New Derringers?

[Walkalong]

I want a Bond Stinger RS next, in 9MM, then a .327 barrel for it to shoot my .32 Long and .32 Mag loads,
or maybe I'll just buy some .327 fed brass and download it.

My light loaded .38 specials are a hoot in my full sized Cowboy Defender.

 

[KevininPa]

Im keeping an open mind about the Bond Arms simply because I'm a .45/.410 fan.
I don't typically shoot snakes....so..?

You're trying to justify the purchase? The perfect reason is because you want one! With this being 'Merica, go for it!

 

[KevininPa]

I need to get another BA. I had the original SnakeSlayer. My gunsmith drilled and tapped it for a Clipdraw for me. With the rebounding hammer and unusually strong trigger pull, wasn't worried about nds. Ended up selling it so I could purchase a 2 3/4 Speed Six, my then Grail gun. So I don't regret disposing of that one. Now I keep my eyes open for a used one for poops and giggles. And again,....'Merica!

 

[jstert]

@3sport, bucksnort outfitters is my go-to vendor for extra b.a. barrels, after b.a. terminated direct sales to consumers.

please be aware that the stinger is a very different animal compared to the original b.a. derringers. the stinger is thinner and sharper, felt recoil is worse, barrels don’t interchange with original frames, trigger guard is integral to the frame and cannot be removed, grip choice is nonexistent. i had one in 22lr briefly, and even rimfire wasn’t really fun.

my advice is to put a 380acp on an original gen2. here is mine. i don’t enjoy recoil and the short oem rubber grip is more than adequate for 380acp. it’s a handy, fun, neat little thing, backup to my s&w ez 380acp pistol.

 

[3sport]

Thank you @jstert
Good information.

By chance, I have ordered a Bond Arms barrel from Bucksnort Outfitters a time or two, but via their eBay store, not from them directly. They shipped quickly and the price was fair. No complaints.

 

[Walkalong]

Thank you @jstert
Good information.

By chance, I have ordered a Bond Arms barrel from Bucksnort Outfitters a time or two, but via their eBay store, not from them directly. They shipped quickly and the price was fair. No complaints.

Sweet! Bookmarked. You're going to cost me money, they have a .327 Fed barrel for my Hand Cannon framed Cowboy Defender.

 

[halfmoonclip]

my advice is to put a 380acp on an original gen2. here is mine. i don’t enjoy recoil and the short oem rubber grip is more than adequate for 380acp. it’s a handy, fun, neat little thing, backup to my s&w ez 380acp pistol.

Sage advice. The original derringers weren't in ripsnorting calibers, and there's no need for modern ones to be so. If small and light really is the goal....
Moon

 

[JFrame]

Sage advice. The original derringers weren't in ripsnorting calibers, and there's no need for modern ones to be so. If small and light really is the goal....
Moon

Just a thought... Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't the derringers in fatter calibers actually be lighter weight-wise, because there would be less barrel steel relative to the caliber? Even given somewhat more brass and lead, is it possible that a BA in .45ACP would be lighter than its counterpart in .380? I'm processing all this info for my next barrel purchase, so I'm fine with being proven wrong.

 

[jstert]

Just a thought... Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't the derringers in fatter calibers actually be lighter weight-wise, because there would be less barrel steel relative to the caliber? Even given somewhat more brass and lead, is it possible that a BA in .45ACP would be lighter than its counterpart in .380? I'm processing all this info for my next barrel purchase, so I'm fine with being proven wrong.

yes but lighter weight means stouter recoil. i find that 45acp shot from a b.a. derringer is far more uncomfortable than 45lc, thus i don’t shoot the former. i recently picked up a hardly used b.a. original gen2 backup model with a 45acp barrel for $200 precisely because it was shot so little. i promptly removed the 45acp barrel and deposited it deep into my safe, and use the nice inexpensive frame to shoot pleasant 38sp.

thus my advice is, if you want a b.a. derringer, buy the cheapest original gen2 frame that you can find on gb.com, then customize it to your taste with grips and barrels. not a cheap undertaking in the end, but if i couldn’t afford to do so, i wouldn’t have b.a. derringers. i am the first to state that b.a. derringers are expensive niche indulgences, but we all have one indulgence, eh.

@halfmoonclip is correct. derringers, historically, are small last-ditch defensive sidearms chambered in small calibers for sound reasons. b.a.’s cartoonish “hand cannon” mantra (made possible by modern design, manufacturing and metallurgy) turned me off for years. i don’t choose firearms for the “thrill” (sic) of hurtful recoil. i buy them to be reliable, useful and fun tools. i tried b.a. derringers for the first time during the early obama years when ammo was scarce, for their stout build and barrel swappability. i was road tripping alot and one b.a. derringer frame with a few barrels gave me the ability to scrounge ammo as i happened to find it.

 

[JFrame]

yes but lighter weight means stouter recoil. i find that 45acp from a b.a. derringer is way more uncomfortable than 45lc, thus i rarely shoot the former. i picked up a hardly used b.a. original gen2 backup model with a 45acp barrel for $200 precisely because it was shot so little, promptly took off the 45acp barrel and deposited it deep into my safe, and use the nice inexpensive frame to shoot pleasant 38sp.

Thanks for that input, @jstert -- much appreciated!

I was responding to halfmoon's point about a .380 being physically lighter, but your point is indeed well taken.

.45 LC is among my considerations also... So you would pick that over . 45ACP?

Any experience with a .44 Special barrel?

 

[jstert]

hi @JFrame. 45acp is decidedly unpleasant but cheaper to shoot than 45lc. then again nobody is blasting 200 rounds of anything in a shooting range session from a single-action, double-barreled derringer, haha. i haven’t tried 44sp.

9mm is cheap, widely available, pleasant. 380acp is more pleasant. both are commonly relied-on defensive calibers. as semiauto pistol calibers these barrels require a fingernail to remove spent rounds, which can be sticky. revolver calibers have an extractor on the barrel.

may i ask, what handgun calibers do you now employ and what is your goal with a b.a. derringer?

 

[jstert]

Sweet! Bookmarked. You're going to cost me money, they have a .327 Fed barrel for my Hand Cannon framed Cowboy Defender.

excellent. i shoot 32long out of my 327mag barrel. it’s really, really pleasant. extra b.a. barrels are the dark chocolate covered almonds of the handgun universe.

i notice that your b.a. derringer is a gen1. it is supposed to have a tougher trigger pull than the gen2 (indicated by an indented trigger, wider hammer spur). what do you think? have you considered sending it to b.a. for the $150 upgrade to gen2? thanks.

 

[JFrame]

hi @JFrame. 45acp is decidedly unpleasant but cheaper to shoot than 45lc. then again nobody is blasting 200 rounds of anything in a shooting range session from a single-action, double-barreled derringer, haha. i haven’t tried 44sp.

9mm is cheap, widely available, pleasant. 380acp is more pleasant. both are commonly relied-on defensive calibers. as semiauto pistol calibers these barrels require a fingernail to remove spent rounds, which can be sticky. revolver calibers have an extractor on the barrel.

may i ask, what handgun calibers do you now employ and what is your goal with a b.a. derringer?

Hey @jstert -- I have a mixed bag of preferences. As my screen moniker suggests, I like J frames. I have no problem shooting +P .38s in my 11 ounce 337PD. But I find it unpleasant to shoot my .380 Beretta Pico with the shorter grip. I love shooting.45 ACP, but that's in my all steel Detonics. I think a lot of it has to do with the grip fit to my hand more than the caliber.

I'm a bit of an iconoclast, and I kind of like the idea of toting an Old World piece with a totally simple design.

 

[jstert]

Hey @jstert -- I have a mixed bag of preferences. As my screen moniker suggests, I like J frames. I have no problem shooting +P .38s in my 11 ounce 337PD. But I find it unpleasant to shoot my .380 Beretta Pico with the shorter grip. I love shooting.45 ACP, but that's in my all steel Detonics. I think a lot of it has to do with the grip fit to my hand more than the caliber.

I'm a bit of an iconoclast, and I kind of like the idea of toting an Old World piece with a totally simple design.

hi, my quick and dirty advice is get a 357mag barrel but shoot 38sp, which is what i do. it will be a nice understudy to the j-frame revolvers that you like.

i picked up a (barely) blemished long grip for $20 from altamont (via gb.com) that is on my b.a. 357mag. it looks great and handles well. sorry no photo as i am traveling now.

 

[JFrame]

hi, my quick and dirty advice is get a 357mag barrel but shoot 38sp, which is what i do. it will be a nice understudy to the j-frame revolvers that you like.

i picked up a (barely) blemished long grip for $20 from altamont (via gb.com) that is on my b.a. 357mag. it looks great and handles well. sorry no photo as i am traveling now.

Hey man -- thank you again for your experienced and considered advice. It's truly appreciated!

 

[Walkalong]

excellent. i shoot 32long out of my 327mag barrel. it’s really, really pleasant. extra b.a. barrels are the dark chocolate covered almonds of the handgun universe.

i notice that your b.a. derringer is a gen1. it is supposed to have a tougher trigger pull than the gen2 (indicated by an indented trigger, wider hammer spur). what do you think? have you considered sending it to b.a. for the $150 upgrade to gen2? thanks.

Yes, finger position on the Gen I trigger is key, too high and it's dang hard to fire. I would like to try a Gen II before sending mine in.

 

[Walkalong]

hi, my quick and dirty advice is get a 357mag barrel but shoot 38sp, which is what i do.

I have shot .357 in mine, just to see, and it's stout, but my light .38 Spl rounds are very pleasant to shoot.

 

[3sport]

The more I think about it, the more I want to get a 380 barrel for my BA Roughneck. I only have one gun in 380, a S&W Bodyguard, so it would be nice to have a 2nd gun for that caliber. Especially now after a recent inventory, and I discover that I am deep in a stockpile of components for reloading 380. Also, I'd probably enjoy shooting 380 in the Bond. With the Goliath Grip installed, 40 S&W, 45 Colt/410 and 357 mag are manageable. Not necessarily "Pleasant", but definitely manageable. 9mm is pleasant. 380 is bound to be even more so.

 

[Walkalong]

Not necessarily "Pleasant", but definitely manageable. 9mm is pleasant. 380 is bound to be even more so.

9MM can be that pleasant as well, just have to load it that way, but I get it.

 

[MIKR410]

Just shot some .45 Schofield out of my 2.5" Bond Arms Rowdy with their new XL Grips and it was very pleasant to shoot.

Black Hills 230 gr RNFP 585 fps avg 181 ft/lbs avg.

Decently accurate out to 10 yards, Just a fun time all around.

 

[3sport]

9MM can be that pleasant as well, just have to load it that way, but I get it.

True enough. Since I have a 9 mm barrel and plenty of 9 mm reloading components, I could develop loads specifically for the BA. But I really want a 2nd gun that can fire 380, so I think I am going to grab a 380 barrel. I might as well, while they are available at planet Earth pricing.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Hey man -- thank you again for your experienced and considered advice. It's truly appreciated!

There's nothing I can add to jstert's post; there's no escaping the laws of physics.
Kind of surprised that 9s are described as mild; even in a steel 940, the recoil is surprisingly brisk. Think a .380, in the smallest version possible, sounds like a plan.
Moon

 

[TTv2]

I went with the Stinger in .38 because I figured the 9mm would be way too much and figured wadcutters are better than .380.

Idk if I'm going to bother with getting the .327 barrel. Maybe when there's a sale on barrels.

 

[cfullgraf]

Some of the derringers mentiined in the thread sound interesting. I only have Bind Arms derringers.

I have a Snake Slayer IV (45 Colt?.410), a Ranger II (357 mag), and a Stinger Honey B (22 LR). I also have a 327 Fed Mag barrel that fits the Snake Slayer frame and maybe the Ranger II frame (I've slept a bit since then).

I bought the Snake Slayer IV to use on the tractor while bush hogging. But, I never found a good way to carry it where I could get the gun intoi action to dispatch the small critters in the field. I currently keep it in my detached shop for critter control. With either the 4-1/4 barrel or the 6" barrel I have for the gun, recoil with .410-2-1/2" shells is quite manaegable. I keep some 45 Colt ammunition with the gun for oither purposes but consider it only for short, very short, range use.

I've mostly dabbled with shot shells in the 357 Mag or 327 Fed Mag barrels. They would be good for back woods critter control but the gun is bordering on being too large. I need to try some 38 Special wadcutters. @Walkalong commented 38 Special ammunition is easier to shoot in the Bond Arm derringer than 357 Magnum.

I got the 22 LR Stinger Honey B for "coup de gras: shots when I capture raccoons or opossums in a trap. The latter carry diseases harmful to our horses and the former are just unpleasant nasty animals.

I'm disappointed that Bond Arms discontinued allowing purchase of extra barrels directly from them. Their loss in sales.

 

[jstert]

I also have a 327 Fed Mag barrel that fits the Snake Slayer frame and maybe the Ranger II frame

all the precisely finished original frames by design allow full interchange of barrels. there should be no “maybe.”

barrel interchange becomes a problem with cheaper, lesser finished rowdy/roughneck models. by stopping the finishing of these cheaper frames before achieving same precise tolerances it is impossible to expect proper fitting of any interchangeable part. kinda engineering 101, eh. b.a. wouldn’t/didn’t make my two right. my current inventory of b.a. original gen2 frames, barrels and grips is worth well over $2000 easy. if others’ experience with rowdy/roughneck models is more favorable than mine, more power to them, but i stand by mine.