North American Arms The Earl .22LR/.22WMR

By Eric R. Poole

Named After the North American Arms gunsmith who originally developed it, The Earl is a five-shot, single-action mini-revolver that’s chambered in .22 Magnum. Though diminutive in size, it was designed to resemble an 1860s-era percussion-fired revolver with its octagonal barrel, top-strap sight channel and blade front sight. Also sending our thoughts back to the Old West is its spur trigger (like the trigger on some vintage Colt revolvers) and the faux loading lever, which is used here to secure the cylinder pin. Mechanically, this lever exists more for aesthetic reasons than safety or function, but the extra steps involved with working the lever to remove or install each cylinder contributes greatly to the fun factor of using this handy rimfire.

The Earl is available with either a 3-inch or 4-inch barrel, and with or without a spare cylinder chambered in .22 Long Rifle. Many readers might wonder why a .22 Magnum cylinder won’t accept .22LR ammunition given that the .22LR is shorter. The reason is that the thickness of the case on the .22LR is smaller than the .22WMR, so when you try to shoot a .22LR in one of these .22WMR cylinders, you’ll likely end up …Read the Rest

Source:: Guns and Ammo