[texas shooter]

Ok, after a few picked on me for saying I was going to trade my .44 Tracker blue for a SS. After only one was found and the guy wanted way to much for it, and insulted me for a trade in, I kept it. The Ms. was happy cause she loves it as is. I used some of the money I took for trade to buy another one.
So I got me a Cobra .38 derringer, chrome, rosewood handles.
Does anyone own one of these, how are they, it has a lifetime warranty, and made in U.S. Just got the plain .38, not the +P but it will be no problem to reload for or factory .38. All the guns I've shot and owned never did either to a derringer. I have dried fried this with my snap caps, will shoot this weekend, love the feel. Can put it anywhere. Yes I know they are for only very close. I await all your vast knowledge.
Thanks Gents.

 

[Alden]

Tex;
lol Now I suppose u r talking about an over-under and that's something different for sure. Classic, and sounds particularly sharp! I own an original Remington .41 rimfire and have familiarity with the .38 RG and the .22 Davis. They are sorta cool and fun to shoot. Considered overweight by state-of-the-art modern standards for their relative firepower, still, one can't argue they're not compact, light, and pack a wollop. Accurate, not really (as u point out), but that's not the whole point now... Enjoy.
Alden

 

[Ace]

Cobra has had sketchy quality reviews on certain items in the past, but they still remain in business so they must be doing something right. A .38 derringer is not a bad bug.

 

[texas shooter]

Ace, your right, but some say the same about Taurus and Rossi. It should hold up to plain .38, seems real solid. Will find out more this weekend.
Alden, yep it's over under.

 

[Steelheart]

Buffalo Bore makes some standard pressure defensive loads but they aren't cheap. Beyond them, I'm not sure what to feed the thing for social work if you want to keep in the standard pressure range.
http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#standard38

Steelheart

 

[Alden]

What did I miss? Is there a pressure issue w/those derringers I didn't catch? Can't u just load, um, 38 Specials or 38 Colt or 38 Long Colt or...
Alden

 

[texas shooter]

Alden, just plain .38, won't handle +P loads. They are a last resort or let me go gun, I understand this. But if someone ever got ahold of you, most would stop if this was put to the side of their head. Even a .38 plain will do ok at point blank to the ear.

 

[Alden]

Sorry Tex, I know that, I was just wondering where and or y the issue of pressure came up (or even +P's for that matter now) -- I might be missing some part of the thread.
Thanks again, enjoy, and be safe
Alden

 

[MillCreek]

I have an American Derringer DA 38 derringer that handles plus P loads. I bought it new back in the 80's. After the first few times of firing it, during which I would peek to see if all my fingers were still there after each shot, it has pretty much been a safe queen.

 

[SgtKnuckles]

Cobra Enterprises 38 Special
http://www.carryconcealed.net/reviews/Cobra+Enterprises+38+Special-REV27.html
Cobra Big Bore Derringer 38 Spl Bright Chrome
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=104255939

 

[Ace]

.38 special regular has been killing folks for quite a long time, there is no need besides the desire to hurt your hand to run .38 +p in that little hold out. Hydrashoks or even a basic hollow point will do most things in.

 

[texas shooter]

SgtK, thanks for the post, I got the chrome .38 rosewood grips for $125.00. Got the wallet holster for it for $10.00 so I'm happy. Will shot this weekend, picking up pictures tomm. and will get posted.

 

[texas shooter]

Here's the pics.

 

[SgtKnuckles]

SEXY...<)

 

[texas shooter]

That little "wallet" holster hides it well.

 

[texas shooter]

Ms. took me shootin for birthday this weekend. Well gents, shot it this weekend, derringer, and am happy. By no way is this a target pistol, or a hole puncher. But at 3 and 7 yards the distance I shot it, will dang sure hit center mass. Each barrel shoots height difference, but as should be. The trigger pull is not good, but that's an extra safety built in and I knew of this. I don't understand it since they have a half cock and a push button one also. It did get better, and if you pull down as in instructions say instead of back it is better. Recoil was allot better than I thought, not bad at all, heck of a blast though. I shot up some factory ammo left over, Magtec 158gr. LRN, and WWB 125gr. JHP. 158's did best. For something close, easy to hide I would use it. Don't know the stopping power with short barrel, got to be better than a .380, or better than a rock. Anyway it was fun, and can't complain for the price and what I wanted. But that Pt140 still did great !!!!

 

[pioneer461]

I've always had a derringer in one form or another. It may have something to do with my childhood cowboy fantasy.

Several years ago I made some trades, and wound up with a Davis .38 spl. derringer. It was painful to shoot. I bought some padded palmed bicycle gloves which helped with the recoil, but it just was not fun. It became a safe queen unitl I was able to trade it away and later bought my 3rd .22 magnum derringer. ( My previous .22 mag. derringers were High Standard. One was stolen, and the other traded.)

This little Cobra is a delight to shoot and is surprisingly accurate. I normally only carry it around the house. CCI makes snake-shot cartridges for those times I find myself in the desert. Spare ammo can easilly be carried in one of those little rubber squeeze-open coin purses.

Under no circumstances should a derringer, regardless of caliber, be considered a primary self defense arm. Back-up, sure, but not primary.

 

[Alden]

OMG re: those squeeze-open coin purses!

For decades I've had, what by modern standards might be considered heavy at 11 ozs (lol), a stainless North American Arms 5-shot single-action revolver w/a 4" adjustable-sighted barrel in .22 Mag (plus a 22 LR cylinder custom-fitted to it). It is a backpacking emergency gun for which I found I could also perfectly carry 10 extra cartridges in...

...a little rubber insurance broker giveaway squeeze-open coin purse I got at the same time!

Alden

 

[Slotman]

Back in the early 90s, I purchased a Davis Derringer Long Bore in .38-Special. While it went BANG! every time, I could NEVER EVER see where I was shooting with it. Maybe the bore was incorrectly bored, I don't know. I shot a half-box of ammo with it on my first day out (around 24 rounds) and had a colored arc in my hand from it for about 3 days. Not a fun gun to shoot at tall.

Some of the more-recently made derringers are bigger and have a larger footprint in your hand, so maybe they are better, but be advised that these guns can be real hand-spankers.

I had Davis Derringer for about ten years, then sold it to my cousin. He said he was going to use it as a nightstand gun. At close range (in the belly!) I'm sure it would be effective.

 

[texas shooter]

mine has got allot better, I took it all apart cleaned well, put grease on the coil spring, etc. Main thing was the snapcaps, fired many rounds with them, it got allot better then. The trigger pull was the bad thing on it, better now.