Mini versus Derringer

R

roy reali

New member
There are several threads here about those ultra small rimfire revolvers. Most of us can agree that they are not the best, first choice defensive weapon. But they are small and easy to hide. I suppose it is better then a prayer.

There are also smal two shot derringers on the market. They even have one chambered for the .410 shotgun round. These guns are also pretty small. They do deliver a bigger round then the revolvers, but only two of them.

While I realize that neither a micro revolver or a Derringer are ideal guns when faced with bodily harm, which do you think would be slightly better?
 
If I had to pick between the two, I would probably derringer packing two .410 shotshells with the Winchester PDX-1 load.

An LCP would be preferred over either though.

A buddy of mine's father was killed (over 30years ago) with a .22 revolver though, so don't think "it's just a .22" BUT it was from blood loss and it tumbled around inside of him hitting a few organs AND took a few hours to die.
 
I have a .22 derringer I carry sometimes. I'd like to have something bigger just haven't gotten around to it. I think when you go that small it doesn't really matter. If you get down to that point you need alot more luck than gun.
 
Out of those two options, I'd go with the biggest bore I could find. Even a face full of birdshot from a .410 should stop a fight (hopefully) pretty quick and should be more effective than a .22lr.

While a .22lr isn't ideal, it is certainly better than nothing. A co-worker accidently shot himself with a .22lr several years ago. He said he actually thought he got stung by a bee and remembered saying as much to his brother. He said it took a couple of seconds but then he collasped to the ground.

He shot himself in the chest and missed the aorta by a hairs width. The bullet entered his chest and exited out his back and did no other damage but it certainly stopped him.
 
Just this past Saturday,,,

I watched while a young man was buying his girlfriend a new pistol,,,
She liked the "cute little pink one" that was a .22 derringer,,,
She thought it was cute until she tried to cock the gun,,,
Using both hands she couldn't cock the hammer.

Now I thought this was a bit odd,,,
So after they left I asked to see the gun,,,
I had trouble cocking the danged thing myself,,,
Then when I tried to dry fire it, I almost couldn't pull the trigger.

All three derringers in the counter were like this,,,
Incredibly difficult to cock,,,
very hard trigger pull.

I have fired a few NAA mini revolvers,,,
None of them were like the three derringers I tried.

Aarond
 
Unless you get one of the really crappy small derringers, there's no reason not to move to the 380s or 32 ACP small semis or the J frames.

The NAAs have reputation of working. The derringers are so-so. But they do work. Some folks like the really small 32 cal derringers as a last ditch BUG.
 
I had a Derringer in 357. It was O.K. & I shot mostly 38's in it. I don't sell/trade many guns but I did trade it on a Ruger Mark II 22. I just never had much actual use for the Derringer, though it was sorta cool. I find a small J frame S&W to be more useful at about the same weight.
 
I have a Cobra .22 WMR 2-shot derringer. I like it as a pocket gun. It's true that it has a heavy hammer and trigger, but that's for safety. It's a last ditch or 'surprise mr. badguy' type of gun only.
 
Why not a 2 ounce derringer in 600 Nitro?

Seriously, those derringers are just not for serious use. In any reasonable caliber, they are uncontrollable. I have seen one in .45 Colt actually fly out of the shooter's hand and land five feet away; I guess he figured on not needing a second shot. One in .410 should really fly.

Plus they are hard to cock and are notoriously unreliable. Failure to fire one barrel is a common complaint.

The tiny revolvers are small, hard to cock, hard to hold, and they usually have even less power.

There are probably a few deep cover situations where that kind of gun would be needed, but even there I think a good .25 auto would be better. For most folks, a J frame revolver or something like the Ruger LCP would be a much more sensible choice and would be almost as small (or perhaps smaller) than a derringer or a mini-revolver.

Jim
 
I would take a derringer over a NAA mini, probably in .38 special or 9mm so that it's somewhat controlable. The derringers I've seen haven't been that much smaller than a Kel Tec P32 though, which I think would be a much better choice.
 
The only time I ever fired in a dangerous situation was with a Davis 22m derringer[$50]. I also had a Firestar 45acp on my person, actually in my waistband in the small of my back.The tweeked out bad guy was about 20 feet away and had a small pocket knife.I had the derringer in my hand in my pocket, when he started toward me, I drew it and fired one shot which I thought was at least 6" above his head. I'm not sure but I think I took off a piece of his ear.Whatever he was on, wore off in a big hurry and he grabbed his girlfriend, jumped in his truck and high tailed it out of there.
 
I have a Davis derringer in 38 spl and had to spend alot of time working the sear and spring to lighten up the trigger pull. Started out at maybe 12-14lb pull and now have it down to around 5-7lb pull which makes it MUCH more shoot able. Haven't been able to come with the extra scratch for the NAA 22lr revolver and would like to have one. For us average folks both choices are close quarter guns.(belly guns)
 
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