By B. Gil Horman

In the late 19th Century, American gunsmith Henry Deringer invented and became famous for some of the most commercially successful pocket guns of all time. His products did so well that his name, eventually misspelled as “derringer,” became synonymous with any pocket-size single- or double-barrel pistol. Perhaps the most famous double-barrel cartridge loading pistol to receive the derringer moniker is the Remington Model 95.

Remington’s compact two-shot over-under pistol was available from 1866 to 1935. It’s the same little gun that’s so often seen jumping out of boots and vest pockets when cowboys and card sharks just can’t get along at saloon card tables in the classic Old West movies. Bond Arms of Granbury, Texas, has taken this venerable 19th century pistol and redesigned it for 21st century concealed carry, resulting in one of the most compact and powerful pocket pistols available….

At the Range
For this shooting session, three new guns from the Bond Arms 2012 catalogue were tested. The first two are the new Mini models. Both pistols use the cowboy-style frame with no trigger guard and the brand new 2 1/2-inch Mini barrels. The Mini features a .45 Colt only barrel and an engraved rosewood grip. The Bond Girl Mini is fitted with a .38 Spl./.357 Mag. barrel and a Bond Girl pink synthetic pearl grip. The third pistol in the test set is the new USA Defender featuring a 3-inch .45 Colt/.410 barrel, a removable trigger guard and an engraved extended rosewood grip. All three guns showed an excellent level of fit and finish, and they all fired a variety of ammunition without any malfunctions….

View the full article: http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/bond-arms-derringers-review/

Check out the photo gallery: http://www.americanrifleman.org/GalleryItem.aspx?cid=22&gid=153&id=1357

Bond Arms makes the world’s best derringers. That is a strong statement, but to anyone who has handled and fired one, it is a true statement. Made of stainless steel, tightly fitted and beautifully finished, the Bond derringers are strong and powerful. I have owned my Snake Slayer for almost three years now, and it has proven to be a handy and reliable weapon. I carry mine often when out in the woods during warm weather, when rattlers, copperheads, and cottonmouths are crawling. Around the farm, these creatures like to lay under equipment and such, and I won’t tolerate them around the area where my grandkids and their wonderful grandpa play and work. Loaded with a payload of 410 number 8 shot, the Bond makes quick work of dispatching venomous snakes.

Check out the video detailing the Bond Arms Line

The Bond Arms Line

A Bond derringer is also very handy to wear while driving. I carry mine is a Bond driving holster, which is a cross draw that holds the weapon horizontally on my belt, just to the right of my belt buckle, me being a left-handed shooter. A three inch 410 shotshell loaded with five pellets of 000 buck or something like the Winchester PDX1 makes a formidable car-jacker repellant. Even a load of birdshot at close range into the face of an attacker is very effective. I have covered most everything in detail on the Bond pistol before in my review of the Snake Slayer, so I won’t plow that same ground here again. In that review, I mentioned the wide assortment of Bond derringers available, and in this piece, I will spotlight just a few.

Bond Arms Mini

First up is a Bond Mini with some pink grip panels. This is the “Bond Girl” gun, and has really been a hit with the women to whom I have shown it. Pictured here, the Bond Girl pistol is chambered for the 38 Special/357 magnum cartridges, but as with any of the Bond Derringers, switching to another set of barrels is very quick and easy to do. Nicole really liked the Bond, and shot it very well, both with the 38 Special cartridge, and then also with the three-inch 410 shotshell, after switching barrels with my Snake Slayer.

Also shown here is a Bond Mini chambered for the 45 Colt cartridge. This weapon has barrels that are too short for the 410 shotshell, and is a good choice for those who want only to shoot the 45 Colt cartridge. Again, extra barrel sets can be purchased to allow the use of several different cartridges on any one Bond frame.

USA Defender

Another derringer shown here is the Bond USA Defender. It is chambered in 45 Colt/410 shotshell, but with shorter barrels, to use the two and one-half inch shotshell, sacrificing a bit of shotshell payload for better concealability. The laser-engraved grip panels are beautiful, with the American flag replicated on the laminated wood.

My favorite of the guns shown here is the Ranger II. It is also chambered for 45 Colt/410, and has a trigger guard, which distinguishes the Ranger II from the Ranger. The black grips look good with the stainless pistol, and the black driving holster is both beautiful and functional. Well-balanced with its longer barrels, the Ranger II just feels right to me.

Texas Ranger

The special cased gun and knife set shown here is Bond’s tribute to the Texas Rangers. Not the baseball team, but the special division of the Texas state police. As indicated on the upper barrel, The Rangers have been in service since 1823, commissioned by Stephen Austin, and have been around almost continuously ever since, except during the reconstruction period after The Confederate States were aggressively invaded from the north and lost that war, along with their sovereignty. The Texas Rangers are some of the most respected law enforcement officers in the nation, and have a colorful and interesting history in the formation of the Republic of Texas, as well as the state.

The Bond Texas Ranger derringer in the cased set is chambered for the 45 Colt/410 Shotshell combination. It comes cased with a special Buck knife, laser-engraved with the Bond Arms logo. The pistol grip and the knife scales are made of Texas mesquite wood, and have replica Texas Ranger badges inlaid. This is a good-looking, highly collectable Bond derringer with special serial numbers, and is available for a limited time. The pistol commemorates the 200th Anniversary of the Rangers, which is still twelve years away, but the pistols are only available for a limited time. I like the idea of having the guns done early. Many times, gun manufacturers will issue a commemorative, and by the time it finally gets into production, the anniversary has passed. Bond is thinking ahead on this one. Anyway, it is a beautiful gun and knife set, cased with a glass top, and in production now. These Texas Ranger sets can be ordered direct from Bond Arms, and they will take care of getting it delivered to your gun dealer.

Bond Arms Buck Knife

Speaking of knives, Bond now has commissioned Buck to produce knives for them. I remember a time when just about everyone carried a Buck 110 folding knife. These Buck knives that bear the Bond logo are made in the USA, open quickly, and lock open for safety. The three and one-quarter inch blades are stainless, and the scales are available in laminated rosewood or black ash, and have a stainless steel pocket clip.

Like all Bond derringers, the ones shown here are fine examples of craftsmanship, and are made in the USA.

Check out the line of Bond firearms, knives, holsters, and accessories online at www.bondarms.com/store/

To find a Bond retailer near you, click on the DEALER LOCATOR at www.lipseys.com

To order a Bond derringer online, go to www.galleryofguns.com

Article by: Jeff Quinn

Original version can be seen here

The Ranger II and Holster

Derringers have filled the small handgun role for many years, and Bond Arms Ranger II is a modern version of this iconic firearm.

By NRA Staff

There is no arguing that, when it comes to handguns, small is in. And there is no handgun that has been filling that role longer than the Derringer. First popularized by Henry Deringer in the early 19th century, and much copied since, in modern times the form is perhaps best represented by Bond Arms out of Granbury, Texas. The Bond Arms Ranger II exemplifies the later two-barrel style, and this single-action, break-open pistol is chambered to fire 2 1/2- or 3-inch .410-bore shotshells, as well as .45 Colt and .45 Schofield.

The gun features stainless steel construction with a brushed finish, is CNC-machined and is built entirely in the United States. Weighing more than 23 ounces, this handgun feels solid enough to handle a variety of loads, and thanks to the patented interchangeable barrel system, it can. All Bond Arms derringers will accept any one of the company’s 16 different barrels, available in 22 cartridge options, and new barrels can be shipped directly to the consumer.

Changing barrels requires only the action to be opened and the removal of the single hinge screw with a 1/8-inch Allen wrench. Replacement barrels come with sights and a spring-loaded extractor pre-installed. The extractor can also be manually pushed using a thumb extension to help remove rounds that may become stuck; however, the chambers are well-honed to aid smooth extraction. The blade front sight and notched rear sight are integral with the barrel, which starts as a solid piece of steel before the two barrel openings are bored out and rifled. Featuring 3-inch chambers, the Ranger II has rifling in only the last 1½ inches of its total length.

Bond Arms Derringers have several mechanical safeties to ensure their proper use and to protect against an unintentional discharge. The first is the rebounding hammer that acts as a half-cock position and prevents forward movement of the hammer. This also acts as a hammer drop safety so it will not fire if dropped on the hammer on top of a chambered round. The hammer will engage the firing pins only if the trigger is completely depressed.

The twin firing pins are also auto-retracting to help prevent accidental discharges when loading. A cross-bolt safety is also included above the grip. It completely prevents any hammer contact with the firing pins when activated. The cross-bolt safety can also be locked in the “on” position with an Allen wrench on a screw on the breech face. An internal locking device, located next to the trigger, locks the action and helps prevent unauthorized use. Many may also appreciate the inclusion of a trigger guard that is removable for those preferring a more traditional outline.

The grip design for the Ranger II adds a finger extension that provides a more positive grip, and the grip swell fills the palm comfortably. Also unique to the Ranger II is the smooth, black-wood-laminated construction with matching brushed, stainless steel Texas or Lawman star inlays gracing each side of the grip. The star matches one found on the attractive driving holster, a sturdy, black-molded leather cross-draw affair with distinct white stitching, a quick-release thumb break and a clever hook-and-loop attachment system that fits up to 1¾-inch belts.

Operation is straightforward and easily mastered. Simply rotate the frame-mounted, spring-loaded rapid reload lever downward to release the hinged barrel assembly, then rotate the barrel assembly upward, allowing the spring-loaded extractor to push the cartridges out far enough to grip and remove them, or load new ones. To fire, firmly close the barrel assembly, cock the hammer and squeeze the trigger.

The hammer face features a self-adjusting, spring-loaded block that alternates the firing sequence between the top and bottom barrels each time it is cocked. With a bit of practice and observation the shooter can determine which barrel to fire in which order—something that can be helpful if using different loads in each barrel.

The Ranger II was shot with both 000 Buckshot for patterning and .45 Colt for chronographing and accuracy testing at 7 yards. The trigger, at 7 pounds, 8 ounces, was comfortable to use, and recoil was manageable thanks in large part to the pistols weight and full-size grip. Cases also proved easy to extract.

Recoil with the .410 buckshot loads was stout, yet manageable, and it was significantly less with .45 Colt ammunition. The four-pellet buckshot pattern was also tight at 7 yards, with one group less than 5 inches and most averaging 2 to 4 inches. The upper barrel had a tendency to fire 5 inches above point of aim, and the lower barrel the same amount below point of aim at 7 yards with .410 ammunition.

The Bond Arms Ranger II provides .410-bore firepower in a small package and can be effectively used in a variety of close-range, personal-protection situations. Combined with various loads ranging from birdshot to custom defense loads to standard handgun cartridges, and the capability for quick barrel changes, it offers great versatility.

Manufacturer: Bond Arms, Inc; (817) 573-4445; www.bondarms.com
Caliber: .45 Colt/.410 with 3″ chambers
Action Type: single action, hinged, over/under
Frame: stainless steel
Barrel: 4¼”
Rifling: six grooves, RH twist, 1:12″
Capacity: two
Sights: fixed blade front, notch rear
Trigger Pull: 7 lbs., 8 ozs.
Overall Length: 61⁄4″
Width: 11⁄4″
Height: 41⁄2″
Weight: 23.5 ozs.
Stocks: black ash star
Accessories: plastic case, cross-draw holster
Suggested Retail Price: $649

See the original article at American Rifleman

by Jeff Quinn – Gunblast.com

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

April 20th, 2009

If you have never handled a Bond, forget everything that you know about derringers. For over 150 years, the term “derringer” has been used to describe what most think of as a cheap, light, short, two-barreled last ditch backup gun. Manufacturers in the late nineteenth century jumped on the popularity of Henry Deringer’s small pocket guns, and started cranking out pistols of varying quality to satisfy the market. Ever since, derringers have been available that chambered small caliber cartridges into pistols that were cheap to build and sell. For what they are, these derringers serve their purpose, and certainly can put two reasonably quick shots into an opponent at close range, but are sometimes lacking in quality of materials, manufacture, safety, and power. Some of these pistols will slam-fire, and can also fire if dropped on their hammer. Most on the market today are made from zinc alloys, and work pretty well, but lack the quality and size to chamber powerful big bore cartridges.

Enter Bond Arms, Inc. of Granbury, Texas. The Bond Arms derringers exude quality. Some would call them the “Cadillac” of derringers. I would not. I have owned Cadillacs. Very good automobiles, but they are not up to the quality standards of Bond Arms. The closest that I can relate to the quality of the Bond pistols is the Freedom Arms revolvers. Most revolver shooters are familiar with Freedom Arms. Freedom makes the finest revolvers on the planet, and Bond Arms makes the finest derringers ever built. Ever. Made from machined stainless steel, the Bond is the derringer perfected. The Bond has a rebounding hammer and spring-loaded firing pins, adding greatly to the safety of the design. The hammer is blocked from forward movement unless the trigger is pulled, to prevent the weapon from firing if dropped upon its hammer. In addition, the Bond has a crossbolt safety that effectively blocks the hammer from contact with the firing pins. It is very simple to use, but I prefer to rely upon the rebounding hammer and block, and do not use the crossbolt. To prevent the crossbolt safety from being accidentally pushed into the “on safe” position, a small set screw can be tightened with an Allen wrench, to lock the crossbolt into either the “on safe” or “off safe” positions. To load and fire the Bond, a side lever is pushed downward, releasing the barrels to swing upward for loading. After loading, the barrels are closed, the hammer is manually cocked, and the trigger is pressed backward and slightly downward to fire. The locking block is angled, or cammed, in the design, and self-adjusts to stay tight as the gun wears, much like the lockup on a modern double-barreled shotgun. Come to think of it, the Snake Slayer is a double-barreled shotgun! The trigger pull on the sample gun released cleanly with seven and one-quarter pounds of pressure. This is a good pull on a pistol of this type. It is not too heavy, and not too light. The barrels alternate in firing sequence, without resetting when the action is opened. Most prefer to fire the bottom barrel first, and looking at the block on the hammer that contacts the firing pins, one can determine the sequence of firing. The Snake Slayer has a trigger guard, which is removable if desired, but there are models available without a trigger guard, for those who prefer it that way. I really like the trigger guard. It makes the weapon easier to handle for me, and is not in the way at all. The Bond derringers are available chambered for several different cartridges, and the barrels are interchangeable. The sample pistol wore a set of three and one-half inch .45 Colt/.410 Snake Slayer barrels, but also had spare four and three-sixteenths inch .45 Colt/.410 Snake Slayer IV and .38 Special/.357 Magnum Defender barrels that were shipped to me as well. The chamberings offered by Bond include the following:

45 Colt/.410 Shot Shell, rifled bore
.357 Magnum/.38 Special
.357 Maximum
.45 ACP
.45 Colt
.45 GAP
.44 Special
.44 WCF (.44-40)
.40 S&W
10 mm Auto
9 mm Luger
.32 H & R Magnum
.22 Long Rifle

Changing barrels is the definition of simplicity. Swing open the barrels, and remove the hinge screw with a Allen wrench. Insert the other set of barrels and replace the hinge screw. It takes very little effort and less than a minute to switch barrels. The extractor is built into the barrels, so no change is necessary for that part. The extractor is spring-loaded, and works to extract any of the rimmed cartridges automatically, lifting them slightly as the barrels are swung open. While several cartridge options are available, the bread and butter of the Bond line is their .45 Colt/.410 shotshell versions, such as the Snake Slayer shown here. The versatility of that combination is outstanding, allowing the pistol to chamber a variety of .45 Colt ammunition, and either two and one-half or three inch .410 shotshells, including birdshot, buckshot, and slugs. The three inch buckshot load usually contains five pellets of either 00 or 000 size, and at close range, is devastating on flesh. The pattern spreads pretty quickly, but at typical fighting distances, the buckshot is a very good choice. At contact distances typical in a gunfight, even birdshot is an excellent choice. While called the Snake Slayer, this handgun would be an ideal defense against a carjacker. Carried in the Bond Driving holster, it is quick into action, and a face-full of number six birdshot will repel any attacker, leaving him either dead or worse, blind for the rest of his life. Taurus is selling all of “The Judge” .45/.410 revolvers that they can make, but the Bond double barrel is much more compact than even the lightweight Judge, and fires the full-length three inch shotshell. The lightweight Judge is only offered in the two and one-half inch version. You have to go with the much-heavier steel Judge to get the three inch chamber. It is neither as light nor as compact as the Snake Slayer. While the Judge offers three more shots without reloading, the two in the Snake Slayer are plenty for any snake, and should suffice for close range defense from human predators as well. I like the Judge, but for a packing gun, I greatly prefer the Bond. The three and one-half inch barreled Snake Slayer weighed in at 21.8 ounces on my scale, and has an overall length of only five and one-half inches. It is a true pocket pistol, laying pretty flat, but I prefer to carry in the driving holster.

Shooting the Bond Snake Slayer was a pleasure. Recoil, with even the stoutest .410 shot loads was easy to control, thanks to the excellent design of the grip. Having that extra length to accommodate the little finger makes a world of difference, as does the trigger guard in helping to control the pistol. The recoil of the .45 Colt ammunition varied from mild to heavy, depending of course upon the load chosen. However, while shooting .45 Colt ammo from the Snake Slayer is a good option, I prefer to think of this thing as close range protection from poisonous snakes and two-legged vipers, and in that capacity, the .410 birdshot and buckshot excels. Shot patterns at close range with .410 birdshot were superior to any centerfire handgun shot cartridges that I have ever used. While the bores are rifled on the Snake Slayer, the shot load did not exhibit a donut pattern, and as can be seen in the picture, a snake would have no chance of squirming through that shot pattern, and neither would an attacker in a close range fight.

The Bond Arms Snake Slayer is a very unique weapon, like nothing else on the market. It is a specialized weapon, ideally suited for carry in poisonous snake country, and an excellent choice for a handgun to carry while driving an automobile. It is compact, relatively lightweight for the power that it packs, and built with pride by American craftsmen in the state of Texas. It is a good weapon, and I highly recommend it.

Check out the entire line of Bond Arms firearms and accessories online at www.bondarms.com.

For the location of a Bond Arms dealer near you, click here.

]]> http://bondarms.com/bond-arms-45-colt-410-shotshell-snake-slayer-the-derringer-perfected/feed 3 http://bondarms.com/derringers-101?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=derringers-101 http://bondarms.com/derringers-101#comments Sat, 23 Jul 2011 01:57:29 +0000 admin http://bondarms.com/?p=789

Over the past 12 years Bond Arms has redefined what what a derringer is and perfected the art of pocket pistol design, but do you know the history of this legendary gun?

Bond Arms Special Edition Derringer

What is a Derringer?

The term derringer is a generalized misspelling of the last name of Henry Derringer, a famous 19th-century maker of small pocket pistols. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Derringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became an alternate generic term for any pocket pistol, along with the generic phrase palm pistol Derringer’s competitors invented and used in their advertising. The original Derringer pistol was a single-shot muzzle loading pistol; with the advent of cartridge firearms, pistols began to be produced in the modern form still known as a derringer. (source: wikipedia.org/derringers)

Who Makes Derringers?

There are about a dozen companies around the work that still make the much loved Derringer pistols.  If your on this site you probably realize Bond Arms has perfected the art of the Derringer gun and has created a firearm with amazing reliability, stopping power to put down anything in your way and offer you a lifetime warranty if anything breaks on your gun.

Where to find a Bond Arms Derringer for Sale?

You can find our guns for sale at any Bond Arms dealer.  You can find derringers for sale by our dealers here.

Where Can I get Derringer Accessories?

While most of our dealers carry accessories for our guns you can also order them in the Bond Arms online Store.

Also, make sure to check out our Bond Arms Coupons and Specials.

Why Choose a Bond Arms Derringer?

Bond Arms Models:

Texas Defender

The trigger guard aids in the control
of the pistol when shooting the larger
calibers. All Bond derringers are [...]

 

Find Out More

Bond Ranger

Includes black custom driving/concealed
leather holster and padded carry bag.

[...]

 

Find Out More

Snake Slayer IV

The Snake Slayer IV has a
4 1/4” long barrel (versus 3 1/2” barrel).
This longer barreled Snake Slayer
provides tighter shot patterns, [...]

 

Find Out More

Snake Slayer

This is the original Snake
Slayer which is the ultimate
concealable .410 shotshell/.45Colt pistol
for people that need a larger [...]

 

Find Out More

Cowboy Defender

The Cowboy Defender was designed for
Cowboy Action or the Most Compact Carry
Concealed .410 shotshell protection available.
The overall appearance is [...]

 

Find Out More

Century 2000

The Century 2000 was designed
to handle the 3” or shorter .410
shot shells and will also shoot
the .45 Colt. The [...]

 

Now that you know all the details make sure you check here to pick out your very own derringer.

The Bond Arms Derringer Shot Pattern

by B. Gil Horman

Handguns chambered to fire .410 shotshells present a unique set of advantages and challenges for shooters. The ability to fire a mix of bullets, slugs, buckshot, birdshot, and specialty .410 loads makes these pistols exceptionally flexible in their applications. However, shot pellet size, barrel length, and barrel rifling all work to influence how shot travels and patterns.

The purpose of this study is to provide a sample of controlled test results to give shooters  a better sense of how .410 shotshells may perform when fired from a handgun.

Shotshell-loaded pistols are the bee’s knees in poisonous-snake country.

The unseasonably warm South Texas weather slowed deer hunting to a crawl. With only 15 minutes of daylight and a 30-minute walk back to the truck, I left my blind a little early. I was sweating, and little gnats swarmed around my face. I brushed them away in aggravation as I walked along a well worn cow path that cut through the prickly pear cactus and mesquite brush. I had walked in on that same trail and other than a few cottontails bouncing in and out of the brush, I hadn’t seen living thing.

As I swatted the gnats from my eyes, I slipped in full stride, losing my balance and nearly falling headlong onto the ground. Somehow I managed to find my balance and righted myself. I looked down at my boots, expecting that I’d stepped in a fresh cow pie and slipped. To my surprise, there was no cow manure on my boot soles. What the heck had I slipped on, anyway? I looked behind me and saw the source of my slip — a huge diamondback rattlesnake coiled up no more than 15 inches from my legs, preparing to strike! He’d never rattled.

My first instinct was to jump away, which I did with a gallant adrenaline powered leap, but by then it was getting dark. I fired at him with my deer rifle but missed, and he crawled off unscathed. As the last light of day faded, I realized that I had stepped on the serpent, probably while he was outstretched and sunning himself, and nearly fell right on top of him. Who knows what would have happened if . . .

— Russell Thornberry, 1962

Nothing gets your attention like suddenly finding yourself at arm’s length from a poisonous snake. Sometimes screaming and jumping to record heights works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the issue gets down to you and the snake. I always choose me!

Trying to get your wits about you in such a situation can be tough, especially when armed with a deer rifle or a bow and arrow, neither of which is the best weapon for close-range snake protection. That situation is best served with a shotgun full of bird shot, but more often than not, we aren’t toting a shotgun. One can carry only so many arms afield before needing porters.

There is a viable option — a handgun in .44/.410 bore. Several manufacturers offer these, ranging from pocket-size derringers to heavy-duty hip guns that demand stout holsters.

GunHunter Managing Editor Larry Teague and I decided to put several of these snake charmers to the test so that we could report somewhat scientifically what the user might expect of each gun in a close-range snake fest. Each of the three handguns is chambered in .45 Long Colt, which also accepts .410-bore shotshells and metal shotshells in .45 Long Colt. To compare the handguns’ overall performance, we tested four different shot loads in each gun.

Perhaps the greatest surprise was that more shot doesn’t necessarily mean more pellets in the kill zone. As you will notice, each of the handguns tested put more pellets in the kill zone with No. 6 shot than with No. 8. So more pellets fired isn’t necessarily the end-all, be-all.

Given that no two firearms, even of the same make and model, will duplicate one another in such tests, this experiment offers the reader a worthy general comparison.

As one might expect, the longer the barrel, the greater the percentage of pellets in the target zone.

The trade-off, of course, is size and weight. Our three handguns ranged from 11/2 to 4.65 pounds.

Larry and I concluded that each handgun offers worthwhile snake protection at snake-biting range and far exceeds the protective value of screaming and jumping straight up!

Download the article in PDF Format Here

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Cowboy Chronicle Magazine
~Colonel Ashland Guthrie, SASS #60066

The genre of so-called snake charmer guns has been around a long time. From what I have studied of American Old West history, the old cowboys and ranch hands really had no special firearm on their carry to dispatch snakes. They often just opted for the Colt or Schofield, or maybe a Winchester lever gun, or a Greener smooth bore to squelch the tail shake of a nasty rattler along the cattle trail or around the corral.

The New Derringer

Small double stack barreled “belly” guns were most often encountered in the gambling houses or paddle wheel river boats held next to a spare ace by sporting men. Such guns were likely used in self-offense when a card hand went bad or another cheat was discovered dealing from the bottom of the deck. They were probably not regularly seen around the stockyards or ranches as a normal tool of the working man.

Today, the derringer has been relegated more or less to a plinking role or some orchestrated shooting events held at cowboy gatherings.  Some may have picked them for a self-protection role. The overall popularity of the two-shooters seems to have waned somewhat over the years, at least until Cowboy Action Shooting™ came into vogue.

All that changed when Bond Arms of Granbury, Texas came on the scene with a line of modern manufactured single-action, high quality Derringer pistols. Greg Bond and his group have come up with some really innovative designs and materials to upgrade the derringer concept to a multitask utility firearm. Bond Arms derringer’s claim to fame is the simple fact their guns have won the World Champion SASS Shooter Derringer category for eight years in a row! That alone is a pretty good reputation to build upon. Once you handle one, you will quickly see why.

The Bond Arms Derringers

Of all the many models and configurations of derringers offered by Bond Arms, I was fortunate enough to lay my hands on their newest version called the Snake Slayer IV (SSIV). With pistol model names like Texas Defender, Cowboy Defender, and Snake Slayer, one’s interest has to be piqued. I will be the first to admit, in this particular case I succumbed to their print media advertising campaign.

The ad depicts a guy out in the wilds on a fishing trip taking defensive action against the meanest, vilest looking snake one could imagine. In Texas those are rattlers no doubt, but here in Mississippi, we have a nastier model called the cottonmouth water moccasin. The ad looks to be illustrating this particular bad boy.

As a springtime turkey hunter and early fall whitetail deer scout, I envisioned this pistol the ideal backup side carry for slithering ankle biters. Besides, it looked like it would be fun to shoot, easy to tote, and convenient to place in a scouting fanny pack or ATV holster. When I saw the first ad for the SSIV derringer, then perused their web site (www.bondarms.com), I was dead sold on the spot. I called my gun dealer the next day, and within a week I was palming this man-sized hunk of stainless. I have never looked back since.

Detailing the Snake Slayer IV

What immediately caught my attention on this model was the extended grip design allowing for big meaty mitts like mine to get a firm grip on the thing. I was also attracted to the interchangeable .410/45 Colt chambering of this version. Of course, like other Bond Arms derringer models, the SSIV has a barrel set that can easily be changed out to many other calibers and a couple of different barrel lengths. It is truly a
versatile pistol in this regard.

Specifications include 4.25 inch barrels, 23.5 ounce empty weight, 6.25 inches long, fixed sights, full trigger guard, swing open barrel release, and a manual cartridge slide ejector. Everything is a matte stainless finish with oversized laser engraved, polished wood grips. Many accessories are available from the factory, especially other barrels in popular chamberings, including the .44 Special, .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .32 H&R Magnum, and .22 Long Rifle. Three inch barrels for rimless rounds include the .45 Glock Auto, .45 ACP, 10mm, .40 S&W, and the 9mm Luger. This certainly is enough choice options for any derringer shooter.

Other add-on items include a selection of optional holsters; grip panels in various materials such as buffalo horn, stag, rosewood, or Giraffe bone; and custom made wooden display boxes. Company logo caps and coffee mugs are also available.

When I ordered my own SSIV, I also ordered the BMT leather holster. This is one beautiful piece of tanned leather and is fully lined. Later I received the BAD model holster, which is made in South Africa for crossdraw, self-defense carry against carjackings. It, too, is a fine piece of work, especially if you like a crossdraw, which I do.

Indeed Bond Arms has the waterfront well covered when it comes to derringers. But Does it Shoot? The simple answer is, heck yes! I took the SSIV to the field on its first weekend of ownership to appropriately blacken its bore. Now, keep in mind these guns are short-range affairs, even though one champion shooter out there is using one at 60-yard targets.

People forget, no doubt, these are marketed as snake killer guns or up close and personal for defense use. Up close and personal is the operative term here. I did my initial shooting round at 10 feet on paper target copies of snakes and a well-known reptilian figure known as the Geico Gecko. For these, I first used .410 shells in both barrels with Remington shotshells in No. 6 shot. Even at this distance with the 4.25 inch barrel, the concentration of shot holes proved a steady shooter could easily dispatch a vermin in quick order.

Ditto the same reaction with using .45 Colt lead loads of 250 grains in a Winchester Cowboy load. I discovered, curiously to my amazement, the .45 Colt loads were easier to control than the .410 shotgun shells, at least on this first trial. Certainly in terms of a small gun for taking out a snake or other close in varmints, the shotshell is the way to go with adequate shot density for better target coverage. Shooting this gun with .45 Colt loads in a self defense mode at close range would be one tough ticket to punch.

Greg Bond highly recommends reading the owner’s manual to learn exactly how to shoot these guns. In particular, he points out to make sure the web of the shooting hand should not in any way come in contact with the cocked hammer, as this will impact the feel of the trigger pull. This is not really an issue unless the shooter is used to snuggling the shooting hand up tight into the grip. Shooters should heed this advice though.

Bond Arms suggests two shotshell types that have proven to shoot well in their guns. These include the Winchester .410 load of 3-inch, 000 buck shot, which is loaded with five buck shot pellets. The other load is the CCI .45 Colt Shotshells with the plastic capsules holding 1/3 ounce of No. 9 shot. If you find difficulty in getting a good saturation on target, then try these specific loads.

The Snake Slayer IV retails for around $485, but always try to work a deal. That’s why they call them gun dealers. Extra barrels sell from $139 to $159. Grips run from $40 up to $250 for exotics. Holsters are priced from $21.95 to $95 for a shoulder rig.

If you want a near perfect small, lightweight, two-shot tool for carry in the wilds against snakes and such, or in urban environs for other types of creepy slime-ball things, this is the gun you want. As a Cowboy Action Shooter, too, the Bond Arms Derringers are bar none the best for western action shooting. I highly recommend them!

Bond Arms In "America's 1st Freedom" Magazine

America’s 1st Freedom – Bond Arms Review

~ Laurie Lee Dovey

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