Derringer Vs Side by Side Shotgun.

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JimmyR hit a bit of truth there, "self defense" is so broad, whoever you heard it from could have just left it out because it leaves so many gaps in whatever statement follows it next. A SxS would be inconvenient for concealed carry so 1 point for a derringer there, yet more devastating when fired. The longer barrel, larger bore allows for much more output.

A little bit of perspective from firearms history. The side by side or over under WAS the bee's knees.... in comparison to a single shot. Why you get a WHOLE 'nother round!!! that's twice the firepower! Same with the derringer. But instead of stacking more barrels (although its been done) like a certain razor brand, it's now just 1 barrel with stacking rounds in a mag.

Both are an antiquated design and most carry more modern designs. What do the "lawmen" and "outlaws" of today carry? Not these anymore. They did, but not anymore.

If all you had was a derringer that was left to you by a relative, you could try to practice with it however spare parts will be harder and harder to find as the years go on. Metallurgy has improved over the years.

Be careful what you hear. When I purchased my Remington 870, I was deciding between a semi-auto shotgun and eventually went with a pump just to learn the classic system. The man behind the counter was trying to argue that pumps are better because you have "more control" over how fast you use up your rounds in the shotgun. I for one am glad we don't try to send our soldiers out there with pump action AR's so they have more "control"

That being said, I have carried a little mini-revolver in 22 LR when I couldn't carry anything else. It's not my primary. It's not a back up gun, it's a pea shooter. I don't think anyone should try "fight" with it, however it could buy me a few moments time if I needed help fleeing. You could carry a derringer, as long as you acknowledge its limitations.
 
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You already admit they arent comparable, so whats the question? Reguardless of the type of gun, 2 rounds of a handgun caliber may not stop the threat..2 rounds of 20g will (assuming a single threat). Its that simple. Neither weapon is ideal but i would only take the deringer only if my other option was a rock or stick. Even then i might choose the stick if its big and hefty. I can at least engage multiple targets with it if need be.

A Rem 870/Mossberg and a slew of good semi auto pistols are so affordable now days that there is no reason to not obtain one if u are
serious about home protection. And the "any gun is better than nothing" mentality i hear all too often does not apply when its my life/families lives that are on the line. Swallow your pride/egos and use the correct tool for the job.
 
Go buy a derringer and fire 50 rounds through it. Then you will know why it's not often recommended as anything other than a novelty. Small sights, super short sight radius, heavy trigger, and an awkward grip makes it incredibly difficult to fire accurately or quickly.
 
but here's my question, Why is a side by side an acceptable self defense/home defense piece but a derringer is not?

There's no need to overthink this. Look to tradition. The SxS is the older design shotgun, well used and well respected long before more modern repeating designs. Its not much advocated as the best defense shotgun today (other than by out of touch politicians), but it is still a respectable weapon and quite useful in many situations.

These are things the Derringer never was, even back in the day when it was current state of the art tech. A hide out gun, a belly gun, the last ditch resort, gambler's gun, assassin's weapon, etc. Not a gun chosen for home defense, by anyone who could manage anything better.

There is an aura, a mystique to the derringer, the river boat gambler's gun, and the .41RF was widely held to be a sure killer, within two weeks, usually if not sooner.

Not even remotely in the same league as a 12ga SxS. You might think of the shotgun as general duty including defense and the derringer as last ditch emergency use only and maybe a rock might be better....
 
Why is a side by side an acceptable self defense/home defense piece but a derringer is not?

I agree with most other posters in saying thet both are not concidered as the best option by the majority, but I'll point out that for the first two rounds there is no disadvantage to a SxS shotgun you get the same pattern and same power a derringer on the other hand is much harder to shoot accuratly and have a large drop off in power, 410 rounds are pathetic from a derringer.

I'll also add that many doubles have auto ejectors and can be reloaded fairly quickly a derringer not so much.
 
I think we've gotten the point across pretty well, but I've read that derringers are not typically "sighted" to POA - if there even was a front sight of some sort. The bores may not be headed in the same horizontal trajectory because of their intended purpose. I don't know if this still holds true for modern derringers.

Double shotguns however.... at least a decent one, a big deal is made about angling the bores so the shot patterns are consistent at range.
 
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