Wheelgun Wednesday: Fifty Years Of Hideout Guns

If you heard about a company that made single-action revolvers, and they’d been in business for 50 years, you’d probably think we were talking about some Peacemaker clone manufacturer. Some of those cowboy-gun-knockoff companies have been in business a long time. But no—we’re talking about North American Arms, which celebrates five decades in business this year, mostly focused on making single-action hideout guns that you can conceal almost anywhere.

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Single-action royalty

But ironically enough, North American Arms’ early roots are very closely tied to Single Action Army royalty, if we could make up such a silly title. The company was originally started in late 1971 as Rocky Mountain Arms—a nod to its home base in Provo, Utah. One of the key insiders in those early years was Dick Casull, the same handgun designer who’s responsible for the well-known .454 Casull cartridge, the .45 Long Colt’s answer to the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum.

Focusing on hideout guns

In the decades since, North American Arms has been best known for continuing to produce small-sized revolvers when the market was basically empty of competition (Freedom Arms stopped their own mini revolver production in 1990 and sold the rights to their design to North American Arms).

In a post on the company’s website, Sandy Chisholm, the longtime president of North American Arms, once said, “NAA’s existence is based on addressing and serving a niche market, one which we value and do everything in our power to satisfactorily serve. If you want a gun like a Rugar LCR, Kel-Tec P-38T, SCCY, etc. etc. or a similarly compact 9mm, there are a bazillion choices, many/most of which compete largely on $. Other than doing a modest business in small caliber semi-auto pistols … We Are Mini-Revolvers.”

In other interviews you can find online, Chisholm emphasized the company’s focus isn’t building miniature hand cannons with as much knockdown power as you can fit in an IWB holster; when he ran the company, North American Arms focused on making firearms that were small and easy to hide and carry, whether as backup guns for police, a trapper’s gun for dispatching animals or a CCW revolver that was tiny enough to be on-hand at all times.

Chisholm isn’t the big boss at North American Arms anymore, although he’s still on the board of directors. Mike Griffin is president and CEO, but Chisholm left his mark on the company in more ways than just their product line. He’d bought the company in 1992, and when he left in 2022, he turned ownership of the company over to the employees, rather than making a deal with another industry body. Talk about commitment to your plan! In their 50th anniversary announcement, their marketing boss said, “We're all about concealability, dependability and affordability.” Sounds like that corporate culture is set in stone.

The current lineup

North American Arms now offers a wide range of revolvers, including some that are not necessarily aimed at the CCW market. The Sheriff, Earl and Hogleg revolvers look more like modernized versions of revolvers from the 1880s, which is ironic, considering North American Arms now owns the entire mini-revolver market that once had many, many competitors back in the post-Civil War era.

Then there’s the swing-out cylinder and top-break series we mentioned earlier, the Black Widow/Pug/Mini Master series with oversized grips, the gold-plated collector’s guns (are you a cartel leader or a Middle Eastern dictator who wants a mini revolver? Look no further!) and other options. North American Arms even makes tiny semi-autos as well, mostly introduced to compete with Seecamp.