations that just cannot be predicted.

[Air,Land&Sea]

I kinda like the less fuss of no springs or mags plus a very tidy package for carry when something larger isn't happening. I also carry a sharp stick, though, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[Desperado]

During the winter months, I'll carry my Kimber 3" .45. In the summer that's generally too much gun for the lighter clothing I wear. So ---- out comes the S&W 340 .38/.357, in a DeSantis belt holster and the NAA .22 Mag goes in my right front pocket as a backup.
Indeed, there are some situations where all I carry is the little NAA. I don't feel "undergunned".