CF Derringers?

[ZVP]

I have a Cobra .38 Special O/U that I have a ball with!
How many of you also shoot C/F Deringers?
I shy away from the really bug bore ones because my .38 Special is enough of a handfull to shoot due to the small grip and moderate recoil.
I can see why they were so popular as self-defense pistols ever since they came out. Very hard to shoot accurately at any distance beyond a few feet.
For years I have also shot a .22 lr Davis Derringer for snake protection. Again, the even smaller Rimfires are sorta hard to hit with...
With CBcaps, they sure are a lot of fun!
to plink with. Like a big cap gun!
I guess that maybe I should've just posted this on the general Pistol heading. sorry.
BPDave

[KenW.]

I had a .38 Spec Cobra myself. It was fun to have around but I gave it up as part of a trade. Now I have a Davis .22 Mag and a Bond 410/45C. Touching off a 45 Colt load in even the solid Bond Derringer is a major handful.

[Erich]

Pshaw. Even warm handloads from the .45 Colt (only) Bond Derringer aren't terrible - though you tend to get interested in something else after maybe 20 rounds of them.



BTW, those rifled .45-Colt-to-.22-LR adaptor inserts make for inexpensive practice in these things . . . I got a pair for under $20 delivered.

[Cheapshooter]

I have a Cobra .38 Special O/U that I have a ball with! How many of you also shoot C/F Deringers?

I have been thinking about getting one of the Cobra rimfire Deringers just as something a little different to plink with at the range.
Do you consider the fun factor of the CF to be far enough above that of the RF to just skip tge 22, and go for the "big gun"?
What is the quality of the Cobra guns like. I don't mean is It a highly refined, beautifully machined safe queen. But rather will It last through blasting away at a lot of cheating card sharks disguised as beer cans and water filled milk jugs?
Ammo cost shouldn't be a problem as I will be getting my loading, and casting benches set up again soon.

[RJay]

Actually they are decent guns, and Cobra has a lifetime guarantee and they honor it. They will even honor the old Davis guns ( Their predecessor. ). But accuracy is only across a card table, target guns they are not. Once in a while when I don't want to carry anything heavier on my walks, I will carry a Davis 22 magnum with the top chamber loaded with CCI shot shells. Works for me.

[ZVP]

The Cobra like the old Davis (cobra bought them out) are really well made and ruged! They will stand up to a lot of shooting with full factory ammo without loostening.
The small frame rimfire Derringers will really take a beating! I have a .22 lr version with literally well over a thousand rounds thru it and an equal amount of CB caps which are a ball to shoot!
Nope, no quality issues with these tough little pistols!
BPDave

[Bill DeShivs]

"Well made" is a relative term. The Cobra derringers are made of cast zinc, just like all their other guns. The barrel latch on some also becomes loose.

[Cheapshooter]

Cast zinc, or the more modern, and much more durable alloy ZAMAK?
I have had no problems with my ZAMAC containing Walthr P22, Hi-Point C9, Heritage Rough Rider, or Henry Golden Boy.

[RJay]

Lets put it another way, for their cost they fairly well made. They are simple ( except for the rotating firing pin ) and the barrel has a steel liner. They are even being sold by Cimarron under the Cimarron brand. They are much more reliable than the old Davis Automatics. FWIW, Davis was faced with a multitude of lawsuits in California ( some real, some just designed to run Davis out of the business). Due to the magic of corporate ways. Davis folded, and Cobra was founded in another state, Utah. In fact it is the same company, same people in charge, almost the same guns. But since the Davis company is no longer in existence, well it can't be held responsible for the California law suits. The ways of the law is strange indeed. BTW. the new Walther .22 PPK/S are made of mostly of alloy, not steel.

[Bill DeShivs]

Zamak. While it may be a step up from zinc, it's still not particularly durable.
Zamak has proven to work well in low stress situations, but it's still cheesy.

[Biff Tannen]

Good hiking/ camping guns to defend against critters and hungry 4 legged beasts..
They are inexpensive and safe.
Not too practical for everyday carry due to the single action only, but again, in the woods very safe with minimal chance of accidental discharge due to impact!
I like em!

[Deja vu]

I have a derringer in 357 magnum. Its not too bad with Winchester 110 grain white box but I dont like shooting it with any thing hotter.

[Venom1956]

I have a cobra I guy gave me for helping him move. .410 .45 its a hard little bugger to hold on to with slugs or .45s slick handle small grip. recoil isn't horrible.

Seeing the terror when u hand a grown man a gun barely bigger then the round it shoots... Priceless.

[Cheapshooter]

Zamak. While it may be a step up from zinc, it's still not particularly durable. Zamak has proven to work well in low stress situations, but it's still cheesy.

Like the slide on the Hi-Point in the Ultimate Torture Test Youtube videos?

http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/201...-torture-test/

(Meant as an example that ZAMAK is a viable material for use in firearms. Not intended to start a Hi-Point discussion, please)

[Bill DeShivs]

Yes. Zamak works for some things. It doesn't hold up as well as stronger materials, and Zamak finishes (plating) seems to flake easily.

[Cheapshooter]

The more I think about It, the more I think I'll get one of the Cobra 38 Spcl. Derringers. Then for a tiny rimfire, maybe later a NAA Mini Revolver in 22 Long rifle.
No particular purpose, just something a little differant to play with at the range.

[publius]

I have a stainless American Derringer in .357. Very well made pistol but just a novelty, in my opinion. It takes two hands to cock because the hammer spring is so strong and you have to cock it for both shots. Not good for defense, which is what it's for. I shoot it every once in a while just because but very , very rarely carry it.