Derringers

[gunshop guy]

Do any of you out there own a derringer? I am looking at possibly picking up a Cobra Enterprises .38 spl derringer. Does anyone own a Cobra and if so what do you think of it? I know Bond Arms makes a great derringer but I am frugal (yes, cheap) and I can get a screaming deal on a Cobra. So, I am looking for a little education.

[1911fan]

Never tried a Cobra, I have tried a ADC, (american derringer). It was beefier than I thought it would be, and using .38's. it was not bad. .357's were NOT fun. It was a fairly well made, robust gun, I think he paid somewhere near 250 for it, He commented after that the .32 H&R mag that he had tried was probably a better choice as nearly the same pop in a much smaller package.

If you bring the ammo, I have a 41 rimfire remington derringer you can try to shoot........I think it last went boom in about 1905.

In reading about the Cobra brand, they say they used the Davis design as the basis, if so, I would keep your money. Davis is part of the Jennings, Bryco, Davis, Lorcin ring of junk manufacturers who just make rubbish. If the cobra Corp is part of this, then stay away.

[gunshop guy]

Thanks for the advice. I do not have any .41. I have shot the Bond Arms 45LC and liked it. I am deciding between a derringer (its a style that I don't own) and a Kel-tec P32. The Kel-tec is my most likely choice but I wanted some other opinions.

[1911fan]

If you had some 41 rimfire, you would be a rich man, Usually that goes for about 50 dollars a round, I have 6, but they came with the gun, and they sit in a little presentation case.

I know a couple of people who carry derringers as EDC, both work in extremely NPE places and have found that the derringer gives them some peace of mind both as to detection and for Protection. One has made a pretty slick holster that has a pager attached to leather paddle, like a paddle holster might have, but his paddle is the holster if you can understand that. The pager is the handle to get at the holster. He's an MD and works around town in various offices researching clinical trials. The other is a woman who works Downtown in a law office, the office is defiantly anti protection, and she is able to wear it under her blouse. She is now in possession of one of my smaller autos and a j frame, as she is trying to see if she wants to carry more.

My great Grandmother often worked the family store in Massachusetts by herself while her husband did deliveries, I know she carried a .41 remington in her store apron. My grandmother would keep the same .41 in her mitten when she was taking the train into Boston to go to nursing school. My Cousin has that gun now. I think for a lot of women, a proper derringer carried in the hand like that would be a very reasonable way to have a first line of defense, particularly if coupled with a purse carry BUG.

[Rem700]

Thread drift kinda
Cant remember who but someone makes a special run of 41 rimfire once or twice a year, Best I can remember its one of the foreign ammunitions makers.
Cant recall mfg right off but have a german made 38spl derringer about the same size and probably more weight then my P3AT, 2rds vs 7 can you guess which I prefer?
The P3AT is only slightly larger then the 32 and with more bang, If your looking at a Keltec compare them side by side before deciding IMHO of course.

[cobb]

I am looking at possibly picking up a Cobra Enterprises .38 spl derringer. Does anyone own a Cobra and if so what do you think of it?

Don't own one, but there is a write up about it in the February 2005 Combat Handguns.

Edited to correct. It should say above, February 2008 Combat Handguns.

Sorry.

[selurcspi]

Thread drift kinda
Cant remember who but someone makes a special run of 41 rimfire once or twice a year, Best I can remember its one of the foreign ammunitions makers.
Cant recall mfg right off but have a german made 38spl derringer about the same size and probably more weight then my P3AT, 2rds vs 7 can you guess which I prefer?
The P3AT is only slightly larger then the 32 and with more bang, If your looking at a Keltec compare them side by side before deciding IMHO of course.

Probably Fiocci, they do special runs of odd ammo on a periodic basis.

[Seismic Sam]

I can't see limiting yourself to two shots for personal protection, no matter what. In addition, manufacturers like Kahr and Kel-Tec make guns that carry 5 or more shots but are just as small, light, concealable, and affordable.

[Ramoel]

Yup, if it's for carry there are far better pocket size guns. If it's for the novelty, that's another story altogether. Combat Handguns will never say a bad word about any gun that places ads in their magazine.

[Rem700]

Just pulled a Rohm 38special Derringer out of the safe empty it weighs appx 14 1/2 ozs the P3AT weighs appx 12 1/2ozs loaded.
Size wise they appx the same although the derringer is slightly thicker. At bad breath distance both barrels hit close enough not tomatter I dont know about 7yds but at 25yds one barrels hit close enough and the other is about 5 feet low but I cant never remember which barrel.

[Seismic Sam]

and will get me ranting and raving just as reliably as telling HammAR that he HAS to wear a nametag. (And that his eye ticks when he tries to suppress using the EFFENHEIMER for more than 30 seconds...)

Back when packing.org was still in existence these posts would come in from these newbies who were SO proud that they had just bought a derringer or a .25 Jennings at a really GREAT price, and I even remember one dweeb who had bought a .32 POS and said "I'm not sure how reliably it will function, but if TSHTF, I probably won't need more than one shot".

I would tear into these people big time, and ask them how much the money they had saved on their "wonderful" gun was going to be worth to their widows and half-orphaned children, and then all the trolls would come out of the woodwork and give me zero ratings for my flame post. To this day my blood pressure still goes up when I hear anybody talk about how proud they are of how LITTLE money they spent on a gun that they may hace to depend on to save their lives some day.

[gunshop guy]

OK, Sam take a deep breath...

I have several handguns that I use for defense. I was simply looking at the novelty of a derringer to fill that. "Hey, I don't have one of those yet..." spots.

[Pat Cannon]

Hey Sam, I got my GP100 online for three hundred bucks!

[Motobob]

I had inherited a American Derringer Alaskan Survival chambered in 45 LC and 45/70 Government. I found it comical that the 45/70 barrel actually had rifling in the 3/8" of barrel. My brother ended up with it and no one has had the nerve to shoot it. We have had several conversations about the true lethality of the weapon being the actual bullet or the I would think considerable muzzle flash incinerating the Polar Bear about to dine on you. Sam I'm surprised you don't have one of these jewels in your stable ???

Here's a link to what they now have that is close.
http://www.amderringer.com/m4.html

[Seismic Sam]

I wanna see this 45-70 derringer!! No offense personally, but I'm not going to believe that somebody actually made one of these unless I see the caliber markings on the barrel. Considering that this gun comes standard with the capability to shoot .410 shotshells, which is fairly common, how can you tell the difference between a .410 chamber and a 45-70 chamber?

And BTW, I don't need one of these - I have one of the original T/C Contenders in 44 mag with the lightweight octagon barrel, and the recoil from this gun with factory loads will try to surgically shave your thumb clean off your hand, and the extended trigger guard will bone bruise your second knuckle with every shot.