Does anyone here use a Bond Arms Derringer as a BUG?

[FunGramps]

I'm considering the purchase of the Bond Arms Derringer Roughneck in .45 ACP. I'd like something I can shove in my pants or jacket pocket easily which isn't too heavy and some advice by people who carry one holstered, their viewpoint on the best-all around holster for CC. Some remarks on the gun itself if you own one would be appreciated. Thanks!

[HiBC]

You do what seems right for you.
I've felt the nostalgic appeal of the Remington type O/U Derringers before.
They played a role in some Westerns I watched.

I don't know the Bond gun. I know some about the old Rem but not much.

I would not pocket carry one. The first shot is likely to miss and the second shot is slow. (And likely to miss)

I think a better choice can be made from the micro-nines. Just as small and light. If its the 45 ACP thing ,there is a Shield 45.

But thats for myself. You do you!

[JohnKSa]

Be sure to handle one before buying. They are pretty compact, but they are not as light as one might expect.

[cc-hangfire]

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: My every-day-carry handgun is one of the micro-nine handguns with capacity of 7+1. Recently just for grins, I bought the Bond Arms 9mm Stinger model derringer to add to the BA original model in .357 and the Rough & Rowdy model in .45colt. Because of the light weight (aluminum frame) and very slim width, the Stinger has become a back-up-gun for me. It is not much larger than a NAA mini revolver, and - being single action with a rebounding hammer and cross bolt safety - I pocket carry it without a holster (I know some will gasp at the thought). With its substantial recoil, two round capacity, and with both a stiff hammer and stiff trigger, it is certainly not suitable as a primary carry handgun.
The Stinger is SUBSTANTIALLY lighter and thinner than the BA original or the BA Rough and Rowdy models. Certainly everyone makes their own decisions, but the little Stinger Bond Arms 9mm is the most convenient 9mm BUG that I have run across. Your mileage may vary.

[Bill DeShivs]

Almost any small revolver or auto is a better choice.

[The Happy kaboomer]

What bill DeShivs said.............

[Don P]

What both post above said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[dogtown tom]

Bill nailed it, Kaboomer sanded it, Don painted it.

[FunGramps]

Thanks for your thoughts on this. It's always nice to hear other's advice.

[Hanshi]

I have a pre-WWII PPK that is nice to carry in a coat pocket. Also the PPKS in .380 that's nice as well. I also have a Kimber .45 acp Ultra Carry I picked up in the 1990s. Just a tad large for a pocket but still light. Back in my days as an LEO I sometimes carried a full size 1911 .45 acp under a t-shirt in a belt slide holster at my back.

[cc-hangfire]

A visual comparison: S&W Airweight, Bond Arms original .357 (pink Mama Bear grips), Bond Arms Stinger 9mm thin grips, NAA .22mag holster grip.

For a BUG, where it is & how it’s accessed, how much room is available, how deep is the concealment, all will play into what is best.

[FITASC]

Be sure to handle one before buying. They are pretty compact, but they are not as light as one might expect.

^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS
and 45acp in one of those is a bit of a handful
For that size and weight, there are some nice small thin 9mms that could do the job

[Scorch]

I had a customer bring me one a few weeks ago. He wanted the trigger (8-1/2 lbs) to be lighter. I got it down to 4.5 lbs and got rid of most of the creep/takeup on the trigger. It's a fun gun, meaning it's not for serious social situations. So no, I would never carry a beast like that for any kind of personal defense. It's only got 2 shots, and the triggers are AWFUL. Second, reloading after the first two shots was a 30 second affair, the extractor only draws the case back abour 3/8", meaning you have to dig the cases out with your fingers. They fit your hand like a brick. And they only have 2 shots!

I'm not sure who would want to carry one of these beasts as a personal defense pistol, but leave the cowboy stuff on internet TV and get a semi-auto pistol.

[Old Man in Ozarks]

Friend of mine had a Bond Arms in the .410/.45 version. It had the worst trigger ever. He sold it.

[CCCLVII]

I agree that they are very cool. That said there are better options. If you just want it for the fun of it then go for it.

I own two and they are a lot of fun, one in 45colt/410 and the other in 38special/358Magnum.

[Lavan]

BUG is B ack U p G un
for those who won't have to figure it out like I did.

[Targa]

I will echo what others have said about better options for a backup. I have one in .45Colt/.410 and for what they are which imo is a well built, fun to shoot at the range novelty gun they are hard to beat.

[wayneinFL]

I have one of these in 45 ACP.

It's heavy for a derringer.

It almost takes two hands for me to cock it. It's awkward for me.

It's pretty accurate for what it is. And it's fun. I'll never get rid of it.

It's of almost no practical use to me. If you have big hands, it might be more useful. You need to try one out.

[franco45]

I was thinking about a Stinger as a coat pocket gun. Just something to buy time until I could draw my primary. I ended up buying a CA Off Duty instead. It only weighs 12 oz. and holds 5 rounds of 38 special.

[chaim]

I don't have one, so I'm not quite answering your question (what people who own them use), but then, you weren't asking if you should carry a Derringer type pistol and that is what most people answered so...

I'm also in the that wouldn't be my choice camp, but I can see the allure. As an occasional thing, a nod to history, I could see the desire to do this from time to time (in the same way a SA revolver would), and it would have one good practical use. As a "get off me gun" that is backup to a larger gun it could have some utility. Like a revolver, at contact distances, when you are grappling/wrestling with your attacker it won't ever be pushed out of battery like an auto can, but in .40 or.45 caliber in a gun that easily fits in your pocket (my choice if I was to do it, like yours, would likely be .45ACP due to lower cost than .45LC).

For such an old school choice, my choice of holster would definitely be leather over nylon or kydex. My first thought was a pocket holster. But a quick search for holsters available for the Bond Arms Derringers brought me to the Bond Arms Driving holster, an on the belt crossdraw holster that looks interesting. Buy one for your weak hand and it seems to me that it would fit the most practical use of a Bond Arms Derringer well as your strong arm would likely be occupied with the struggle with your assailant. Another option, this does seem like a gun that would work as well as possible unholstered as someone mentioned above, though a holster will help position the gun vertically in your pocket so it is easier to draw.

[Limnophile]

I agree with Mr. DeShivs. The double-barreled derringer is 19th century technology that is mostly outdated. Compare the Roughneck chambered in .45 Auto to a relevant pocketable piece of 21st century technology, the Ruger LCP MAX chambered in .380 ACP:

• the LCP MAX has 450% more capacity — 11 rounds vs 2 rounds;

• the LCP MAX has 150% more tissue destruction potential — as measured by a modification to the Taylor Knock Out Factor, mTKOF, muzzle energy (instead of momentum) multiplied by bullet cross-sectional area (instead of diameter) multiplied by capacity, where the LCP MAX has 0.0097 ft^3•lb•rounds vs 0.0039 for the Roughneck (the .45 ACP beats the .380 ACP hands down on a cartridge-to-cartridge performance, but 11 rounds of .380 ACP is better than 2 rounds of .45 ACP);

• the LCP MAX has 53% less recoil — 4.8 ft•lb vs 10.2 ft•lb;

• the LCP MAX weighs 44% less — 0.66 lb vs 1.19 lb (each unloaded);

• the LCP MAX has 23% less bulk — about 7.9 in^3 vs 10.3 in^3 (B ≈ LWH/2); and,

• the LCP MAX has a 33% greater muzzle velocity — 937 ft/s vs 703 ft/s (thus, a flatter trajectory should you ever need to socially engage with your pocket piece at beyond bad breath distance).

The only metric the Roughneck outperforms the LCP MAX in is MSRP — $269 vs $449. But, for twice the price the LCP MAX is more concealable, easier to carry, harder hitting, and more accurate. These days the derringer is best relegated to the role of BUTTBUG, Back Up To The Back Up Gun.

[Ricklin]

You do you, an LCP is a far better choice as a BUG. 7 .380s trumps 2 .45s. More of what we might need, less of what we don't want. An LCP for me as a BUG.

[jstert]

i have several bond arms derringers with 45lc/410, 45lc, 45acp, 357/38, 9mm, 380acp, 327/32, 22lr barrels. all frames are original, gen2 (indented trigger, wider hammer, improved action). i had a lesser-finished, cheaper roughneck; it was of poor quality, ill-fitted and wouldn’t readily accept all my other barrels. i returned it to b.a. and it came back still not to my liking so i sold it off.

since b.a. derringers are built stoutly and shot little a used gen2 is the best buy, especially on gunbroker. rubber grips or longer wooden grips, especially for “4” calibers. 410 (long gun loads), 45acp and 357mag are sharply unpleasant. 45 schofield, 38sp, 32 long and 22lr are pleasant. 45lc (cowboy loads) and 410 (handgun loads) thump but are not bad. 9mm and 380acp are ok.

now to o.p.’s question. if i need a b.u.g. a naa bugout 22lr mini revolver with cv revision grips is my go-to choice. my b.a. derringers serve as a backup shooting-range, travel, winter ccw. backup: same caliber as my primary shooter for fun, ccw if i’m alone outdoors and to clean up extra rounds. travel: bring extra barrels to ammo scrounge, easy to secure. winter: remove trigger guard to use with gloved hands.

i bought my first b.a. derringer ten years ago as an early-retirement, crazy-money gift to myself. at first i thought b.a. derringers to be a gimmick, with their cartoonish ads in the nra magazine. they are not gimmicks. they are solid, simple, easily cleaned, safe shooters. their trigger action takes some practice but certainly isn’t impossible at all to master. extra barrels make wonderful birthday and christmas gifts to myself. they don’t print. they consist of just two parts. in my humble, low threat environments they are a fine day-hike piece, especially in cold weather.

there are always better values for a ccw or b.u.g. than a b.a. derringer if money is tight or one’s threat environment is high. if starting over, would i try one, used, $300ish, original, gen2 b.a. derringer? sure, in my favorite centerfire handgun caliber, but ymmv.

[Prof Young]

I owned a Bond Arms Rough . . . whatever in 45/410. It had a lot of trouble with one of the barrels not firing. Apparently they are finicky about ammo. It was a range toy for me and got sold off when the fun was done. If I was looking for a BUG I'd want something 100% reliable.

Life is good.
Prof Young

[The Happy kaboomer]

NO.......2 shots of heavy clumsiness.........A 9 shot semi auto weighs less shoots better and more accurate.