derringer

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fallout mike

fallout mike

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What do you guys think about the cobra derringers for a pocket gun? I know bond arms is the best but im not spending that for a derringer. I know cobra is generally call junk but what can go wrong with one of these? Also what caliber would be good in one of these? I believe you can buy different caliber barrels very a very reasonable price. I used to have one years ago in. 38 special. And I def want a derringer and not a small keltec or anything else. Any personal experiences you can share would be great. Thx
 
I bought a Cobra Derringer in 9MM and shot it maybe 10 times. The trigger pull was so hard I had to use both hand's index fingers to pull the trigger. This alone made it useless for self defense. I suggest you try the one you are going to buy before you buy it.
 
Yup.

A gunsmith can reduce the pull with a trigger job, but doing that will most likely void the warranty.

It may be that some/most Cobras are that hard to pull, but I have shot one in .22 Mag that was fine. Depends on the derringer. If you are gonna buy a new gun, IMHO, it should be acceptable right out of the box and not require additional expense.

I still say, try the one you're buying before you buy. The one you settle on may be a sweetheart.
 
The trigger pull is not straight back. Thats where most people have the problem. It goes back and down. It pivots a lot.
 
What do you guys think about the cobra derringers for a pocket gun?
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I've owned 2 Davis' and one Cobra (2 in .22WMR and on in .38 Special). All three crapola as a defensive arm.* Neat little zippers for plinking though and I can't argue with them as a fun gun.

* To cock the hammer takes serious effort, the trigger pull was horrendous, and accuracy sucked so bad I can't even begin to describe it.
 
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Any body ever purchased different caliber barrels? I know if it's a small bore then you can get .22lr, .22 mag, .32mag which also shoots. 32 long & maybe a couple more. If its a big bore then you can get .357/.38, .410/.45, 9mm, .380 & maybe a couple more. I believe they are only like $80 each or so & you can buy packages which come with all calibers for either large or small bore that makes them end up only costing around $50 each. Seems like a versatile little gun that you can put in your pocket and not even notice it being there bc of its small size. I know its only a 10ft gun or so but it would would be really handy, lightweight, and slip in your pocket about the size of your key ring.
 
I own a Cobra in .38 Special and it's not the recoil that makes it a bad SD weapon, it's the trigger pull. The pull must be around 20 lbs so it's extremely hard to shoot well. I do like plating with it at the range though!

DSCN2404s.jpg
 
Sounds like the only issue people have with them is the trigger pull. I have a uncle that is a gunsmith. So free trigger job from him. Im still hoping somebody has bought different barrels for theirs that can tell me how that went.
 
KenW nailed it. The derringer's trigger pull is not a back motion; the pivot works such that you pull down, directly away from the barrel. This is a sort of trigger pull "safety" if you will, and once you get the little trick of it the pull is not totally uncontrollable. That said, a 9mm derringer hurt me personally like getting punched in the hand - but at the same time this type of weapon is something you'd endure in a "have to shoot" rather than "want to shoot" situation. I don't think the Cobras are junk necessarily, but there are plenty of other options with more capacity and better control without gaining too much size and weight.
 
I agree the 9mm is very uncomfortable because the 9mm has a hard snap to it. While the .38 Special has just as much recoil it's a different kind of recoil without that sharp snap to it.

As for the barrel changes, I think the replacement barrels will work just fine while the barrel sets will probably work better but that's only a guess. (sorry I don't know first hand) I was always wanting to buy a barrel or 2 just to give it a try but never seem to get around to it...
 
Swami, I just really want a derringer. Maybe ill get a small bore with a couple of different barrels. I don't want a lot of recoil. I just had another surgery on my right elbow yesterday. My days of shooting heavy recoil guns are over. My elbow can't handle it and wont ever be able to again.
 
fallout mike said:
Swami, I just really want a derringer. Maybe ill get a small bore with a couple of different barrels. I don't want a lot of recoil. I just had another surgery on my right elbow yesterday. My days of shooting heavy recoil guns are over. My elbow can't handle it and wont ever be able to again.
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A friend has a .22 Magnum small bore and it has little to no recoil to speak of but it's VERY loud.
 
Swami said:
KenW nailed it. The derringer's trigger pull is not a back motion; the pivot works such that you pull down, directly away from the barrel. This is a sort of trigger pull "safety" if you will, and once you get the little trick of it the pull is not totally uncontrollable. That said, a 9mm derringer hurt me personally like getting punched in the hand - but at the same time this type of weapon is something you'd endure in a "have to shoot" rather than "want to shoot" situation. I don't think the Cobras are junk necessarily, but there are plenty of other options with more capacity and better control without gaining too much size and weight.
Click to expand...
This, I've never had one but have fired the .32acp version made by Davis once, it is the same gun built on the same machinery. If you pull towards the bottom of the trigger instead of the center you'll have a much lighter pull. Until I adapted to it the trigger felt like it was 20+ lbs.
 
The only deringer I ever owned was one of those Hi-Standard .22 magnum jobs, the one with the DA trigger. The trigger pull was so long and creepy that hitting anything beyond belly-button range was unlikely, but there was a good chance you could burn someone to death with one...
I would not carry one. Years ago, NRA testing of a number of Remington clones showed them extremely prone to firing if dropped.
Also, it's two shots and you're done. Two shots with a tiny, difficult to aim pistol.
For little more bulk, you can get a modern, safe, reliable pocket pistol in an effective caliber.
 
They are what they are; A last ditch defensive weapon to use at arm's length. I have two; a Davis .22 Mag and a Bond .410/45 Colt.

They are only intended to accurate to minute-of-gambler across the card table.:eek:
 
I have one in .38spl. I did a little trigger work and it's now managable, at best.
I'd trust it's accuracy for about 3 feet. Maybe 4. Probably not 5.
I don't carry it, but if I did it would be a backup to a backup. Maybe to a backup.
 
experience... the recoil is bad IMO, but the grips were the first thing to break under recoil. main problem is, its too small in my hand, and takes too long fiddling with the hammer and lining it up straight to be of any value in a SD scenarion that occurs within its practical range. That is, i'd not likely be able to draw, cock it, aim, and fire on a man who was already violent/ aggressive and inside of 7 yds. I'm not a big fan of ultra-small ultra-light DA revolvers, (or their ususal price tag), but they'd be far preferrable, IMO, if my life was at stake. YMMV.
 
Be careful what you do to improve the trigger pull. If the Davis works like the American Derringer I had, it is the strong hammer spring that holds the safety button in place. I lightened springs for CAS and the hammer would bump off the safety allowing the hammer to rest on the firing pin. Just saying.
 
I think for a pocket gun, any derringer is about a pound too heavy, and holds at least 3 or more less shots then a good lighter pocket gun should and will hold.

Not to mention it is not drop safe without the safety on, and then you have to cock it manually to get of one shot.
Then readjust your grip to cock it again to get off the other shot.

And then you are out of shots, and are holding a pretty inefficient little club.

Buy a small semi-auto, or a J-Frame 5-shot revolver.
If you are going to armed, at least go fairly well armed.

rc
 
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