derringer safe to shoot?...

[genephillips]

i have a Davis derringer in .38spl and I've noticed, after firing about 250 rnds through it, that it's developed a little bit of play between the frame and barrel. Under close inspection the locking mechanism seems very secure. When it was new there was an occasional failure to fire but that went away after a good bit of use and also some of the primer indentations were very light but that also improved with use. So I figure it might just be getting broken in good. Is it normal to have a little wiggle after some use or is my gun wearing out?

 

[LOCHFAL]

Both my Davis derringers have that play, .22 & .22 mag. I think it's normal on these and I'd think it would be more common on the .38 derringer. Should be OK as long as it's not excessive.

 

[JJR]

I had a Davis .38 Derringer and after about 75-100 rounds (standard pressure) the grip screw snapped and the frame began to split apart! Use extreme caution with those things as they arn't what one would call "quality" firearms. To be fair, I still have a Davis .32 Derringer which has not given me one single problem in many years (I think the thick, cheap chrome plating is holding it together ).