A very petite Henry Deringer I recently acquired. Bore mics out to a touch over .38 caliber. Has a repair at the wrist. Silver overlay nailed over a severely cracked wrist. But a cool little piece non the less.
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Original Henry Deringer
- Thread starter scotti
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That is a neat little gun. Happen to have an unassembled kit, be it 45 caliber, and your example has me thinking. Time for some research. After all, only one particular Deringer showed up at Ford’s Theater.
I'm a Deringer fan and would love to have a genuine original. Too bad about the stock but old Henry never used polymer. Nice!
Neat. Poker table honesty insurance.
I have the CVA version in .45. I'd like to "shave" it down or somehow try to make it smaller. Oh, I heard some of Deringer's guns had a left handed twist (counter clockwise). Booths did. How is your's?
It's got a slight right hand twist.
Apologies for straying a bit off topic but since there is a ton of contradictory discussion of the Booth Deringer regarding twist and caliber, Eutycus is correct in rifling twist direction. Here is part of an interesting article found in thefreelibrary.com. entitled The Booth Deringer -- genuine artifact or replica?
Well , I have this one in hand and it is an original and it does have a clock wise ...aka right hand twist. Don't know what to tell you from there.
I have no doubt that some where made with left hand twist just this one was not .
Thank you for showing your original Deringer, @scotti . It is a beauty, despite that crack in the grip. The silver overlay or reinforcing plate has the look of an old repair, with a history of its own. If nothing else, this illustrates why one should not ram a tight load in a muzzleloading pistol with its butt on a hard surface.
However, it is still a very nice pistol, and an original Deringer! The fame accorded these guns because of the Lincoln shooting overshadows all other aspects of the Deringer name, but the fact is that Henry Deringer was an extremely important gunmaker in the mid-19th century. He made all kinds of guns, including Indian trade muskets, but thanks to J.W. Booth, his name became an eponym for this type of pistol. I expect he made a lot of them, not just for assassins and gamblers, but to be carried in travelers’ saddlebags and coat pockets, kept under shopkeepers’ counters, in the hip pockets of miners in the California goldfields, and probably in some ladies’ purses. The original EDC gun, for concealed carry and personal protection! You have a nice example of a historically significant firearm.
Dang it! Now you’ve gotten me interested in these little “pocket rockets.” I do not need another gun… I do not need another gun…
Notchy Bob
However, it is still a very nice pistol, and an original Deringer! The fame accorded these guns because of the Lincoln shooting overshadows all other aspects of the Deringer name, but the fact is that Henry Deringer was an extremely important gunmaker in the mid-19th century. He made all kinds of guns, including Indian trade muskets, but thanks to J.W. Booth, his name became an eponym for this type of pistol. I expect he made a lot of them, not just for assassins and gamblers, but to be carried in travelers’ saddlebags and coat pockets, kept under shopkeepers’ counters, in the hip pockets of miners in the California goldfields, and probably in some ladies’ purses. The original EDC gun, for concealed carry and personal protection! You have a nice example of a historically significant firearm.
Dang it! Now you’ve gotten me interested in these little “pocket rockets.” I do not need another gun… I do not need another gun…
Notchy Bob
Scotti, I'm not doubting you at all, merely commenting on some particulars of the gun that Booth used. I have a nearly perfect copy pair of Deringer clones made in the 1980's and they have RH twist too.
I know you're not. Sorry if I came off a bit offensive.
It appears to be very "concealeable". I like the way a derringer fits the pocket. If my CVA were so bulky and more dependable I might consider it as a concealed carry weapon. But than a person should have more than 1 shot. Can you imagine the headlines if a "badguy" were shot with any cap and ball?
Another off topic mention. We have a genealogy guy at our SCV meeting named Booth. He told me "never let a Booth stand behind you".
A bunch of my ancestors were Confederates during the war so hopefully I'd be somewhat safe...
I once worked with a woman who was a descendant of Mary Surratt. She even resembled Mary to a surprising degree.
That's pretty cool.
Nice Scotti! I think every kid should have a derringer....
I wish mine was in the that good of condition. That's really nice. Thanks for posting the pics.
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