The Rimfire Report: A First Look at the NAA Sentinel 22WMR Revolver
Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is about the rimfire firearm world and its many different types of firearms, ammunition, shooting sports, and history. We’re taking a break this week from our ongoing series of ammunition tests to take a look at a new revolver I’ve recently had the pleasure of picking up from the FFL - The new North American Arms Sentinel (NAA-SNT) 22WMR pocket revolver.
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If you’re unfamiliar with the North American Arms catalog of firearms, we’ll first point out that while the Sentinel looks almost 100% identical to the NAA PUG - NAA’s other 5-shot 22WMR revolver. What makes the Sentinel unique is its new swing-out cylinder which should make practice on the range a lot more convenient and also keep you from losing any parts accidentally! Today we’ll give you a brief overview of the pistol right out of the box before we take it to the range in subsequent editions of The Rimfire Report.
The Rimfire Report: A First Look at the NAA Sentinel Swing-Out 22WMR Pocket Revolver
“North American Arms “Sentinel” (NAA-SNT)
Product Link: https://www.northamericanarms.com/shop/naa-snt/
22 Magnum Sentinel – 1.425″ Barrel
- .22 Magnum
- 5-Shot Capacity
- XS White Dot Sight
- Slip-on Rubber Pebble Grip
Introducing The Sentinel: Your newest EDC.
For years, the PUG has been a fan favorite for its look and concealability, while the Sidewinder has been popular for its ease of reload. Now, we have the solution for all parties involved: The Sentinel. With a tactical profile and an accessible cylinder pin, this little legend is destined to live in your pocket.
At just 4.9″ long x 2.8″ tall, and featuring a 1.425″ barrel length, this powerhouse packs a punch in a small package. Crafted from 17-4 stainless steel for durability and reliability, it boasts a 5-shot capacity chambered in 22 WMR, ensuring you’re always prepared. Equipped with XS sights for precision targeting, and textured rubber grips for a secure hold, The Sentinel offers confidence in every shot. Its swing-out cylinder feature adds convenience to reloading, while its sleek design mirrors a perfect blend of the PUG and Sidewinder. Choose between dot-style or Tritium front sights to customize your shooting experience. Don’t compromise on safety or performance – make The Sentinel your trusted companion for any situation.”
The Sentinel is sold for an MSRP of $399.99 as listed on the NAA website. If you do plan on carrying one of these tiny little defensive pocket revolvers, you can get suitable holsters directly from the North American Arms website for virtually any offer.
The Sentinel ships in a white cardboard box but inside is another NAA emblazoned lock-box which contains your lockbox keys, a manual, and of course the revolver. Tiny lock boxes like these can be handy for those who travel by air and carry them to their destinations. The overall fit and finish of the NAA Sentinel is similar to that of a Bond Arms offering. There is a healthy combination of sleek and rough stainless steel combined with nice rubberized grips.
Out of the Box
Right out of the box, the NAA Sentinel is a bit confusing if you’ve never handled anything like it. The sights are relatively simple but you’ll notice that NAA doesn’t cheap out on the sights - they’re XS sights specifically made for the PUG and Sentinel. Hopefully, this means that further down the road XS will be adapting some of their night sights for these tiny little platforms.
The sentinel I received was a bit tough to get the cylinder in and out of position at first. Most of this was probably due to the unfamiliarity of the exact method of working the cylinder free, but I also think you probably won’t be doing any Jerry Miculek-style speed reloads with this thing. The swing-out cylinder, however, does provide the end-user with a much simpler reloading process, allowing the gun to stay in one piece without having the entire thing leave your hand.
I am happy to report that the mechanical operation of the revolver is really good! The feel and sound of the cylinder rotating into place each time is quite satisfying on a firearm so small. NAA revolvers typically only have enough space on the grip to allow you to get two fingers on the whole thing. This puts your trigger finger in a sub-optimal position and thus getting a proper grip while maintaining a smooth trigger pull takes a bit of getting used to compared to shooting any type of gun.
Speaking of the trigger, the weight of the trigger pull isn’t all that heavy. It is 4.5 lbs as measured on my Lyman scale - about the same as a fresh Glock. What makes the NAA revolvers so difficult to fire is how you hold the gun, and where that naturally positions your trigger finger on the trigger itself - it just makes squeezing it a bit more difficult because you have much less leverage.
Thoughts Going Forward
The NAA revolvers are primarily intended for self-defense, and probably just as fun range toys second. The 22 Magnum is quite the potent round and has quite a few reliable and capable self-defense cartridges available on the market today - many of which I have ready to take with me to the range when we go to test this thing in ballistic gelatin. While I initially wasn’t too keen on the idea of a 22WMR revolver for self-defense, I’ve sort of warmed up to the idea after witnessing just how effective some of the modern defense loads out there are. We’ll see if my thoughts change more in favor or more against this particular idea after we’ve been to the range with the pistol a few times. I have a sneaking suspicion that this one won’t be gentle on the hands and will require a lot of concentration and practice to get used to shooting. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome! Would you ever or have you ever carried one of these NAA revolvers for self-defense before? Let us know what you think of them and thanks as always for stopping by to read The Rimfire Report! See you next week!
Reloader SCSA Competitor Certified Pilot Currently able to pass himself off as the second cousin twice removed of Joe Flanigan. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballisticaviation/
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Putting adjustable sights on an NAA pocket revolver is one of the most admirably optimistic things I've seen in a long time.
i noticed that this article was careful not to publish the muzzle velocity of thos
pistol . Judging by the barrel length , I woud be hesitant to believe that this would
come up way short on stoping power .... almost worthless in that respect !
Why no mention about actual velocity ? . At $400 , just how practical is this thing ?