{{Short description|American arms company}} {{Infobox company | name = North American Arms | logo = North-American-Arms-Logo.png | type = Pocket Pistols and revolvers | genre = | fate = Active | predecessor = Rocky Mountain Arms | successor = | foundation = {{start date and age|1972}} | founder = | defunct = | location_city = [[Provo, Utah]] | location_country = United States | location = | locations = | area_served = | key_people = | industry = [[Firearms]] | products = [[Pocket pistol]]s | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | aum = | assets = | equity = | owner = Employee Owned | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = [http://northamericanarms.com/ North American Arms] | footnotes = | intl = }} '''North American Arms''' is a United States company, headquartered in [[Provo, Utah]], that manufactures [[pocket pistol]]s and mini-[[revolver]]s, also called [[mouse gun]]s.<ref name="Peterson2011">{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=Phillip|title=Gun Digest Book of Modern Gun Values|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSMK1WNMbMYC&pg=PA195|date=19 August 2011|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-1835-4|page=195}}</ref> The company was originally named ''Rocky Mountain Arms'' when it was founded in 1972. In 1974 it was bought by new owners who renamed the company ''North American Manufacturing'' (NAM) and then ''North American Arms'' (NAA).<ref name="HoggWalter2004">{{cite book|last1=Hogg|first1=Ian|last2=Walter|first2=John|title=Pistols of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=okQH6zFgDtUC&pg=PA266|date=29 August 2004|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=0-87349-460-1|page=266}}</ref>
== Mini-revolvers ==
=== Bicycle guns ===
Hopkins and Allen produced a "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."<ref>[https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/MiniR/minir.html ''Mini Revolvers'']</ref>
=== North American Arms ===
The mini-revolvers produced by the company are five-shot, [[Revolver#Single action|single-action revolvers]], which have a spur [[Trigger (firearms)|trigger]] design. They are reminiscent of late 19th-century pocket revolvers, the main differences being their size and also that NAA's mini-revolvers are made completely of [[stainless steel]].<ref name="Peterson2011"/> The design of the mini-revolvers was developed by [[Freedom Arms]], which stopped selling these mini-revolvers in 1990 and then sold the design to North American Arms.
In 1978, [[Dick Casull]] became a partner of Wayne Baker in the Freedom, Wyoming-based [[Freedom Arms]] firearms manufacturing business to produce a 5-shot mini revolver in [[.22 LR]] known as "The Patriot", later offered in [[.22 Short]] and [[.22 WMR]],<ref name="gdcc">{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulWbH-4xtd8C&pg=PA21|title=Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Concealed-Carry Handguns|author=Jerry Ahern|pages=21–22|isbn=978-1-4402-1383-0|publisher=Gun Digest Books|year=2010}}</ref> also a mini [[double action]] revolver, the Casull CA-2000 Mini.<ref name="RIP">''[https://naaminis.com/smf/index.php?topic=14978.0 R.I.P. Dick Casull]''</ref> A 4-shot mini revolver was also produced by Freedom Arms. The production of mini-revolvers by Freedom Arms ceased in 1990.<ref name="EPR2003">{{cite book| last = Hartink| first = A.E.| title = The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers| publisher = Chartwell Books, Inc| year = 2003| pages = [https://archive.org/details/completeencyclop0000hart/page/132 132–134]| location = Edison, New Jersey| isbn = 978-0-7858-1871-7| url = https://archive.org/details/completeencyclop0000hart/page/132}}</ref> Casull was granted U.S. Patent 4385463 in 1983 for a floating firing pin for mini revolvers and U.S. Patent 4450992 in 1984 for a belt buckle holster that would hold a mini revolver.<ref name="Buffaloe">{{cite web|last=Buffaloe|first=Ed|title=Mini Revolvers|url=http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/MiniR/minir.html|publisher=The Unblinking Eye|access-date=13 August 2013}}</ref> The mini-revolver design was sold to North American Arms.<ref name="RIP"/>
The company manufactures revolvers in the following calibers: * [[.22 Short]] * [[.22 Long Rifle]] * [[.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire]] * [[5 mm caliber|.22]] [[Gunpowder|Black powder]] cap and ball<ref name="theearl">{{citation|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_56/ai_n56225248/|title=The "Earl": a new mini-mag from North American Arms|date=November 2009|work=Guns Magazine|author=John Taffin}}</ref>
The cylinder must be removed from the frame to load or unload all NAA mini-revolvers, with the exception of two models, the "Sidewinder" (swing-out cylinder) and "Ranger II" (break-open cylinder).
<gallery> Image:NAA22S.jpg|North American Arms model NAA22S mini-revolver, chambered in [[.22 Short]]. Image:Naamini22.jpg|NAA mini revolver in .22 LR. It can fold into its own grip for safe belt clip carry. File:22m.jpg|The .22 M- A .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire revolver equipped with "Boot Grips". Image:NAA22magBlack-Widow-Cylinder-Safety-Position.jpg|This picture illustrates the NAA .22 Magnum Black Widow revolver cylinder in the safety position. File:NAA22mag-BlackWidow.jpg|North American Arms Black Widow model NAA-BW-M chambered for .22 Magnum. File:Naabt.jpg|The top break "Ranger" came from a limited tool room run. </gallery>
== Semi-automatics== [[File:NAA, .32 NAA Guardian.jpg|thumb|right|NAA Guardian in .32 NAA.]] In 1997 NAA branched out into semiautomatic concealed carry pistols known as the ''Guardian'' models to compete with [[Seecamp]].<ref name="Ayoob2007">{{cite book|last=Ayoob|first=Massad|title=The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSOkN9sQDdMC&pg=PA38|date=28 September 2007|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-1825-5|page=38}}</ref> [[Semi-automatic pistol|Semi-automatic]] Guardian pistols are made by North American Arms in the following calibers:
* [[.25 NAA]] * [[.32 ACP]] * [[.32 NAA]] * [[.380 ACP]]
The .25 NAA cartridge was developed by North American Arms based upon a wildcat bottleneck cartridge using .32 ACP brass necked down to grip a .25 caliber bullet, with the goal of increasing penetration beyond what either a [[.25 ACP]] or .32 ACP could do.<ref name="Shideler2011">{{cite book|last=Shideler|first=Dan|title=Gun Digest Book of Semi-Auto Pistols|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0jZQ25ruJU4C&pg=PA56|date=28 February 2011|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-2439-3|page=56}}</ref> Likewise, the .32 NAA was developed by North American Arms to increase the penetration of a .32 caliber bullet relative to a .380 ACP cartridge.<ref name="Barnes2012">{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Frank C.|title=Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Reference for More Than 1,500 Cartridges|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjhy8uv196IC&pg=PA333|date=5 October 2012|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-3059-2|page=333}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://northamericanarms.com/ North American Arms] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080917094125/http://www.carryconcealed.net/reviews/The+North+American+Arms+Pug+rated+by+the+Carryconcealed.net+team.-REV53.html The North American Arms Pug Review] *{{US Patent|4450992}} Belt buckle-mini-revolver combination patent
{{Provo, Utah}}
[[Category:.22 LR revolvers]] [[Category:1971 establishments in Utah]] [[Category:Companies based in Provo, Utah]] [[Category:Firearm manufacturers of the United States]] [[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Utah]] [[Category:Derringers]]