Diamondback .32 NAA Conversion

If I recall correctly, I got to see a .32 NAA version of the Diamondback pistol at the 2011 Media Day at the Range.  Diamondback published this video of a barrel conversion for the DB380.

If you aren’t familiar with the .32 NAA, it is a bottle neck pistol cartridge that uses a necked-down .380 ACP case.  Generally, the .32 NAA cartridges will use the same .380 magazines, so a simple barrel change is all one needs to run the new ammo in the gun.  It works a lot like the .357 SIG/.40 S&W barrel swaps.

The .32 NAA was developed by North American Arms (hence the NAA designation) in conjunction with CorBon.  I think that CorBon and Extreme Shock are the only companies commercially loading ammunition for the .32 NAA.  However, at the time of this writing, the Extreme Shock website appears to be down, so I cannot confirm they are still making the ammo.

The idea behind the NAA cartridges (they also did a .25 NAA, which was a necked-down .32 ACP) was to increase the velocity of the bullet, effectively sacrificing diameter for FPS.  Depending on your views of “stopping power” this may be good or bad.  I’ve always been intrigued by the cartridge, but I’ve never shot or owned one.  Without a doubt, the bullets are zippier than either the .32 ACP or the .380 ACP.  They seem to perform well in gel, but as we all know, “the street” is vastly different than the static range where a block of ballistic gel is shot by people who are not under stress (attack.)  Regardless, the testing is interesting.

NAA still makes a Guardian pistol chambered for the .32 NAA cartridge. There have been several barrel conversions that have come and gone on the market, including one for the Makarov .380 pistols that were very popular in the US after the fall of the Soviet Union.