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I have always found these neat little guns. I was wondering if anyone has one of these. The Snake Slayer models seem neat. But I wonder are these more of a novelty in the day when we have high capacity more CCW friendly guns. They seem to built like tanks and I do like the fact they are made in Texas.

Novelty. I've got one of the Century 2000s in .45 Colt / .410 with 3" chamber and 3 1/2" bbl.

Haven't yet figured out what to do with it.

BUGs. That's all they are good for IMO.

This is one of a bunch of youtube videos showing Bob Munden shooting a Bond Arms derringer in .45 Colt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiZ4p3Y2-Gs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
He makes it look easy.

In this one, Munden talks about Bond Arms and his derringer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgh8oI5xWbQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have the Texas Defender in 45/410 and 38/357. It has interchangable barrels.

It is more of a conversation piece than a defensive handgun. It is a handful to shoot, but not impossible.

I've thought about getting the Snakeslayer IV since it has the trigger guard and 4 1/4" barrel and 3" chamber.
For snakes, so I don't have the first round in my Primary weapon tied up with a CCI snakeshot round when I go kayak fishing.
Other than that, I'd call it a backup gun maybe.

Sorta reminds me of all the North American Arms single action revolvers I used to own, in that I probably wouldn't carry it as a primary or only weapon unless absolutely necessary due to being slower to deploy probably.

The ankle holster looks interesting.

The driving holster is pretty neat.
Driving holster review
http://michaelbane.blogspot.com/2006/08 ... onday.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I doubt a carjacker would enjoy a .410 3" shell of triple ought buck in his face. (Picture at: http://bondarms.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.carryconcealed.net/the-carry ... e-anywhere" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
5-pellet, nominal diameter each 0.36" (9.1 mm); with a velocity of 1,135 F.P.S.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/5 ... x?a=550185" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have a cowboy defender in 45lc/.410. I like the gun very much. Extremely well built and a lot of fun to shoot. It is very hard to put this gun into a category. It is quite heavy so it cannot compete in the "pocket pistol" category. Bottom line is I do think that this gun adequate for self-defense in 95% of all situations. Those two big barrels are an intimidating sight, and a .45lc bullet should should stop the threat at point blank range with no problems.
That being said, there are any number of guns which are better suited for self-defense, lighter, higher round capacity, faster shooting, and so on. This is a good gun for a shooting enthusiast who wants something different and fun to shoot. If you put it in your pocket and carry it from time to time, all the better. Heck, you could carry it everyday if you want and probably be plenty well armed, but as it has been already stated, if street carry self-defense is your only mission, there are better choices. Just my opinion.

I'll mention one other thing that may / may not be an issue for others.

Probably due to my arthritic hands, cocking the hammer is an issue. I cannot cock the hammer using just the thumb on my shooting hand.

I can shift it around until I can use the base of the thumb/palm to cock the hammer and then shift it back to a shooting hold.

That, or use the off hand to cock the hammer.

I am REALLY interested in seeing one of these Rangers or Snake Slayers up close and personal. Anyone know of a DFW gun shop that not only sells them, but also has them in stock?

Joe

The McKinney CTD has a few.

pbwalker wrote:BUGs. That's all they are good for IMO.

The issue with a derringer as a BUG is that for the same size you can get 5 rounds of .38 or .357 in a J-frame revolver or 6+1 of .380 in an LCP or P3AT.

hirundo82 wrote:

pbwalker wrote:BUGs. That's all they are good for IMO.

The issue with a derringer as a BUG is that for the same size you can get 5 rounds of .38 or .357 in a J-frame revolver or 6+1 of .380 in an LCP or P3AT.

And you'll be able to hit the bull's eye @ 7'.

JRG wrote:I am REALLY interested in seeing one of these Rangers or Snake Slayers up close and personal. Anyone know of a DFW gun shop that not only sells them, but also has them in stock?

Joe

Academy had one in their circular last week. .357 Texas Defender with a holster for $449. The holster is $80 from Bond Arms. Looks like a decent deal.

Funny you should mention that particular pistol. I just saw one in a pawn shop in Plano (Texas Jewelry and Loan on Ave G.). I thought it looked pretty interesting. Tough looking little gun if you only needed two shots. I didn't happen to notice the price though.

I own a Snake Slayer IV and love it. I recently started having primer strike problems with it -- their response: They gave me a FedEx shipping number and told me to send it back, minus the barrel (they said there's less temptation to steal a barrel-less gun in-transit). I haven't sent it in yet (been crazy busy), but they were definitely prompt and friendly.

One thing I don't like is how stiff the trigger is. You'll definitely have to train to get past it. You basically have to push "up and back" firmly to get it to fire. I'm going to ask the Bond folks to see if they can lighten it up a bit.

If you're thinking of having this as a carry weapon, bear in mind it's (slightly) heavier than a Glock 19. Then again, a Glock 19 can't shoot .410 buckshot