Anybody Own a Bond Arms Derringer?

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Never owned one but have shot a few,,,

A derringer is a great concept,,,
With a terrible trigger.

My brother in law had a Bond Arms derringer,,,
The trigger pull was so high that my sister couldn't pull it.

When it did go off,,,
It killed at both ends,,,
That small gun has a kick.

Fun though,,,
I'll buy a .38 some day,,,
Just to be able to say I have one in my cabinet.

Aarond
 
The trigger pull was so high that my sister couldn't pull it.

Aarond, I always heard the hammer was the toughest part to pull on Bond derringers, rather than the trigger, but I've never shoot one before.
 
Hello egor20,,,

That as well my friend,,,

It's nothing wrong with Bond Derringers per se,,,
It's a function of the actions being small,,,
Not much leverage acting on the spring.

A few months ago I was watching a young lady at the Evil Pawn Shop,,,
She was having trouble cocking the thing and I was chuckling,,,
Her boyfriend got irate and handed it to me,,,
I had to apologize.

If someone wants one of these for a SD weapon,,,
They are going to need to practice with it,,,
Everything about them will be stiff.

Maybe they break in after a while,,,
My BIL sold his before one box of ammo went through it.

Fun guns as a toy,,,
Not my choice for a SD gun.

Aarond
 
I own a Davis derringer and had to do copious amounts of work to the hammer, sear and spring in order to be able to shoot it without feeling like I was squeezing the life out of the trigger.
 
Well I'm glad I made this post!!:) Probably saved me 600 bucks.

I suppose it stands to reason the action would be under such tension since in some cases the trigger is exposed and there is no safety. I'm starting to ask myself if having something like this with such different characteristics is a good idea. When it comes to self defense, muscle memory is a key element and if your guns are so much different it's probably not good for an emergency situation. I think I'll stick to my Ruger LCR .357.

One thing I wasn't crazy about is it being single action but it kind of has to be for safety reasons. I have recently started practicing draw and a double tap for a time score from a random beep of a shot timer. My first outing got me to a steady 2.4 to 2.8 seconds to the second shot (target time 2.1). I cant imagine being able to do that with the Bond. In a self defense situation those critical tenths of a second are big.

A derringer would be fun to own though but not a practical shooter except for SD at close range and it's the only gun you have.
 
I shot a friend's Snake Slayer and was amazed! The 3.5 in. magnum version of 00 .410 was a beast, but everything else was controllable and did not hurt. Very little muzzle rise because the whole gun nearly sits down into your hand. Solid punch in the center of your hand, but the nicely rounded grips are surprisingly comfortable. This is a heavy-for-size derringer, and I love that it has a trigger guard. At 7 yds. it spread 00 buckshot in a horizontal line about 8 in. wide - great up-close, last-ditch gun. Even the .45 Colt ammo was not uncomfortable. I would not mind one bit to trust this little beast with its two shots of deadly force if I had the extra money. It would be great, as I see it, for a deep or easily concealed back-up weapon to be used on snakes (with #4 shot perhaps) or other close-in threat.
 
Seems we were posting at the same time, and you offered new info.

If you are shooting that LCR with full house magnums it should be comparable. My LCR with +P and Crimson Trace grips is less comfortable to shoot.
 
I have a BA derringer. The trigger and hammer get easier with continual use. What I found helped out the most was buying the extended grip for it; I can now cock the hammer with one hand lol.

As with any spur trigger, it takes some getting used to. The BA trigger in particular requires a downward and back motion, instead of just straight back. It all comes with patience and practice.

Mine is chambered in .45LC/.410 shot and while it does have strong recoil each time I shoot it at the range I get people asking about it and wanting to shoot it lol.
 
I have one in 9mm, and it's one of the more fun guns I have, in my opinion. I regularly lift weights, dead lift, etc, and it still seems a bit stiff to me. Dead lift has made my hands very strong. However, it's not my primary, secondary, or even tertiary carry gun. But it does grace my hip occasionally around the camp ground or other similar situations. If you buy one, I'd get a .357 or a 9mm. The option for low recoil ammo is there. The .22 is interesting as well. A .410 out of that barrel length would be fun as well, but I've never shot one of those.
 
If you are shooting that LCR with full house magnums it should be comparable. My LCR with +P and Crimson Trace grips is less comfortable to shoot
Click to expand...
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I had an unusual opportunity to own an LCR +P then a .357 and I have to say factory +P v. .357, hardly a difference. Now the Cromson Grips might not be as comfortable as the Hogues which could make a pretty significant difference.
 
I have a Bond and an American Arms derringer and although they are very well made, both are close to being useless for SD in my opinion. They are fairly heavy and have hammer spurs that love to snag on things. More importantly, they are'nt easy to cock (and remember you have to cock it twice to shoot twice), they don't have good triggers, horrible sights, and are generally hard to shoot accurately once you manage to get it in firing order. Fun little range toys, but not serious SD weapons.
 
Have both the Bond & AD, both well made.
The AD is actually small enough to carry in a pocket, still heavy.
The Bond requires a BIG pocket & is heavier.
I've toted the AD in .45 ACP in a pocket on a couple of very limited occasions, that'll never happen with the Bond with either the .45 Colt or .357 Mag barrel I have for it.

The Bond is the best derringer made today, but still not what I'd consider a practical defensive choice for anything but snakes, at which it's perfectly viable.
The oversized grips make a great deal of difference in handling recoil, but increase the overall bulk considerably.
Denis
 
Yes

Bond Defender 2.5" 45lc/410 It shoots my cowboy loads,factory ammo and even self defense rds perfectly...point of aim at 21ft center mass................sitting around the campfire.KOOL..just doesn't get carried much with two Ed brown 4.25" 45's as daily carry weapons.
 
I bought a Bond Cowboy Defender in 9mm several years ago; it just looked it would be fun to play with and a useful tool for SD ... turns out it is neither ... here's what I found ... it weighs a ton, especially since you only have two rounds to play with ... reloading takes a while, especially if you're in dire straits ... trigger pull is very heavy, as is cocking the beast, and of course you have to cock it for each shot ... accuracy, at least in my hands, was pathetic at 7 yards, it really is something for up-close-and-personal issues ... I found recoil to be stout, even with standard pressure rounds ... can you tell I was disappointed? I finally traded it in ... and it sat in the dealer's case for more than a year ... not my cup of tea at all ...
 
I have a cowboy defender very well made. Not the best for ccw it's heavier than my 442. I do carry it at times as a backup when I carry my SAA.
 
I actually bought the oversized grips & a holster to use mine for the same backup reason, but haven't gotten around to doing it yet. In that role I can see some limited utility.

I can carry a second Colt SAA with only a bit more weight & three more rounds. :)
Denis
 
My dad had a Bond in .45LC/.410. I shot it one time, (and that was enough).
Once at the local gun club a member brought his in and let a number of people shoot it. One guy's hand was cut open by the gun's hammer as it recoiled. One shot was enough for about everyone.
 
I have one in .357. I think it's a cool, well built little gun. The kick it has when shooting is a bit much but it's kinda what makes it entertaining. I don't plan on using it for home defense or CCW. It's more of a fun gun right now.
 
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