North American Arms Guardian .380 North American Arms is proud to introduce another in a series of eagerly-awaited semi automatic pistols designed by NAA for the personal protection market. The Guardian .380 is a new model built largely on the design of NAA's popular .32 ACP introduced over two years ago. The Guardian .380 is similarly a 6+1 shot double-action-only pocket pistol built of 17-4 pH stainless steel. "This was a natural progression for us" said Sandy Chisholm, president of North American Arms. "We found that, in both the law enforcement and civilian markets, there exists a sense, or departmental policy, that .380 Auto is the minimal acceptable caliber for personal protection. While I might debate the merits of such a proposal, I can't debate the difference in the size of the markets (.380 Auto being far larger than .32 ACP). It's long past time we made an NAA-grade product available to the bigger market." Different from the introduction of the original Guardian is NAA's experience in the science of designing and manufacturing reliable small pistols. "We've spent the past several years gaining experience that will help insure a successful introduction of the Guardian .380. Equally important", Chisholm added, "is the partnership we've built with the team at Kahr Arms. It's their engineers who have redesigned this gun, and they will continue to provide us machined frame/slide sets on a production basis, as they do presently with the .32s" Chisholm explained. "We're pleased to have an association with a fine company such as Kahr Arms. They have a talented staff and produce parts and products of the highest quality". Chisholm is hesitant to make delivery predictions but expects production to begin in January '01 with the first pieces reaching the market the following month. Similar to the .32 ACP, Chisholm expects a strong demand for the Guardian .380 will result in limited availability for the pistol well into the year. "This is, simply, the best gun we build and the best of its type available. There are people who will want this gun simply to complete their NAA collection. After favorable reports surface which describe the actual field performance of this firearm, we expect our reputation for 30 years of building products that are 'convenient, reliable, effective' will be further burnished." Specifications: Caliber: .380 Auto Magazine Capacity: 6+1 Material: 17-4 pH stainless steel Barrel Length: 2.49" Height: 3.53" Overall Length: 4.75" Width: 0.930" Weight: 18.72 oz. unloaded Trigger Pull: 10.0 LBS. Operation: Double Action Only