Have you ever owned a Derringer?

[GF]

I was reading an article in November's issue of Guns magazine about derringers and realized that's one gun I've never owned.

The Bond Arms derringer is the topic of the article and they seem to be a high quality gun. You can get them in a lot of different chamberings and they have a flat profile for easy conciealment. Seems like they are a heavy little gun.

So my question is what "niche" does a two shot derringer fill that can't be done with a different handgun? A small semi-auto is just as flat and has a higher round count. I guess the .410 ones would be in a class all to themselves, as would a little .22.

Do you like 'em or not?

GF

 

[Frizzman]

I have had a couple of them. They were very good quality and were fun to play with. Practical use was not why I got them. I found them to be a good deal heavier and more bulky than my J frame S&W's and other guns I own that can fire more than two shots before needing to reload. They are also relatively slow to reload. I wasn't able to hit very well with them beyond very close range, perhaps 15-20 feet. They were certainly not my first choice for personal defense. Then again, you might find one useful.

 

[ralph7]

i don't like them.
in my hand they feel very awkward and cocking them w/one hand is somewhat difficult for me because of the small size.
they are fat and weird, but do come in some impressive calibers.
for a small carry gun i have my seecamps, which fit in my back pocket out of the way.

 

[NKJ nut]

I was reading an article in November's issue of Guns magazine about derringers and realized that's one gun I've never owned.

The Bond Arms derringer is the topic of the article and they seem to be a high quality gun. You can get them in a lot of different chamberings and they have a flat profile for easy conciealment. Seems like they are a heavy little gun.

So my question is what "niche" does a two shot derringer fill that can't be done with a different handgun? A small semi-auto is just as flat and has a higher round count. I guess the .410 ones would be in a class all to themselves, as would a little .22.

Do you like 'em or not?

GF

There isn't anything that a Derringer can do that other handguns can't do better. I have had a few but now I only have one, a High Standard in 22 LR.

 

[310nightguard]

I have a Bond Arms Snake Slayer IV 410/45 LC

They are built like tanks, nicely finished and very cool. They are also big, heavy, pricey and only carry two shots.
The nice thing is that you can carry birdshot, buckshot, slugs or 45LC cartridges and use it for a variety of different tasks. If the two shots dont do the job, you could sure as heck beat the devil out of someone with it, it is a big chunk of solid stainless steel.

The most practical application that I can see is for (as the name implies) snake dispatch at close range.

They do get a lot of attention on the range.

 

[gunlovingirl]

I owned a 9mm Cobra. I mainly carried it when driving to and from Michigan during the night. It can be a little "un-nerving" at rest stops at 2 a.m. I usually keep my purse in the trunk when travelling, and the derringer was easy to conceal when I had to make a pee stop. But....it wasn't fun to shoot! I sold it and now carry something else.

 

[walnutred]

i don't like them.
in my hand they feel very awkward and cocking them w/one hand is somewhat difficult for me because of the small size.
they are fat and weird, but do come in some impressive calibers.
for a small carry gun i have my seecamps, which fit in my back pocket out of the way.

You need to learn how to cock a derringer properly. Don't use your thumb, you use the web of your shooting hand. It's more of a squeezing motion than a cocking motion. You put the hamer in the web of your hand between thumb and index finger, then kinda squeeze the butt of the derringer up with you pinky and whatever the finger next to the pinky is called. This rotated the derringer so it ends up cocked and pointing at whatever you index finger would have been pointing at.

At least that's how my Grandmother taught me to do it and it works very well. With the advent of small 32 and 380 semi autos the derringer is kind of obsolete, but they do carry nicely in a watch pocket.

 

[deadin]

Years ago I had one in 45 Colt. (Maverick??) Well made, awkward and a real pain to shoot.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I used to have a High Standard DM101 in .22 Mag. It couldn't hit a paper plate at a few paces, the bullets key holed very badly.

Some people call the NAA Minis "Derringers", which they really aren't, they're just small SA revolvers. Had one of those two, it also keyholed with the .22 Mag cylinder in place.

I still have a Bond Arms and an American Derringer Model 1. The Bond is .45 Colt/.410 2.5", the one with the trigger guard. You can swap the barrels out on a Bond and make it any caliber they offer though. The ADC is in 9mm.

The ADC came to me essentially new in the box. I traded my Bersa .380 for it straight across during the height of the .380 shortage. I still think I got the better part of that deal. The prior owner had purchased the ADC back in the early 90s, fired it twice to make sure it worked, and then put it away.

Some women have found - in both the modern and ye olden eras - that they can stash derringers in their cleavage/bras or on their thighs. Since they lay flatter than a revolver, they arguably work better than a J frame for this.

The Bond probably weighs as much as a steel J frame. It could probably also work well just to smack someone upside the head with.

I traded into mine after the day I stepped on a big brown spider outside that seemed as large as my hand. It was so big that I gave fleeting thought to shooting it, but the .38 snub in my pocket seemed inappropriate. There after my Bond, loaded with game loads, became my "spider as big as my hand" gun.

 

[BE Mike]

I had a Hi Standard in .22 magnum back in the day. I used it as a BUG. It kept me comfortable on some of those long and lonely nights. The only issue I had with mine was that mine was nickel plated and the plating flaked off. I sent it back for refinishing and never had a problem after that. I still think it would have a place. I can't believe that it was never resurrected in stainless steel.

 

[jj2am44]

I have a Davis 22 LR. Has been in the safe since i got it from my dad.

 

[turnerriver]

I have a High Standard that I sometimes put in my pocket.
I remember reading about a legendary Florida cop
that went into a prison hostage situation with 2 prisoners
holding a number of hostages. The cop knew the bad
guys & was allowed in unarmed to negotiate.He put
a High Standard 2 shot .22 derringer in his shirt pocket
& ended up killing both of them.That is legendary in my
book.
Regards,
turnerriver
SWCA # 1426

 

[feralmerril]

I had two. A original remington .41 rf in good shape and a Hi=standard 22 lr I gave my daughter'

 

[amd6547]

I had a Davis 32acp derringer for a while...It was tiny, chrome-plated, and made a big bang...even did ok at 25yds. And, with the chrome plate, those two muzzles sure looked big.
I carried it many times in a home made pocket holster I made out of cardboard and duct tape...This was before pocket holster were common...It was just supposed to be a mock-up to try out, but I ended up using it for a year and a half! Sold it with the gun.

 

[jimmyj]

I have owned three:
1. Great Western 38spl - able to keep both shots in the "Kill"zone of a B-27 target at 25yds. (in 1964)

2. Maverick .45colt (in 1966) never fired it (Wimp Man)

3. High Standard .22mag. unable to hit side of barn standing inside barn with the barn door closed.

 

[Frailer]

...
Some people call the NAA Minis "Derringers", which they really aren't, they're just small SA revolvers. Had one of those two, it also keyholed with the .22 Mag cylinder in place...

My NAA mini revolver didn't have a problem keyholing, but mine was .22LR only.

I now own a NAA Black Widow that is my "I don't want to carry a gun" gun, and I'm surprised at how accurate it is. Keeping all five rounds within a four inch circle at seven yards offhand isn't a problem, and I've not noticed any keyholing at that range.

To answer the OP's question, I've never owned a derringer. IMHO they're a firearm whose time has passed; there are much better options available these days.

 

[NFrameFred]

Had more than one High Standard in 22 mag.

Not exactly made for target work, I found that by bearing down I could keep my shots in the torso of a B27 target at 15 to 20 yards pretty consistently. The trick was to lay my index finger along the barrel and use the middle finger to pull the trigger (not recommended if your digit exceeds the length that would extend it past the barrel ). The design lends itself to the notion though that it's available when one doesn't appear dressed to be armed (think 'beach') and will likely be used at arms length/contact distances.

The main strength of the High Standard was it is truly a very concealable back up or 'deep cover' gun because it was so small and flat. And a 22 mag makes a nasty wound and can be quite effective.

The slick "wallet holsters" that used to be made for it were perfect until in goobermental Brady 'wisdom' the BATF decided to classify the holster akin to a machine gun or other dangerous weapon, thus making them illegal to carry.

Two quick hits from a 22 mag at arms length to any sizable portion of the body of an attacker is not going unnoticed . . . .

 

[Farmer17]

I had a Chrome Davis .32 derringer I bought in about 1993 brand new, at a gun store for under 50 bucks. It had an effective range of maybe 15 feet and the bullets keyholed much beyond that distance, and its grip only had room for one finger and its trigger pull was ridiculously heavy. With all the negatives it had a few good points. It was perfectly reliable since there isn't much to go wrong, so I had confidence in its ability to always fire, and it was small enough to go up a sleeve or in a tiny space that even a .25 auto wouldn't fit, and it had much more power than a .22 or .25 caliber pistol. It was cheap enough so if lost, stolen, or thrown away it was no more of a loss than eating at a bad restaraunt. I sold it for $80 and now that I think about it, I kinda miss it, and I see the same gun today under the Cobra name at Academy for nearly $200!!

 

[PALADIN85020]

I've owned this little High Standard .22 LR derringer for a long, long time. With care in sighting and a staged trigger pull, it can be more than adequately accurate out to a surprising distance. It still will do for a discrete back up gun.

John

 

[sjmjax]

Been a little leery of Derringers since this little tragedy at my gym.

A couple that regularly worked out apparently carried a derringer, model and caliber unknown to me, in their gym bag. One afternoon the gal was rummaging through the bag for some piece of gym gear and .... BANG! Shot herself right through the heart. DRT in a large pool of blood.

I'm sure the circumstances were unusual. Gun not properly holstered or cased and how it got cocked or if it they stored it that way is not known. But those exposed spur hammers worry me.

Nice couple and quite the tragedy for all concerned. Was rough on those who witnessed it as well.