North American Arms 1860 Earl Review

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Old West Fan? The NAA 1860 Earl Is the Best Mini Gun for You.

Best Concealable Deadly Five Shot Mini Revolver on The Planet

It was a hot sticky night in August. A nice breeze would be a welcomed blessing but no amount of money would bring this relief. Lucky for Tom he was in their air conditioned home and had just finished supper and cleaning up the dishes. His wife Ellen, turned to Tom and said, “Honey we are almost out of milk. Can you run to the store and pick up two gallons?” Tom looked at his wife of 30 years and gave her a loving kiss. “I will just run to the family store down the street.” Tom replied. Since they had taken in their two grandkids to raise, milk became a premium commodity in their household.

Tom went to their bedroom to get his truck keys and money clip which also serves as a wallet. It was just a short ten-minute trip so Tom opted to not take his 1911 .45acp pistol. Since he retired from an Army Special Operations Unit, his 1911 has been his best friend. But as he walked out of the bedroom, he pocked his NAA .22 mag Earl. Tom was known to carry the Earl even when he was packing the much bigger .45acp. He had shot the Earl many times at the range and in the field. It was second nature for him to have this bad-boy in his right front pocket. On one occasion in the field, he used the Earl to finish putting down a large buck he had shot with his .243 Winchester. One round behind the ear was all it took. It saved the more expensive .243 round from being used, somewhat quieter, and at the same time it prevented damage to the trophy buck’s head.

Tom took his brand-new GMC pickup truck down their street to the main avenue. He loved driving this truck. He then turned down Miller Avenue and drove the one mile to the small family owned grocery store on the corner. When Tom arrived, it was around 7:00 pm at night. The lighting in this small grocery parking lot was minimal. This grocery store started closing at 8:00pm due to recent robberies in town. It seems the scum of the night do not rise from their lair till about this time. Mr. Yockey, store owner, explained he believed the earlier closing was safer for the store employees and their customers. Even though this area of town was not known for a high crime rate, Yockey felt it would be a matter of time before crime visited them. So, he went from the long standing 10:00 pm closing to the newer 8:00 pm time.

Tom exited his truck and locked the doors. He walked through the ill-lit parking lot with confidence as he knew predators look for sheep. Tom was not a sheep but a warrior and sheepdog. He walked right through the front door of the grocery and to the dairy section in the back. As he did so, he was very aware of his surroundings and was acute to any unusual activity. All seemed normal, so Tom walked back to the front of the grocery and placed the two one-gallon jugs of milk on the counter. Tom brought only cash so he pulled out his money clip which had several 100-dollar bills. He pulled out a ten and handed it to the lady clerk. He saw the clerk’s eyes look behind him. Tom half turned and saw right behind him a younger white male of about six feet two inches, who likely tipped in at around 230 pounds wearing a red ballcap. Tom had a bad feeling about this guy.

After getting his change, Tom took the milk out the front door. As he walked toward his truck, he noticed a younger man standing near looking it over. He also noticed this person was keeping track of him as he approached. As Tom walked up to his truck he said, “Can I help you with something?” The man he addressed said, “No I am just admiring your truck.” “Yes, it is a beauty for sure and drives like a dream.” Tom answered. Tom unlocked the door with his remote and was careful to not turn his back on this man. He opened the door and slid right into the captain seat. He shut the door, started the engine and drove out of the parking spot. As he drove away, he watched this man in his rear-view mirror. The admiring man was joined by another who looked to be the same man he encountered in the grocery. Due to the dim lighting, he could not be sure.

Tom drove the mile back down Miller Avenue to Clark Street where he lived. He turned and headed to the house. An old red Dodge Charger turned right behind his vehicle at about four car-links away. As he pulled into the drive at their home, Tom noticed the Old Dodge pulled right in behind his GMC. There were two occupants. This alerted Tom to something is not right. Leaving the milk on the seat, Tom exited the pickup at the same time put his hand in his right pocket onto the NAA Earl. He had her loaded up with Hornady .22 WMR Critical defense ammo. The driver of this vehicle was in the checkout lane behind him at the grocery. In the Dirt-bag’s left hand was a hammer. From his peripheral vision, Tom noticed the passenger had exited the vehicle, and was the same man he talked to in the grocery parking lot. This Dirt-bag was coming up the right side of the GMC. The passenger was going to block Tom from the, most likely, unlocked front door of his home. At this point Tom had deep concerns for his safety and the safety of his family in the house.

Tom moved quickly to his left to block the scum passenger from access to his home. At the same time, he pulled out the single action Earl with one hand and cocked the hammer back. As he came around the front end of his GMC, the Dirt-bag tried to block him. This is when Tom noticed this clown had a machete in his right hand. Visions of being chopped up as well as his family, exploded in Tom’s head. Panic took root in like a tick. But within a nano-second, he raised the Earl with one hand and fired. A ball of fire roared out of the three-inch barrel with the round driving into the face of El Chete. This Dirt-bag stiffened and fell in mid stride face down with a thud and slight bounce. Tom turned to face the other attacker but he was no where to be found. The driver left the old Dodge still running in the driveway.

Tom quickly went to the front door to make sure, some supernatural way, the driver had not gotten by him and into the house. Ellen met him at the door. She had heard the shot. Tom had her go back inside and call 911. Tom checked the house, the grandkids and outside for the other dirt-bag. He found no one. Ellen explained to the 911 operator her husband was attacked in their driveway and had shot one of two suspects. All Ellen could tell the operator was they needed an ambulance and officers. One suspect was on the run in their neighborhood and one was lying motionless in their driveway.

North American Arms The Earl 1860-C3, .22mag, .22 S-L-LR

These fictional Characters, Tom and Ellen, were used to illustrate a scenario which takes place many more times than we hear about. The majority of the time, the citizen is unarmed. Several years ago, in my city of 90,000 residents, a man and his family returned from shopping in a nearby larger city. Two dirt-bags followed them to their house. As the husband got out of their Suburban, he was confronted, like Tom, by these men. They were armed and unlike Tom, he was not. This husband was killed right there in his driveway. The dirt-bags took his Suburban and left.

North American Arms makes great firearms. In my professional opinion, they are in the top five pistol makers in the World. For small concealable handguns, I would say in the top three. For the quality and price, I would say number one. On top of all of this, they are made in the USA by American Craftsmen.

As a professional law enforcement officer, for many years, I carried in my right front pants pocket the NAA 22M with a 1 and 5/8” barrel. Other officers wore there NAA 22M on a chain around their neck. When I acquired my NAA Black Widow, I passed the NAA 22M revolver on to my son. I am a very strong believer in the .22 mag round and the quality and dependability of the North American Arms products. In fact, almost every day I bet my life on the NAA revolvers.

Some of you will say the .22mag just does not have the stopping power I need to defend myself.

My own personal experience with shootings involving the .22 magnum round, was surprising and educational. Of the four shootings involving a .22 magnum round, one from a rifle and three from pistols, all four recipients died. Two died at the scene and two died the next day in the hospital. They were all shot in the chest within thirty feet. The internal damage was so severe, at the time, there was nothing the medical personnel could do to save their lives.

So, at the very close range you would likely encounter an attacker, five shots of the modern .22 mag Hornady Critical Defense rounds would be all you need. If you practice with your 1860 Earl to be proficient in bringing it from you pocket into action, you will be a formidable force. When I tested the 1860 Earl with the three-inch barrel, I was able to hit a five-inch metal plate at 20 yards. I could hit the plate three out of five times. The Earl is a shooter for sure. Accurate for a pistol with such a short barrel. The excellent Hornady .22 mag ammo only enhanced the accuracy of the Earl.

To me firearms are tools. The right tool for the job to be done. Being a retired law enforcement officer in Oklahoma, I am still a peace officer. I take my profession serious. I am a Warrior and I will intervene if someone is in danger. So being ready to go on offense, I carry a 1911 .45acp. Love the 1911 design. Many times, I also carry my NAA Ranger II with the 2.5-inch barrel. Like the Earl, it fits perfectly in my right front jean pocket. When the wife and I are traveling out of State, I carry the Ranger II in my right front pocket with the 1911 .45acp in the truck. If we go into a restaurant to eat, I take the 1911 with me. I don’t leave firearms in a parked vehicle. I found the Earl to be just as concealable as my Ranger II.

Some will say the NAA revolvers only have five rounds and takes too long to reload.

I say if you expect to get into a gun battle every-time you leave the house, then I suggest you stay home or move to a safer place to live. You might want to carry a semi-auto shoulder fired weapon. As I said before, the Earl cannot be loaded quickly, especially while under stress. If you cannot stop an attacker with five of the .22 mag Hornady Critical Defense rounds, then fix bayonet.

NAA 1860-C3 Earl Review

The “C3” model has a .22 LR cylinder for shooting this less expensive ammo. For my review and testing, I did not use the .22 LR cylinder. It would be redundant and not my pick for a personal defense round. However, I love this feature for when my Nephews want to burn some ammo. I just put in the .22 LR cylinder.

In testing the Earl 1860-C3, I fired 100 rounds of the Hornady .22 WMR 45 gr FTX® Critical Defense® ammo. In fact, it was my last 100 rounds of this excellent .22 Mag ammo. In testing this mini revolver, or any firearm, I require at least 100 rounds. In testing the Earl, I looked for the shaving of lead when the projectile goes into the forcing-cone of the barrel. There was none. I tested the accuracy and as I had stated before, the accuracy was very surprising. The Hornady ammo is fast and shot high at 20 yards. When I found the point of impact of the ammo from the Earl, I was able to hit the metal plate three out of five shots. So, this gun is accurate.

Next, I checked the Earl to see if the cylinder locks in tight after cocking. The cylinder locked up tight. Is the cocking of this mini revolver awkward? For me with a medium hand, it was not awkward to cock with one hand. How does this mini revolver feel in the hand while shooting? To me it felt just fine. On the range testing the Earl, I used my two-handed shooting style. I did this to not break from how I trained myself to use my Ranger II. But one could shoot the Earl with one hand. Shooting one handed there will be some minor recoil, but keep in mind this is a .22 Magnum Rifle round. The heaver the projectile, the more the recoil.

To reload the Earl, it takes some time. The cylinder comes out easy enough. You take the cylinder rod and poke out the empties. You reload with five rounds and put the cylinder back as it came out. To simplify this, read the loading instructions and maybe watch a YouTube video to help the process out. Shots to the face, throat and chest will do the job. If the attacker is very obese, shoot for the face, throat or in the leg at the kneecap or upper thigh. After all, your intent is not to kill but stop the attack. Keep this in mind as it may come in handy someday.

Quality of the NAA products is legendary. Their firearms are like fine jewelry. They are highly prized and carried where ever they are legal to do so. They are carried by special operation units, law enforcement, personal protection security and by many warriors and sheepdogs. If you are a warrior or a sheepdog, purchasing a NAA 1860-C3 Earl just makes good sense. Add an excellent tool to your protection protocol and I guarantee you will not regret the purchase. Check out our video testing the 1860-C3 Earl.

Hornady .22 WMR 45 gr FTX® Critical Defense®

I know several professional law enforcement officers and serious CCW Warriors and Sheepdogs who carry a North American Arms revolver of their choice. Most, not all, carry the .22 magnum caliber revolver. Of those, many load their mini power-house dirt-bag eliminator with the Hornady .22 WMR 45 gr FTX Critical Defense round. I have tested these before in a 50-pound block of clay. The engineered design of this round and its performance in the clay was nothing less than awesome.

The design of the FTX Critical Defense round aids expansion and eliminates clogging when passing through clothing. Hornady uses a “low-flash” propellant, or powder for us Okies, as not to disrupt night vision. However, there will be a muzzle flash. The Hornady .22 WMR 45 gr FTX® Critical Defense® ammo is my personal go to for my NAA revolver I carry.