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Mini Revolvers
by Ed Buffaloe
I’ve often demonstrated my fascination with small concealable pistols of all types, and I’m certainly not immune to the lure of the mini revolver. There are a
number of guns I think of as historical antecedants to the modern mini revolver. Small revolvers have a long tradition in America, dating back to the Smith &
Wesson First Model .22 of 1857, which evoked a plethora of imitations in the form of cheap pocket revolvers.
The small .22 revolvers were followed by larger models in .32, .38, and .41 caliber-- cheap rimfire versions of which have since become known as suicide specials. Soon after American pocket revolvers began to appear, the Webley
Bulldog came on the market (1872-1873). It was originally chambered for larger self defense rounds such as the .45
Webley, the .442, and the .380 centerfire, but was also made in .44 rimfire, .45 Webley, .320 and many other calibers.
American companies quickly began to imitate the very successful Bulldog, and it wasn’t long before the Belgian arms
industry took a piece of the action as well. By the 1890’s there were literally hundreds of different pocket revolvers of every imaginable size and caliber on the market.
With the advent of the bicycle, the Bicycle Gun came into vogue--typically a pocket revolver in a small caliber suitable for discouraging dogs from chasing
bicyclists. Such guns already existed, but hadn’t been named Bicycle Gun yet. One such was the Hopkins and Allen 7-shot .22 solid frame double action revolver, made between 1875 and 1907, known as the XL No. 3 Double
Action small frame. The .32 Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless of 1888 to 1892 with the 2 inch barrel became known as a “Bicycle” gun at some point,
and the First Model Ladysmith (the 1902 M Frame Model .22 Hand Ejector), was often referred to as a “Bicycle” gun. Iver Johnson made a similar gun--the
Model 1900 Double Action small frame, a 7-shot .22, which appeared in 1900 and remained in production for 41 years.
In 1894 the 5.5mm Velo Dog cartridge was introduced in France--a rimmed .22 centerfire cartridge with a long, slim case. “Velo” is an abbreviation of
“velocipede,” used in Europe like Americans use the word “bike” for “bicycle.” Velo Dog became a generic name for small revolvers carried by bicyclists, in
any of a number of calibers, made primarily by Belgian, and German small arms manufacturers, though some were made in Spain. They were usually hammerless (concealed hammer) revolvers with a folding double-action trigger
and a swivel ejector rod like the British Bulldogs (John Adams’ patent of July 1872--British Patent #285).
In my lifetime, so far as I know, the first mini revolver to show up on the market was the Rocky Mountain Arms Corporation’s .22 short, which probably
appeared around 1974, since it was first listed in the 1975 issue of Gun Digest. Then, in 1979 the Freedom Arms Mini Revolver was introduced, and in 1982
they introduced their Boot Gun with a longer barrel and larger grips. I’m not sure exactly when North American Arms began producing their pistols, but I do
know they were listed in the 1984 issue of Gun Digest, though the name of the company was North American Manufacturing Corporation at that time. I’ve read on various internet forums that North American Arms bought the mini
revolver business from Freedom Arms, or that Dick Casull sold the design rights to NAA, but I haven’t been able to verify either. I do know that in 1988
both companies were producing their guns at the same time. If anyone out there knows the exact relationship between these two companies, I’d be interested in
publishing that information here. The Freedom Arms guns state that they are patented, so I would think some sort of arrangement must have been reached between the two companies, since the designs are nearly identical.
Sometime in 2005 or 2006 Charter Arms began manufacturing their Dixie Derringer in both .22 LR and .22 Magnum. I have never had the opportunity to
examine one of these guns, but judging from the photographs it is a significantly different design from the Freedom and NAA pistols (though externally they look
very much alike). I don’t see any sign of a removeable side plate on the Dixie Derringer--it appears to have a solid frame like all of Charter’s other revolvers. It also has a hammer-block safety button.
I own a North American Arms .22 LR Mini Revolver and an NAA .22 magnum, and I was able to borrow a Freedom Arms .22 LR Boot Gun from a
friend for comparison purposes. My NAA long rifle mini revolver came with the standard tiny “birds head” grips, which I
took an instant dislike to. I simply couldn’t find a comfortable position in which to hold the gun. Eventually I made myself a
pair of deer antler grips for the gun, and purposely made the left-side grip with a slim top and swollen bottom so I could get my thumb over it.
I love the looks of my homemade grips, but they really don’t help me control the gun much better. Then I discovered I could buy some larger boot-shaped grips for my NAA direct
from the company, which I did. I like them better than the original grips--I’m still not able to get a firm enough grip on the gun. A number of guys on the
internet forums have lauded the “Black Widow” version of the NAA gun, which has oversized black rubber grips. I haven’t tried one of these yet, but it is the
next logical step for me, though obviously the larger grips reduce the concealability of the gun.
The NAA .22 magnum revolver has somewhat larger grips than the long rifle version, which feel better in my hand, but the more powerful cartridge prevents
me from hanging onto it any better than the smaller revolver. If anything, I’m even less accurate with the .22 magnum. For practical self-defense purposes, these guns are limited to an arms-length
range. A sharp knife is probably a more dangerous up-close weapon. However, the little revolvers do make a lot of noise
and shoot flames out the front in the dark, so they might have a certain deterrent effect on amateur assailants.
I fell in love with the looks of the Freedom Arms Boot gun, with its slim 3-inch barrel and elegant boot-shaped grips. The boot gun has its firing pin in the
frame, rather than on the hammer, so you can actually see the rear sight when you aim. This is definitely a better design, since on the NAA revolvers the firing
pin blocks your view of the rear sight, negating its usefulness entirely. On the other hand, the Freedom Arms has only a half-cock for a safety, whereas the
NAA derringers now have a slot between each cylinder where you can rest the hammer for an absolutely safe carry.
Unfortunately, I found that even with better sights, a longer sight radius, and a larger grip, I still wasn’t very accurate shooting one-handed with the Freedom
Arms Boot Gun. My friend told me it was a very accurate gun, and he could hit quite well with it, but he has powerful hands and obviously can control the recoil. Then I came across an article in the 1984 edition of Gun Digest entitled “Handling Mini-Revolvers” by Dave Reynolds. Dave claimed he could shoot 2-inch groups
at 50 feet with the Boot Gun (and had a picture to prove it). His techniques are worth repeating.
Reynolds says you have to use both hands to hold the gun. He recommends wrapping the index and middle fingers tightly around the grip, then using the
other hand to cock the hammer and pull the trigger. Using his method with the Freedom Arms Boot Gun, I could keep all my shots on a paper plate at 25 feet,
but I certainly couldn’t put them all in a 2-inch group. And with the NAA mini I couldn’t even hit the plate most of the time, unless I reduced the distance to 15
feet. Despite my own failings, I think two hands is the way to go. I’m sure with practice I’ll find a method that works better for me.
I feel the mini revolvers have a place as deep concealment and backup guns, but those who carry them should practice with them regularly if they expect to
defend themselves effectively. Dave Reynolds reports that rapid fire is quite possible with a little practice. He recommends keeping the arms tight against the body, holding the trigger back with one
hand and thumbing the hammer with the other. He says he can put 5 shots in an area the size of a basketball at 10 feet in about 2 seconds. Not bad!
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