For the most part, they are worthless, in my opinion.

But I would rather have one than nothing. There was a very old man from near where I live that saved his life with one. He took quite a beating, but got a couple rounds into each of his attackers, point blank, and made them flee. They were caught at the ER.

I've read of a few instances where that happened. It isn't the first gun I would grab but it very well could save a life. I like to load it with rat shot for river and hunting trips. It will be a great snake stopper.

If it's all I could get ahold of I would want one, but 5 rounds of 22 mag. as opposed to 5 rounds of .38+P I think I would rather have a S&W J-frame snubby. I take the penalty of having an extra 1 1/4" overall length and extra 8 oz. in a pocket holster over the smaller .22 with that dumb folding holster/grip. But as I have said before thats just my take on it. But I will also say they are a fun (for want of a better description) range toy to shoot.

The difficulties that I see are:
• The gun is tiny, and therefore difficult to point and control. When you're under attack, this is an important issue.
• The gun is single-action, and must be thumb-cocked for each shot. This occupies your attention while you're under attack, and becomes a distraction.
• There is no possibility of a reload. You have to do the job with the five rounds you already have.

The .22 mini-revolver is a so-called "get the heck off of me" gun. You would use it while grappling with your opponent—if you can access it, and if you don't drop it during the fight.
And if you make sure to hit something fight-stoppingly vital, like the brain stem.

I own one, got it used probably 5 years ago.
The thing is amazingly accurate, with some practice. Seriously. Once you get used to it, you can pick off cans at 25 to 30 feet without difficulty. It is so small, it will conceal well, and I have carried mine when it was impossible to carry anything bigger. Thats the good news.
The bad news is that it is small, and even in my medium sized hands, it is difficult to hold and fire. It is so small, I am often scared of my finger slipping over the muzzle of it and shooting myself with it. The trigger is horrible, and again, the gun is difficult to fire. I bought it as a novelty, honestly now that I have it I wish I had put the money toward something else.

i own one. bought it "just because" it was SMALL
i got the 22lr but wish i would have chosen the 22mag
its nice to have in my collection
maybe someday i'll shoot it
maybe someday i might need it as a third backup

Originally Posted by west5757

I am new to the forum and was wondering what everyone's take is on NAA mini revolvers. I have read a wide variety of views. I understand that the .22lr and .22 mag are not considered SD rounds but I also think there is a time and place that these small pocket pistols could be of use. Just looking for ideas and the general consensus of a knowledgeable crowd.

A little weak in the firepower department, but super quality.