How many of you carry a derringer?

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MandolinMan

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Let me say first that I know a derringer is anything but the optimal concealed carry weapon. From a practical standpoint, they don't seem to make sense anymore when compared to modern .380 pistols that carry three to four times as many cartridges in a smaller and lighter weight package.

But..... that being said, I think I want one. maybe it's growing up watching too many TV westerns, I don't know.

Saw a Bond Arms .45/.410 derringer at my local gun store today, and it got me thinking. Just wondering how many of you fellows carry derringers either regularly or just occasionally, how you carry it, and what make/model you carry.

The Bond arms strikes me as being a extremely well made gun. I've seen others for half the price( I think cobra was one of the brands) and imagine that they are inferior in quality, but didn't know how much so? If I was to get one it would never be a primary carry gun. Probably only to be carried as a backup on occasion.

Also wondering what caliber to look for? Is .45/.410 manageable? Or do you prefer other calibers? Thanks, Aaron.
 
Interested in the responses. I also think they are neat little guns and have thought about getting one.

How dose that go? Any gun is better than no gun. A hole in the right place is better than one in the wrong place. A bigger hole is a better hole. Love that signature line. So, it is a gun and makes a big hole so...
 
Used to carry a High Standard 22mag derringer zipped in my coat pocket. I pointed it with my index finger next to the barrels and pulled the 20 pound trigger with my middle finger. muzzle flash was pretty impressive, and hits on silhouette targets to 10 yards were easy. Not good hits, but hits.
 
FWIW I had an inexpensive Davis O/U .22mag derringer for about a year. Mine was reliable but far from accurate, at least for me. I really wanted to try one out but ended up selling it to a co-worker for what I had into it. Last I knew He was still carrying it regularly and likes it very much.
Later I had a NAA mini .22lr revolver. That one went on it's way as well and was my last foray into "mouse" guns. They just aren't my cup of tea.

I've handled the Bond derringer and IMHO it's just too big and heavy.
 
I have only a little experience with deringers, enough so that I choose not to carry one.

The .45 caliber deringers are a little too bulky for practical use, especially as a back-up gun. And the .45 Colt cartridge, with any authority, is not too well suited to the little guns. Build it stout enough for the cartridge and the gun really gets out of the "deringer" category. And the recoil puts the gun into the almost unmanageable class.

There are some petite little deringers in .38 Special caliber which would be much better suited to such needs. Probably these loaded with 148 gr. wadcutters would be your best bet.

Bob Wright
 
I have a Bond Arms derringer that I throw in my vest pocket when I ride my bike. I have the 2 1/2 inch barrel in 38/357. It is much smaller with this barrel than it is with the 45/410 barrel. It doesn't seem like a half inch would make that much difference but it does. By the way, I either have a 380 in my front jeans pocket or a 9mm on my hip when I do carry the derringer.
The Bond Arms are a hoot to shoot and are surprisingly accurate up to about 10 yards. I had a Cobra in 38 special that I couldn't hit the side of a barn with. I also had an American Derringer in 45acp that was well made but brutal on my hand.
 
The .410 Derringer is pretty worthless as a SD weapon set up. The shell kind of explodes the pellets all over the place. The 45 Colt is not a great stopper either and out of that short barrel it is just above chucking rocks.

The gun is completely impractical for defensive purposes.
 
I have an American Derringer....6"....in .410 / .45 Colt...

like this one, at bottom of this page...single action model 6....

http://www.amderringer.com/m68.html

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It's 8.2" long and weighs 21 oz....and it has a trigger pull weight that is around 10 lbs...( kind of equivalent to trying to crush a firm green tomato in your hands...or maybe a crab apple )...???
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Its a horrible little gun ...( my brother in law gave it to me in his will ...)...he bought it for his 3rd or 4th wife to carry ...and she hated it too.../ and I keep it around just for a laugh...:D

A Sig 239 ...in 9mm (8 + 1 ) or .40 S&W ( 7 + 1 ) - is only 6.6 " long ...and weighs only 29 oz ...so its shorter / and only 1/2 lb heavier...and balistically there is no contest..../ and the .380 options are even better.....( like the Sig 238 ...with 6 + 1 rds / 5.5" long and only weighs 16 oz...
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Ballistically ...the derringer even with a 6" barrel, and "OO" Buck in a .410 shell....at 15 Feet will give you a pattern of about 4 Ft wide...and with only about 6 pellets in a 1/2oz load...its no good for anything.../ pushed up against someone's chest or out to 3 Feet...maybe its ok / if they don't have a heavy coat on...

.45 Colt ...is a little better.../ but I still think the real range for a Derringer, even with a 6" barrel ....is for 1 to 3 Feet....( so certainly a .380 or 9mm is a way better option for defense ...) in my view...
 
I would buy one just for novelty, but don't think I would ever carry one. They are heavy, and about the same width as my Bodyguard .380 which in itself conceals easy enough.
 
But..... that being said, I think I want one. maybe it's growing up watching too many TV westerns, I don't know.
Click to expand...
That's the main reason I got a Davies .22 derringer.
Yancy Derringer was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid.
I also had a Mattel belt buckle derringer that shot little plastic bullets and used Greenie Stick'em caps :D

The Davies is a POS - but - who cares?
It's a toy for the most part.

I did carry it in my jacket pocket loaded with shot shells when I mowed the lawn in the early Spring.
The snakes were always getting mixed up with the mower blade & a shot to the head put them down.

The town I live in passed a law that now makes that illegal.
Now I have to hack them up with a machete.....
 
I have a 22mag derringer and NAA revolver. With ratshot they are great snake guns, with hollowpoints bigger game is takeable. They are very limited use but fun and good for snakes and to put down wounded game.
 
My most honest advice is to buy one for a plinking toy if you want one, but to choose a more capable handgun for every day carry. You gave good reasons - trust your mind for survival and your heart for the hobby part.
 
Yancy! I loved that show. I wanted a 4 barrel Sharps ever since. HJS made a 22 LR version but they folded. Iver Johnson has had a picture of one on their web page but it's not been made.

For a just because gun - I'd like one in 32 ACP.

I do have some NAA minis - they are what they are.
 
I have a friend who uses one as a keychain fob,,,

I have a friend who uses one as a keychain fob,,,
Since open carry is legal here in Oklahoma,,,
It's his way of always having a gun handy.

I don't know what brand it is,,,
But it's the smallest "derringer" style I've ever seen.

The only reason I know about it is,,,
He asked me to make a "bootie" for it,,,
Just so it doesn't collect so much pocket fuzz.

Aarond

.
 
Thanks for all your replies.

I like the bond Arms derringers but have a hard time justifying $450 for a derringer even if they are top of the line.

So my next question is: Are the less expensive derringers, Cobra, Davis, etc, serviceable? My intended purpose for buying a derringer is really just a range/fun gun. Although I might carry it also when I'm jogging. I see Cobra derringers on GunBroker.com for around $150 shipped. I'm know that there not on par with Bond or American derringers, but are they at least useable and reliable? Thanks again.
 
As a novelty "range toy" I think a Derringer would be fun, and plan to get one. Probably the less expensive Cobra for that purpose.
As a back up, the Bond Arms is too heavy, and gives you only 2 rounds. The 380 mouse guns, or the newer "pocket 9's" would be a much better choice.
To that point, my KAHR CM9 is 2 ounces lighter than even the Bond Arms Mini 38/357, 4 ounces lighter than the 45/410, and has a 5+1 capacity of 9MM. It is also only one inch longer than the Bond Mini, and has a barrel 1/2 inch longer than the two shooter.
 
This thread has reminded me of something I had not thought of in many years. When I was in fourth grade I had a derringer cap gun I carried all the time. One day my small town class went on a field trip to Stapleton International Airport in Denver. Can you guess what happened next? Yep, we went to see how the security station works. I emptied my pockets as told and lets just say my teacher was not amused about the results. In the end I got the cap gun back when we got home.

Fast forward to today and would I even have got to go home or stay in school? I doubt it. Would probably be on the news right next to the six year old that kissed a girl on the hand and got charged with sexual harassment.

EDIT SO NOT TO BE TOTALLY OFF TOPIC: Do not take your derringer, cap gun or not, through security at the airport.
 
Useable?

I shot my Davies .22 at a 2x4 at a distance of about 2 feet.
I was using bulk .22ammo.
The bullet bounced back and hit me on the arm and raised a nice welt.

Had that 2x4 been a person wearing any type of heavy clothing, I doubt the bullet would have penetrated.

Also - at a distance of about 20 feet, the guns shoots all over the place and "groups" are about three feet (feet, not inches).

It also keyholes.

I attribute this to the very subtle land and groove in one barrel that passes as rifling and the lack of any type of effort to hold the bore size to anything .22 inches across.

A person would have to be rather foolish to carry this gun for anything other than fun at the range.
The biggest problem it has is that it's - a firearm - a lethal deadly weapon - despite the fact that it's really not.
You get in a situation where deadly force is called for & you're either pretty screwed or if things work out ok for you, the luckiest SOB on the planet.

YMMV within the Davies/Cobra line up - however - they are junk pot metal so don't expect a whole lot.

Despite all it's warts however - the little thing is a real riot to shoot!

One of my favorite tricks w/it is to load it up with a CD cap and hand it to someone right after they've shot a few rounds of full boogie .44 mag out of my 4" S&W M29.
Every single person that's done that has nearly fallen over face first in anticipation of the recoil that never happens ! :D
They all get a real goofy sheepish grin from it.

If you're after something real diminutive in size that can still pack a lethal punch & be reliable, I'd suggest looking at the NAA mini in .22mag.
 
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