NAA Guardian 32 NAA - Out of the Box

Guns Magazine, July, 2003 by Zachary Foster

There seems to be an insatiable demand today for downsized carry guns. Whether it's the rapid proliferation of "shall issue" concealed carry laws, or the remaining vacuum in the small auto pistol market created by GCA '68, there are more good quality U.S-made vest pocket autos on the market than ever before.

But we Americans want the whole enchilada. We want a reliable self-shucker no bigger than a matchbox, and we want it to hit hard to boot. Well, in this country, if enough people ask loud and long enough, someone will answer the demand.

You may already be familiar with the NAA Guardian. It's a compact, double-action only semiauto. Everything about it is designed with concealed carry in mind. Its tough stainless steel construction resists corrosion from perspiration during the dog days of summer, while the carefully rounded contours reduce wear on clothing and assist a smooth draw from deep-concealment.

The Guardian is available in .32 and .380 ACP, as well as the hot new .32 NAA. The latter is a neat little bottlenecked cartridge, based on the .380 case, but with a .32 caliber projectile. Its shape might be loosely compared to a bottle of Louisiana pepper sauce, and it's equally fiery.

The .32 NAA launches a 60-grain JHP at 1,200 fps. This is a dramatic boost over the century old .32 ACP, which dribbles a 71-grain bullet along at a sleepy 900 fps. Firing the .32 NAA in the Guardian felt a bit like hitting a hot fast ball with a cracked bat, and fellow shooters on the indoor range ambled over to see what on earth was making all that racket.

As to the pistol itself, the Guardian is hammer fired. Traditionally, most pocket autos have been striker fired. Hammer fired guns tend to be a bit more reliable. As mentioned, this is a double-action only pistol. DAO is certainly a simple and safe mode of operation given a sufficiently heavy trigger pull.

Based on this, the Guardian ought to be a mighty safe pistol indeed. The trigger on the sample gun is plenty heavy. It easily bested my normal trigger weight scale. Eventually, by using a bathroom scale, I was able to peg the trigger weight at about 14 pounds. Let's remember this is not a target pistol, and in the adrenaline-charged moment of need, odds are you'll never notice this heavy trigger. However, NAA has a custom shop, which among its other popular services can lighten the trigger a bit. For recreational and practice use, this would be money well spent.

Magazine capacity is six rounds. The magazines are either stainless or plated, and load easily. Two magazines are furnished. One wears an extended baseplate to aid a good firing grip. The magazine release is located on the frame, just where it should be. Fast magazine changes may be an unlikely requirement, but the European style heel clip magazine catch is a pretty hard sell to the American shooter.

Functioning was perfect throughout a short, approximately 100-round test session. That heavy trigger and the diminutive sights meant we weren't shooting fifty cent pieces at 25 yards, but the level of accuracy was more than sufficient for the intended purpose.

Final judgement? Based on the sample, the all-stainless .32 NAA Guardian is chunky but reliable little pocket blaster with ballistic performance all out of relation to its size. If you like pocket-sized autopistols and light, fast expanding bullets, you've just met your match.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

North American Arms

[801] 374-9990

www.naaminis.com

RELATED ARTICLE: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: NAA Guardian

Caliber: .32 NAA

Weight: 12.85 oz.

Capacity: 6 1

Construction: Stainless Steel

Stocks: Molded Synthetic

MSRP: $449