Derringers

[Billy Sparks]

For whatever reason I know have a hankering for a derringer. Before anyone asks no this will not be used for self defenese I just have this desire to have one, maybe too many cowboy movies as a child? Anyway who makes a good one? Who should I avoid?

 

[scbair]

I have experience with American Derringer and several old "cheapies." I highly recommend the American Derringer models as high-quality products for "fun & games."

I highly recommend you AVOID the "cheapies" (new or older variants).

Someone will doubtless chime in re: Bond Arms. I simply have no experience with them, but have seen a lot of favorable comments on their models, too.

 

[oldgranpa]

some good, some bad

I have a few Cobra and Davis derringers in small calibers, .22 and .32. I wouldn't recommend these brands in higher calibers due to the construction.
I don't like Bond derringers, "bloody thumb gun" due to the barrel release clip on the wrong, right side. If you are right handed the recoil of a high caliber will drive your thumb into that clip.
I having trouble finding any American Derringers. Looking for one in 38spec+p. The Cobras are not recommended for +p.
Anybody seen any American Derringers recently, at a dealer, not on gunbroker?
og

 

[bubbygator]

American Derringer is the answer.... or if you want more than 2 shots, NAA in .22Mag. Personally, I have kept my NAA & sold my AD .45/410 because the AD trigger is VERY stiff, while the NAA action is very nice.

 

[P95Carry]

I chose NAA mini over derringer - BUT - the one downside in my view is - rimfire!! The 22 mag is certainly useful - if it goes off! I let someone fire mine at shoot on Saturday - Legionnaire IIRC - the first or second round failed.!! Of course not too long a job to move to next cyl - still four shots.

So maybe still worth considering good derringers too - and if I did I think I'd go for one of the doubles that take the 410 mag shell.

 

[oldgranpa]

NAA mini-mag OK

I have one of the NAA .22magnum mini-mag's with only 1-1/8"barrel. I put oversize grips on it. Mine fires everytime. Informal tests with wet paper gives very good penetration but .22mag hollowpoints don't expand with that small barrel.
The NAA and derringers I have are not for CCW either, in case anyone wants to tell us how dumb we are. Mine are just part of a fun collection of small handguns. For CCW I go with a PM9 or Bersa Thunder 45.
If I could find an American Derringer in 38spec+p I might consider it for backup.
og

 

[patentnonsense]

I shopped carefully, and decided that Bond Arms appeared to be better quality than ADC - though ADC ain't bad. I like my Bond.

 

[Old John]

Bond Arms F'r me

Hi Billy & Y'all,

I can recommend Bond Arms Derringers. But, they are pricier
than most of the rest. The Quality is much better also.
DSW Sharon has one in .45acp and I have one
in .45LC/.410ga. Both are "Texas Defender models" w/ trigger guards.
Bond Arms is not your Granddaddy's old Derringer.
They have a totally new locking mechanism, much easier to use than the
old one. It makes reloads much easier.
(We have a Davis Derringer in .38 Spec. and one in .22.
No comparison. I don't recommend them.)

In either caliber, they are not "real bad" on recoil. They weigh about 20 ozs. But, they will jump some, especially a full load ,45LC.
DSW Sharon can shoot either one of them, & she's just 5' tall.

We practice with Cowboy loads, a lot lighter, & carry full loads for SD.
They are flat & easy to conceal. But Bond is bigger & heavier than most.
They are definitely not a cheap piece of junk.Stainless throughout.
Get what you pay for.
Oh, and the .410 w/ a load of 6's will cut a Copperhead in two.
Good companions.............
Have a good-un.
Old John

 

[Gordon]

Uberti actually made Derringers in the 70's. They were called "Maverick". I have one in .357 and one in 45 LC. You can shoot 2 1/2" .410's in the .45. I shoot .38s in the .357 . I have slicked up the triggers and filed the sights. The .38 with wadcutters won me a few Derringer side matchs-nobody comes close . Elmer Kieth liked the Maverick .45. They are robustly made and weigh about a pound, but are traditional looking in every way. I'll add a picture to this post later.
I also have a nice old original Rem .41, which at 12oz is much smaller. Mine is a Nickle final change model and is tight and accurate too. The old Navy arms .41 Rimfire ammo of which I have 3 boxes out of 6 I bought in late 70's , shoots at 620 fps with a crisp discharge.

 

[ruger357]

Can't go wrong with the NAA .22 minimagnum.

 

[oldgranpa]

AmerDerr

Does anyone know if American Derringer is still in business? They don't anwer e-mail.

og

 

[rudolf]

I like the 'top break' DA38. If I could (damn gun laws over here), I'd have one in 9mm.
The 9mm due to it's high pressure and short case performs better in very short barrels than the 38/357.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I second Bond Arms Derringer.

I've got the 45ACP.
Pricey but a well made piece of machinery.
I've loaded about 1,500 light loads for practice.

Sometimes I'll pocket carry it.
It's a toss up between having 2 +P 45ACP or 7 .380 (Kel Tec)

A nice feature is replacement barrels are available in many calibers.

 

[greyhound]

hankering for a derringer

Ya know, I saw some in a shop yesterday and thought it might be a fun gun to play with too!

 

[mec]

Keith liked the Maverick 357 too. He claimed the bullets kind of melted out to 50 caliber as soon as they left the bore and he though this was a good thing.

the ADCs follow the profile of the old Remingtons but are bigger. The Bonds arms guns are well made but not as traditional looking as the ADC. The bond people are really nice.

 

[TimboKhan]

I owned a Davis .32 for a little while, and it was pretty fun to shoot. The guy that sold it to me gave me a lecture on not shooting my finger off, which at the time I thought was sort of funny. Anyway, it was fun to shoot, and LOUD. Accuracy was "card table", but thats about what I thought it would be. I actually ended up giving that gun to one of my buddies as a birthday present, and he still has it, and every once in awhile we pull it out and shoot it. Honestly, if your just looking for a derringer for fun, I would go with a .22, just because its so cheap.

 

[GEM]

Oldgranpa - I read in a gun book that American Derringer was sued out of business. A police officer had an ND with one and filed suit. Being a small company they couldn't afford the defense and folded. There were plans to reorganize and sell the designs to a new company but I haven't seen it. I once search on the next for more info but didn't find it.

Whether this is true case or not - I can't vouch for it and would like to know. I once met the woman CEO and she seemed a quite reasonable sort. It would be a shame if this is the case.

A plague on lawyers and those who sue because they themselves were stupid.

 

[oldgranpa]

more on American Derringer

GEM,
Thanks for that reminder. Yes, I had heard that AD had been sued by someone. Didn't know it was a LEO. I can see why someone might have an AD/ND, etc. with one, if the barrel latch wasn't closed before firing. The Cobra and old Davis also warned toputthe hammer at half-cock and push the safety button on before loading. This was because if the hammer was down one of the firing pins would be extended and closing the barrel with rounds loaded could actually cause one round to fire.
The latest news I have on AD comes from my dealer. I asked him to check and see if he could find one in 38special. His source gave him a dealers only number direct to American Derringer and they told him they are in business by special order only to dealers only, no sales to distributors. Like they are gonna be their own distributor.
But what I wanted will take 14 to 16 weeks for delivery since they said each gun is made when ordered. And get this, the retail price from my dealer would be $475 for just a plain, Model 1.
Anyway, I won't be ordering one at that price.

Just as a side note, I tried a Davis longbore .22magnum derringer my dealer got from someone. Like new but the trigger pull musta been 15 pounds. By the time I got it to fire my POA was off target somewhere and the shots went way high. A real POS for sure. Gave it back.

And looked at an old Davis at another dealer that looked like it would fire both barrels at the same time. The little anvil thing on the hammer was loose.

So those wanting a derringer, check it out good before you buy. Make sure the trigger pull is what you can handle. And open the thing and look at the firing pins to make sure they retract the way they should.

FWIW,
og.........who ain't buyin no more derringers.

 

[klover]

The money spent on the hankering for a derringer (useless because of lack of accuracy) could be spent on something worth while and accurate.



Did K lover just admit a foundness for J frames?

 

[patentnonsense]

derringer (useless because of lack of accuracy)

Derringer accuracy is just fine for point-shooting distances - and I wouldn't claim that anybody should carry it INSTEAD of a full-size. However, lots of us here talk about carry guns more than we carry them, and a derringer in the pocket beats nothing. It also makes a nice secondary backup, though for really deep concealment I think the .22M mouse gun is better.

I'm glad to hear that ADC is surviving on any basis - lots of companies have been totally crushed by lawsuits. However, Bond Arms quality is better.

 

[Billy Sparks]

Guys I decided on a Bond Arms. I picked it up Thursday and it looks great. As soon as I shoot it I will post a report.

 

[ksnecktieman]

I have had some .38 derringers in the past. They functioned as expected. Every time I loaded and pulled the trigger they fired. I found the accuracy of my American derringer .38 better than expected. At 20 YARDS one barrel was 16 inches higher than the other. At 20 YARDS I could put all shots in a 55 gallon barrel. Recoil was harsh, but manageable, there was not a lot to hold on to.
I found it to be awkward to deploy, and slow to fire, but,,,,

For a gun originally designed to be used at 2 YARDS (the distance across a card table) a hundred years ago,,,,, I am sure it killed, and saved, a lot of people.

Does everyone remember the first rule of gunfighting. #1 is "Have a gun." I never had to use one, but I did not feel naked with one in my pocket.

 

[dickwholliday]

American Derringer can kiss my Butt

i shoot SASS and wanted an original looking Derringer and choose an American Derringer with the white grips and more costly bright finish....it never reliably would index from one barrel to another and after a trip to them (that took forever and a day) it was returned and still didn't work.....it lays in a drawer and at matches i now borrow someones Bond Derringer to shoot...they seem to always shoot and are more accurate than my one barrel shooting American Derringer.....D I C K