Ever shot a derringer?

[Nick1911]

We've all seen those little 1 or 2 round guns (sometimes even a 22 revolver!) Shooting 22, or sometimes 45\410...

Anyone have one? I don't see it being very useful - however I've considered buying one because:
1) They are cheap
2) It would be really concealable
3) It'd make a good conversation piece
4) Who knows how long micro-guns will be legal?

I wouldn't carry one, but I think it would a hoot to shoot.

Anyone have one or fired one? Who makes one's that work well? Your opinions?

Nick

 

[critter]

I have shot them. One in .22 lr, one in .22 mag and one in 410/45 Colt. They all have several things in common-most of which you list. They ARE small and concealable but accuracy is not good past VERY short range with the short sight radius and miniscule sights.

Also, I have large hands and they are VERY hard to manipulate. Very slow in draw, cock, present and shoot. I WOULD NOT carry one for CCW if there were ANYTHING else available. It MIGHT make a DEEP concealment BUG.

The recoil is certainly there especially with the bigger guns. It CAN be handled with practice but shot #2 is also VERY slow after the first one recoils and you have to find a new grip position AND cock the lil hammer.

'Cute' but not very useful IMHO. YMMV.

 

[Hemicuda]

Got one in .32 ACP...

got it new, and VERY cheap...

it is a fun playtoy, and in an emergency, it might scare off, or possibly even maim a bad guy...

even in .32 ACP it has a noticable recoil... but it IS fun... especially when you walk up to the range line W/ a desert Eagle .44 Mag in a shoulder holster, and pull out a 2 shot derringer from a pocket, and start bangin' away with the little mousegun... (and you sure get some funny looks!)

 

[Kaz_67]

I've shot a number of them and I have a friend that has a .44 mag American Derringer. I think he's shot it twice, I won't shoot it. It seems to be more of a conversation piece than anything. .45 Colt, .410 not too bad but .357 kind of hurt a bit. Hard to hit anything past spitting distance.

 

[PBIR]

I've shot .32, 22lr, and a .45LC/410 with LC's and 410 slugs. Definitely not all day range guns, but they are fun to shoot once or twice for a change of pace. Shoot the heavier calibers and you'll see why they are called belly guns.

 

[Onmilo]

I have dreamed of a replica Remington double derringer made of good quality carbon steel, sporting a stronger hinge area and chambered in .44 Russian for years.........
Weird I know, but I really would like to have one.

 

[ruger357]

I have the NAA .22lr . Will hide anywhere and mine holds five rounds of .22 Stingers. Built like a Swiss timepiece and it's a hell of a lotta fun to shoot. I actually put it in my pocket as soon asI get home, especially in my sweatpants because the pockets are so shallow .

 

[ballistic gelatin]

I fired one in .38 caliber. It sucks. I guess if that's all you've got, use it, but I couldn't hit a man sized target at 10 feet. The trigger was very heavy and the grip unbelievably small. I'd rather have a 5 shot .38 revolver.

 

[Zak Smith]

I've fired about 10 rounds of .357MAG through a friend's American Derringer.

It was quite possibly my most painful shooting experience ever.. and I shoot full-house 44MAG and 50BMG quite a bit.

-z

 

[joab]

I've got a Davis Derringer in .38 one of those things you buy and forever after wonder why.
It hurtsand it's inaccurate
Dangerous to carry with hammer down on one in the chamber, and it's hard to get it off safe. Once you have it's hard to pull the hellishly stiff trigger on one barrel and only so-so hard trigger on the other barrel. The only way I would carry mine loaded would be hammer down on an empty chamber and the other barrle loaded, so that cocking the gun puts one in the chamber.

If you read the owners manual completely it basically says that the gun is dangerous to have any where near live ammo.



or for the same price

 

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

You don't wanna know...

Well, maybe you do.

Meet The Monster.

It doesn't bite. Much. Really...

 

[Okiecruffler]

I had a 38sp Davis for awhile, I could hit COM at 10yrds, but I couldn't do it quickly and that's kinda the whole point. Still kinda fun to shoot as long as you had some asprin handy.


And HRG, you're just one sick puppy.

 

[49hudson]

I had a .22 cal. that I orderd by mail when that was still legal.
The top barrel was fairly accurate to about 15 yds. The lower barrel hit about 8 in lower at that distance.
Carried it for years before it was legal to do so in most places, and sometimes as a back-up when I was on the job.
kept it for 25 yrs and sold it for twice what I paid .

 

[bubbygator]

I've had the American Derringer .38, & the (?forgot the maker) cheap .45/.410. Neither were "fun" to shoot, accuracy sucked, and both 1st AND 2nd shots were difficult. (But I should admit that the American gun is well made & pretty.) I've got a NAA .22mag revolver that I've had for a few years. It fits in my shirt pocket easily & is fun to shoot occasionally.... accuracy still sucks.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

A real handful...

.410/.45LC

 

[CZSteve]

Patentnonsense here on this board has a .44mag Derringer that a few of us shot when out one day.

Fired 2 rounds of .44 special and than 2 rounds of .44 mag.

Funny, I always thought the intent was to hurt the recipient and not the shooter. OUCH!!! :banghead:

 

[Jim K]

The single shots are single shot. You better hope the first one does the job and that there is only one of "them." The double barrels are notoriously unreliable in CF calibers, plus recoil is not very manageable for the second shot.

The single action ones (which is most of them, with the exception noted below) are hard to cock, and harder to recock for a second shot.

I recently traded off a .22 LR High Standard double derringer I have had for years. It was reliable enough and is a double action, but the grip is poor and the two barrels printed six inches apart at 7 yards. I never even considered it as a defense gun with a Model 36 not that much bigger.

The old Remington was seriously weak, and broken hinge lugs are common, which is why the remaining good ones sell for a bunch of money.

All in all, IMHO, derringers are useless as practical weapons, and a complete waste of money.

Jim

 

[sgt127]

I had a American Derringer in .45LC/410. Shot it quite a bit with both rounds. I used the 3 round 000 buck loads. At about 10 feet, it would string the balls vertically about a foot apart. Most of the .45 LC rounds tumbled. It was hard to hold on to, slow to get into action and harder for the second shot after your hand was tingling a little. It was also heavy for its size. It didn't really hurt my hand up to about 10-15 rounds, then it just wasn't fun anymore. A friend of mine shot it, when the first round went off, the gun did a very graceful arc up and out of his hand, just over his head, twirled a couple times and plopped into the grass with all the grace of a brick. Hands get kinda sweaty in Texas in July and there ain't crap to hold onto with those little guns.

 

[Nick1911]

Thanks for your replies!

So from what I gather, these are pretty much just novelties... No real practical value, and a somewhat limited fun value (at least for larger cals)

Sounds like something I can hold off on buying...

Though if they were only about $40 I'd probably get one just for 'shoots and giggles'

Thanks,
Nick

 

[rugerman]

I had always wanted a derringer since I was a kid so last summer I found one and made a pretty good deal on it (or so I thought) so it went home with me. Its a cobra enterprize inc 38 spec. Its a piece of crap!!!!!!! The trigger pull is about 25 pounds, one barrell hits high and the other low. It shot ok for the first 5 rounds then the upper barrel would no longer fire. It has a lifetime warranty but I can't see spending the money to ship it back to the manufacturer to fix. If someone were to attack me and I only had it to defend myself I think i'd be better off using it for a rock. It does make a good paper weight, but that is about all.

 

[Black Majik]

I shot a .38 derringer once.

OUCH.


All I remember is that it looked like joab's derringer, probably the same gun. The trigger was STIFF and HEAVY. I put as much force as I could to fire that damn thing. I was aiming for COM and FLINCHED so hard that I got a headshot.

I didn't even fire the other barrel and put the little pistol down.

OUCH.

 

[wasrjoe]

I have one in .25. Not useful, moderately fun, great conversation piece. Everyone should have one, they're so cheap & I'm sure they piss off the antis.

 

[Flashpoint]

The only one I have seen that I would be interested in having is a little single shot .410 with an octigon barrel. I thought it would make a great little gun for keeping snakes out of the boat. I wouldn't carry one though, it would make me too nervous. There was a guy in the area that carried on in his front pocket with his keys when he went to pull his key out of his pocket they hung the trigger and he shot a hole in an artery in his leg and bled to death before anyone could do anything about it.

 

[BuckeyePPC]

I got a Davis .38 spl at a gun show. $68 out the door with a holster. I got it to use in Cowbay action shoot derringer matches and also to keep in my car's center console. I live in an open range area with lots of cattle, horses, and deer roaming the street. If one of them gets hit, then I'll use the derringer as my put down piece to finish the poor creature off.

As mentioned, the trigger is incredibly difficult unles you pull down on it instead of back. The lower barrel shoots high and the upper barrel shoots even higher. Anything past 10 feet will probably not get hit. I would not have bought it if it had cost more. As it is now, it's probably the least useful gun I have.

 

[joab]

Though if they were only about $40 I'd probably get one just for 'shoots and giggles'

That's what they're worth and what they're good for.

I think Buckeye has figure out the only practical use for them