Gun Nuts Media

Derringers, or the proper spelling of Deringer, are generally defined small-sized, usually large-caliber handgun that is neither semiautomatic nor a revolver.

The first “deringer” was made, shockingly, by Henry Deringer of Pennsylvania. Back in the 1850’s, a Deringer was a small, large bore, single shot, percussion fired handgun. The early Deringer pistols were tremendously popular, and spawned an entire industry of imitation pistols. The imitation pistols are actually where the common modern spelling of “derringer” is derived from, the imitation gun makers often added the additional “r” to the proper spelling of Deringer’s last name. As most history and gun buffs know, a Deringer pistol was used by John Wilkes Boothe to assassinate President Lincoln. Although a gruesome example, it demonstrated the reason why “derringers” were such popular weapons in their day. At close range, they were devastatingly effective.

Although with his death the true Deringer pistols died out, the concept of the derringer was carried into the age of cartridge pistols; and through the silver screen was firmly embedded in the minds of America. If you ask most people what they think of when you say “derringer”, they’ll probably conjure an image of the 1866 Remington Double Derringer, which was chambered for .41 Rimfire.

Derringers are still available today; probably the best on the market would be the derringers made by Bond Arms. When you say, “Wide selection” they really do come through. From derringers chambered for .410 shotgun shells all the way across the board to .22 Long Rifle, you can find it in a Bond Arms derringer. If I were shopping for a derringer, I’d probably get one of their models with the trigger guard, chambered for 10mm. Mostly because it’d give me something to do with all the 10mm ammo I have sitting around.

You can also find derringers from Cobra Enterprises and the American Derringer Company. Cobra Ent. has traditional pattern derringers, chambered for up .38 Spec/9mm cartridges, but nothing with a bit more “oomphf”. American Derringer does have your more traditional .45 Colt derringers in their line up, as well a reproduction of the High Standard .22 Magnum derringer (one of which my father is hoarding). Actually, looking around their site, American Derringer has some pretty interesting guns.

Although not “true” derringers, you can also find some truly compact pistols from North American Arms. Those have been covered in great detail at other places, so I won’t spend a lot of time on them here. However, their .22 Magnum revolvers are the lightest .22 Magnum revolvers in the solar system.

In the modern world of high capacity, super compact pocket rocket autos, what possible utility could a derringer serve as a defensive weapon? When it comes to derringers, there isn’t really a whole lot of point to carrying one in a small bore, such as a .32 or a .38. You can get more rounds of .32 from a Kel Tec, or just carry a J-frame if you want a .38. Where a derringer shines is in its ability to pack two really big bullets into such a compact frame. Sure, recoil will be murder, and after those two rounds you’re pretty much SOL – but there are some people (myself included) who would take two rounds of 10mm over 7 rounds of .32 almost any day of the week.

This part is personal, but if you’re shopping for a derringer for personal defense, don’t bother with any caliber that doesn’t start with a “4” (or 10mm). Small caliber derringers make for neat collector’s items, but as far as defensive pistols go…well, they beat a pointy stick. With that in mind, I love derringers. I think they’re cool little guns. If anyone from say, Bond Arms, reads this and wants to send me a pistol to evaluate, you can email me at admiralahab (at) gmail (dot) com. Please?
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From Sebastian, via email discussing the hazards of holding an FFL.

Some days you eat the bear, some days the ATF comes and shoots your dog.

Priceless.

Buy some Stinger missiles in Mexico. From Arms and the Law, I find a bit in the Christian Science Monitor about how the US is responsible for the gun crime in Mexico. There was actually a similar piece in an Arizona newspaper a while back, which I touched on here. However, the CSM’s article is quite entertaining, albeit only because it’s a complete and utter fabrication.

Lax gun laws and lax enforcement in the United States have made it easy for Mexican gunrunners to buy and transport everything from AK-47s to Stinger antiaircraft missiles,

Stinger. Missiles. That’s right. They said that people are buying Stinger missile launchers in the US and smuggling them into Mexico. In case you’re wondering, this is a Stinger missile system. If someone has a line on some lightly used launchers and ammo, let me know. I’m willing to pay a fair market price. Honestly, you can’t be serious. Anti-aircraft missiles?

Of course, then the CSM article goes and cites the rather thoroughly debunked Wintermute Study as “evidence” that our gun laws are feeding the Mexican trade. The thought that people are buying semi-automatic AR15s and smuggling them into Mexico is just insane.

Guns are effectively banned in Mexico. I think that citizens are allowed to own a .22 rifle or a shotgun or something; but centerfire rifles are out of bounds. The fact that Mexico is overrun with Kalashnikov rifles to point where the cuerno de chivo has become a status symbol amongst criminals down there.

Just as the US expects Mexico to curtail illegal migration, the US needs to do far more to help Mexico in its current campaign against powerful drug cartels and to block these private armies from getting US guns. More than 1,300 people this year have been killed in Mexican drug-gang-related shootings.

You know what? We should make a deal with Mexico. If they actually take measures to stop illegal immigration, than we’ll “stem the tide” of “illegal guns” flowing over an “iron river” into Mexico. And by “stem the tide” I mean that we’ll sit back and laugh while Mexican drug runners continue to buy full auto AKs from the Columbians.
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July 20th, 1969 – Mankind walks on the surface of the moon. Ever since I was a kid, I’d been interested in aviation, in space exploration and everything goes with it. The thought to me that we could literally put human beings into space and onto the moon was at various times the coolest thing ever.

Despite all the crazy conspiracy nuts and others who deny the moon landing, the legacy of the Apollo 11 crew has remained intact for almost 40 years. With our gradual slide away from acknowledging American heroes, it is imperative in the coming years that we do not forget, nor allow our children to forget the names and the feats that were performed by the entire Apollo crews.

Men like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins should not be forgotten. Nor should the pioneers of aviation that made the Apollo missions possible. Without the contributions of Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, and Michael Adams to just name a few, the tremendous feat that was performed on July 20th would not have been possible.

It is my great, optimistic hope that in my lifetime, I’ll get to see the first permanent human installation on the moon.
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