What would you use it for ?

 

Think about it ?

 

My great aunt had one, when she and her husband passed, my dad inherited it. He is a big guy with big hands, he can’t fire it. For some reason he can’t get the proper leverage on it to pull the trigger, the weight is heavy due to trigger being exposed but that’s not the issue. I don’t have a problem with it. He has had it 20 years and has never fired it, it’s more of a conversation piece. I believe it’s a .22 magnum but not sure. He has a couple of the North American mini revolvers and much prefers them to the High Standard derringer. And actually carries one daily.

I would rate build quality as above average, don’t know about shoot ability, I would put it in the hideout class where target distance wound be at arms length. 2 shots, make them count.

Back in the 70’s I remember a few older guys carrying them in wallet style holsters with an opening for the trigger. They were designed to fire while still in the holster.

 

Back in the 70’s I remember a few older guys carrying them in wallet style holsters with an opening for the trigger. They were designed to fire while still in the holster.

The derringer when put into the wallet holster becomes an NFA weapon. Owning either holster and/or Derringer is legal unless the derringer is in the holster and has not been registered as a NFA weapon

 

Dad carried a NAA derringer for so long (decades) the pattern of it wore thru the back pockets of his jeans & left the outline plain as day! (Before legal concealed carry). Mom kept it when he passed, not that she wants a gun to carry... She and I eventually went together and bought him a S&W Airweight 38 for Christmas one year, I kept that one! The wife carries it, when she's not packing her SP101 in 327 Fed!

 

That’s the strangest thing I ever hear of. It never occurred to me that a simple leather holster could change the classification of a handgun. I guess it’s like a lot of things, the longer I live the more complicated things seem to get. I remember when you could put most of the annual hunting regulations in a coat pocket. Now it seems you might need your attorney to read and comprehend the regulations just to keep you out of trouble.

Probably why I quit hunting.

 

I've had one since the 70's and it was my primary concealed carry firearm for at least 30 years. I've always loaded .22 Mag snakeshot into the first barrel to fire, then a .22 Mag hollowpoint into the second. Excellent quality and ideal for pocket carry.

It is a solid frame under the grips so the grips can be taken off completely, to make a 1/2" slimmer pistol.

 

I wonder if the hard leather backed holsters for the NAA Black Widows and such would be taken the same way, you have to draw the firearm form them, maybe that's what makes a difference.

 

From what I understand. According to the ATF lords.
When using a handgun , it must be held by the handle ( grip ) when being fired.
When in a wallet holster , you are not holding it by the handle ( grip ) , therefore making it an illegal weapon.

 

I have a pair of these in .22lr. One is an early production in mint condition, the other is well “loved” and is always loaded in my shop drawer. Sometimes carried in a jacket pocket during a walk. I like them a lot and consider them the best of the “derringer“ style guns.

 

I have one in .22 WMR that I pocket carry sometimes when wearing dress slacks. I load it with Federal Punch ammo.

 

For those that carry that thing for protection has it ever protected you.

 

It may be worth noting that the .22lr and .22 magnum barrel sets are interchangeable on the frames. Not exactly easy to swap, but with both barrel sets, you have two different rounds to pick from. The muzzle flash from the magnum round is quite spectacular. There is also an American Derringer (DA-38) that is supposed to be copy of the Hi Standard design in center fire pistol calibers.

 

Back in the late sixties and early seventies I worked for one of the larger Coast To Coast Hardware Stores that dealt pretty heavily in guns. I remember selling several of these derringers back then and always thought they were neat, but I guess not neat enough to make me buy one.

 

I also worked at an early age (16) in a wholesale hardware store. S&W was the brand they carried and everytime I boxed one up to send out I just had to take a peek at the high luster blued finsh. One day an old coworker saw me looking and told me not to touch the gun! I said I was just admiring it. He said if you touch it and it kills someone your finger prints will be on the gun.
I ensured him not all guns are meant for killing people. LOL

 

In the early 70s I worked in a gun store. When someone came in and wanted a derringer, we did our best to convince him that any revolver was a better firearm for any purpose.

If they insisted and bought one, we laughed when they left the store. We also made it a policy to never take a derringer in trade.

I've never seen a reason to change my mind.

 

Back when I bicycled a lot on remote highways, I really wanted a two-bbl 38Spl derringer.
Much later I finally picked up a S&W 38Spl Airweight Ti, so there's that. :-/

And I never knew that about the NFA holster thing. Learn something new every day - hopefully. :-/

 

I agree it's not a " carry gun " , but it makes a decent backup gun.
Years ago , plenty of police and Highway Patrol carried one as a backup gun in 22 magnum.

 

I never met an officer who carried a derringer as a BU. If they carried a BU it was a J-Frame S&W or Colt Detective. I carried an S&W M49 Bodyguard.

But I'm sure someone, somewhere carried a derringer until he had to deploy it (or attempted to deploy it). After that, it wound up in a dresser drawer.

 

I have a friend in the sherrif's department that says the High standard derringer is a good ankle carry BU due to the comfort compared to a revolver or semi-auto. He also said don't downplay the 22Mag. It's the real thing!

 

I wonder did he ever shoot it in a bad situation more than 3 feet away? Having a derringer is one thing. Using it in a self-defense action is different. Unless you have hands the size of a midget, it's useless. But in the hands of a midget, it's deadly shooting upwards within 3 feet.

There was an officer who also carried a useless weapon as his backup. Nunchucks. He talked of all their glory until a bad guy tried to play proctologist with them on his ninja buttocks. Rookies have to learn the hard way.

Toy guns should remain in the sock drawer and brought out only to impress 7-year-olds and the people who dress up as Wild West gamblers.

People can carry what they want, but if my family declared that a derringer was their weapon of choice for a backup (Heaven forbid as a primary) they would receive an EBD (Educational BeatDown).

 

Sorry crc4 but I would like to see a NAA in 22 mag derringer for self defense. NAA's are of top quality and affordable. My sister's brother-in-law was shot with a .22 mag by a robber at a convience store and barely survived. Every gun and every caliber can be deadly and respectively not considered as toys for the sock drawer. That being said, I do have a kershaw Leek in my sock drawer!

 

Decades ago I had the HS in 22LR. In deliberate 2 hand/Weaver stance it was respectably accurate at across the room distance. The trigger was Horrible! I pulled it down and did what I could but to little effect.
Ive tried a number of mouse guns through the years; these past years the Ruger LCP 380 has been my choice. It is really no bigger than the 2 shot derringer, easier to manage and mine has been reliable even with the fancy hollowpoints (forget what they are but highly regarded).
Now that I see the HS has that plastic rotator I think it is good you passed on it.