Bond Arms derringer's any good? LGS had 4 Bond Arms derringers in 357, 45 Colt, 45 Colt/410 they look to be made fairly well compared some other derringers I looked at years ago.

 
Made very well. It's a good thing it only holds two rounds, because that's all you'll want to shoot. It hurts.
 

The 45C/410 I had was a very solid piece of stainless steel. No problems, but a definite hand-full.

For its size I chose a smaller 9 with multiple rounds and significant weight savings.

I wouldn't mind having another, but only for novelty - not that it won't put a hurting on someone.

Have a 3" 45/410 and seem very solid. My main purpose was to have a dedicated snake gun when hunting.

I own a Snake Slayer IV with barrel sets in 357 Mag and 45 Colt. The gun is very well made and nicely finished. It is very much a short-range gun, however, as the upper and lower barrels are not regulated as to point of impact. I find the gun pleasant to shoot with mild loads. Your tolerance for recoil is another story. The trigger is good but quirky to master.

Bond Arms Snake Slayer by GaryBF, on Flickr

My wife and I are thinking of moving out to AZ in the next few years (possibly 3-4 now ).

I'm thinking of getting one of these for a 'snake gun' to have when out on the outdoor range. I handled a couple at a LGS and some of the grips don't feel like they would be pleasant to shoot.

I'm going to have to find someone that has one to shoot it before I buy one. They do look like they are sturdy and well built.

I inherited my dad's American Derringer Model 1 in 32 H&R Mag. They no longer make barrels in a more useful caliber, but Bond Arms does, so if you get one make sure you get one in a caliber (.45/410) that's actually useful. (Unfortunately for me a Bond Arms barrel will not fit the American Derringer.)

Derringers are cool until you pull the trigger. Then you must cock the hammer and do it again or turn in your man card. After commenting out loud how painful that was, you get curious how the unloading and reloading works. Doing so forces you to take 2 more shots. Your curiosity now fully satisfied, you unload with your uninjured hand, return the pistol to its box and shove it to the darkest corner of the safe. That's my personal experience, but YMMV.

For Orive 8: If you want a truly useful snake gun, I highly recommend getting a S&W 642 and buying a box or two of the CCI .38 shot shells. The 642 is half the weight with over twice the capacity. With the better trigger you can make your shots much faster, and you have 5 rounds available, not just 2. When hunting or riding the tractor I personally carry the 642 with the first two rounds of snake shot followed by 3 rounds of HP if a bigger varmint shows up. The 642 is a much more useful gun than the derringer for both snakes and concealed carry for a lower price.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tailhook 84,

Hmmmmmm. I guess every serious collection should have at least one...

What does it do that can't be accomplished with a 15 round glock 19 shooting CCI Blazer Shot shells?

At least they look pretty.

H&K-Guy

quote:

Originally posted by H&K-Guy:
What does it do that can't be accomplished with a 15 round glock 19 shooting CCI Blazer Shot shells?

Shoot a .45 Colt cartridge.

A Bond Arms infomercial was on yesterday afternoon locally.

The guns are just to darn big.

If Bond made one the size of the old Remington in 32 I might be interested.

I occasionally think I might like one, and then I handle one, and the desire passes.

I have heard nothing bad about their quality, but a derringer, in general, is the second most useless handgun I can think of. (This one is the first.) Only two shots (with a very slow second one), bulky and heavy compared to any number of pocket autos, and nothing to hold onto.

quote:

Originally posted by Orive 8:
My wife and I are thinking of moving out to AZ in the next few years (possibly 3-4 now ).

I'm thinking of getting one of these for a 'snake gun' to have when out on the outdoor range.

Tailhook 84's advice is very good, especially if you are on a tractor or on horseback. The .38 with CCI shotshells gives you some range. If you're on the ground, though, my 16 years of dealing with AZ rattlesnakes has been that a .22 CCI shotshell is more than enough. One shot only, and for that I use a S&W 617 10 rounder. You definitely need a revolver or single action gun. The shotshells generally won't cycle a semi-auto. .410 is overkill.
 

There are too many better options than a derringer . I know this firsthand .

I believe the owner of Bond Arms was an employee of American Derringer - So you should at least be getting the same if not better product. I priced an American Derringer and they are sky high with the prices compared to Bond Arms.

I owned 2 American Derringers and they had top notch products.

I have one in 45LC/.410. To me it is a very special purpose gun. I put it in my backpocket with .410 #9 shot for rattlesnakes and cottonmouths when working where I expect them. I used to carry snakeshot on top of the mag in my regular 45 ACP carry gun but have had mixed results with killing the snake. The .410 never leaves any doubt.