Any Derringer fans out there?

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True. But a Kahr 45 would fit the bill. I'm not saying that carrying a Derringer is not carrying. Just that nowadays there are much more reasonable choices. All just opinion though.
 
The Bond Arms Snake Slayer is just that; potent defense against snakes. People are arguing about whether a powerful, two shot pistol is viable for self defense. Of course it is; against snakes and varmint;s and, up close, against an attacker. I think all you people who are having fantasies about multi-magazine shoot-outs with felons at 25 yards, are telling yourself fairy tales. Self defense, if you must ever do it, is going to be up close and over in a hurry. I have no problem with the Snake Slayer IV in any capacity.
 
True. But a Kahr 45 would fit the bill. I'm not saying that carrying a Derringer is not carrying. Just that nowadays there are much more reasonable choices. All just opinion though.

I'm one of those folks that doesn't trust small automatics. I've owned a number over the years and none of them were reliable enough for my taste. I don't have first hand experience with the PM45, but its too small for me to trust. It may well be a great gun, but its not my thing.

I never carry my Bond as an only gun. Its reserved for carjacking defense and sometimes as a BUG. It works well for the roles I have it in, but make no mistake, I don't consider it ideal for general carry. It is, however, a real gun and a lot more effective than many seem to think. One just has to understand its limitations.
 
I was thinking of getting one myself recently for historical reasons..I was wondering...what was the popular caliber when these were made in the late 1800's??
 
41 Rimfire - until the 1930's for the classic Remington pattern. Supposedly a weak round but what does that mean? It makes a hole in you at its preferred distance.
 
Original post by Teuthis: The Bond Arms Snake Slayer is just that; potent defense against snakes. People are arguing about whether a powerful, two shot pistol is viable for self defense. Of course it is; against snakes and varmint;s and, up close, against an attacker. I think all you people who are having fantasies about multi-magazine shoot-outs with felons at 25 yards, are telling yourself fairy tales. Self defense, if you must ever do it, is going to be up close and over in a hurry. I have no problem with the Snake Slayer IV in any capacity.
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That's exactly my point. You are NOT going to have many shoot outs. My only experience was at a VERY close range and over in one shot. I know there are examples of multi shot gun fights, but they are few and far between. The first rule of self-defense is being aware of your surroundings and not putting yourself in a situation where you might have to shoot it out with several attackers. Situational awareness is paramount to avoiding the "Gunfight at the OK corral."

Having said this, I would still prefer to carry my XD 45, but I can't conceal it very well in hot weather and It's heavier than my Texas Defender.

Oh by the way, the trigger and hammer pull both soften up substantially after 50 to 100 rounds fired through it. I can now cock and shoot both shots very quickly with one hand. Most people don't give these guns much of a chance and give up on them too soon, I think because they have a prejudice against them in the first place. And I'm not knocking them for it. Everybody has a gun they feel confident with and that's the one they should be using.
 
I'm not saying carry a double-stack or anything. I'm no mall ninja. A j-frame suits me fine. A 640. 5 rounds of 357 mag. That or a PPS 6+1 of .40. Glad you have found a weapon you like. Sounds like it does the job for you.
 
I like the idea of a derringer as something of a novelty or a range toy. Hard to ignore cool factor. It's different, a bit unusual. I'd probably only get one in .22LR, so as to retain the small size and avoid stout recoil.
 
+1^ raftman. Heck, one would even make a cool "boot gun" for the occasions where I wear boots. Of course, I'd have my j-frame iwb.
 
I agree with raftman right up to the 22 point.I have a Bond Arms 45Colt and an American Derringer in .357 they weigh 15 and 20 oz respectivly which is the same as my 442 and CA Bulldog weighed.with +p 38s and Cowboy type 45 colts they are not bad in the recoil dept.
On a side note I actually do carry mine once in a while as a BUG when I pack on of my SA Rugers.
 
High Standard DM101 superposed 22 WMR DAO.

Can be safely fired using 22lr and chamber sleeves made from spent 22WMR cases. Muzzle velocity with 22WMR is well in excess of 1000 fps at an instrumental 15 feet from muzzle. Penetration is 2" into dry telephone books with banana peel like expansion. Can be cleared and reloaded in less than two seconds with advance preparation. Trigger pull improves radically with use, but the indexing ratchet is soft plastic which probably has a life of less than 1000 rounds.

It's the most concealable pistol I've seen that could still be termed an effective defense weapon.

And I have one.
 
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I never understood the point of owning a Derringer, when they have such high quality pocket revolvers and pocket semi autos available. Isn't the capacity of a Derringer, like two rounds?? Sorry, pardon, my ignorance on this subject.
 
Evergreen said:
Isn't the capacity of a Derringer, like two rounds??

True....but they can be two big gobstopper-type rounds like .44SPL, .45LC, .45ACP, or .410 buckshot....all in a nice, pocket-sized package.... :cool:
 
True....but they can be two big gobstopper-type rounds like .44SPL, .45LC, .45ACP, or .410 buckshot....all in a nice, pocket-sized package....

Problem isn't just that there's only two of the rounds, but also that the rounds must be delivered from a gun that's more difficult than most any other to shoot accurately and more difficult than most any other to shoot quickly.
 
Problem isn't just that there's only two of the rounds, but also that the rounds must be delivered from a gun that's more difficult than most any other to shoot accurately and more difficult than most any other to shoot quickly.

It's just like any other handgun. If you practice with it you can get very fast and very accurate in the distance you will most likely be using it. I have said before, the trigger and hammer pull softens up a lot after you shoot, (depending on the gun) anywhere from 50 to 100 through it. At 7 - 10 yards I can put every shot in a 5 inch circle, and I can draw it cock it and shoot two rounds in about 3 seconds, AND hit my 5 inch circle. I know it ain't shooting back or threatening me, but the one time I was under attack, I drew the weapon and fired one shot of Federal .410 000 Buck into a VERY vital area stopping the attacker...forever. Granted he was only about 3-4 feet from me at the time, but I WAS able to stop him cold.

It's just like anything else, use what YOU have confidence in, and don't let anyone talk you out of it just because they don't like your choice. To borrow an old saying, "Whatever cocks your pistol."
 
Bond 9mm

I got a 9mm Bond Arms in just last week, and I love it. So far, it's seen 120 rounds, with 20 of those being +P. I'll say the recoil was more than manageable. I can say that after experiencing a Scandium-framed smith J-frame in .357 magnum. I know some of you own them, but that's the only gun I'll never want to shoot again. It actually messed the muscles up between my thumb and trigger finger. The 9mm was a pussycat. The bond's not the fastest, and not the best choice for SD, but it's sure fun. I'm sure I may make up for some of the shortcomings of the gun by practice. That is to say, I loved shooting this little guy.
 
I've owned several American Derringer DA38s and several DM101 High Standard 22 WMR DA derringers. In my mind the tiny autos have obsoleted the American (and Bond) Derringers and the NAA mini has obsoleted the High Standard derringers.
The quality large caliber derringers are generally heavier than the lightweight snubbies available in the same calibers, and are much larger than the new micro autos.
The NAA mini-magnum takes a lot of practice to shoot well, but (CCI Speer) you have 5 rounds of 30 gr. @ 1153 FPS in a 1 5/8”: up to 1300 FPS in a 2” Black Widow. Or in 40 gr. @ 988FPS in the Black Widow.

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