The Rimfire Report: NAA Sentinel + Federal 22 WMR Punch Test

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is about the rimfire firearm world and its different types of guns, ammo, shooting sports and history! A couple of weeks ago we discussed one of my favorite firearms - the American 180. Some of you had mentioned in the comments that the AM-180 might have been even cooler if it was chambered in something like 22 Magnum. 22 Magnum has seen a bit more attention from ammunition companies and firearm companies alike with Federal Punch 22WMR being an entirely defensive-oriented rimfire load, and the new North American Arms Sentinel being a much more convenient version of their already pocket-friendly Sidewinder 22 Magnum revolver. Since these two items seem like they’d make a great match, I thought It’d be great to take both to the range and get some real-world shooting data, as well as some velocity data to see how these two fairly unique rimfire offerings pair together in the real world.

More Rimfire Report @ TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: Did the U.S. Military Sleep on the American-180?
• The Rimfire Report: How Many 22LR Rounds Fit In An Altoids Tin?
• The Rimfire Report: Federal 22 WMR 45 gr Punch - A Look At The Numbers

The Rimfire Report: Pocket Punch! NAA Sentinel + Federal 22 WMR Punch Test

A couple of weeks ago you guys will remember we put this ammo through some velocity and accuracy tests through a rifle and found them to be both accurate and reliable. 22WMR Punch from Federal is slinging a 45-grain 22 caliber projectile at somewhere close to 1800 feet per second out of a carbine-length (16”) barrel. The North American Arms Sentinel won’t have anywhere near that performance but I thought it might be beneficial to see the opposite end of the extreme - a shorter-than-prescribed barrel. How does it feel to shoot such a hot loading of 22WMR out of such a tiny gun? How much velocity are we losing with the Sentinel’s 1.425” barrel and revolver design?

Handling - Is It Hell To Shoot?

A big thing that deters a lot of people from practicing with both their carry gun and their carry ammunition is that for one, it’s expensive, and second, it’s typically a much more uncomfortable experience for those who don’t shoot a lot. The hotter loads combined with the relatively lighter pistols contribute to a lot more recoil, a lot more noise, and a lot more sound concussion for those who shoot at indoor ranges or at a covered range. Sadly the NAA Sentinel & 22 WMR Punch combo tends to suffer from at least some of these drawbacks.

Where I was pleasantly surprised is in the revolver recoil - it’s extremely light compared to the noise it makes. A lot of this has to do with the great design that NAA has put into virtually all their 22 Magnum revolvers. The small “bird's head” grip is perfect for the two fingers you can get on it, and by slipping your trigger finger off of the hammer instead of trying to pull it straight back, you can get some very good accuracy even at further distances beyond what you’d probably want to use the Sentinel at. So while the sound of the combo isn’t pleasant, the shooting experience overall is great, and with the more affordable nature of 22 WMR Punch, I think you could justify training with this setup on a more frequent basis.

Velocity & Accuracy

The NAA Sentinel comes with pretty good sights for a gun its size. We have a V-block rear with a round front post and by placing the round post perfectly in the notch of the “V” you can have very reliable accuracy. I spent the first 25 rounds of this 50-round box of Federal Punch trying to get a decent group going with a rapid pace of fire while also gathering velocity data. All of the below shots were taken at a distance of 7 yards - what many consider to be a typical engagement distance for a self-defense shooting.

Conclusions About This Data - Is This A Good Pairing?

All in all, Federal’s 22WMR Punch Personal Defense 45-grain ammo and the NAA Sentinel revolver make a great pair. While I wouldn’t recommend it as my first choice of a carry gun, the NAA Sentinel is still giving you nearly 1,000 fps of performance which out of a scant 1.5” barrel seems quite impressive to me - at least on paper. I’d like to revisit this pairing again in the future and put some of these rounds through ballistic gelatin to see if the rounds expand at the slightly lower velocity, and just as important, if they penetrate to the minimum depth of 12” as prescribed by FBI test.