Is this a derringer lock?

[Rolf]

I have been looking for locks for a pair of Derringer pistols.
Has anyone seen L&R 's new small pistol lock in the "flesh"? They say it's for building all sizes of late pistols including derringers as well as small rifles.  http://www.lr-rpl.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:small-pistol-lock-model-750&catid=38:lar-locks&Itemid=61

I've compared the lock, trigger, triggergard and breech plug to pictures of derringers from the book "The Derringer in America" by Wilson & Eberhart.
 

• The trigger and triggergard look like the usual derringers.
• I found 1 derringer on page 162 with what looks like the same breech plug. The others have plugs that look a bit different.
• The hammer does not look like the ones in the book. The L&R hammer is straighter and the neck is wider the top than at the base. The hammers in the book are "S" shaped and the sides of the neck run more paraell.
• The L&R lockplate rounded at the edges. The ones in the book look flat.

Is the L&R lock and parts copied from a derringer, or from something else?

Best regards
Rolf

[blunderbuss]

I wanted a pair of derringers but only had one Dixie lock so I had to make the second lock I didn't like the thin barrels they had ether so I made that too this lock is 2 1/2" long
The derringer is copied from one in the San Jacinto Monument museum in La Port Texas

[blunderbuss]

Mine is a pretty small derringer the lock from L and R would make a derringer but some larger and some derringers were larger.In fact made to the customers desire. Perhaps you could cut the L&R lock down some   

[Rolf]

Beautiful Derringer!!!!  I've orderd barrel blanks from Ed Rayl for a Le Paige pistol project.  The blanks are strait octangonal, rifled, cal.45 ,
16" long, 7/8 wide and not threaded for breech plugs. I plan to cut it down to 9" and use the cutoff for 3" derringer barrels.

I might use the L&R lock if i can find a different hammer that fits.

Best regards
Rolf

[blunderbuss]

The barrel is a  .395 piece of seamless tubing I found once while out walking, the barrel is  like the ones in the San Jacinto Museum smooth bore but cut at the muzzle to look rifled ,Just notched, almost like a screw barrel that is notched for a muzzle wrench. I contured the barrel like a derringer  I've fired it alot I used the Dixie breech plug . There is two of them in the museum and the other one is smaller.

[Daryl]

Taylor built this little pistol for me (birthday present) back in 1973, when we were both young Mounties. Every policeman should have a backup pistol.  ;)This one is .45, and rifled for accuracy with a slow rifle twist for heavy charges.   You'd have to ask him about the lock - probably Dixie. It is 2.670" long.

[blunderbuss]

nice little pistol. Do you really think the rifling will help in that short of a barrel?

I was in a shooting club once and we used to have derringer shoots generally at 15 feet One fellow and I would invariably win with two or three points eather way. I had a smooth bore and he had a rifled barrel. For some reason he thought I had an advantage by reasoning that if the rifling weren't stabilizing the ball then it was probally doing more harm than good. The result was he bored his out to smooth at which point he couldn't hit a bed sheet. I ended up shooting a 50 xx with the smooth bore. I just acted as if it were rifled with patch, ball, powder charge and it had a rear sight. A feature many smooth bores don't have

[Rolf]

I emailed Dixe. They don't stock derringer locks. Do you know of anyone else who might stock them?

Best regards

Rolf

[blunderbuss]

No that's why I made the second lock .Maybe you can reduce the lock plate on the L&R You may ask them if that can be done

[Daryl]

nice little pistol. Do you really think the rifling will help in that short of a barrel?

I was in a shooting club once and we used to have derringer shoots generally at 15 feet One fellow and I would invariably win with two or three points eather way. I had a smooth bore and he had a rifled barrel. For some reason he thought I had an advantage by reasoning that if the rifling weren't stabilizing the ball then it was probally doing more harm than good. The result was he bored his out to smooth at which point he couldn't hit a bed sheet. I ended up shooting a 50 xx with the smooth bore. I just acted as if it were rifled with patch, ball, powder charge and it had a rear sight. A feature many smooth bores don't have

I was just kidding about heavy charges giving accuracy as well as using it for a hidaway.  I shot it only a couple times - got hit by a rebounding ball that bounced back off the wooden target back which was a 2x10 pine board.  

[T*O*F]

They don't stock derringer locks. Do you know of anyone else who might stock them?

Dixie advertises the Deer Creek Philly derringer kit for sale.
One could probably contact Irwin Fagel direct and just buy the locks from him.
However, I would assume they are the same locks as used in the old CVA derringer kits.

[blunderbuss]

In our Derringer shoot we had an event where one shot under a card table one guy hit a board under the table and it bounced back and hit him in the stomach . We called him iron stomach after that.
I figured you were kidding about the hide out eather that or Canada isn't as bad as Houston Here you need something that shoots big bullets and shoots them often.

[Rolf]

Thanks for the tip, T*O*F. I'll try to contact them.

Best regards
Rolf

[camerl2009]

Taylor built this little pistol for me (birthday present) back in 1973, when we were both young Mounties. Every policeman should have a backup pistol.  ;)This one is .45, and rifled for accuracy with a slow rifle twist for heavy charges.   You'd have to ask him about the lock - probably Dixie. It is 2.670" long.

kind of off topic but did you get 12.6 prohibited off that pistol  my grandfather has that class ive been wanting to build on of these but mine would have to be a dummy gun  darn barrel length laws

[Daryl]

Yes - it is a legally owned pistol.

[Jerry V Lape]

Problem with a heavy charge would be having room left in the barrel for the ball!

[blunderbuss]

 

here are two other of my derringers the top one was sold on the market in the 60's smooth bore .40 barrel marked ''Spain 1855'' and the lock marked  ''Derringer Philadelphia'' (you figure it out) lock is 3 1/4''

The bottom one I made also .40

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here's a picture of my little .41 cal  Uberti Deringer.  It is a cased pistol;  a gift from a wonderful old friend.  The lock is very well made on this one.  Pictures, anyone?

[blunderbuss]

nice piece

[bob in the woods]

Back when I was a kid, my Uncle had a .40/,41 derringer .  Out at our family farm, he fired at a fence post, and the ball bounced back and hit him. Didn't break the skin. Those are close range weapons !
Lots of fun, though.

[blunderbuss]

I have a book with some causality list in it  ,it's impressive they must have been standing pretty close..
 I told a lady who was anti gun that I had a cute pistol and she said "I want to see a cute pistol" (she didn't believe there was such a thing.) I showed her one of my derringers and she had to agree it was cute.

[Daryl]

Henry Deringer made all sorts of firearms, from pistols to rifles and muskets for the US military, but seems to be most famous for his 'cute' little pistols, in which his name became synonymous with a 'style' or pattern of handgun.  He, an Easterner, was popular in the West as well, that is his rifles and full sized pistols were popular there - mostly in around the .45 to .48 cal. in rifle and many full sized, almost holster pistols, calibre .50 and under, from what I've read.  I wonder how many 'other' Deringers grace collections today?

[camerl2009]

the little henry derringer became famous after the abraham lincoln assassination

i did see one somewhat like the henry muzzleloading derringer but it was .41 rimfireunfortunately only working model i could own is a antique one or one with a longer barrel  these law just dont make sense at times

[blunderbuss]

Seems ironic that of all the great guns in the War Between the States Lincoln got shot with one of the smallest.

Daryl I used to work for a fellow that had a grand gun collection and he had a wall full of southern made derringers rim fire center fire muzzle loaders some were fine some were drilled off center.If you got close enough to shoot a guy with that you'd set him on fire at the same time.

[blunderbuss]

Seems ironic that of all the great guns in the War Between the States Lincoln got shot with one of the smallest.

Daryl I used to work for a fellow that had a grand gun collection and he had a wall full of southern made derringers rim fire center fire muzzle loaders some were fine some were drilled off center.If you got close enough to shoot a guy with that you'd set him on fire at the same time.

There was a gunsmith in Galveston who made derringers back in the day knowing the character of Galveston I'll bet none ever left the island.