I bought this at the Salem Gun Show last weekend. It is an American Derringer Co. chambered in 9mm which I have been told is kind of rare. I took it to the range and discovered it kicks like a mule and has about a 30 pound trigger pull. After dry firing it quite a bit the trigger pull seems to be loosening up a bit. Has anyone had any experience with one of these????
Thanks,
Steve

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Steve

I have a Davis derringer in .38 Special; nickel finish with black grips. The trigger pull is easily over 15 pounds, maybe 20, and recoil is barely manageable with such a small grip. It's really a gun I would only carry if I had NO other options.

We shot a bunch of these at the first End of Trail match. The real trick was trying to get it to fire with that trigger, not so much hitting the target. The winner of the side match was given one of the guns. We thought we were bending the frames before they would go off. At the end of the match, I won one in a raffle. As I recall, it would of cost about twenty bucks to do the paperwork and wait 21 days to take posession. I never did go after it.

If I'm not mistaken, these were made in all kinds of chamberings. I had a friend who had one a few years ago in 45 Long Colt. It was more comfortable to shoot than the .357 . . .

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Qui plantavit curabit

I used to carry one,then but I gave up playing cards in saloons...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I used to have one, except it was made by Cobra Enterprises out of Utah. It was also a 9mm, not very common. And yes, they kick like mules!

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Misty

I had a Bond Arms. It is alot better made than the cheap ones. It was a .45 lc .410 shotgun. I didn't think it was that bad to shoot.


snakeman

When I was shooting SASS back in '89-'96 (Denver Dick, SASS 794), I had one of these in .38 Spl. for awhile. Keep in mind that they are made to shoot center mass across a poker table 2-10 feet. At the time, the ones from Waco, Tx were much better than most others available, but maybe not anymore. I recall the trigger being a bit stiff, but not like some of the descriptions here. FWIW

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1st Signal Brigade, RVN '70

About 20 years ago I found that it was difficult shooting a 5 foot rattlesnake in my deer blind using a Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag. So, I picked up something like your derringer but with a black finish and made by Davis Industries in caliber .22 mag.
In the last 20 years I have left it in the bed of a pickup truck sliding around for a year or two, left it in a tackle box half full of salt water, lost it in a plowed field and found it the next spring, still loaded as well as carried it in my hip pocket in South Texas while sweating like a big dog for years.
It always goes bang when I pull the trigger. Even after spraying brake free inside it and watching the rusty liquid flow out. T rigger pull was nothing to write home about but has lightened up after it spent the winter in the plowed field. I have never taken it apart, though, but suspect it could be cleaned up and lightened with a little judicious honing.
I usually keep one chamber with a hollowpoint and one with a shot shell but then I forget which one is supposed to fire first.
I think I paid $39.95 for it but it was a long time ago.

Dan R

dan that little pistol sounds like it has been there done that and back for more, seems like it was built pretty well any chance of a picture for the testimony of how tough these things are?

Mine is one of the expensive ones. New they cost over $350.00 in almost any chambering you want. They are built one at a time by order. No mass production. I paid $240.00 OTD for mine. Saw another one today for $247.00 plus tax, call in, etc. The trigger is definitely getting better. It is all stainless steel.
Steve

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Steve

I had one a few years back.. a model #7 I think?
light weight aluminum frame chambered in .44 special
it was a good 14 second gun,, (you yanked the trigger back and had fourteen seconds to move before it fell back to earth....)
sold it to one of the local sheriffs as a back up weapon...
he said he loved it,,but I don't think he ever fired it....