Bond Arms

aaaaa said:
^ I can see I will want/need new grips when I get my Roughneck.



You mean a barrel dedicated to .38 Special with no provision for .357 Magnum so it has more rifling? That is a good idea. The narrower Stinger frame would easily handle the .38 Special.
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Those are Altamont extended grips; def help with grip.
 
aaaaa said:
You mean a barrel dedicated to .38 Special with no provision for .357 Magnum so it has more rifling?
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.38 only, yes, but the extra .1 inch of rifling is insignificant. I have both .357 and .38 revolvers. For me there's a certain, for lack of a better term, romance about a .38. I have more fondness for my S&W model 10 and 15 than for my Model 27, 28, and 686. The same applies to my 642 vs 360. .38 just seems particularly right for a derringer. I have a 2.5" rough series and a 6" matte finish barrel in .357. I'd be just as happy if they were .38 only.
 
Old_Grouch said:
.38 only, yes, but the extra .1 inch of rifling is insignificant. I have both .357 and .38 revolvers. For me there's a certain, for lack of a better term, romance about a .38. I have more fondness for my S&W model 10 and 15 than for my Model 27, 28, and 686. The same applies to my 642 vs 360. .38 just seems particularly right for a derringer. I have a 2.5" rough series and a 6" matte finish barrel in .357. I'd be just as happy if they were .38 only.
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.38 would make more sense for fun shooting, but I am fixated on those huge bores of the .45! May have to have both barrels.
 
Old_Grouch said:
.38 only, yes, but the extra .1 inch of rifling is insignificant. I have both .357 and .38 revolvers. For me there's a certain, for lack of a better term, romance about a .38. I have more fondness for my S&W model 10 and 15 than for my Model 27, 28, and 686. The same applies to my 642 vs 360. .38 just seems particularly right for a derringer. I have a 2.5" rough series and a 6" matte finish barrel in .357. I'd be just as happy if they were .38 only.
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On my list is a fuller sized .357 mag revolver. I think it’s excessive and also doesn’t reach its potential in snubbies and BA’s (except maybe the 4 inch +). Airweight snubbies? Oh hell no o_O. Any reasonably powerful .38 is plenty in an airweight. I have a 642 and 637 FYI.
 
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Old_Grouch said:
I said I have a 360; I never said I've shot it. If I do it won't be with .357s. My .38 loads are a 158grn cast SWC that averages 850 FPS on my chrono. That pretty well pegs my fun meter in an alloy J Frame.
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I have a 605 Taurus and have shot 180 hardcast 357s from it , but it weights 24 oz. I would like an airweight 357. Carry often shoot little....
 
Old_Grouch said:
I said I have a 360; I never said I've shot it. If I do it won't be with .357s. My .38 loads are a 158grn cast SWC that averages 850 FPS from a 4" on my chrono. That pretty well pegs my fun meter in an alloy J Frame.
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Yeah stout .38’s are plenty in an airweight. I can shoot the normal +p rounds. The Buffalo Bore/Underwood ones are a lot out of my airweights. I have shot maybe 20 of those. Buffalo Bore calls those ‘.357 lite.’
 
i only shoot 357 out of a ruger blackhawk. i tried 357 once out of a b.a. and never again: unpleasant and inaccurate. i prefer my handguns to be reasonably pleasant so that i will practice enough to become reasonably accurate, which is the point of carrying a handgun anyway, eh.
 
I checked out some You Tube videos on various caliber Bond Derringers and notices some said the trigger guard was banging their finger on the .45 ACP. Well that sounds like Seacamp. However, the trigger guard is removable on these (but not so on the Stinger). I would get the .45Colt/.410 Rowdy but for shooting .45 Colt you get a measly 1/2-inch of rifling. No wonder I saw reports of key holing on that one. Yep, best to stick with the .45 ACP. It is a fairly large gun and if need be, the larger grip will resolve any issues with recoil. Or just wear a glove during practice. Yeah, I was getting a little spooked on the .45 ACP but there are women shooting them on You Tube with no issues (smaller hands so probably not getting trigger guard bash).

However, Hickok45 did not like the .45 ACP and basically says if you want to enjoy the gun, go with the .38 Special. Wise man, maybe I will take his advice. Can always get a .45 ACP at a later date if I really feel the need/desire, and a longer barrel might mitigate some of the recoil.

As for the ejector on the .38 Special. I see a screw, so presumably the ejector could be removed to simplify removal of the spent cases. However, it is also chambered for the .357 Magnum, so that pinches the rifling down to a little over an inch.

But as far as maximizing rifling, which presumably will help accuracy, 9mm and .380 are the best, and since I already have a nice stock of 9mm, that would be a good way to go. With 9mm I get 1.75 inches of rifling.
 
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So out of five LGS two have Derringers. One has a used Standard in .22 asking $400, way too much!

Another has two Roughnecks, a .38/357 for $345 and a .45 ACP for $355. No way, the prices listed at Bond Arms are both under $300. Forget those guys, I can order the Roughneck through my closest LGS and they said it would cost me $280!

I think I should go with the 9mm.

Could also get the Stinger as it has the thinner frame and comes in both .380 and 9mm, though that would limit my future barrel selection. The Stinger would be way better for carry (backup), though I don't think that is what I would do with a Derringer.

Interesting with the Stinger is you get a 3-inch barrel and gun is 4.5 inches long. Roughneck is 4.5 inches long with the 2.5-inch barrel. I am thinking the Stinger is the way to go.
 
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aaaaa said:
So out of five LGS two have Derringers. One has a used Standard in .22 asking $400, way too much!

Another has two Roughnecks, a .38/357 for $345 and a .45 ACP for $355. No way, the prices listed at Bond Arms are both under $300. Forget those guys, I can order the Roughneck through my closest LGS and they said it would cost me $280!

I think I should go with the 9mm.

Could also get the Stinger as it has the thinner frame and comes in both .380 and 9mm, though that would limit my future barrel selection. The Stinger would be way better for carry (backup), though I don't think that is what I would do with a Derringer.

Interesting with the Stinger is you get a 3-inch barrel and gun is 4.5 inches long. Roughneck is 4.5 inches long with the 2.5-inch barrel. I am thinking the Stinger is the way to go.
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The Roughneck/Rowdy weight a fair bit more than the Stinger. Recoil will be more that is why they sell them in 380 & 9mm.
Narrower and shorter frames are how they shave off weight. I would like to handle a Stinger. For now I will stick with my pocket shotgun (Rowdy)...
 
aaaaa said:
So out of five LGS two have Derringers. One has a used Standard in .22 asking $400, way too much!

Another has two Roughnecks, a .38/357 for $345 and a .45 ACP for $355. No way, the prices listed at Bond Arms are both under $300. Forget those guys, I can order the Roughneck through my closest LGS and they said it would cost me $280!

I think I should go with the 9mm.

Could also get the Stinger as it has the thinner frame and comes in both .380 and 9mm, though that would limit my future barrel selection. The Stinger would be way better for carry (backup), though I don't think that is what I would do with a Derringer.

Interesting with the Stinger is you get a 3-inch barrel and gun is 4.5 inches long. Roughneck is 4.5 inches long with the 2.5-inch barrel. I am thinking the Stinger is the way to go.
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It depends on use. If for carry I’d say the aluminum stinger for lighter weight. The all steel ones are quite heavy for size. If for fun and the 40 odd barrel interchangeability, roughneck/polished stainless steel ones.
 
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aaaaa said:
I checked out some You Tube videos on various caliber Bond Derringers and notices some said the trigger guard was banging their finger on the .45 ACP. Well that sounds like Seacamp. However, the trigger guard is removable on these (but not so on the Stinger). I would get the .45Colt/.410 Rowdy but for shooting .45 Colt you get a measly 1/2-inch of rifling. No wonder I saw reports of key holing on that one. Yep, best to stick with the .45 ACP. It is a fairly large gun and if need be, the larger grip will resolve any issues with recoil. Or just wear a glove during practice. Yeah, I was getting a little spooked on the .45 ACP but there are women shooting them on You Tube with no issues (smaller hands so probably not getting trigger guard bash).

However, Hickok45 did not like the .45 ACP and basically says if you want to enjoy the gun, go with the .38 Special. Wise man, maybe I will take his advice. Can always get a .45 ACP at a later date if I really feel the need/desire, and a longer barrel might mitigate some of the recoil.

As for the ejector on the .38 Special. I see a screw, so presumably the ejector could be removed to simplify removal of the spent cases. However, it is also chambered for the .357 Magnum, so that pinches the rifling down to a little over an inch.

But as far as maximizing rifling, which presumably will help accuracy, 9mm and .380 are the best, and since I already have a nice stock of 9mm, that would be a good way to go. With 9mm I get 1.75 inches of rifling.
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Honestly, I'm with Hickock. I think a lot of people who haven't fired the derringers underestimate how much felt recoil there is with heavier calibers (.357, .45, .410, etc). Not much grip, small size, etc. That doesn't mean they are a bad choice. But, the 9mm already has a reasonable amount of recoil to it, in stainless steel. .38 or 9mm are great choices as a result. Enough power to defend, but manageable. Also, I doubt most people are firing the heavy caliber derringers often. BAs take practicing with a good 100-200 rounds out of them to begin to shoot somewhat accurately at 5-7 yards.

Or, start with one barrel then buy an alt one in .45. That requires a non-Stinger currently.
 
Old_Grouch said:
I don't see how that would simplify removing fired cases.
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Well supposedly it is easier to pull them out with the fingernail or the base of a round (the next one you are going to load if not in a speed loader) and the extractor might get in the way.
 
Welp, I ordered my Bond Derringer. I finally went with the Rowdy .45 Colt/ .410 because,

1. I shot a box of 180 grain cowboy loads out of my Charter Arms .45 Colt and it was pretty mild shooting.

2. The guy behind the counter has the Rowdy and likes it a lot. He is smaller framed than me, and has smaller hands. My only issue might be if I get trigger guard bang and that can be dealt with by removing the guard.

I really like the .45 Colt and also would have settled for a .44 Special, but they cost a lot to get there.

I wish they would have the gun without the barrel and you select the barrel--make your own combination. They could charge a little premium for that service and I think they would have more satisfied customers. If the barrels are all interchangeable (Stinger aside) then why not?
 
This is a good demo of the Rowdy. He starts shooting at 5:55 with shot shells, then at 8:20 shoots the .45 Colt cowboy loads. The .410 has more recoil and a little uncomfortable to shoot, but the cowboy .45 Colts are easy shooting, fun. So I am glad I went with the Rowdy and can't wait to try it at the range.
 
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