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HandWiki. Derringer. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32265 (accessed on 24 September 2026).
HandWiki. Derringer. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32265. Accessed September 24, 2026.
HandWiki. "Derringer" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32265 (accessed September 24, 2026).
HandWiki. (2022, November 01). Derringer. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32265
HandWiki. "Derringer." Encyclopedia. Web. 01 November, 2022.
Derringer
Edit

A derringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver nor a semi/fully automatic pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepperbox configuration. The modern derringer is often multi-barreled, and is generally the smallest usable handgun of any given caliber and barrel length due to the lack of a moving action, which takes up more space behind the barrel. It is frequently used by women because it is easily concealable in a purse or a stocking. The original Philadelphia Deringer was a muzzleloading caplock single-shot pistol introduced in 1825 by Henry Deringer. In total, approximately 15,000 Deringer pistols were manufactured. All were single barrel pistols with back-action percussion locks, typically .41 caliber with rifled bores, and walnut stocks. Barrel length varied from 1.5 to 6 in (38 to 152 mm), and the hardware was commonly a copper-nickel alloy known as "German silver". The term "derringer" (/ˈdɛrɪndʒər/) became a genericized misspelling during the reporting of the Lincoln assassination, which was committed with a concealed Philadelphia Deringer. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gunmakers worldwide, and the name remained often misspelled; this misspelling soon became an alternative generic term for any pocket pistol, along with the generic phrase "palm pistol'", which Deringer's competitors invented and used in their advertising. With the advent of metallic cartridges, pistols produced in the modern form are still commonly called "derringers".

misspelling copper-nickel alloy multi-barreled

References

  1. Handgun safety https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6xXxsyxVAm8C&lpg=PA44
  2. Boorman, Dean K. (2004). Guns of the Old West: An Illustrated History. Globe Pequot Press. pp. 28–35. ISBN 978-1-59228-638-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=6EMF4l14xbMC&pg=PA29. 
  3. Omaha Indians https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HKd6npiLRuAC&lpg=PA174
  4. Harold Peterson, The Book of the Gun, 1964
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  6. Flayderman (2007) pp. 410–412
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  9. Rick Sapp (2007). Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. F+W Media, Inc. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0-89689-534-8. 
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  11. "Remington .41 Double Derringer". American Rifleman. March 24, 2014. https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2014/3/24/remington-41-double-derringer/. Retrieved 2017-07-22. 
  12. Marcot, Roy M. (2005). The History of Remington Firearms. Lyons Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-59228-690-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=jAmkAvoUKIEC&pg=PA32. 
  13. Thompson, Leroy (2012). The Colt 1911 Pistol. Osprey Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-84908-836-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=TYSVHoBQzZYC&pg=PT99. 
  14. Thompson, Leroy (2011). The Colt 1911 Pistol. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-84908-836-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=61PDCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT87. 
  15. S., Jeremy (2013-07-01). "Gun Review: DoubleTap Tactical Pocket Pistol". http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/07/jeremy-s/gun-review-doubletap-tactical-pocket-pistol/. 
  16. "Frequently Asked Questions". Heizer Defense LLC. http://heizerfirearms.com/faq.htm. 
  17. "Announcement". Heizer Defense LLC. 7 November 2012. http://heizerdefense.com/announcement.html. 
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