Does anyone here carry or own a Bond Arms Derringer?  I am intrigued by the two shot pistol and impressed with the ability to trade calibers if I want a different one.

Handled one in 45 acp the other day and have to admit it intrigued me.

Yup, their marketing got me interested as well.   Can’t see the practicality of owning one though as it seems like a range toy.

I feel the same way about the merit of carrying this weapon.  Two rounds seems a bit low in the capacity department.  I do like the fact that I can carry it as a back up to the main carry pistol in the same caliber.  In a pinch I could use the spare magazine as a speed loader for the weapon.

I was so intrigued by one many years ago that I bought it.  Then carried it around in a vehicle.  Then figured out there are so many better choices and the intrigue wore off.   I would bet that most sold Bond Arms Derringers never get fired more than a handful of occasions, if at all.

A Friend bought one in 45 Colt which will shoot .410 shotgun shells.   I could see carrying one if your concerned about poisonous snakes.  The .410 shot shells are more effective than the typical 38/357 shot loads sold by CCI.   For personal protection against normal threats I’d rather have my Glock 42 and one or two spare mags.    


If I shot cowboy action the Bond Arms might make a good back up gun.   The Bond Arms I shot were ok but I’m not into derringers.   I much prefer revolvers and semi auto pistols.

I carry mine in the woods during the summer - #8 shot .410 at 10' does a number on a rattle snake... Other than that they are a range novelty. You really need to hang on when you pull the trigger. I added some large wood grips and that helps a little. I have several barrels in different calibers just for giggles...

I have a roughneck 9mm, and bought a .38/.357mag bbl for it.  Its a cool toy, not really practical for carry IMO.  For me removing the trigger guard made it alot more shootable.  The finish is rough as the name implies, but it feels like it is pretty well put together.  All the bbls interchange so there are a lot of configurations you can make.

I think they recently came out with a new thinner/lighter 9MM version which I would be more inclined to carry, but highly unlikely I will buy one.

Just sold my Snake Slayer.  Big and heavy.  I think these serve a good purpose for snake/rodent dispatch in certain areas.  I usually bring my 5 shot NAA revolver for that when shooting in the desert loaded with snake shot.  Much lighter and more concealable.

I think there's better options for a light carry.  LCP 380 comes to mind & it's lighter, holds more rounds, & is thinner than a Bond Arms.

I sold my rowdy 45/410 recently. It’s just not practical even as a snake gun. I can carry a jframe with less weight, double action and dual purpose usage.

As far as derringers go, it's the best brand available.  They are extremely well made and will last forever.  

I have the "Bond Girl Mini" in .357 mag.  It's a fun gun to shoot but the .357 mag will definitely hit your hand hard.  I suspect most people use .38 spec. but where's the fun in that?  I call mine the "Noisy Cricket".  If you've seen the original Men In Black movies you'll get the reference.  The caliber interchangeability is neat.  You can go mild to wild.

Are they practical for a self defense gun? Maybe as a back up gun but there are way better choices for a primary gun.  To me, they are a niche gun.  Yes, they can definitely be used for self defense in a pinch but are more for fun than anything.  The trigger is weird but you can figure it out easily.  It's mind boggling how fast they shoot these in cowboy action competition.  No way I'd try that lol.  

Would I buy one specifically for self defense? No.  Would I buy one for fun and feel confident it would work for self defense if necessary? Yes.  

They used to be pretty expensive, still are for the hand polished models but they now have the rough series for about half the price and recently introduced a much thinner and lighter model which is less expensive as well.

Well made but obnoxious little things to shoot.
Trigger pulls sucks. Difficult to hit anything out past spitting range.
Weigh a lot.
Fun range toy but much better choices out there for carry.

45/410 has me intrigued as a snake pistol. But I usually  just slip in a snake round or two in a revolver.

This^
I bought the “hype” and grabbed 2 for myself and a gift for my brother. Nicely made blah blah but a bear to actually shoot. Maybe because of my big hands? This was when they first appeared on the market so they may have improved the triggers??

I have one of their new ones that's rougher finished. I think it's the rowdy or something. It's the standard 45colt/410 and is priced substantially lower than the normal high polish guns. I like it a lot and bought it for carrying in areas around a mix of fresh and saltwater that have a lot of unfriendly things that swim/slither. It has held up well despite carrying in the saltwater around here (high salinity). I carry it with #9 410 and a 250 grain LSWC handload in the other barrel.

I would recommend this gun for mainly hunters/fisherman/outdoorsman where your main enemy is going to be a snake or any other creature smaller than bear. The fact they are all stainless is very appealing for people that us their guns in any and all conditions/terrain.

I got one in 45acp. Definitely a novelty fun range gun.

But also love that I can throw it in my pocket and run to the store real fast.

they are so large and heavy, no idea why they made a derringer larger and heavier than a J frame.  I have a high standard 22 magnum derringer and it so much more useful as backup or ultra concealment gun.

I have the 4-1/2" barrel Snake Slayer!!!  Though you're probably more likely to blast yourself with the shot pulling it out when you see a snake, than do something a bit easier, which is to back up from said snake, and avoid the creature.  100% reliable in my experience.

The gun kicks like a mule with .410 rounds, but is tolerable with .45 Colt.  I also got a .380 barrel to make it easier to shoot, and it's sort of fun with that.

The Bond Arms is hardly a great gun for self-defense, but it's a decently fun shooter in the smaller calibers.  And sort of neat to own.  I got a fancy crossdraw holster for it, and it's snazzy to have it on the belt for BBQ's.

Not every gun needs to be an awesome self-defense gun.  Fun stuff is great too.

The Bond Arms derringers have long intrigued me due to their excellent build quality.  I purchased a “Rowdy” model a couple years ago.  Is this an ideal carry gun? Of course not. It’s heavy, only holds two rounds, horrible heavy trigger, poor ballistics due to short barrel and poor patterning with .410 shot due to the rifled barrel.  And yet, there’s something special about it that causes me to drop it in the pocket of my overalls for farm duty or in my boot as a back up gun when going out.  It just feels like a serious gun in the hand due to the weight of the stainless steel frame and barrel.  The break action barrels lock up like a bank vault when closing the action.  The cocking of the hammer is as natural as can be.  

What I find just as fascinating as the derringer is the people who choose these as their everyday carry.  From reading reviews and discussions online, there are a lot of folks who have bought this as their fist and only handgun and are extremely happy with it.  I think the old fashioned simplicity of it makes people feel comfortable and safe operating and carrying it.  In spite of how goofy the .410 handguns (Bond Arms, Taurus Judge, etc) seem to us  gun people, there seems to be a strong sensus populum that thumbing back the hammer and firing a shotgun shell is strong medicine.  Not exactly my style, but I respect people who have found a gun that works for them.  It makes me smile when I see an old timer open carrying a Bond Arms.

Derringers are novelty guns which happen to be a pretty cool addition to a collection. They should not be taken seriously as defensive weapons.

I have a Roughneck in .45 ACP and bought a .45 Colt/.410 barrel for it.

It's a fun range toy, probably will carry it with .410 shot shells at some point for snakes.

The trigger pull is weird, you can't pull straight back like a normal handgun, you have to pull back and down.

Bond Arms came out with some "B6" grips recently that completely change the handling and shooting comfort of the gun.  But they are $69 for some plastic grips which shouldn't cost more than $10.

LGS has a Bond Arms single shot derringer chambered in 45-70 . Having shot a TC Contender chambered in same caliber I have zero interest in same in a derringer. The TC was bad enough.