ANTIQUE ARMS – AMERICAN CARTRIDGE DERRINGERS - A spot of history
- Last updated: 12/12/2024
Henry Deringer was an accomplished gunmaker who produced a variety of pistols and rifles in the mid-19th century, but his name will forever be associated with the small, single-shot, large-calibre pistols that bore his name. Many accounts of homicides have indicated that the assailant used a “Deringer pistol”, and without doubt, the most famous of these was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. Shortly afterwards, the word ‘derringer’—propagated by misspelling in newspaper articles—became a common noun used to describe any small pocket pistol.
Breechloaders OK
The Rollin White patent, held by Smith & Wesson, prohibited other manufacturers from producing breech-loading revolvers until 1869, but this did not stop them from making small pistols in which the cartridge was loaded directly into the barrel. Hence, cartridge derringers were around almost immediately after rimfire ammunition became commonly available. They continued to be made for rimfire cartridges long after centrefire cartridges were perfected in the 1870s.
Strangely enough, Smith & Wesson, who brought out the first breech-loading revolver, a .22 rimfire, never produced a pistol that could be described as a derringer. Most of the other big names in the firearms business, however, took advantage of the popularity of these ‘hideaway’ guns. Arguably the first successful cartridge derringer, patented in February 1861 (though production began before the patent was granted), was produced by Moore’s Patent Firearms Co. This was an all-metal .41 rimfire pistol with a 2½” barrel that pivoted down and to the left for loading. The patent drawing showed a centrefire model, and about 10 are known to exist. The frame is silver-plated brass (some iron frames are known of but are scarce), and the steel barrel is either plated or blued. Scroll engraving is standard on the frame and the breech end of the barrel. Moore’s was taken over in 1865 by the National Firearms Co., which continued production of this derringer. Between the two companies, about 10,000 were made. National produced a modified version of the Moore, differing only in the grips (the latter having bird’s head walnut grips), the two being marketed simultaneously as the No.1 and No.2 National derringers. About 5,000 of the second type were made up to 1870.
Enter the big boys
Probably the most easily recognised of all derringers is the Remington .41 calibre over-and-under model. Produced from about 1866 until 1935, many of these pistols are available to collectors today. It is estimated that around 150,000 were produced in .41 short rimfire calibre. The standard barrel length was 3”, and the typical finish was either blue or nickel-plated, or a combination of the two. Optional finishes included silver or gold plating, with engraving and a choice of ivory or pearl grips. An 1888 Remington catalogue listed the standard pistol at $8.00, with ivory grips costing an additional $4.00, and a further $4.00 for engraving. Ammunition was priced at $1.50 per hundred.
While the over-and-under was doubtless Remington’s most famous and prolific derringer, it was by no means the company’s only foray into this very lucrative market. From about 1860 onwards, Remington produced several small pistols in calibres from .17 upwards, with models featuring anywhere from one to six barrels.
One of Remington’s great competitors in the handgun market, Colt, entered the derringer market when they purchased the National Arms Company around 1870. They continued to market the two National models under the Colt name. The standard finish on both models was blue or nickel-plated, or a combination of both, along with a small amount of engraving on each side of the frame, but without engraving on the barrel. Production figures for these two Colt pistols are around 6,500 for the first model and 9,000 for the second. In 1870, Colt was granted a patent for a new derringer, appropriately named the ‘Number Three’, or sometimes the ‘Thuer’ after its designer. This was a completely new design in which the barrel pivoted sideways for loading, and a spring-loaded ejector automatically removed the spent case. An 1872 advertisement for this pistol stated: “This breech-loading derringer can be loaded and fired more rapidly and with less inconvenience than any other kind.” The finish was as before but without engraving. This model, offered by Colt until about 1912, was popular in England, and many will be found with English proof marks under the barrel.
Long gun makers
Many readers will associate the name Sharps with large-calibre rifles, but this company also had a share in the market for small, concealable handguns. Their 4-barrelled derringer, in .22, .30, and .32 rimfire calibres, was produced in large quantities from approximately 1859 to 1874. Frames were either brass or iron, with the former being silver-plated and the latter case-hardened. Grips were offered in gutta-percha or wood, and the barrels on all models were blued and slid forward for loading and ejection. These single-action pistols featured a rotating firing pin located either in the frame or in the hammer. Christian Sharps was in partnership with William Hankins from 1862 until 1866, and some of these small four-barrelled pistols bear the name Sharps & Hankins. This popular little gun was also made in England by Tipping & Lawden, under licence from Sharps, until about 1880.
Marlin, another manufacturer more famous for their rifles, was also a key player in the 19th-century derringer market. During their first 18 years or so, Marlin produced a variety of small single-shot pistols, not unlike the Colt Number Three model in appearance. These carried names like the Baby .22, O.K. Model, Never Miss, Stonewall, and Victor, and were produced in calibres from .22 to .41 rimfire. It is estimated that Marlin produced about 17,000 derringers.
Plenty of choice
While pivoting-barrel, single-shot designs such as the Colt and Marlin were the most numerous, there were a great number of variations available to anyone wanting a small, hidden firearm. In the 1870s and 1880s, Remington produced a five-shot derringer (one in the chamber and four in the magazine) with a tube magazine under the barrel. The design incorporated a double hammer, the larger of which was, in fact, a breech block. On pulling back this block, the pistol was cocked, and a round was drawn into the chamber in a manner not unlike the action of a Winchester rifle. Another multi-shot derringer was the Protector ‘palm pistol’, so called because it was concealed in the palm of the hand with the short barrel protruding through the fingers. It was a .32 extra short rimfire, rotary magazine (seven-shot) pistol, fired by squeezing the lever on the back.
Even though many of these tiny handguns were in a relatively large calibre (.41), they were obviously short-range weapons, partly due to the small amount of powder that could be squeezed into the case behind a comparatively heavy (130gr) bullet. It has been said that fired from the average derringer at a tree or other such hard object from 15 yards, the .41 rimfire bullet would bounce back and land at your feet. Perhaps this is why some of the double-barrelled derringers produced by Frank Wesson (younger brother of Daniel B. Wesson of Smith & Wesson fame) carried a little extra sting. An over-and-under design not unlike the Remington, but using a different loading mechanism (the two barrels swivelled on a central axis as opposed to Remington’s tip-up design), the Wesson pistol had a sliding double-edged dirk in the recess between the two barrels. Presumably, if the two barrels had not done the job, your adversary could be disabled with the blade.
The enthusiast who wishes to delve further into the world of cartridge derringers will come across other familiar names from the long list of firearms manufacturers. Star, Iver Johnson, Forehand & Wadsworth, Bacon, and Ethan Allen have all listed these small pistols among their products. Many others, who are less well known, also produced derringers, but their efforts failed for one reason or another.
Further reading
As always with American antique guns, I would recommend a copy of Flayderman’s Guide. Last published in 2007, the prices can be ignored, but there is a wealth of information on production figures and dates. There are several books dedicated to derringers, all generally out of print, but a search on the internet will bring up those that are currently available.