Black Powder Derringers ?

[blarby]

Ok, time to do a little milling about...

Anyone own any BP derringers ?

Specifically, I'm looking for a two-shot rifled bore.


I'm sure someone has one, or knows where they could be had ?

 

[44 Dave]

Have a .41 rimfire Remington, but only a half box of bullets left.
You're probably asking about a muzzle loader.

 

[Joe Demko]

Years back, I briefly owned a side-by-side percussion derringer built from a kit. I think the kit was sold as "The Snakeyes. " It was rather minimally entertaining and I sold or traded it off pretty quickly.



Here's a picture of one. The first few shots were fun; the poor accuracy and low power pretty quickly caused me to lose interest. I don't know if they are still sold in kit form, but assembled examples turn up on the auction sites from time to time if you really want one.

 

[mec]

Snake eyes is the only loose change double derringer I know about. single shots do have their charm-though limited range shootability.
This is a Pedersoli Screw Barrel pistol fairly common in England and Belgium according to the ads. The english call it a screw off pistol. It is small and delicate

These, or something similar asr still available in kit form. Johnny Bates did a nice job on this one.
[

It's kind of like the fairly new Pedersoli Derringer that appears to be high quality but is getting mixed reviews. The old Palmetton Lincoln Derringer was a piece of junk.

 

[Skinny 1950]

This is not a Derringer but here in Canada we are not allowed to own handguns with barrels less than 4 1/4 inches if they are of modern manufacture.
.45 cal. rifled barrels... it needs some work.
Most of the boot pistols/muff pistols are smoothbore.

 

[WesternGuns]

Personally I own 2 Derringers :

- Derringer Vest Pocket of ARDESA (TRADITIONS FIREARMS). Caliber 31. All brass-made. I'm shooting at 15 Grains with Hornady bullet 315. This is not for the precision but it's so fun!! I bought it 86€ (120$US).


- This one is the Philadelphia Derringer in caliber 45 from ARDESA. Nice looke with all maple finish. With the big barrel, you can shot some heavy load of blackpowder (30 Grains). You got a lot of fun and a not bad shooting result at 10 meters (33 feet). I bought it 110€ (150$US).

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I shoot .45 ACP loaded with BP from my O/U derringer... does that count?

LD

 

[blarby]

Thanks for your pics guys ! Very informative !

 

[Joe Demko]

It seems Dixie Gun Works still carries Snake Eyes kits.
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=869
At $155, I'm going to advise against one, unless it is really, really important to have a double barrel black powder derringer.

 

[mec]

there is a similar single barrel brass derringer somewhere at Dixie. The best thing about it was the review one of the customers wrote."....buy one for your grandkid when he's way too young. It will really *****off his parents."

 

[mec]

that back-action double is pretty interesting.

 

[Joe Demko]

I thought so, too, until I did some actual shooting.

 

[mec]

that is sometimes happens with camel-tooth epistemology. I wonder if the uber -expensive Pedersoli Howdah Pistol would be likewise a fizzle. They seem to keep them in stock at Cabelas.

 

[robhof]

robhof

Wow, Skinny, that brings back memories; I had one of those in the mid 60's. Does yours have one side that has a much stronger trigger pull than the other? I usually shot mine with the easy pull side, as my shots were always pulled toward the hard to pull side, as a teen I didn't have any idea of how to lighten it without causing an irreversible problem, and no sources of info like today.

 

[hartcreek]

I have an Ethan Allen Pepperbox in .36 cal that works well.

http://www.possibleshop.com/pistol-classic-arms-kits.html

Has the kits

 

[ZVP]

I have a Philadelphia that looks pretty powerfull (haven't shot it yet)
Frankilly, I feel safer with a .38 cartrige remington type. The Cartrige is a good one, the barrels are sealed with no air gap to jump over like a revolver.
Therefore the remington double in .38 Spec is about the minimum Card Table gun! Plenty of power for Card Table range! Not real easy to shoot acccuratelly so shoot for the torso.

 

[Kaeto]

I have the Snake Eyes one. I put a brass trigger guard on it instead of the steel one that comes in the kit, and wood grips instead of the plastic ones.

 

[kBob]

I occasionally see a "Twister" show up on GB. It was a two shot with the barrels set on a thing like a cylinder pin and one fired the top barrel then twisted the barrels to rotate the bottom to the top and fired it. Handled but never shot one.

I have a couple of the Ace single shots pictured in the add a few posts up, one smooth and one rifles but without sights what difference does it make?

I would like to see someone make replicas of Henry Deringer's mid sized guns. Think something like the common "Lincoln" derringers but with a slightly taller and longer stock and barrel twice as long.

-kBob

 

[Kaeto]

I'd love to have one of the 'Ace' guns. I had a 'Twister' and never could get it to fire. Took me a year of hand filing to get the tool marks off the barrel.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Got a 31 Cal Butler at a yard sale
Lady thought it was a toy gun
Which Imo it is sort of

 

[blarby]

Cute ! Lol

 

[chuckr1952]

Hoppe's 36 cal , not rifled , made in the 70's .

 

[blarby]

Thats pretty slick right there !

I can't tell- maybe someone can school me.... Does that pepperbox have rifled bores, or smooth ?

 

[Kaeto]

Smooth bore and I think you have to manually rotate the barrels

 

[forward observer]

Is this the Dixie derringer that was mentioned? I got this little .41 cal engraved brass model at Dixie Gunworks back in the late 1970's
and I don't think they've carried it for years.

It came in a case made to look like an old book with the title "Mississippi River Law". Being made of cardboard the case didn't hold up long.

After the novelty of shooting the pistol a few times wore off, I mounted it along with some antique poker chips and cards on velvet in a picture frame. It's just held up with straight pins, so it'll still shoot.

I have since moved it to a shadow box, so I don't have to dust it--lol