Long before concealed carry was a legal option in my state, I carried a North American Arms Mini Revolver in .22 Long Rifle caliber in my pants pocket. It collected a snake or two, provided a measure of comfort, and, being similar in size to a respectable folding knife, it did not "print" in most clothing. Although the NAA is a high quality, reliable revolver, the general consensus is that it is not suitable for defense and after much experience with one, I concur; however, unsuitable does not mean useless by any stretch of the imagination.
The NAA Mini Revolver, as pictured, is a five shot, single action revolver. Its solid frame, spur trigger, and bird's head grip harken to Nineteenth Century pocket revolvers, making it rather nostalgic. As a defensive weapon, it is superficially criticized for its small caliber and single action design; however, its greatest limitations are brought about by its chief advantage: its miniscule size. When held and fired traditionally in the strong hand, the tiny birds head grip and spur trigger cause the muzzle of the revolver to be substantially elevated (off of the cuff, around thirty degrees). Combined with the absence of a rear sight, this provides a tendency to shoot high, even at modest ranges. Since there is very little to hold onto, at 4.6 ounces, the muzzle rises sharply with each shot, creating substantial recovery time exacerbated by the fact that it must be manually cocked.
There is a technique to shooting these little revolvers that improves both accuracy and recovery time. Hold the revolver in the strong hand and let the trigger spur hang over the strong index finger. Them, assume a conventional, two handed stance and cock and fire it with the weak hand. By "shooting off of the top strap" (i.e. aligning the front sight with the imaginary center line of top strap and holding down so that the front sight appears split in half) useable defensive groups and fairly rapid fire can be attained. Although this technique works fine for the range, it is awkward to the point that I would not recommend it for defense.
The handling qualities of the NAA Mini Revolver make it unsuitable for defense before detriments such as small caliber, single action mechanism, and the fact that it cannot be reloaded without disassembly are considered. However, once again, unsuitable does not mean useless. Because of its especially small size, a NAA Mini Revolver can be carried unnoticed in almost any attire (including some swimming trunks if a pocket is available) and it can be easily secreted in unlikely places (e.g. small lunch boxes, document pockets of generously designed padfolios, clipboards with reasonable storage compartments, and over sun visors of vehicles, just to name a few). I have even heard of them being carried duct taped to various parts of the body and I have had mine go unnoticed or mistaken for a cigarette lighter or other novelty (by novices and trained professionals alike) when in plain sight.
Though its handling qualities make it awkward at best, its ultra concealability allows the NAA Mini Revolver to be carried unobtrusively where larger firearms might be detected, which makes it useful in liberty compromising environments that are hostile to firearms (no, it is not impervious to metal detectors, x-rays, and determined searches so do not try it). While no substitute for a more conventional defensive handgun, the NAA Mini Revolver will reliably provide five shots that should be sure at contact to arm's length distances when it is used as a "belly gun" whenever a larger firearm is unavailable (or imprudent to carry) and a knife may prove unwieldy. Thus, while regarded "unsuitable", the little NAA Mini Revolver is far from useless.
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