FAQ

The hammer alternates between the top and bottom firing pins each time the hammer is cocked. There is no manually operated switch on the pistol which allows you to select the top or the bottom chamber to fire. But you can pre-select the chamber you wish to fire by doing the following:

1. Swing the barrel away from the frame to the unload position.

2. Unload the pistol.

3. Push the safety to the “on fire” position.

4. Depress the trigger and push the hammer forward onto the firing pins.

5. Look at the breech face where the firing pin protrudes and see which firing pin is visible. If you see the top firing pin, you will know that the next time the hammer is cocked the bottom chamber will fire.

Most of the competitive shooters that use The Bond derringer set the pistol to shoot the bottom chamber first. By selecting the bottom chamber first, the pistol recoils straight back with practically no muzzle flip allowing a faster recovery time for the second shot.

1. Push the locking lever handle down and swing the barrel away from the frame. Make sure the barrel is unloaded.

2. Take a standard 1/8″ allen wrench and remove the barrel hinge screw.

3. With the screw removed, you can now remove the barrel from the frame.

4. Align the new barrel into the frame, insert the barrel hinge screw and tighten.

Yes. The .45 Colt is exactly the same round as the .45 Long Colt. The .45 Long Colt name was required in the late 1800′s to differentiate between the .45 Colt and the shorter .45 Schofield. With the passing of the.45 Schofield as a popular round, the name .45 Colt is now the most accepted name for this cartridge.

The trigger pull on our pistols is approximately between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds which is within the acceptable range for a pistol of this type. Derringers, being small compact pistols, require the user to operate the gun in a specific manner.

1. With the hammer in the full cock position, grasp the grip with your shooting hand making sure that your hand is not touching the cocked hammer. Any amount of pressure applied to the cocked hammer by your hand will increase the trigger pull substantially.

2. Make contact with the trigger using the pad of your trigger finger. Avoid pulling the trigger with the bend of your first knuckle.

3. Pull the trigger back and downward.

The Texas Defender has a trigger guard which is removable. The Cowboy does not have a trigger guard and one cannot be put on it. The Cowboy Defender was designed for the Cowboy Action Shooting Sports because it resembles the 1860′s Remington style derringer.

If you want to shoot large calibers such as .357 Magnum and up, the Texas Defender with the trigger guard is much more controllable than the Cowboy without the trigger guard. The Century 2000 (C2K) is the only version of the Bond Defender derringers that has a 3 1/2″ long barrel which allows the pistol to shoot a 3″ .410 Shot Shell, along with the 2 1/2″ .410 and the .45 Colt. The Century 2000 Defender will accept any of the other caliber barrels that Bond Arms makes. Because of the interchangeable barrel system, a Century 2000 barrel can be put on the Texas or Cowboy Defenders.

No.

Yes.

.45Colt/.410 chamber will shoot either a .45Colt, .410 Shot shell or a .45 Schofield.

.450 Autobond chamber will also shoot a .45ACP or .45 Super in the derringer.

.450 Autobond 1911 pistol will also shoot the .45ACP.

.357 Maximum will also shoot the .357 Magnum,.38 Special, and .357 Magnum CCI Shot Shell.

.357 Magnum will also shoot the .38 Special, .38 Long Colt, and .38 Short Colt, but will not chamber and shoot the .357 Magnum CCI Shot Shell.

.32 H&R Magnum will also shoot .32 S&W Long and .32 Colt New Police.

.44 Special will also shoot .44 Russian.

Think of the rebounding hammer as an automatic half cock. The hammer automatically rebounds to a blocked position off of the firing pins. This allows for safer reloading compared to other derringers. The rebounding hammer is an exclusive patented feature for the Bond Defender derringers.

Yes

No. The crossbolt safety should be used as an emergency device to keep the gun from firing unintentionally. It can be harmful to the gun to repeatedly snap the hammer down on the crossbolt safety.

No. It is okay to dry fire the pistol with snap caps in place of live ammo. Snap caps can be ordered through Brownells at 1-800-741-0015. Dry firing on either the .22 Mag or .22 Long Rifle will damage the chamber. DO NOT DRY FIRE on these calibers.

No. Handguns must be purchased from a Federal Firearms License holder (gun dealer) in the state you reside.

Any gun dealer can get this gun for you from Bond Arms distributors. For a dealer in your area that has at least one version of the Defender derringer in stock, check our “Find a Dealer” page.

Generally speaking, the 2 1/2″ .410 is a mild recoiling load for this gun. The 3″ .410′s recoil is similar to shooting a .45ACP in a Commander sized 1911. Our experience over the years is that most of the people concerned about the recoil before their purchase were pleasantly surprised that the recoil was less than they expected.

Michael Bond, the owner’s son, was introduced to shooting the .410 Defender back in 2001 when he was eleven years old and weighed 75 lbs. and he did not find the recoil to be a problem.

The Bond Defender derringers are true pocket pistols. The Texas and Cowboy Defenders have a 3″ barrel, are 5″long, 3 1/2″ tall. The Texas Defender is 20 ounces in .45 caliber.

The Cowboy Defender is 19 ounces in .45 caliber.

The Century 2000 Defender has a 3 1/2″ barrel, is 5 1/2″ long, 3 1/2″ tall and 21 ounces. In comparison, a Walther PPKS (the world’s standard in pocket pistols since 1936) weighs 23 ounces and is chambered only in .380 ACP.

We will be working on a CA approved gun here in the near future, but due to their very strict guidelines we probably won’t be able to have a model with the interchangeable barrels that will take the .410. We will probably make a CA Special that will fill that gap.