NAA Guardian .380...the good, bad, ugly...

[Irish Bird Dog]

I am interested in the North American Arms Guardian (.380 cal), & would like anyone's comments (hopefully from experience)on the good, bad & ugly of this little gun....I have not actually handled one but they sure look neat and are made of all metal vs polymer...like that all metal concept...& yes, I do own some ploymer & steel guns....so is it reliable & user friendly etc? I am not interested in hearing comment on the .380 cal at all, that would be another post....only the gun itself. I did not look for earlier posts on this subject. thanks for any good input. IBD

 

[shhart]

It is absolutely reliable. It will take whatever ammo you run through it. A quality piece from my perspective. I have owned both the 32 as well as the 380 model. The only down side is it is heavy!! I used it for pocket carry and I just didn't like the weight. Otherwise great gun!!

 

[downwind]

shhart is right, it is heavy. Personally, I would not recommend it. I originally bought one for my daughter when she was going for her carry permit, thinking it was small enough for her to purse carry. It is small, but the extra weight was a negative attribute. Additionally, the 13 pound trigger pull was just too much, even with a gun having no other external safety. I tried everything I could, working with gunsmiths, and having parts machined to reduce the trigger pull, to no avail. A lighter trigger pull also results in a lighter primer strike, causing missfires. I had the innards jeweled (poslished), also to no avail. I know you don't want to hear it, but on caliber: I usually carry a Sig P245 (have always been a 45 guy), but Texas hot summer weather makes is just a bit too bulky. I searched for an alternative and got the Kahr CM9. It is light, more power than expensive 380 ammo, very reliable and accurate, and not a heckuva lot more $ - in fact, considerably less than the proven PM9. Also, my larger hands may be the culprit, but the skin of my trigger finger keeps getting pinched between the bottom of the trigger and the trigger guard. All that said, I did buy it a number of years ago, and I am not sure if any of this has changed with current models. It will live out its days tucked away discreetly in the living room if TSHTF some night while watching TV. Hope this helps.

 

[HondoMD]

I've owned one with Crimson Trace grips for several years. Totally reliable and for myself, makes a nice carry package but indeed, compared to some others out there, it is a little heavier. With arthritic hands, that additional weight helps make the recoil a little more manageable.

Hope this helps..

 

[Irish Bird Dog]

Thanks for the reports. I suspected it would be heavy, compared at least, to many others out there & now confirmed. The heavy trigger pull is maybe lawyer driven since there is no external safety lever etc. Good to hear it is very reliable as that is of utmost importance in a carry gun. FWIW...I have handled the LCP & LC9 at stores and the grips on them & the CW9 Kahr too, for me, are too narrow to be comfortable & I didn't mention this, but I need a LH friendly gun too. Now to break my own "non interested" statement.....Maybe I need to look to a smaller 9mm since the ammo was mentioned and with common sense comparisons too I might add.

 

[nca_mm]

What exactly is the weight, fully loaded, of this gun?

 

[chup]

9MM. Ammo will be cheaper for practice. With Ammo starting to to get a little harder to get and the price going up, you may want to buy it when you see it at a good price. This always happens as the Election gets closer.

 

[downwind]

21 oz with 6 in the mag & 1 up the pipe

 

[Cojo]

I have owned one for many years, since when they first came out.
I think I paid around 400 for it at the time.

Transfer bar either broke or became disconnected the first week I had it and
before the 50th round was sent downrange.
Called NAA and the rep told me to send it to them AT MY EXPENSE.
I insisted that it was a brand new gun and with much cajoling, the rep relented and begrudgingly gave me NAA's
shipping info to send it at THEIR expense.
I got it back as I remember, in a timely manner, place a few more rounds through it and promptly retired it.

The experience of having a brand new gun malfunction and then be asked to ship it at my expense has left a long lasting bad taste in my mouth for the company and I always relate this story when people ask me about NAA.

YMMV
GLTU

 

[Purple]

It's a hefty little bugger. I have the .32 and the .380 and they are not very comfy when the round goes off cause they are so small. But, for panic guns and self protection in a 15' radius they will do the trick. I also have an older AMT Backup and that I like much better because its lighter and has more rounded edges on the trigger guard and frame that keeps the little bugger from hurting you.

 

[Irish Bird Dog]

Appreciate the responses.....just last wk I had the chance to finally handle one I found at a gun show. It is rather heavy but feels solid in the hand, which is what I do like. However, all the firing/function/reliability or lack of info found here was not available by handling alone so I appreciate reading all your experiences with the NAA .380.

The Kel-Tec & LCP and some other "tiny" .380acps I picked up were rather thin in the grip and really lite wt & would be nearly not noticed or felt in a IWB carry mode, but maybe in the firing....however, the fit to my hand on the thinner grips was not the "right feel" to me at least. Also I find I really like the "Pinky" rest for those tiny guns. The NAA (& others) did come with two mags also....pinky rest base & flat base. Still searching at this point.

 

[Purple]

The Kel-Tec & LCP and some other "tiny" .380acps I picked up were rather thin in the grip and really lite wt & would be nearly not noticed or felt in a IWB carry mode, but maybe in the firing....however, the fit to my hand on the thinner grips was not the "right feel" to me at least. Also I find I really like the "Pinky" rest for those tiny guns. The NAA (& others) did come with two mags also....pinky rest base & flat base. Still searching at this point.

If you can get your hands on the Bersa Thunder CC, you might like the feel of that in your hand. It's grip is a bit more robust and less flat than the LCP.