Let's talk Derringers...

Forrest · March 04 2019 05:17:36 PM MST

So a little over a year ago I got all set on an American Derringer chambered in 10mm. For whatever reason it never happened. I've come into a Bond Arms Mini in .45 Colt. I'm really happy with it. I'm having a great time shooting it. Playing around with various practice loads. I have a good amount of 160 grain LRNFP and Titegroup and Clays. Not particularly happy with Clays. Very dirty and caused a hard stuck case on a clean gun after about 18 rounds. Titegroup has heavier recoil, but I can shot fifty rounds at a time with no problems. I'm thinking about dialing the charge back a little and living with it. Thoughts?

Forrest · March 06 2019 10:23:02 AM MST

Not a soul to be found that wants to talk Derringers...
I'm waiting on a NIB .45 Colt American Derringer so I can make a comparison head to head about which I like the best. I've been focusing on accuracy and it's coming along. It's a big switch from a full-size gun that is easy to make hits with. I've had the epiphany this morning that I will load up the most comfortable load and go from there. So I'm experimenting back and forth between powders searching for minimal recoil.

blaster · March 06 2019 06:10:35 PM MST

I'll talk about derringers.
my first CC pistol was a .38 spl. Excam Derringer. that was back around "76 or '77 when you had to be politically connected to get a CC permit in Fla. needless to say I wasn't. so I needed a small cheap carry gun. I carried it IWB and it concealed fine but was only an up close & personal type weapon and slow to deploy. I soon up graded to a .38 spl. revolver.
shooting the Derringer was an experience. I can't imagine shooting one in .44 mag! I still have that ole Derringer. it sits in my safe until some friend mentions his desire to own a Derringer. so I loan them mine to see if they really want a Derringer. none of them has ever bought their own after shooting mine.

Forrest · March 08 2019 08:04:13 AM MST

There is a lot of talk about what's stout in a handgun being impossible in a Derringer. I'm not a believer in this. I had some hotter than SAAMI .45 Colt that I chewed up in my vaquero the other day. It was thumpy in that gun as well. I'm hard pressed to explain it but the Bond is actually on par with the Vaquero with recoil. The speed of the impulse differs, but if discomfort is present in one it will be in the other too.

blaster · March 08 2019 02:31:26 PM MST

I have never shot a Bond Derringer but have held them and their grip IS better than my Excam's.
I have shot the old High Standard DA .22 & 22mag Derringers quite a bit. they are good shooters, easy to deploy because of being double action. and they were pretty accurate. I wish I had one of those.

Forrest · March 08 2019 11:40:38 PM MST

So the ADC showed up today. Shot it four(4) times before I had to do a trigger job. The sear had a hellacious Burr. It's still a work in progress but it's better . 22 rounds fired. It's a fun gadget, but it's less efficient than the Bond.

Forrest · March 12 2019 12:10:02 AM MDT

So an update simply for the sake of updates.
I've gotten the American to have a smooth action and I enjoy it. I have not mastered the proper grip and trigger press on this one yet. It's shooting very high.
I loaded up some 300 grainers and had some fun. They buck decently out of the little Bond, but they are stupid accurate. I have not shot the American with a heavy load yet. I'm trying to get the grip issue solved first.

RJM52 · April 09 2019 12:53:52 PM MDT

Used to be a dealer for American Derringer back in the 1980s and 90s and once had lunch with the owner who showed me the factory.... Nice guns but once in a while the QC was a little off as you found with that heavy trigger pull.

One of the most common problems was one of the chambers being headspaced a little too deep causing misfires...the factory solution...a longer firing pin.

I've shot most of the calibers from .22 LR to .45-70. The most practical and efficient is probably the .45 ACP. AD even made a run of .45 AR which is even better as they will extract instead of having to be picked/pushed out. With the .45 ACP factory ammo is cheap and plentiful, recoil with standard pressure loads is low and one can always run a +P if need be for PP.

It is easy to reload a .45 250+- grain LSWC bullet with fast burning powder to make a low recoil thumper without all the air space like in a .45 Colt....

Have fun with your guns....Bob