Fast rewind to the late 1960s. It was a time of civil strife, with the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and with riots in L.A. There were certain sections of my city that I had to drive through every day at odd hours, and I was not comfortable not having some means of self-protection other than my fists. About that time I acquired this little High Standard double derringer in .22 long rifle. I carried it in an inside-the-pants clip-on holster at the 11:00 position, and routinely draped a shirt over it. It wasn't much, but it gave me peace of mind.

I practiced with it quite often, and found that I could actually hit things with it out to about 25 yards by staging the trigger so that the final let-off was roughly equivalent to a single action feel. Of course, close up, the DAO feature was all one would need to inflict some damage.

The little gun was flat, light, and no one ever knew that I carried it. Still, it was there, just in case. Thank God I never had to display or employ it. It's retired now, just a memento of years gone by. Glancing at it now brings back a flood of memories of a tough time for America.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I have the .22 mag nickel version. Mine isn't in anywhere near as good condition as yours. Gift from my wife in '77. I carried it as a BUG for a number of years. I couldn't hit anything at any distance but it would do the job close in.

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SWCA #1917

Nice derringer.

Well said. In keeping with your namesake, you merely reversed the motto - you traveled and had gun. Which now rests easy, its missions complete.

Cheers and Regards,

Dyson

The way things are going, I wouldn't stash it too deep. You may need it again.

I had one in .22 WMR too. Not a bad last ditch weapon.

Drew

I gave one like that to my daughter years ago. Dont know if she still has it.

I remember those. AIR, there made a little holster that looked like a wallet but had a cut-out for the trigger so you could shoot through the holster. I have heard the ATFE ruled the holster as a AOW, requiring federal approval and a $5 tax stamp!

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Old paratrooper in NC

Interesting.
I have two friends who have each made one-shot kills in self defense with that exact same derringer.

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John

I bought one in '71. Nickel 22mag
Never worked right, misfired. H/S wouldn't fix it, so I sold it.
Bought a Colt 1911 made in '18 w/100 rds ammo and 3 mags from a co-worker for the $50.
A little tougher to hide but it worked all the time.

The H/S was a nice idea,,but not if it didn't work.

I had one in .22 mag. They were popular LEO bugs back in the late 60's and early 70's.

I have one in 22mag that was and continues to be the most expensive gun in the collection. It is the one my wife had before we were married that was her carry pc. I might add , it was absolutely the best way to add another gun to the battery. My wife of 36+ years now carries a S&W 642. She always said , that when she told me that she carried her own pistol , she could tell a proposal was coming shortly. She was right.

Always liked them in the day but somehow never got one. Finally got a blue .22 LR about a year ago to scratch the itch. Not much horsepower but way ahead of nothing!

I believe some of that general design were made in .38 Special but were not a commercial success. If HS had run with the idea it might have flown.

Neat little guns in any event.

I can't remember the man's name but there was a well known Florida LEO
who was called upon to go into a hostage situation where two bad guys held a number of hostages. He was told to come in unarmed & they would negotiate only with him. He went in with one of these derringers in his shirt pocket & ended up killing both bad guys. They are a lot better than nothing IMO.
Regards,
turnerriver

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turnerriver