Davis Derringers
A gambler's best friend
By Kevin Lee McIver
Many a river boat gambler was known to have
something else up his sleeve in addition to an extra Ace -- a pocket
derringer.
Even though these little hideaway guns have
been around in one form or another since the mid-1800s, they are still
available in modern form.
One such piece is the D-Series derringer
from Davis. A two-shot capacity pistol, Davis derringers are compact and
thereby make an excellent choice as a cowboy action "hideout"
gun.
Available in black Teflon or chrome finish,
the D-Series is a handsome piece. Add to that a choice of either laminated
wood, synthetic pearl or black synthetic grips, and this firearm may
actually be "too" pretty to carry.
Davis produces their derringers in a
variety of calibers to include .22 LR, .22 WMR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, .32 MAG,
and .38 SPL.
Shooting this pocket piece is quite simple.
First, you rotate the barrel latch to disengage the lock, and the barrel
raises on a hinge to allow loading of the bullets. Flip the barrel back
down, rotate the latch, followed by cocking the hammer -- and it's ready
to fire.
If you're unfamiliar with derringers, it
might surprise you to discover they actually have two (2) firing pins, one
for each of the over and under barrels. Each time you cock the hammer, it
sets one of the firing pins. The next time you cock it, the other pin is
set.
To eject the fired cases, you merely unlock
the latch, and use the simple manual ejector affixed to the barrel to kick
out the cases. This pocket gun also has a cross-bar safety, which blocks
the hammer and prevents the firing pins from striking the shell primers.
At the range, it may take a few rounds to
"zero" this baby which is made to knock down targets a few feet
away -- and not yards. Novice derringer shooters tend to shoot
"high" as the light-weight of the gun lends itself to
overshooting; however, after a few rounds down range, you learn to
compensate and your shot group will "tighten" up.
Davis derringers are a valuable addition to
any cowboy action shooter's arsenal. A lot of firepower, in a small design
ensures you don't have to arrive at a card game with all your guns on top
of the table.
DAVIS D-SERIES DERRINGER
| Caliber |
.38 Special |
| Capacity |
2 |
| Barrel Length |
2.4 inches |
| Weight |
9.5 oz. |
|
