BP Derringer

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Seancass

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http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_162_194&products_id=872

i am looking for my next toy and a BP gun is really calling me. This one is in kit form. i have absolutely no experience with the inside of a gun. Has anyone built one of these who could tell me what i would be getting myself into? I didnt find the built version of that gun on the site. for some reason the BP derringer and the style are really appealing to me. It didnt look like i could cut down a standard gun because the action looked too long, it wouldnt come out the same.

what do y'all think? any experiences?
 
Get an NAA Mini in .22 Magnum, neat little gun...

Hey Sean, I had the same bug, until I got my Ruger Old Army, I wanted a nice little peice, so I got the NAA companion in .22 magnum Black Powder.

The NAA mini is in regular .22 Black Powder: "The smallest bp revolver in the world" was their claim, and they are right about that.

Neat little gun, I love it. It is small, it fits great in an ankle holster, can't even feel or see it. Also, the .22 magnum in Black Powder is supposed to have the same power as a cartridge .22 Long Rifle.

The gun is made from Surgical Stainless Steel, fits in the palm of my hand. I use the inside the pants holster it comes with as a trail gun, when I go hiking, etc and don't want to carry my full size, this works as a great back up peice for those nasty little snakes, or just for your safety.

It packs a pretty good BANG! I fill the cylinders completely with FFFG, I got 3 extra cylinders for it, too.

Its good for close quarters, although I haven't tried shooting targets with it. Probably not that accurate though, I don't know because I measured my powder by eye, my regular powder measure was too big for this tiny cylinder.

Love that gun!!

Songs of Freedom
 
NAA Companion

I have one too. If you ever want to actually use the thing for protection, don't use BP. It'll just piss off a potential assailant. Use Bullseye smokeless powder. Lots of guys do.

Have you read the revues for the Dixie Derringer? If not, you should. Sounds pretty rough, so you'll need some gunsmithing skills.
 
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I have one like they advertise in the Dixie catalogue. You'll have to do a bit of work on the wood and some smoothing on the metal parts but its not too daunting a project. Accuracy beyond ten feet is poor. Basic belly gun and is intended for up close and personal nastiness. Has quite a kick when fully loaded.
 
What can be done with it? Here you go.

This is the same gun, done up nicely by another person.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=261309&highlight=Philadelphia+Derringer

It has me looking for one of those kits in a long-forgotten gunshop or hardware store now.

Also, it has given me the inspiration to do the same with an old Dixie Overcoat pistol that I made some time ago by getting new stock material and reworking the fit of lock to barrel.

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
The little Philadelphia Derringers are cute and nice little pistols. You can put one together from used Jukar parts for about $50 if follow eBay. People part them out often enough!
 
Hi Mike, you said you had one of these naa mini's in BP, and you load it with Bullseye powder, is it safe?? And if so, how much powder? all the way? I currently load the BP all the way to the top, and it is fine. Also, if you load it with smokeless powder, how strong is it? Can you hunt small game with it?? Very sporting, I bet, it would be a complete hit--ormiss only...
 
thanks for the suggestions so far. my only hand gun right now is a .22 ruger single six so i dont want another .22 revolver. those mim-revolvers are pretty cool though, and i'll get one eventually.

i'm looking more for a big thumper. i'm also consider a full size single shot BP gun, and a Walker revolver. i just think this little derringer would be more unique and fun than a normal full size single shot BP pistol. plus a good project, IF i could actually build it. i may just post in those old threads and see what i can get.
 
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Just to tease you a little more...

Bought this from CVA in 1980 (or thereabouts), put it together in 2 nights with no experience. Took it apart, finished the stock and browned the barrel in 4 days. Put it back together and shot it the next day. If you are more than about four feet away (about the distance across a poker table) the target had better be a good sized barn, broad side on. But fun to shoot.

589.jpg

Since this picture was taken I've cleaned her up some and put the front sight back on, not that it matters but it looks better than an empty hole in the barrel.

You can build this kit, believe me. Just take your time - being careful will result in something you can be proud of.
 
uh-huh

The CVA and Traditions and the Possible's Shop and the Deer Creek are all the same gun. Still made by Jukar of Spain? I don't know.

But the gun Mykeal has there is a good looking one none-the-less. Makes me think more and more about getting one myself. What for? Why, the fun of it, of course! :D

The Doc is out and pondering on a prescription for Derringeritis right now. :cool:
 
mykeal just told the story i'd like to be telling. couple days of fun/"work" then shooting her without any real hopes of hitting anything.


you wouldnt happen to have a pic with a ruler so i have an idea how big it is?or a pic of it being held or shot. i bet it shoots a good ball of flame! what do you load it to?
 
Infected

Good Grief. This site is as infecting as Surplusrifle.com! :rolleyes: What that did for me for Mosin-Nagants, this forum is starting to do with BP derringers. :what:

Yes, I just ordered one! Why? I don't know. I just believe like the little locomotive, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can make this into something!

To quote Babylon 5, "And so it begins..." :D :D :D

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
aw geez. now i feel like i have to do it so i can be as cool as everyone else.

actually i just found out i passed all my classes so now i need a way-to-go present for myself.

could the good DrLaw describe how the ordering went? i've never ordered anything over the net, let alone a firearm. but it should be just like buying a tooth brush since it's BP? (that is for those of you who use non-cartridge loaded toothbrushes.)
 
Why, yes, I can oblige

Seancass,
After checking to see if The Possible Shop was still in operation since the last update on the website showed 2003, and after I had a couple e-mails from the fellow running the place, I placed an order on their website.

Now as for 'cool'. Nah, not thinking that way. More the thinking of some fun making and then shooting.

As for the process, easy as store-bought pie. Just go to the Possible Shop website www.possibleshop.com and look for black powder pistol kits (not the cap & ball, but pistol). Scroll down and you will find it. The process is self-explanatory and supremely easy.

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
Seancass,

Currently traveling, so it will be a couple of days before I can get you a pic with a ruler in it, but will do as soon as I get back to the ranch.

In the mean time, my spreadsheet tells me the barrel is 3" long; I would have measured that from the muzzle to just before the nipple.

Here's a picture of the other side:
592.jpg

Again, this is before I cleaned it up; the missing screw has been replaced and the brass polished a bit.
 
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So there I was...

Checking the e-mails and I find that not only had my order shipped, but it was set for delivery yesterday! :eek:

It had been sent Fed Ex and was just 30 miles south of me right now in the closest big city!

However, though the Fed Ex site in the morning said that I would be getting it today, by the afternoon, it said that I would be getting it by Tuesday :confused: :uhoh: :eek: :scrutiny:

Needless to say, it did not arrive yesterday, but I know it's out there. So I can add FAST to the easy for ordering that I said the other day.

The Doc is out and anxious now. :cool:
 
attachment.php

The fourth shot is at 6 o'clock at the bottom of the target. These are bigger than the booth deringer at fords theater but about the same size as many original H. Deringers. Bates sculpted the stock and added the rear sight that Deringer put on his pistols. the kit is an old CVA but the Lock is marked Philadelphia Derringer just like the ones in the other pictures in this thread. Bates has the good fortune to be able to use a checkering tool. something that is beyond me. He also reduced the trigger pull to some extent.
 
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i did a kit in the 70's, i recently refinished, refit....it looks a lot better the second time around....i was a lot of fun both times....no special tools needed...a dremmel with a router tip made the second fit much better...gpr
 
Okay, it's arrived

Preliminary overview. Chunky stock that will take some 1) minor inletting, 2) minor sanding to fit barrel and 3) major but not substantial reshaping to loose the chunkiness.

Barrel. Black inside, as if test fired but not cleaned, though no rust. Maybe a preservative? Barrel inscribed by laser with 'TRADITIONS' and some other minor nusiance words. Should be easy to buff out. Otherwise, barrel is nice and smooth, ready for browning or bluing.

Lock. A tad dirty, but will polish out. Trigger Guard. Brass with mold marks and flash. A dremel moto tool and some buffing compound will fix that.

Maybe some photos later.

In the meantime, back to work.

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
so far...

I have the lock inletted in now. Will be doing some more stock work later. Probably will polish the trigger guard next so that I have it in final form when trying to inlet it. That or sand the barrel channel a bit. I can understand now why the negative reviews in the Dixie Gun Works site, but I think they equated a kit gun with a plastic model car. The gun you have to work on, the models otherwise just snap together.

If you know your way around wood tools, try this one. It has potential and I am going for that potential.

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
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That derringer is the first pistol I ever owned. I got it as a kit when I was 13, put it together with my father and after 27 years I still have it. It is a lot of fun, and I still shoot it. Very strong and robust little pistol, when I was younger and foolish, I would load it up the same as my rifle.
 
Seancass,

Finally got home and got a picture of the little sweetheart with a scale next to it, although it appears you no longer need it. Here it is anyway:

R0010882.jpg

R0010887.jpg
 
Update

:) Barrel inletted completely. Lock inletted completely. Trigger frame inletted mostly, still wondering if I should go a little more in. Stock shaping going on. Front mostly done. Some wood to be shaved off rear of butt yet. Bottom has some gouges that I have to sand off, but the trigger thing is still an issue. Screw for barrel cut down to proper length. Barrel dovetail enlarged for tennon. Tennon almost ready to go in. Flash taken off trigger guard. All parts save for barrel tennon and pin test fitted and all looks well. Had to take about 1/32 inch of metal off the sear pin as it was scraping into the wood when I put the lock on the stock. Fitting the barrel also meant fitting the lock with the brass that has been braized on to it. Took a bit to get that done right.

In short, so far, so good. One thing I did find is that the hole for the main screw to hold the lock in was not drilled to meet the hole in the lock. I will have to cut some wood away, probably by drilling it or using a Moto-tool bit.

With some luck, I can be ready to put some BLO on the stock next week and have it ready for firing. :)

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
Good, sounds like you're enjoying it. Next thing you know you'll be hanging around Jim Chambers web site and lusting after one of his kits...

Pictures, please!
 
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