.36 Twister Derringer

Does anyone here own a .36 Twister Derringer? I've been considering buying one of these and was wondering what sort of review people could give me?

CP

 

[Homesteader]

Claypipe, I really considered one of these before deciding on my flinter pocket pistol. I like the twisting barrel idea. The only negative I've read / heard is that you should plan on carving your own grips. The "ivory" handles really look like what they are - plastic.

Hey, if you get one we should get together and have a target shooting contest at, say, three feet? See if we can keep 'em within a pie plate at that distance? :winking:

 

[Don]

Claypipe,

I have the Twister, built it from a kit. Kit was pretty easy to put together and finish. Twisting the barrel was a chore for awhile but got easier with use. Trigger pull was very heavy at first too but it also got better over time. The biggest hassel was the nipples. They were too short and didn't reliably ignite powder. I made new nipples out of spare rifle nipples. After alot of filing and shaping I had nipples that worked well. When I did penetration tests on 4.5 inches of wet news papers propped up by a one inch thick board the little ball with 15 grains of 3f goex under it nearly completely penetrated the news paper. By comparison I shot a standard .38 special load at the wet pack. It penetrated all the way but bounced off the pine board behind the news paper.

If you have the patience and time to monkey with it you'll end up with a neat and functional little gun with the posibility of puttin the hurt on a perp if need be. I'd keep range to less than 10 yards. By the way, it has no safety but a small machine bolt will effectivly block the hammer and in my opinion it could be carried safely in a snug holster. Hope this helps.

Don

 

The only negative I've read / heard is that you should plan on carving your own grips. The "ivory" handles really look like what they are -plastic.

I was planning on doing exactly that. I was thinking of going with purple heart with a brass screw and escutcheons. I like the flat slab physique of the piece. Looks like a good candidate for a belly or ankle carry.

Word of caution about purple heart wood, wear a mask when cutting or sanding, as the dust is poisonous.

 

Twisting the barrel was a chore for awhile but got easier with use. Trigger pull was very heavy at first too but it also got better over time. The biggest hassel was the nipples. They were too short and didn't reliably ignite powder. I made new nipples out of spare rifle nipples.

Break in is a part of any new gun. Nipples seem to be a problem on many new BP handguns as of late. I always handfit my nipples, in fact I just posted an outline on how its done in another thread in this section.

When I did penetration tests on 4.5 inches of wet news papers propped up by a one inch thick board the little ball with 15 grains of 3f goex under it nearly completely penetrated the news paper.

How was the recoil? Have you tried any heavier loads?

How much meat is there at the thinnest section of the barrel wall? I was thinking of trying to ream the bore out to .41 caliber.

If you have the patience and time to monkey with it you'll end up with a neat and functional little gun with the posibility of puttin the hurt on a perp if need be. I'd keep range to less than 10 yards. By the way, it has no safety but a small machine bolt will effectivly block the hammer and in my opinion it could be carried safely in a snug holster. Hope this helps.

Being a hole gun, I wouldn't want to go any further than 5 yards maximum. Does it have a rebounding hammer? Or does the hammer sit squarely on the cap?

CP

 

[Don]

Claypipe,

Thinnest part of barrel is an eigth of an inch thick. You sound like you might know more about tolerances than I do so I don't know how to advise you on boring it out. Recoil produces some muzzle flip but it is not uncomfortable. The hammer dose rest squarely on the cap after firing, no blow back or rebounding noticed. I should add that my wet pack was made more densely than is traditional. It was bound tightly first before soaking. I don't know how my load would have performed on traditional wet pack. I have read that if you multiply depth of penetration in wet pack by three and then divide by two you will get the equivalent performance on ballistic geletin. Denser medium aside that makes the load I used end up penetrating about 6.5 inches in geletin. Surely not optimal for self defense but I don't know anyone who wants to get shot even a little.

Don

 

:hmm: At an eighth of an inch, .125, that means I would have to remove .025 from the inner circumference of bore wall to achieve a bore of .41, but that's only if the original bore was true .36. That leaves .100, and seeing that I don't know what sort of steel it is, I'd leave it alone. Maybe, I can have another barrel machined to accomodate a heavier caliber.

I prefer .40 or better, as calibers .40 and above have a tremendous effect of the nervous system, and I was thinking to carry this as a hide out piece.

CP

 

[Don]

Claypipe,

May I suggest you look into the Abilene Derringer available through DGW. Very reasonably priced and there is a kit version. Its only a single shot but it is .41 cal.

Don

 

[madbrad]

I bought the kit for the same purpose(a hideout) the metal is not high grade and I would not thin it at all . There is inconsistancies in the metal(that showed themselves during the bluing process) and the grips were worhtless. But it is a neat little gun otherwise.

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

Does anyone here own a .36 Twister Derringer? I've been considering buying one of these and was wondering what sort of review people could give me?

CP

Sorry about the lengthy reply, but I wanted to be as thorough as I could. I hope you are happy/satisfied no matter what you decide to do.

I think many people buy these kits "thinking" that they are going to end up with something that is more useable than just having a curiosity that looks good in a glass case. I got one of these a while way back ago. I have since traded it off for something that was much more useable. While I probably am only re-iterating what others have already said... here is what I have learned about them.

I had hopes of using this as a pocket gun while hiking to use against "legless vermin". I kept one barrel loaded with ball and the other with about 130gr of #9 shot. I never did use it on a live target, but it appeared to be effective with either load on close range plinkin' targets. (By "close", I mean within 15-20 feet maximum) This is definitely NOT a target gun.

Don't get overzealous and in a hurry trying to finish this kit in a couple of hours. While it "could" be done, if you remove too much metal from certain areas, you will end up with a useless pile of junk parts. BTW, The metal is "quite soft", and easy to remove with file or Dremel.

The white plastic "simulated ivory" grips are basically worthless. I used some red oak, and machined a set of very flat grips and stained them dark. The reason I picked such an unusual choice of wood for the grips, is that I wanted something that would be very hard and resist deformation from bumping against "pointy items" in my pocket (like car keys, pocket knife, etc...).

Keep the gun in .36 caliber. Hornady 000 Buckshot is .350 diameter and works wonderfully--instead of buying/using the more expensive boxes of 100 Hornady swaged .350 diameter lead balls. I thought of opening up the gun to a larger bore size, but once you understand how that center post and spring work, you will NOT want to take a chance of totally screwing up the gun.

The nipples are NOT standard and do take a good bit of monkeying with to get reliable ignition.

IF you want a more effective gun (and still have the "fun" of building it yourself), get the Classic Arms New Orleans Ace in .44 caliber smoothbore and load it up like a ".410 shot gun". It is a MUCH more powerful piece of hardware and equally difficult to aim accurately.

A pocket Navy .36 revolver is a much more expensive gun, but surpasses any/all of the Classic Arms kits as a powerful (yet handy) hideout gun. Of all the Classic Arms kits, the Ace is probably the most useful and though it is "mostly already a pre-finished kit", it still requires a bit of patience and possibly also a heavier hammer spring to ensure proper ignition.

I finished my .36 Twister in brown and with the dark wooden grips I made was fairly nice looking, but not enough so as to warrant my keeping it.

FWIW, There used to be a little .45 single shot (muzzleloading) pistol made by "LEINAD" (Cobray parts supplier) that was very inexpensive and already finished. Though rough looking, it had a surprisingly smooth action and was actually useful out to about 12 - 15 yards, or so. It had very shallow rifling and decent sights. You would be much better off to buy TWO of these guns and carry them. It packed at least as much "oomph" as a single shot from a .44 cap-n-ball revolver.

I really would NOT recommend the Twister...

Regards, and shoot safely,
WV_Hillbilly

 

I appreciate your lengthy and candid reply. I did ask for people's experience with the Twister. So I would be an ingrate not to listen to all.

I realize that this is not a target pistol, and only want it for times of dire need.

As for kit building, I tend to study for some time on a piece before I really dig into it. I learned my lesson years ago of being over anxious. As for removing too much metal, it is the reason I abhor Dremel tools. I prefer to work with files and stones.

And the white plastic "simulated ivory" grips are the first thing I plan to chuck. I agree that they are "basically worthless". I chose purple heart for the same reason as you did. I needed something that would be very hard and resist nicks and bumps from "pointy items" in my pocket.

I don't plan to mess with the original barrel, but do plan to look into having a stockier barrel machined.

The nipples won't be a problem, as I am use to fitting nipples.

I am not crazy about the Classic Arms New Orleans Ace, Snake eyes or the Seven Seas derringer. I'm not fond of brass frame firearms.

And if I were to go with a pocket pistol, I would make a pepper box out of a Colt type 1860 revolver. I would have a new cylinder pin machined and replace the wedge with a retaining screw on the end of the pin. I would use a felt wad and a hard grease tablet under the ball. But still, there is that telltale bulge.

I considered a "LEINAD", but considered them too large for my purpose.

I thank you for your considerations.
CP

 

[Zonie]

Boy, your a braver man than I am. :grin:

I don't think I would want something in my pocket that could discharge without too much urging, possibly pointing at parts most near and dear to me. :hmm:

I think my State also frowns on folks carrying concealed firearms without a permit.

 

Boy, your a braver man than I am. :grin:

I don't think I would want something in my pocket that could discharge without too much urging, possibly pointing at parts most near and dear to me. :hmm:

I think my State also frowns on folks carrying concealed firearms without a permit.

I don't know if I'm braver, maybe crazier. Back in the day, I've stared down a double barrel shotgun and dared a fella to run me through with a large french blade, both times unarmed. But, now, I guess I'm getting old and scary.

My state, also, has a problem with people defending themselves. We are actually required to leave our homes if there is an intruder. That's just wrong!

I work part time, third shift, at a convience store. And up here, North of the Mason Dixion line, they are, only now, beginning to suffer armed robberies on a large scale.

Don't get me wrong, if they have a gun, they can have the money. But, some of these freaks aren't just satisfied with that. They're out to make their bones. And I don't plan to just lay down and die.

BTW, there is few restrictions on pre-1898 firearms, only on the powder and cartridges.

CP