New Derringers?

Ok. Family picture time.

1735756202049.jpeg


American Derringer. .45 LC/410. 15.5 oz empty.
American Derringer .38 Special. All aluminum. 8.25 oz empty
High standard .22 mag blue 10.8 oz empty
Same, but DLC coated.

For me, the High Standard with the DA trigger is the absolute winner. Manipulating the AD’s, with one hand, under stress, would be tough.

I’ve had the HS’s for a long time. Got the one DLC coated and, carried it for years as a last ditch BUG. It still lives in my pocket almost every day while I putter about the house.

The all aluminum AD I bought as my California Beach gun. The only thing that can rust is the lockwork. I wouldn’t hesitate to carry it in the ocean. Rinse with fresh water. Hose down with WD40. Replace ammo. Carry on. The ONLY thing I’ll shoot in it is 148 gr match wadcutters. And, they are a handful.

The all stainless has one purpose for me. It’s a cool toy.

In comparison..

1735756979433.jpeg

An old Model 38 Bodyguard. Really, a much better choice than any of the Derringers if gun play were expected.

But…not yearly as tiny and flat as the HS models.
 
My American Derringer in .410.45 Colt is my walking the dogs snake gun. The Remington "Low Decibel" load is only 650 FPS and spreads
out better than full power .410 shot at near your feet distances, great for snakes. Thinner and lighter than the full size frame Bond.
IMG_9983.JPG
 
Sad that American Derringer folded. I met the owner at a LGS. She was a nice person. I read that they got sued out of business by a cop who had at ND with one and sued. They couldn't afford the defense - if the story was true.
 
Sad that American Derringer folded. I met the owner at a LGS. She was a nice person. I read that they got sued out of business by a cop who had at ND with one and sued. They couldn't afford the defense - if the story was true.
From what I recall, and this was a long time ago. Somebody. Maybe one if the kids, killed himself in the shop.

While fitting the barrel, after everything is installed, the back of the barrels are ground down on a belt sander so they fit flush.

Supposedly, he used live rounds. Forgot to remove them and leaned into the belt grinder and cooked off one or both rounds. Shooting himself in the abdomen.

All the math and angles work. So, I tend to think it’s true.

They started having problems after that.

There website is like a time capsule. Has been that way a long time. I called them a few years ago. And, they answered. Factory price was around $800 then.

They may just make guns on order. If they are still around.

Edit:

I think there’s some validity to the story I heard.

“Saunders went on to earn an M.B.A. from Baylor University, but a series of tragedies marred her success. In 1993 her husband died of pancreatic cancer. A year later, her 16-year-old son, Mark, was killed by a drunk driver. Three months later her son Scott, then 21, died in a freak accident in the gun plant.”

 
Last edited:
I like derringers! They are just cool.
I have a Rowdy 45/410 from Bond Arms. As far as being useful derringers have a limited scope. I like mine for a snake gun. 410 shot shells. It is also a handy vehicle gun. I don't think a car jacker is going to stick around after a face full of #6 pellets.
 
The story I mentioned was in a scholarly book on American gun culture. However, the name is lost in the depths of time. Like I said - what is true - I dunno. I heard for awhile that they would put together a gun from a parts store. But again ....
 
"...The 9mm Flobert is so anemic that many anti-gun European governments allow their subjects to have it..."
I like the Detonics 6x9 Grim, this is a 6 barrel I guess derringer in 9mm Flobert. Would be cool if someone in the US licensed it and made it in .32 as I'd imagine that's all the frame could take.
TTv2's post sent me looking for 9mm Flobert. The quote is from a website, peddling this cartridge. Had to laugh at the highlighted part, and the little perishers cost a buck apiece.
But the size of the round is an idea for Derringer design. My friend, Captain Obvious, points out that, the bigger the cartridge, the more cumbersome the Derringer becomes.
Moon
 
I have one of the Bond Arms Rowdys in .410/.45 colt and one of the High Standard .22 wmr double action derringers in a wallet case.

I find that the biggest advantage of a Derringer over all other firearms is the social perception of them. People seem to view them more as an antique than an actual gun.

I have observed that this perception makes them more socially acceptable to carry when hiking and backpacking in groups. So I find them to be an acceptable compromise in very low risk wilderness areas. For this use I feel that this is the one case where the Winchester. 410 pdx defender shotshells with disks and bbs actually shines.
 
I have a bond in .45 acp and brother in law has a american in .357. Beats a pointed stick and sure it is handy for some situations but the triggers on them really really suck pig toes. J frame is a better idea to me and now never carry the bond. Plus want a .45 acp I have a nice smith scandium commander.
 
View attachment 1244207I like my Bond derringer and even my NAA. But my COP is my favorite. Although it could use a trigger job.
Are those barrels hitting at even remotely the same spot? Always wondered about that.

I was always intrigued with them. But, a 2 1/2” model 66 or a 3” 65 and then, the Ruger SP101 seemed about the same weight and footprint.

It’s good to see one again.
 
I have a bond in .45 acp and brother in law has a american in .357. Beats a pointed stick and sure it is handy for some situations but the triggers on them really really suck pig toes.
lol, I really like the trigger on my American Derringer, my Bond has the old style trigger and you really have to make your finger get low on it and it's still not nearly as good as the AD. I would love to try the upgraded/new style trigger on a Bond. I am probably going to buy a Stinger-RS or a Honey B with the new style and try it out.
I love the build quality of my Bond. It's fat and heavy (Hand Cannon Frame), next to the AD, but the Singer-RS and Honey B are thinner and lighter, looking forward to trying one. The heavier Bond helps with recoil, my target velocity .38 specials are fun to shoot, just needs a better trigger. When your finger rides up on the trigger you are pulling against the pivot instead of being down lower where it needs to be.
 
lol, I really like the trigger on my American Derringer, my Bond has the old style trigger and you really have to make your finger get low on it and it's still not nearly as good as the AD. I would love to try the upgraded/new style trigger on a Bond. I am probably going to buy a Stinger-RS or a Honey B with the new style and try it out.
I love the build quality of my Bond. It's fat and heavy (Hand Cannon Frame), next to the AD, but the Singer-RS and Honey B are thinner and lighter, looking forward to trying one. The heavier Bond helps with recoil, my target velocity .38 specials are fun to shoot, just needs a better trigger. When your finger rides up on the trigger you are pulling against the pivot instead of being down lower where it needs to be.
i can recommend the Bond B6 style grips for the hand canon and for the Stinger RS/Honey B series. That shape of the grip really helps me get a decent grip on the gun and makes it easier for myself to thumb cock with the gun hand.
And it also seems to somehow position my trigger finger at a lower angle for the best pull.
 
I find that the biggest advantage of a Derringer over all other firearms is the social perception of them. People seem to view them more as an antique than an actual gun.
Point taken. Funny story, our camp is near a bike trail, huge rock by a river. Everybody comes down to sit. I had a Centennial with the first two snakeshot. The bikers were maybe 40' away, when I shot a Copperhead. The looked, startled, and I said "Snake". Everyone went back to what they were doing.
Moon
 
The davis I had would fit in a flannel pocket, a LCP wouldn't do that. Yes, I know you can dress for it.

Man, this is REALLY splititng hairs, the difference in size between those two is fractional millimeters… Here’s a Davis/Cobra 38 on an LCP:

IMG_1363.jpeg
IMG_1364.jpeg

And completely ignoring the fact that the Davis/Cobra weighs 14 oz and the LCP weighs 9 oz. I wouldn’t carry either in a breast pocket, but the LCP would certainly carry in a breast pocket better than a steel derringer…
 
Man, this is REALLY splititng hairs, the difference in size between those two is fractional millimeters… Here’s a Davis/Cobra 38 on an LCP:




And completely ignoring the fact that the Davis/Cobra weighs 14 oz and the LCP weighs 9 oz. I wouldn’t carry either in a breast pocket, but the LCP would certainly carry in a breast pocket better than a steel derringer…
Having trouble finding mine, but I think they had different models. My davis would fit in flannel shirt pocket
 
Back
Top