Fun with the nameless derringer

This is the first gun that I made from scratch- a single-shot derringer in .45 ACP. Shooting full-power 45s through this gun is... um... 'exciting.' Normally when I take it out I shoot 5-10 rounds and that's enough. Over the years I've put 200-300 rounds through the gun. Last week I decided to spruce the gun up a bit, changed out the trigger, added some curves and contours and decided to restrict it to a diet of .450 Adams. With the lower-powered ammo it went from 'exciting' to 'fun!' Oh yeah, it kicks- but it's not brutal. Enough to let you know you're lobbing a big chunk of lead downrange without punishing you. I actually put fifty rounds through it this afternoon. The results were surprising- this target was shot at five yards-


Backing it up to seven yards produced this result-

Not bad for a pistol with no sights! The new trigger has worked out quite well, being smoother and with less creep than the original. It also doesn't stick out as far as the old one did. Cartridges were easy to remove, thanks to the nail-nick in the right side of the chamber, though two stuck enough that a gentle application of a cleaning rod was required to get them moving. I think I'll probably be shooting this gun quite a bit more in the future. I'm almost tempted to add sights...

Huh. Just realized that while I name a lot of the guns I have modified extensively I've never named on of the ones that I made from scratch... I think this one needs a name. Any thoughts?

kozak6 said:

That almost reminds me of the old Jaco derringers. Is it patterned on one of those, or is it an original design? Jake might be suitable for a Jaco inspired pistol.

Or perhaps Adam? Or is that too obvious? Or does it need to be a female name?

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No, this is an original design; never heard of the Jaco. Have to look that one up!. Adam seems a little on the nose.

So far I'm liking 'Cyclops'

WestKentucky said:

How does the latch work? Is is a spring loaded L that pivots?

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It's difficult to explain- here's a picture of the latch open and closed-

I refer to this as the 'Little Picasso Guy' latch...