Bond Arms Texas Defender

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Hoping I can get some advice/opinions.

Saturday, I purchased this wonderful little Bond Arms Cowboy Defender (.410/45 LC) with the 3 inch barrel.

The .410 shot pattern is about what I expected, but am wondering if there would be a significant difference in the 3 inch barrel versus a 3.5 inch barrel. (I might add that the 3" barrel was the only one available, and I was too anxious to wait).

The people at Bond Arms were really helpful in that I can return the 3" barrel to swap out for the 3.5" barrell for about $27.50.

I'm sure the extra half-inch won't make that huge of a difference, but if it comes down to having a better chance of some of the 7 1/2 shot actually hitting a slitherer with a 3.5" and not from a 3" from the same distance, I'd prefer to "upgrade" to the slightly larger barrel.

Thanks....and for your patience with an old man newbie.

Randy
 
I would imagine(just talking out my rump here) that a longer barrel would keep the pattern tighter, just like a 24" shotgun will keep a tighter pattern than an 18".
 
I have a 357/38 Derringer. If it was me I'd not mess with another 1/2". Are you trying to get better .410 patterns? I don't think that extra 1/2" will matter. For snake shot you should be able to find 45 birdshot loads.
 
JCP: yes, I am looking for a bit of a tighter spread. The 3" at ten feet is pretty spread out.

Sourdough, you may be right. I bought a box of 7 1/2 shot along with the gun, but the loads are the 2.5 inch variety, which is all I can use with the Bond 3 inch barrel. I don't recall seeing any other size shot rounds there, and it's a pretty major retailer.

Maybe the 2.5 inch loads are limited? I don't know.

Thanks for the input(s).
 
They even make some .410 'defense' ammo, I think Federal. It has a smaller buckshot I think. Another 1/2" with no 'choke' of any type would not be enough to matter much.
 
USAF - you may as well have it done. A longer barrel will tighten the patern. But, in reality, 1/2" additional barrel length probably won't make that much difference.
 
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My dad has two of those and loves them. Not great for personal defense because derringers just suck for that but for a backpacking gun it would be ok.

You sure won't wear one out. they are SOLID.
 
I have the SnakeSlayer with the 3.5 Barrel.

The only difference is that you'll get to use the 3" shells. I've found that the extra "ummph" of the 3 inchers "donuts" the shot pattern in such short barrels. So I only use the 2.5s anyway. The only 3 incher I use is the buckshot. My belief is that the heavier weight and greater resistance of the shot keeps them tighter, since that is the only 3" round that sort of patterns tighter for me. Those are only in my BA SS when I have it in my car door pocket as an anti-carjacking deterrent. I've toyed with the idea of getting the 4 1/4" barrel. But that idea is to boost my .45 velocity rather than improve my shot patterns. These derringers are almost the same size as my Sig232 or my Taurus 605 so I'm not really concerned about the concealability anymore.:)
 
I'm not sure the extra 1/2" is worth the trouble, to be honest. I have one of the 3.5" barrels on mine, and the only real advantage I see is being able to use the 3" shells - patterning is pretty random, at best, but perfectly useful at the distances I'd be worried trying to hit anything.

We did use my Bond for the BBTI tests of .45 Colt. It'd work, but I prefer to carry something else for self-defense.

Jim D.
 
Kevin I think has the closest answer I have observed. Notice the near 20% improvement from 2" to 4" on the BBTI tests. This is considerable and puts the round nicely in the SD range.
 
I've also found.........

.............that the SnakeSlayer type of grip with that little extension for the pinky provides more control, thus accuracy. At least for me. I tried the normal derringer grips and my POI ended up all over the place. Haven't used them since.
 
I would imagine(just talking out my rump here) that a longer barrel would keep the pattern tighter, just like a 24" shotgun will keep a tighter pattern than an 18".
Click to expand...

It is the choke that determines pattern density, not the length of the barrrel. The reason an 18" barrel usually gives a less dense pattern than a 24" is because 18" barrels usually have little or no choke to give a wide pattern for close range defense. Longer barrels usually have at least some choke to extend range for hunting.
 
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