Low Budget Shooter
Member
Dear Revolver Shooters,
A while back, I gave up trying to carry a J-frame revolver in the pocket. My profession has me standing in front of groups of people, and despite an excellent Myka pocket holster, my front pocket was always yelling, “Gun!” A small revolver is great for carrying in a belt holster, but I shoot my k-frame revolver so much better, that if I am going to belt carry, I want the larger gun. (Want to do the best shooting of your life, try an old Smith k-frame!)
Once the j-frame had sat unloved for a while, I sold it to a very nice gentleman and went in search of something I could truly carry in the pocket.
The small .32 and .380 semi-auto pistols are obvious choices that many people use and recommend. I read up on these, handled them at the gun show, and decided against them. Why?
First, there is always the issue of money. I have a steady job, for which I am thankful to God, but with kids at home, and prices high, not much of the paycheck can go toward shooting. If I have to add .32 or .380 to my reloading bench, that’s money. And although the little pocket autos are not running more than about $250-$350, that’s money, too.
Second, there is the issue of, well, uh, how do you say it? Is there any way to express the feeling a revolver guy gets when he picks up a little plastic semi-auto pistol, or even a steel-framed model? It’s something like a boy being told he has to kiss his sister. Or maybe it’s more like eating old lettuce when it is starting to get reddish-brown and gooey. Even though I don’t know exactly how to say it, you revolver guys know the feeling.
Naturally I had a look at the NAA mini revolvers, especially the .22 magnum model. They seem very good, and I would recommend them. I thought about buying the model with .22 mag and .22 LR cylinders, so I could practice cheap and then carry .22 magnum. The amazing story our South African friend has told about his use of one almost swayed me. Why didn’t I go with that? I don’t know. Maybe if there had been one for sale nearby, I would have. Maybe I should have.
But what I decided on was a Cobra “Big Bore” derringer in .38 special. Why? Well, it was inexpensive, it fires a substantial cartridge, and Kenny Rogers carried one in The Gambler. Those are all good reasons, aren’t they?
Once I had bought one, I ran over to the home of my closest friend and shooting buddy, who let me shoot at his range and served as my partner for an initial test of the new toy, uh, er, I mean, tool. Here is my first try at a range report, based on our experience.
THE PRICE
The Cobra derringer was $145.99 from a local gun shop that had advertised on gunbroker.com. I reload for .38 special already, so the cost was kept to a bare minimum.
THE GUN ITSELF
The grips on this model are the “rosewood” ones, which look and feel very nice. The finish is chrome, which looks cheesy but has no obvious flaws. The gun, except for the barrel liners, is not made of steel. I don’t know what the alloy is. The general quality seems good, and everything works like it is supposed to work. In short, the gun is cheap but not junk.
THE SIZE
The derringer is significantly smaller than a j-frame revolver, especially in the lack of a cylinder bulge. It is shorter, too, enough so that it fits in a jeans front pocket or back pocket without sticking out. It is enough thinner and shorter than a snubbie as to make it work for pocket carry.
THE DRAW
My friend stapled up two silhouette targets, and we gave the derringer a try. We initially stood at 10 feet, and then backed up to 7 yards. When my brother tried shooting .410 shotgun shells in an old .45 derringer several years ago, he had worn two pair of gloves and an oven mitt (good thing, too), but we felt safe enough with just our eye and hearing protection.
The controls on this derringer are a bear to operate. Because of how the firing pins rest right up against the primers, you need to carry it at half cock with the push-button safety on. This means that when it’s time to draw, you have to pull the hammer back and push the safety off. Neither one can be done one-handed without shifting the gun very awkwardly in the hand for each operation. My buddy worked on doing this, and it was slow and difficult. I used a two-handed method, which worked much better, with the caveat that it takes both hands. I would draw with the right, reach over with the fingers of the left to click off the safety, then rotate the left into a standard support position while pulling back the hammer with the left thumb. This motion is not all that much different from firing a single-action revolver two-handed, or from drawing a standard gun and meeting it with the support hand on the way to a firing stance. The third method we tried was to push off the safety and cock the hammer while the derringer is still in the pocket. This works, but is also slow and awkward. To summarize, this gun is slow and difficult to bring into action.
THE TRIGGER
Test ammunition was very mild reloads---2.9 grains of HP38 (Lee .3cc dipper) with a 158 grain LSWC bullet. This load is below specs for .38 special, but still shoots accurately out of my 4-inch revolver. This mild load contributed to the pleasant shooting experience we had with this derringer. The manual states that no +P should be used. I recommend using the mildest ammunition you can reload or buy.
The trigger pull on this revolver is horrendous! For one thing, you are supposed to pull both down and back. But the main thing is that the pull requires who-knows-how-many pounds of force. My friend and I developed two solutions to this. My technique was to pull with the index finger of both hands, one over the other. This worked, but the finger underneath (my right) got sore after only a few shots like that. My buddy’s approach was to point the index finger down the barrel (it doesn’t quite reach the muzzle) and pull the trigger with the middle finger. We both adopted this as the better method. Something about the structure of the hand makes pulling that stubborn mule of a trigger much easier with the middle finger than the index finger. This method also allowed for true point shooting.
This hard trigger pull is, according to the product manual, a safety feature. In my opinion, needing a brazillian pounds of pressure to pull the trigger doesn’t leave you very safe when confronting a bad guy or bad dog. But I promise that this trigger will not be pulled accidentally! Later in the evening, my 14-year-old tried it and was able to pull the trigger, but my 8-year-old twins could not get it to release, even with both hands and all their might. So I loaded it and gave it to them to play cops-and-robbers with in their room. (Just kidding!)
ACCURACY
The little gun shoots very straight. With either barrel, we consistently hit center horizontally. At 10 feet we hardly missed center by an inch, and at 7 yards only by a few inches at most. The gun’s sights are very small, but they are well aligned left and right.
The vertical is another matter entirely! The barrels are not regulated, so the top barrel shoots higher than does the bottom, by a few inches at 10 feet, and several inches at 7 yards. Both barrels shoot above the point of aim, as the front sight is too short. Using extreme care, we could generally get a hit near the center of the target, but this required holding under the target, and trying to remember which barrel was about to fire! After the shooting session, each paper bad guy had about 20 holes in him, in a vertical line from his belly button to his forehead!
CONCLUSION
I’m hooked! For a low budget shooter, who is already set up for .38 special, this little gun is great. Much practice will be needed to master the rather complex procedure of drawing and firing. I intend to keep carrying my revolver most of the time, but I think this derringer will be with me when the larger guns cannot be.
Please indulge me while I ascend onto my soap box for a moment. I was next door at the original post office shooting, I know the lady whose parents were killed in the Luby’s cafeteria shooting, and I was in seminary down the street at the time of the Fort Worth church shooting. These things happen close by, not far away. I believe that when God said, “You shall not murder,” He also meant that we should not stand idly by while other people are murdered. I hope that pulling a gun out to confront a murderer will never be necessary, but if it happens, I think that with this derringer I can get off two decent shots instead of having to hide under a table.
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to reading your comments.
Low Budget Shooter
A while back, I gave up trying to carry a J-frame revolver in the pocket. My profession has me standing in front of groups of people, and despite an excellent Myka pocket holster, my front pocket was always yelling, “Gun!” A small revolver is great for carrying in a belt holster, but I shoot my k-frame revolver so much better, that if I am going to belt carry, I want the larger gun. (Want to do the best shooting of your life, try an old Smith k-frame!)
Once the j-frame had sat unloved for a while, I sold it to a very nice gentleman and went in search of something I could truly carry in the pocket.
The small .32 and .380 semi-auto pistols are obvious choices that many people use and recommend. I read up on these, handled them at the gun show, and decided against them. Why?
First, there is always the issue of money. I have a steady job, for which I am thankful to God, but with kids at home, and prices high, not much of the paycheck can go toward shooting. If I have to add .32 or .380 to my reloading bench, that’s money. And although the little pocket autos are not running more than about $250-$350, that’s money, too.
Second, there is the issue of, well, uh, how do you say it? Is there any way to express the feeling a revolver guy gets when he picks up a little plastic semi-auto pistol, or even a steel-framed model? It’s something like a boy being told he has to kiss his sister. Or maybe it’s more like eating old lettuce when it is starting to get reddish-brown and gooey. Even though I don’t know exactly how to say it, you revolver guys know the feeling.
Naturally I had a look at the NAA mini revolvers, especially the .22 magnum model. They seem very good, and I would recommend them. I thought about buying the model with .22 mag and .22 LR cylinders, so I could practice cheap and then carry .22 magnum. The amazing story our South African friend has told about his use of one almost swayed me. Why didn’t I go with that? I don’t know. Maybe if there had been one for sale nearby, I would have. Maybe I should have.
But what I decided on was a Cobra “Big Bore” derringer in .38 special. Why? Well, it was inexpensive, it fires a substantial cartridge, and Kenny Rogers carried one in The Gambler. Those are all good reasons, aren’t they?
Once I had bought one, I ran over to the home of my closest friend and shooting buddy, who let me shoot at his range and served as my partner for an initial test of the new toy, uh, er, I mean, tool. Here is my first try at a range report, based on our experience.
THE PRICE
The Cobra derringer was $145.99 from a local gun shop that had advertised on gunbroker.com. I reload for .38 special already, so the cost was kept to a bare minimum.
THE GUN ITSELF
The grips on this model are the “rosewood” ones, which look and feel very nice. The finish is chrome, which looks cheesy but has no obvious flaws. The gun, except for the barrel liners, is not made of steel. I don’t know what the alloy is. The general quality seems good, and everything works like it is supposed to work. In short, the gun is cheap but not junk.
THE SIZE
The derringer is significantly smaller than a j-frame revolver, especially in the lack of a cylinder bulge. It is shorter, too, enough so that it fits in a jeans front pocket or back pocket without sticking out. It is enough thinner and shorter than a snubbie as to make it work for pocket carry.
THE DRAW
My friend stapled up two silhouette targets, and we gave the derringer a try. We initially stood at 10 feet, and then backed up to 7 yards. When my brother tried shooting .410 shotgun shells in an old .45 derringer several years ago, he had worn two pair of gloves and an oven mitt (good thing, too), but we felt safe enough with just our eye and hearing protection.
The controls on this derringer are a bear to operate. Because of how the firing pins rest right up against the primers, you need to carry it at half cock with the push-button safety on. This means that when it’s time to draw, you have to pull the hammer back and push the safety off. Neither one can be done one-handed without shifting the gun very awkwardly in the hand for each operation. My buddy worked on doing this, and it was slow and difficult. I used a two-handed method, which worked much better, with the caveat that it takes both hands. I would draw with the right, reach over with the fingers of the left to click off the safety, then rotate the left into a standard support position while pulling back the hammer with the left thumb. This motion is not all that much different from firing a single-action revolver two-handed, or from drawing a standard gun and meeting it with the support hand on the way to a firing stance. The third method we tried was to push off the safety and cock the hammer while the derringer is still in the pocket. This works, but is also slow and awkward. To summarize, this gun is slow and difficult to bring into action.
THE TRIGGER
Test ammunition was very mild reloads---2.9 grains of HP38 (Lee .3cc dipper) with a 158 grain LSWC bullet. This load is below specs for .38 special, but still shoots accurately out of my 4-inch revolver. This mild load contributed to the pleasant shooting experience we had with this derringer. The manual states that no +P should be used. I recommend using the mildest ammunition you can reload or buy.
The trigger pull on this revolver is horrendous! For one thing, you are supposed to pull both down and back. But the main thing is that the pull requires who-knows-how-many pounds of force. My friend and I developed two solutions to this. My technique was to pull with the index finger of both hands, one over the other. This worked, but the finger underneath (my right) got sore after only a few shots like that. My buddy’s approach was to point the index finger down the barrel (it doesn’t quite reach the muzzle) and pull the trigger with the middle finger. We both adopted this as the better method. Something about the structure of the hand makes pulling that stubborn mule of a trigger much easier with the middle finger than the index finger. This method also allowed for true point shooting.
This hard trigger pull is, according to the product manual, a safety feature. In my opinion, needing a brazillian pounds of pressure to pull the trigger doesn’t leave you very safe when confronting a bad guy or bad dog. But I promise that this trigger will not be pulled accidentally! Later in the evening, my 14-year-old tried it and was able to pull the trigger, but my 8-year-old twins could not get it to release, even with both hands and all their might. So I loaded it and gave it to them to play cops-and-robbers with in their room. (Just kidding!)
ACCURACY
The little gun shoots very straight. With either barrel, we consistently hit center horizontally. At 10 feet we hardly missed center by an inch, and at 7 yards only by a few inches at most. The gun’s sights are very small, but they are well aligned left and right.
The vertical is another matter entirely! The barrels are not regulated, so the top barrel shoots higher than does the bottom, by a few inches at 10 feet, and several inches at 7 yards. Both barrels shoot above the point of aim, as the front sight is too short. Using extreme care, we could generally get a hit near the center of the target, but this required holding under the target, and trying to remember which barrel was about to fire! After the shooting session, each paper bad guy had about 20 holes in him, in a vertical line from his belly button to his forehead!
CONCLUSION
I’m hooked! For a low budget shooter, who is already set up for .38 special, this little gun is great. Much practice will be needed to master the rather complex procedure of drawing and firing. I intend to keep carrying my revolver most of the time, but I think this derringer will be with me when the larger guns cannot be.
Please indulge me while I ascend onto my soap box for a moment. I was next door at the original post office shooting, I know the lady whose parents were killed in the Luby’s cafeteria shooting, and I was in seminary down the street at the time of the Fort Worth church shooting. These things happen close by, not far away. I believe that when God said, “You shall not murder,” He also meant that we should not stand idly by while other people are murdered. I hope that pulling a gun out to confront a murderer will never be necessary, but if it happens, I think that with this derringer I can get off two decent shots instead of having to hide under a table.
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to reading your comments.
Low Budget Shooter
