Safety Cylinder Video

Firearm Safety Rules

  • There is no such thing as an “unloaded” gun.
  • The most dangerous gun is the one you haven’t personally checked.
  • Always point the muzzle of your firearm in a safe direction.
  • Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
  • Always wear ear and eye protection when firing a gun, whether on the range or in the field.
  • Always check three times to see if a firearm is unloaded, then check again.
  • Pass or accept only open and unloaded firearms.
  • Always keep firearms secured from children.
  • Use only original, factory new ammunition.
  • If you own a bolt action or a semi-auto rifle, lock the bolt and ammunition in a separate place.
  • Store firearms in an unloaded condition.
  • Use either specialty gun locks or a safe to secure firearms.
  • Make sure nothing is obstructing the barrel of a firearm before shooting.
  • Always unload a firearm before leaving a shooting area.
  • Never carry a loaded firearm in a vehicle unless you are carrying one for self-defense, in which case it must be legal to do so in your state, county, or municipality. If this is the case, your firearm should be secured with safety on in a holster, case or other conveyance so that it cannot accidentally fire.
  • Do not carry or discharge a firearm while intoxicated or while on medication.
  • Never lean a firearm against a vehicle or wall where it can accidentally fall and discharge.
  • Don’t rely on safety catches alone. They can wear and break over a period of time.
  • Never hop a fence or hedge with a loaded firearm.
  • Never jump a stream or walk over slippery rocks with a loaded firearm.
  • Always thoroughly check a firearm before cleaning and disassembly.
  • Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations or owner’s manual when disassembling a firearm.
  • Keep flammable cleaning fluids away from open flame or heat source. Make sure your cleaning area is well-ventilated.
  • Don’t wear clothing that will catch or interfere with the operation of your firearm.
  • Don’t use a holster or sling that will interfere with the operation of your firearm or cause a dangerous carrying situation.
  • When loading black powder, always use a measure.
  • Never smoke while loading a black powder firearm.
  • Always put the cap on last after loading a percussion firearm.
  • Never fire a black powder firearm near exposed black powder or open black powder containers.
  • Always make sure you use a patch or grease the chambers of a black powder revolver to prevent multiple discharges.
  • Never fire smokeless powder from a muzzleloader.
  • Never mix smokeless powders with each other or with black powder.
  • Never put black or smokeless powder in unmarked containers. Keep it in the original containers.
  • Always store black and smokeless powder in a cool, dry place.
  • When reloading, always follow a recognized, well-established reloading manual and never exceed recommendations.
  • Always check the condition of metallic cartridge casings and plastic shotgun shell hulls before reloading.
  • Always store primers in a cool, dry place and never directly handle them as moisture and oils will interfere with their proper function and cause misfires.
  • In case of misfire, always point the firearm in a safe direction and follow the procedures recommended in the gun’s owner’s manual.
  • Fire only the caliber or gauge ammunition that is marked on the firearm.
  • Never fire ammunition that is marked differently than the box or container it is in.

Please note that the above safety rules are suggestions for the safe and enjoyable use of firearms. There is no substitute for safe, responsible firearms use and ownership. Following these rules will be of assistance in enjoying safe, lawful shooting sports.

Safety Cylinder Information

North American Arms Mini-Revolvers are equipped with a unique safety cylinder, giving you maximum protection against accidental discharge.

The North American Arms Safety Cylinder feature allows the gun to be carried fully loaded.

There are halfway notches located between the chambers. The hammer is lowered into one of these notches after the gun is loaded. When the hammer is pulled back to the firing position the cylinder rotates to the next chamber.

NOTE: The traditional half-cock position is to be used for loading and unloading only. THE HAMMER SHOULD NEVER REST IN THE HALF-COCK POSITION OVER A LIVE CARTRIDGE OR ON THE RIM OF A LIVE CARTRIDGE.

If you have an older model NAA Mini-Revolver, or know someone who does, please check to see if it is equipped with the NAA Safety Cylinder – if not please call at 800-821-5783 to find out how to update the gun to the new cylinder.

NAA Mini-Revolvers come with a Lifetime Warranty. If anything should ever go wrong with your Mini-Revolver, please call Customer Support to find out how to send the gun to us for repair.

Note: The following instructions are from our FAQ – .22 Caliber Mini-Revolvers.

The Safety Cylinder is a critical part of the gun. We recommend that you practice the following steps to become proficient at using the Safety Cylinder before loading the gun.

First: Make sure the gun is unloaded.
Second: Make sure the gun is unloaded!
Third: Retract the hammer to the point that the cylinder spins freely (about half-way) and keep it retracted.
Fourth: Looking through the top/rear of the frame, locate any of the five milled safety slots (those notches on the cylinder between the chambers), and position any slot directly beneath the blade of the hammer (which is still retracted).
Fifth: While still retracting the hammer, depress the trigger (and keep it depressed), you will now be able to slowly lower the hammer and allow it to settle into the slot.

You can, and should, confirm engagement of the hammer in the slot by attempting to rotate the cylinder. If it does rotate, the hammer was not engaged in the slot; repeat the process. Always visually confirm by examining the alignment of any chamber with the bore; if a bullet could physically pass from the chamber through the bore, the gun is not ‘safe’. In other words, if a chamber is located at 12 o’clock, the gun is not ‘safe’. In the ‘safe’ condition, the upper two chambers are at one and eleven o’clock. 99.9% of the failures are because the trigger was not kept fully depressed while the hammer was being lowered (Step 5). Once you get the hang of it, however, you’ll find the process becomes surprisingly easy, quick and natural.

Frequently Asked Questions

———-Click Here for a List of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Product Warnings and Advisory Notices

May, 2004 – PRODUCT PERFORMANCE ADVISORY BULLETIN (PMC AMMO)

This Product Performance Advisory Bulletin is issued for the benefit of NAA’s customers, owners and users of its .22 caliber revolvers. NAA has recently learned that the use of PMC .22 caliber ammunition (Magnum and LR) may affect the performance of its revolvers. Specifically, NAA has become aware of a phenomenon where an inadvertent, double-discharge (two rounds simultaneously discharging, one aligned with the barrel and the other out of battery) may occur when PMC Brand ammunition is used in NAA .22 caliber revolvers. These double discharge occurrences have been investigated by NAA and, based on the results of our investigation to date, it appears that the inadvertent, double-discharge has only occurred with PMC Brand .22 caliber ammunition*, both in magnum and long rifle. However, NAA has not learned of any confirmed double-discharge occurrences involving any other brand of manufacturer’s ammunition.

At this time, NAA recommends that its customers, owners and users of NAA .22 revolvers DO NOT USE ANY PMC .22 CALIBER ammunition (Magnum and/or LR) in any model of NAA revolvers. As with all of its firearms, NAA encourages its customers to exercise the utmost caution and care when using its products, including always wearing appropriate eye and ear protection and following all of the Basic Rules of Firearms Safety.

NAA takes tremendous pride in its finely crafted products. Its products have been certified by independent testing laboratories to meet or exceed every published firearms standard for safety, performance and reliability. All of NAA’s products are warranted for a lifetime and its customer service and technical teams are ranked among the best in the industry, serving its more than 500,000 customers over the past thirty years.     NAA appreciates that, among other things, its products are purchased and used as back-up weapons for law enforcement and for personal protection. As such, NAA recognizes that its customers should be supplied with any information that may affect the safety, performance and reliability of its products.

If you have any questions concerning this Product Performance Advisory Bulletin, please contact us at (800) 821-5783 or write us at North American Arms, 2150 South 950 East, Provo, Utah 84606-6285, Attention General Manager.

*This advisory is being extended to additional brands of ammunition which may be made under subcontract to PMC.  These include certain models of ARMSCOR & FIOCCHI products.  If the box identifies the contents as “Made in the Phillipines”, we recommend against using the product in NAA mini-revolvers.

NAA does not recommend use of commercially available Varmint ammunition with Mini-Revolvers. Because of the Mini-Revolvers size and the pressures Varmint rounds create, the casings may swell and jam and/or cause interference with the cylinder’s rotation.   (Varmint Rounds were developed for Long Range rifle use.)

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