Look at it very closely.... somewhere on the frame or barrel there should be a manufacturer's mark. Can you post it here? That will go a long way in determining what you have.
OH YES!! Now I know what you have, I've owned a couple of these over the years. ".22 LR" or "long rifle" is just the designation of the ammo, not the gun itself. .22LR (long rifle) means that it's not a .22 short, although you COULD shoot .22 shorts in your pistol if you wanted to; but .22LR is the LARGEST you can fit in the little chambers. There is a .22 Magnum round but it won't fit your American Arms mini-pistol.
In general, these things are simply hideout guns, something to carry in your pocket as a backup. It is generally true that a lot of shooters regard this as a "mouse gun" and wholly inadequate for self-defense, but if it's all ya' got, it's all ya' got.
The recoil is practically nil, but the little pistol will jump a bit with each shot. I always had to regrip the thing after every shot, the rounded grip would cause it to rotate upward upon recoil.
Notice: Some years ago there was a bunch of misfires with these guns because people would let the hammer rest on a round, meaning that if the hammer got hit it could strike the rim of the round beneath it and go off. Several injuries were reported from it. American Arms did a PR thing and offered to replace the cylinders on all those guns. The new cylinders had a little cutout between each chamber so the hammer could rest on bare metal, not on a round of ammo.
Check to see if you see little "notches" cut out on the cylinder...if so, you have the save version. If not, you might want to contact American Arms to see if they will replace it for you. It was often done, back in the day, free of charge, because their liability was rather high.
I even once saw a belt buckle that would accept this little pistol so it looked just like a fancy western belt buckle, but it would deploy the pistol if you wanted it. I don't know if those buckles are still available or even legal these days.
YOU'RE THE BEST Banjo!!!
I do have notches carved on the cylinder. And the bullet package says, "Stinger 22LR.... 22 long rifle copper-plated hollow point".
This was my mother-in-love's gun she bought in 2003 after my father-in-law died. I'm sure they sold her this tiny thing because of her age and its lesser recoil. I do have a Lady S&W, but I don't carry it. I should though, but I'd rather get in a few more days at the range first.
I don’t know how to add a pic here but yeah it’s def smaller than the palm of my hand.
Look at it very closely.... somewhere on the frame or barrel there should be a manufacturer's mark. Can you post it here? That will go a long way in determining what you have.
It says "American arms corp. Provo, Utah" and ".22 long rifle". Long rifle? This damn thing is only about 4 inches!
Also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ4zLfel42s
That's it!!!!!!!
OH YES!! Now I know what you have, I've owned a couple of these over the years. ".22 LR" or "long rifle" is just the designation of the ammo, not the gun itself. .22LR (long rifle) means that it's not a .22 short, although you COULD shoot .22 shorts in your pistol if you wanted to; but .22LR is the LARGEST you can fit in the little chambers. There is a .22 Magnum round but it won't fit your American Arms mini-pistol.
In general, these things are simply hideout guns, something to carry in your pocket as a backup. It is generally true that a lot of shooters regard this as a "mouse gun" and wholly inadequate for self-defense, but if it's all ya' got, it's all ya' got.
The recoil is practically nil, but the little pistol will jump a bit with each shot. I always had to regrip the thing after every shot, the rounded grip would cause it to rotate upward upon recoil.
Notice: Some years ago there was a bunch of misfires with these guns because people would let the hammer rest on a round, meaning that if the hammer got hit it could strike the rim of the round beneath it and go off. Several injuries were reported from it. American Arms did a PR thing and offered to replace the cylinders on all those guns. The new cylinders had a little cutout between each chamber so the hammer could rest on bare metal, not on a round of ammo.
Check to see if you see little "notches" cut out on the cylinder...if so, you have the save version. If not, you might want to contact American Arms to see if they will replace it for you. It was often done, back in the day, free of charge, because their liability was rather high.
I even once saw a belt buckle that would accept this little pistol so it looked just like a fancy western belt buckle, but it would deploy the pistol if you wanted it. I don't know if those buckles are still available or even legal these days.
So that's what you have.
YOU'RE THE BEST Banjo!!! I do have notches carved on the cylinder. And the bullet package says, "Stinger 22LR.... 22 long rifle copper-plated hollow point". This was my mother-in-love's gun she bought in 2003 after my father-in-law died. I'm sure they sold her this tiny thing because of her age and its lesser recoil. I do have a Lady S&W, but I don't carry it. I should though, but I'd rather get in a few more days at the range first.