Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: jeepster on December 08, 2014, 01:59:45 PM

Title: North American arms companion/"earl" cap and ball
Post by: jeepster on December 08, 2014, 01:59:45 PM: We all probably have seen these tiny pistols... I think that the companion line is known as the worlds smallest pistol that fires commercially available ammo (.22 short), and they come in 22short 22lr and 22 mag. I have never thought too much about these guns because they look pretty impractical. I doubt a 22lr coming out of a 2 inch barrel is going to be enough to stop a bad guy, definitely won't stop a critter, save from maybe a rat in the basement... They definitely are cute, but thats about it...

Then there is the "Earl" line of these pistols... You can get one in 22 mag with up to a 6 inch barrel... That is a proper pistol. But with a proper pistol comes the need to fill out an FFL and go through a dealer...

Enter this little gem

A 4" barrel, cap and ball 22 mag 5 shooter

http://northamericanarms.com/firearms/cb/1860-4-cb.html (http://northamericanarms.com/firearms/cb/1860-4-cb.html)

I've been doing a little research, and if what I found, read, and saw on YouTube is correct, it was designed in part by Dick Casull, can eat fffg, but I've been seeing videos online of guys running apparently safely firing smokeless powder out of this thing. Normally that would sound ludicrous, and no way would I ever try that in any other gun, but if Dick Casull was involved with this one, I can see that as being a possibility, and I would imagine with a .22 pistol, powder loads aren't going to be enough to raise the danger leve too much, those cylinders can only hold a little bit.

But, with some ballistic reports, I've been seeing this thing shoot a 30 grain bullet at around 950 fps with fffg powder, basically making it a functional .22

I was going to get a new air rifle, but this thing looks like a lot of fun, it shoots bullets, and I can have it mailed right to my doorstep with no paper work. It might be hard finding powder here in Hawaii but still looks fun...

What do y'all think
Title: Re: North American arms companion/"earl" cap and ball
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 08, 2014, 02:10:15 PM: I just ordered a 22LR NAA for a client the other day. They are nice little pistols.

I have often thought about a 22 mag from them.
Title: Re: North American arms companion/"earl" cap and ball
Post by: jeepster on December 10, 2014, 01:10:57 AM: Ever hear about the 22 black powder?
Title: Re: North American arms companion/"earl" cap and ball
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 10, 2014, 11:14:36 AM: I see them listed on a few sites but never heard much on them.