Deringer Recommendations
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If your looking for a range fun gun look at the Bond guns. If you are looking for a serious cc defense pistol look for something else. The nitch those little two shot guns filled has other better options available now IMHO.
I love my bond arms derringers. I have 2 frames and 4 barrels. 10mm 44 mag 410 and 9mm.
I will say that Biden may be correct you pull the trigger on the 410 or 44 mag and I don't think anyone is staying to see how many rounds you have LOL. They fire every pull of the trigger are solid as a rock.
I will say that Biden may be correct you pull the trigger on the 410 or 44 mag and I don't think anyone is staying to see how many rounds you have LOL. They fire every pull of the trigger are solid as a rock.
Bond seems to own the market ... I haven't seen any other brand stocked anywhere in years.
Their big caliber ones are as big as a small semi auto. I don't get the point of the 45/410 2 shots (other than fun, of course).
The double tap is a fairly new item. They seem ok to me. Given that all derringers in heavy calibers kick pretty badly....
They all eat reloads, with no action to cycle, you can tone it down a bit if you want. That 9mm will probably chamber and fire 380s or custom light 9s if its too much with +P+ or whatever.
Their big caliber ones are as big as a small semi auto. I don't get the point of the 45/410 2 shots (other than fun, of course).
The double tap is a fairly new item. They seem ok to me. Given that all derringers in heavy calibers kick pretty badly....
They all eat reloads, with no action to cycle, you can tone it down a bit if you want. That 9mm will probably chamber and fire 380s or custom light 9s if its too much with +P+ or whatever.
Bond Arms are nice guns. The 45/410 that takes the 3 inch 410 kicks a lot but it is a good self defense gun with #3 buck. The one I HAD would make a vertical string every time. Shoot it into a stock tank at 20 yards and it would make a straight line with hits about 4 feet apart. I am sorry that I traded it. 
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I was all hot to trot to buy a derringer a while back. To add to my "cowboy collection" of guns. I ran into a few locally (at stores) and handled them. The Bonds were very nice and extremely well made. But they were huge. And heavy. And expensive. The thing was larger than my PF9, weighed twice as much, cost twice as much, and held 1/4 the number of rounds. I recommend you handle one in person before buying online based on a picture, and a possible assumption that they are cute and small. I was surprised at how freakin' huge they were. Not small guns by any means! IIRC, I was looking at Bonds "Snake Slayer" model in .45colt. I'll bet it would have kicked like a mother too, but I never got around to firing one. I decided against buying the derringer because it was just too expensive for what it was. And too HUGE!
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So why would you stop at 6-7 I mean for just a touch bigger you can get a double stack. Well then for just a bit bigger you can get a full size with a longer sight.
Darrengers are what they are. A very capable deterrent in a close up encounter. I don't think the bad guys are going to stick around long enough to see how many rounds that cannon holds.
Darrengers are what they are. A very capable deterrent in a close up encounter. I don't think the bad guys are going to stick around long enough to see how many rounds that cannon holds.
They have a very short sight radius, a small grip, and a short barrel. They hit a pie plate at 10-20 yards, might do better if you are really skilled but they are hard to control and the human factor makes them a bit inaccurate by "nature".
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If they need to stick around to find out how many rounds it holds, they're imbeciles. It's pretty obvious when one is pointed at you!
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5,584 Posts
I've thought about getting one of the cheap ones just for the novelty. I can't justify the cost of a Bond for a range toy, plus like others have already said, I have much better carry guns.
That Double Tap has caught my attention as a possible bug. With it being so thin it would be easy to conceal but again it's expensive for a two shot.
That Double Tap has caught my attention as a possible bug. With it being so thin it would be easy to conceal but again it's expensive for a two shot.
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7,229 Posts
I'd steer clear of the Double Tap derringers. Heard too many reports of folks having wayyyyy too many problems, such as light strikes or double-firing both cylinders simultaneously, in addition to the fact that the recoil is just plain brutal with those things. (The ported models are only slightly less painful than the non-ported.) If you want a tiny, thin, lightweight BUG that will go bang every time, shoots ammo that penetrates adequately, holds 7+1 rounds, and won't beat the snot out of your hand, get a Kel-Tec P32 and load it with spicy FMJ's (Fiocchi or Sellier & Bellot). Otherwise, if you're looking for a "just because" derringer, your best bets are going to be those offered by Bond Arms (if you want big-bore, mule-kickin' fun) or North American Arms (if you want adorable little .22-caliber fun things).
The Bond Arms derringers are, as others have mentioned, huge and heavy, but they are VERY well-made and tank-like. Probably makes a very good impact weapon if the first two shots don't do the job. The ability to buy a whole slew of different calibers (they pretty much all fit the same frames) and lengths of barrels, and swap them out with just a single screw, is also pretty nifty. They're kinda pricey, but worth the money in terms of build quality. But in terms of being a worthwhile CCW piece ... ehhhhhhhh ... not so much. Go to your favorite LGS, pick up a Bond Arms Ranger or Snake Slayer .45/.410 model, and then compare it to one of many single-stack pistols - M&P Shield, Glock 43, PPS, XDS, PF9, LC9S, etc. The Bond Arms derringers weigh more and not only have just two shots, but those shots are slow and awkward because it's a single-action piece and it's not quite as easy to operate as, say, a Ruger Blackhawk.
The whole "the bad guy won't count your shots" argument just doesn't fly with me; I'm not looking to INTIMIDATE a bad guy if I draw a gun, I'm looking to STOP THE THREAT ... ***NOW***. Hits aren't guaranteed, and bad guys don't always travel alone, so packing a derringer as a primary is inadvisable, at best. Even in the role of a BUG, again there are smaller, thinner, lighter options that hold more rounds and work equally well or better and have a less awkward manual of arms than a single-action derringer.
But in the role of a range toy or something for snakes ... welllllllll ... honestly, the Bond Arms derringers are tough to beat. I was kinda tempted to pick up a Heizer Defense Pocket Shotgun, which is a single-shot .45/.410 derringer (which had a small role in one or two of my books ), partly for something to have in my pocket for snakes for those rare times I'd go out desert trail hiking, but mostly just for giggles. But I realized that something that thin and light and firing a cartridge like .45 LC or .410 shotshells is going to SUCK in terms of felt recoil. But there again, it offers the option of also being able to swap on other barrels for .223 and 7.62x39 (the "Pocket AR" and "Pocket AK," respectively), which is kinda neat ... but also sounds even more unpleasant. Sooooooo ... just putting that out there, FWIW.
The Bond Arms derringers are, as others have mentioned, huge and heavy, but they are VERY well-made and tank-like. Probably makes a very good impact weapon if the first two shots don't do the job.
The ability to buy a whole slew of different calibers (they pretty much all fit the same frames) and lengths of barrels, and swap them out with just a single screw, is also pretty nifty. They're kinda pricey, but worth the money in terms of build quality. But in terms of being a worthwhile CCW piece ... ehhhhhhhh ... not so much. Go to your favorite LGS, pick up a Bond Arms Ranger or Snake Slayer .45/.410 model, and then compare it to one of many single-stack pistols - M&P Shield, Glock 43, PPS, XDS, PF9, LC9S, etc. The Bond Arms derringers weigh more and not only have just two shots, but those shots are slow and awkward because it's a single-action piece and it's not quite as easy to operate as, say, a Ruger Blackhawk.The whole "the bad guy won't count your shots" argument just doesn't fly with me; I'm not looking to INTIMIDATE a bad guy if I draw a gun, I'm looking to STOP THE THREAT ... ***NOW***. Hits aren't guaranteed, and bad guys don't always travel alone, so packing a derringer as a primary is inadvisable, at best. Even in the role of a BUG, again there are smaller, thinner, lighter options that hold more rounds and work equally well or better and have a less awkward manual of arms than a single-action derringer.
But in the role of a range toy or something for snakes ... welllllllll ... honestly, the Bond Arms derringers are tough to beat. I was kinda tempted to pick up a Heizer Defense Pocket Shotgun, which is a single-shot .45/.410 derringer (which had a small role in one or two of my books
), partly for something to have in my pocket for snakes for those rare times I'd go out desert trail hiking, but mostly just for giggles. But I realized that something that thin and light and firing a cartridge like .45 LC or .410 shotshells is going to SUCK in terms of felt recoil. But there again, it offers the option of also being able to swap on other barrels for .223 and 7.62x39 (the "Pocket AR" and "Pocket AK," respectively), which is kinda neat ... but also sounds even more unpleasant. Sooooooo ... just putting that out there, FWIW.
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I actually like my Cobra 9mm derringer. It's surprisingly accurate for a medium-caliber derringer. I used to have a Davis .38-Special derringer and the bore was so far off that I never did figure out where I was hitting. The Cobra is the same design, but seems much better, especially for a cheap junk gun. The Cobra design is also might lighter than the Bond arms series of derringers.
Neither my Cobra nor my Davis derringers were ever fun to shoot, though, but they are nothing compared to my aluminum-framed DoubleTap .45 derringer. It's quite light for carry for a .45, for sure, but it's the most horrible handgun I've ever shot. I've shot 4 rounds from mine so far, LOL. I haven't tried the 9mm DoubleTap.
Neither my Cobra nor my Davis derringers were ever fun to shoot, though, but they are nothing compared to my aluminum-framed DoubleTap .45 derringer. It's quite light for carry for a .45, for sure, but it's the most horrible handgun I've ever shot. I've shot 4 rounds from mine so far, LOL. I haven't tried the 9mm DoubleTap.
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Dw, thanks for the heads up. I might still risk it because I really want something that's so thin. I could use one of my P3s but the DT is slightly thinner. Also there is no issues with close contact shots with something like the DT. The idea would be to carry it in a pocket under my vest while working, possibly as my second bug. I've tried my PF9 but that even feels bulky in that position. I'll have to watch some reviews and go from there.
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