Firingline

We evaluated the Bond Arms Texas Defender 38 Special/357 Magnum and the Bond Arms Cowboy Defender 45 Colt/.410in the July 2002 issue. In that issue, we said, "In today's world, derringers are indeed marginalized firearms for people seeking to protect themselves. Lightweight metals such as titanium and scandium have made revolvers not only pocket guns, but in some cases possibly even shirt-pocket guns (at least in terms of heft). Double-action wheelguns offer more capacity and easier handling than derringers, we found in a recent test. Ditto that with small-frame pistols."

Of the Bond Arms Texas Defender and the Bond Arms Cowboy Defender, we said "Don't Buy" either of them for self-defense. "There are simply better, more modern guns out there that make more sense than a derringer, in our view." We added, "If we wanted a Cowboy Action derringer, the Texas Defender, whose trigger guard can be removed, would be ‘Our Pick.'" Another gun in the test, the American Derringer DA 38, earned a Conditional Buy (probably a B ranking today). We said, "If you have to have a derringer for self-defense, this double-action model is easier to use than the single actions. But it wouldn't be our pick for this job." In that test, we also looked at an American Derringer Model 1 in 45 Colt/.410. Of it, we said, "Don't Buy." We said, "For Cowboy shooting, we like the Bond Arms Texas Defender much better and the Cowboy Defender somewhat better. For derringer self-defense, we like the American Derringer DA 38 better."

A look at the data from that test gives you some ideas about the efficacy of the .410 shotshell versus the other chamberings. A Winchester 38 Special 158-grain roundnose lead Cowboy load in the American Derringer DA 38 created muzzle energy of 178 ft.-lbs. and 169 ft.-lbs. in the Bond Arms Texas Defender. With a Federal Classic .357 Magnum 158-grain Hi-Shok JHP, we got muzzle energy of 464 foot-pounds and 439 foot-pounds, respectively, out of those derringers. A Cor-Bon 357 125-grain JHP produces 519 foot-pounds and 494 foot-pounds muzzle energies, respectively.

Shotshells weren't in the same realm in terms of energy. A Winchester Super X .410 Shotshell 000 Buckshot (three pellets) produced muzzle energies of 229 foot-pounds and 217 foot-pounds in the American Derringer Model 1 and Bond Arms Cowboy Defender, respectively. A Rexio .410 Shotshell 00 Buckshot load (four pellets) generated 130 foot-pounds of muzzle energy in the American Derringer Model 1 and 126 foot-pounds of muzzle energy in the Bond Arms Cowboy Defender.

Like Grant said in last month's letters section, I, too, lament the passing of the pride of custom-gun ownership and the common look of the Ubiquitous Black Gun. But, as was said, black guns are cheap and proven reliable. Also, I cannot justify carrying a nice custom pistol on the off chance that I might have to use it. In that case, I would have to surrender it to the police, and then it would be months at a minimum to maybe get it back by jumping through their hoops.

Yes, I would rather carry a "Rolex"-quality sidearm, but I often think that if I had to give up my Valtro, I'd don't know what I'd do.

A black gun I can give up with no emotion, and go home and get another one. I always enjoy the magazine, from the editorial remarks to the last page. — Dave

In last month's Firing Line, reader Winslow asks for advice on a 357 magnum lightweight snubnose revolver for a 75-year-old female cousin. I would appreciate a little help. I'm wondering why these two diametrically opposed 308s were chosen to oppose one another. While I am not in one of the affected states, I am from Vermont, and we do not require a permit for CC, and no state recognizes our not needing a permit! Whatever happened to the personal pride everyone took in their ownership of not only a working tool, but also a masterpiece of design and artwork?

I have read recent Gun Tests articles on various AR rifles, so I recently built an AR with a folding stock. I was attracted to this option because I drive a sports car, and even with a collapsible stock and 16-inch barrel, an AR will not fit in the trunk. The folding stock adapter I chose was one made by Law Tactical (LawTactical.com). It was easy to install, works fine to fold the stock, and adds just a little bit of fiddling when I have to separate the upper and lower. But it is very expensive and adds no additional operating functionality to the firearm, since it should never be fired with the stock folded. Anyway, I have not seen many options for folding stocks on an AR platform, and thought that a review of adapters for them might be in order.

I'm a long-time customer and would like to get three or more comparisons of 357 Magnum lightweight snub-nose revolvers. The index shows the captioned rifle being reviewed in November. When I go online for past reviews, I only find a 2007 review, and it was not from November, as stated in magazine. The Blackhawk GripBreak 421903BK holster seems like just the ticket for this coming year for those of us who are predisposed to reject Kydex and plastic holsters for reasons of them being ugly and inelegant. Problem is, no one has the GripBreaks. Check your Schmidt-Rubin for a possible Christmas present. Remove the buttplate and see if there is anything under it. Many original owners wrote a personal note or ID and hid it under the plate. - Winslow

We publish reader feedback every month to answer questions about last month's featured firearms. See what subscribers have to say about Derringer handguns, the Springfield M2 Bolt rifle, how bullets penetrate home materials and more.

Why did you not include a Bond Arms derringer in your shoot-out, or at least reference the earlier article? I think it's a better gun than either of the others (the DoubleTap and Cobra Enterprises guns were not in the 2002 article). It's very solidly made, stainless steel throughout, has easily interchanged barrel sets, and is comfortable to shoot with 38s and cowboy 44-40s. Optional grips are available that are longer and have rubber panels to further ease recoil. It's as safe as any very short gun, with a rebounding hammer and a simple crossbolt safety. In the 2002 article, you rated the Bond Texas Defender as "Our Pick" for Cowboy Action shooting, and the American Derringer 38 Special as a Conditional Buy for self-defense because it was a double-action design, unlike the model you tested here. Finally, I would guess that Bond Arms is the largest manufacturer of derringers in the country.

See reader feedback on pistols, rifles, handguns and more! Reader John S. took our list of 380 ACPs to his local gun store in the Golden State, but his results were far from golden. Mare's Leg pistols are in fact legal for sale in California. Not all home building materials take bullets equally. And pistols that look like rifles. Lots of them.

The Curve's lack of sights should not necessarily be an unsolvable problem. With sufficient practice, one need only see the silhouette of the rear end of the pistol to make accurate, close-range shots. But it requires lots of practice, and it also requires a fairly accurate pistol. Evidently, the Curve isn't one of those. Also, the Curve's belt clip is very much in the wrong place. It buries the pistol so deeply into one's pants as to make a quick, effective presentation almost impossible. The quickest, most effective self-defense presentation requires that the pistol user establish a full firing grip on the gun, before beginning the draw stroke. You can't do that with a clipped-on Curve. Finally, one must be very careful how one uses the Curve's light. A gun-mounted flashlight must not be used for searching, for instance before entering a dark room. Imagine your dismay when, as you illuminate the "bad guy" with your pistol's muzzle, you find that you are about to shoot at your daughter, returning late from a date.

I'm a subscriber from the beginning, and I much appreciate all that you guys do. I was very glad to see R.K. Campbell's well-written review of the two 9mm Springfields, mainly because I took the plunge on the Range Officer 9mm earlier this year, and have previously owned the 9mm Loaded Target model it was compared to. One of my sons has it now.
I was tickled to death with my 9mm R.O., and I got just about the same results as you guys did, which were good. I think the extra attention to detail on the R.O. definitely showed, but not so much on the overall comparison at the range. Not sure why yours had a 7-pound trigger; mine came in at 5.5 pounds. But as regards the "match" barrels in both, particularly the R.O., and the bushing fit at that, over the last few years I've come to the conclusion that the term has lost whatever meaning it once might have had. To me, a "match" barrel and bushing means this: Oversized and gunsmith fitted. A call to Dave Williams up at the Springfield Custom Shop pretty much confirmed what I was thinking about the R.O. barrel, and to tell you the truth, this was one of those guns that I knew could do better. Okay, it became an obsession. I used to be a shrink for my last 12 or so years in the Army, but don't ask me how this happens. It just does, sometimes.

As an old Rochester, New York boy (left when Hillary was elected senator), I can expand on Ray Ordorica's comments on B&L scopes and mounts. I have owned 50-plus of them.
The BalVar 8a you used is a fine scope, but in my experience, it has one major failing versus the original BalVar 8. When you change power in the 8a, you are rotating the whole ocular assembly. If you do it a lot, slop will develop in the assembly, and the point of impact will change at different magnifications. The original model had a ring that changed just the power. It was far better, as my BalVar 6-24 will attest.

After reading your article on the Beretta A400 in 28 gauge, I ordered it the next business day. It was received two days later and I shot a 23 with it at skeet. This was my first-ever experience shooting a 28-gauge gun. Roger Eckstine's write-up was spot-on for this gun, now my favorite. I have added a color-coordinated bolt release and a mid-bead. Likewise, an earlier Gun Tests article prompted me to get an S&W M&P in 22 LR rather than the Walther that I originally was going to purchase. Your reviews are priceless. Thank you.— Darwin

Re "The A-Team: 1911
Handguns & Gear" E-Book
Several years ago, I was fortunate to find an early Colt Delta Elite for a very reasonable price. It came with three 10mm magazines. After firing a box of 10mms and waiting for my eyebrows to grow back, I decided to drop a 40 S&W barrel into it. Ordered an appropriate Kart barrel, two Metalform mags, and Jerry Kuhnhausen's book on the gun from Brownells, and went to work. Everything worked out great except the mags. They fed sporadically and would not lock the slide back after the last round was fired. Apparently, the small platform on the followers did not make sufficient contact with the slide stop to push it up into its proper position. When I reordered with another mag, I had the same problem. What to do? I simply loaded up the original 10mm mags with the 40 S&W rounds and have been shooting both factory and reloads without a hitch ever since. They work great. By the way, I recall reading more than 40 years ago, if you are having trouble with 9mm mags in a 1911, use 38 Super mags instead. Keep up the good work, I enjoy your unbiased and objective tests.

I was wondering if you have compared the Taurus Judge to the Smith & Wesson Governor, and if you did, what were the results?