Youngest son called the other day. He found a cigar box with some funny gun type parts. I've been on a semi-frantic search the whole time. I don't like it when I lose things. Worse, I saw them go into a bag just before the big move. Then nothing. I've looked high and low, both passively and actively, still no guns. These were ADC pen guns.

I think they're the only 2 I've ever seen for sale or not. So the son called the other night and said he found a cigar box of gun stuff. Well, it wasn't even a hint of what it contained. ADC was a derringer company , American Derringer Company to be exact. The one was made in Waco, TX and the other in Michigan. Yeah, the company moved or was sold. They're pen gun shaped things, kind of fat pens. The barrel unscrews to hold a single round and then you've got to pull back the fatter end and the gun bends into a gun shape. That's how it avoids the $5 tax as a AOW.

The centerfire model is in .25 ACP. Kind of a useless caliber, and I don't have any ammo to fit. The more interesting one is a .22 lr. Since there is no feed mechanism, I guess its short, long and long rifle. The barrel is dirty, like its been fired. Not really like me to fire it and not clean it, but its stainless so I guess it doesn't really matter much. I guess it will even shoot the generally worthless shot cartridges. And someplace in my piles of gun junk I've got some CB and BB caps. And 22 tracers! Think of the fun I can have! I'm guessing hyper velocity in the 2" barrel.

But the big score is now I've got them. I was going to sell them at a gun show. No paperwork, no records, except for what I'm typing here. One has a clearly stamped serial, the other etched and fading.

Anybody here know anyting about ADC or their products?


The other "gun" stuff was my extra BAR magazine. I have no clue if its the original or the spare I remember buying well over 10 years ago, and I didn't even know I was missing.

I've owned a couple of ADC derringers. Very high quality. IIRC, it was founded by a man who died suddenly. His widow took over the company and kept it together for several years. She posed on the website as Lady Derringer, often wearing one of her guns. I haven't seen one for several years. I have handled one of the pen guns, though. I just checked, the website is still up.

quote:

But the big score is now I've got them. I was going to sell them at a gun show. No paperwork, no records, except for what I'm typing here. One has a clearly stamped serial, the other etched and fading.

Should we be looking for these in the Classifieds?

Look away!