They're just cool. Sometimes a gun is just cool to have

My father was a cop back in the 70's and 80's and he had once told me that he kept his .22 derringer concealed in a pack of cigarettes that was in his front shirt pocket.

A Derringer is a backup gun to your backup gun.

Look, I'm not gonna dispute the... "historical validity" of that thing. But the very fact that it WAS considered a legitimately practical option at the time (not very long ago!), only serves to illustrate that we are currently living in an actually unprecedented "Golden Age" of self-defense firearms.

I never thought I'd see a review of this classic beauty. I have this same model that was passed to me from my uncle as a "So you'll never forget me" piece. Every time I see this little beauty in my collection, I remember him, even if I never really carry it. It's not always about having lots of stopping power or 30 rounds of ammo in the pistol or being able to shoot 25 bad guys. Sometimes it's just about having a small piece of history (and to some) nice memories that makes it all worth having it to begin with. I will never part with mine.

Great video. Last year my grandmother gave me her father's High Standard Derringer in 22mag. It was his back up gun during his time as a police officer.

At 15, I had been volunteer dispatching a few years on weekends at the SO in my hometown in the early 1970's. My biological father was a reserve deputy. He carried one of these in .22WMR in blue steel, as pictured, as a backup. He eventually got me one as he worried about attacks on the SO such as we read about today and as happened around the country in the 60's and 70's. I kept it in my right back pocket in an old Esso "gift of the month" plastic wallet, used to break up the outline. I later carried it as a backup when I became a cop, a few years later. There were times I would have it in my front pocket, leveled at ruffians I had stopped and was getting really bad vibes from and they never had a clue. Glad I never had to fire it through my pants pocket as the blast would likely have singed the hair on my family jewels. I could reliably hit a B-27 silhouette target with it out to 20 yards with both barrels.

Back in my rookie days my Sgt. had on enclosed in a wallet holster that screwed onto the weapon using the grip screws. My FTO and I found a wounded deer in a affluent section of the county about 0400 hrs. We asked permission to put the deer down; denied. Sgt. showed up two minutes later and said he had a .22 backup and it would make a lot less noise than the .357s we had. He walked up to the deer and pulled the gun out of his shirt pocket and shot it in the head. It was the .22 Mag, and modified to fire both barrels at once. Our Khakis were covered in deer gore, all we could hear was ringing in our ears, all we saw was a purple circle for about ten minutes, and every light in every house came on. When we could see enough my FTO just said, "Sarge, your paper," and we left him standing in the street talking to the citizens who were now asking what happened. The 1980s, great time to be a copper.

Cop: why did you shoot him? Citizen: he was all up in my business Cop: ...k bye

Chris, I do *not* need another thousand rounds from Lucky Gunner! You are a very mean fellow! I can't even leave my apartment without tripping on LG ammo!

Another example of having any gun than no gun. Excellent video.

I love the fact you guys are an ammo company that don't splatter adds about your products every minute.

These videos are very high quality. Keep up the good work

I have one in .22mag that I put up against my LCR in the same caliber. It was grandma's purse gun for a long time. Thanks for the rundown on this gun. I enjoyed hearing it.

I’d been wracking my brain to remember the name of this derringer I bought back in the early 80’s. Watching a different video on .22 pistols, I saw a High Standard pistol and that name clicked. Searched KZfaq for a High Standard derringer and here I am. That was the gun I had. I think I paid less than $200 for it but I was 21 years old and thought it was kinda cool. My friend had just bought a S&W 686 .357 so we went to the outdoor range together. The closest target being 7 yards, I don’t remember hitting it very much with my little derringer. Of course we’d have to wait for the cease-fire buzzer to check our targets and I was pleasantly surprised I hit the paper at all. Sometimes. It wasn’t a range gun and I knew that, but the range was the only legal place to try it out. The double action trigger did what it was supposed to do. Pull it twice as fast as you can and two .22 magnum slugs were sent somewhere down range. Bam bam! Flawless operation, accuracy completely unknown. No complaints. My buddy with the 686 was in our rock band and about to be kicked out because he sucked at music. He wanted to be a rockstar but nothing in his musical soul or being would allow such a thing. He couldn’t tune his guitar so he played out of tune without knowing it. He was a great shot though and wanted to be a cop. Our band was taking off without him and with some friendly prodding by the other members, he decided to quit music entirely and go to the police academy. Wise choice. I’d bought this derringer on a whim but my buddy really liked it and thought it would be a good backup gun when he gets on the force. I saw an amicable trade in the works. “So Jerry, you have this great custom guitar and Peavy half-stack amp. You wanna sell it?” Jerry was so mad that his music gear, chains and leather, didn’t make him a rockstar, he really despised the whole facade. He felt foolish and said, “I tried, okay? Music isn’t my thing. You can have all my gear. You’re good on guitar.” Jerry was a good friend and I knew what his gear was worth but he didn’t care at all. He was talking about breaking his Ibanez Iceman Paul Stanley custom guitar against a brick wall so I stopped him. “Jerry, I’ll trade you my derringer and $500 bucks for the guitar. Don’t break it in a bitch fit, bro. I want your guitar and you want my silly little gun. Let’s work this out.” Jerry thought about it for a moment. (Remember that these are two drunken 21 year old friends talking), when he said, “How much cash do you have on you right now?” I checked my wallet, “172 dollars and some change.” He nodded, “That’ll work, $172 bucks and the derringer for the guitar. Deal?” “Deal.” I handed Jerry my gun and everything in my wallet. He was happy, I was happy. The next day he gave me his amp and effects pedals for free. Cut his music dreams loose to pursue what he wanted in life. Guns. Authority. Strength. Obsession. No rhythm in any of it. That’s fine. Not judging an old friend of mine. Jerry was a very cool guy when I knew him. Confused maybe, but very genuine. I moved to Hawaii shortly after our band split up and played Jerry’s guitar for decades in other bands. My friends in California always told me what Jerry was up to these days because I really worried about my old friend. He’d signed up for the police academy but couldn’t be a cop because his uncorrected eyesight was too poor. He became a Sheriff carting off felons to jail. I always wondered if he still carried his old 686 and my derringer as a backup. Maybe he had an arsenal by then. I got a call from an old girlfriend in California saying he had a brain disease and wasn’t going to last much longer. Laid up in a hospital bed waiting to die. Jerry was physically and mentally stronger than any of us in the old days. He knew what he wanted to do then, while most of us still wonder now. Rest In Peace my old friend. Sorry I went on so long here, this was supposed to be about a mediocre derringer from the 80’s. Back stories are there and this is one. I’ve had great firearms since then, Beretta 92F as a favorite but my very first handgun was that High Standard .22 magnum derringer that Jerry wanted more than a guitar. Peace and aloha and happy shooting. 🤙🏼

This pocket pistol series gets better and better. Keep up the great work, I'm definitely waiting a the next episode of this series.

I EDC a .38 SPL derringer alongside my 3" revolver. No problems yet,though I had to use the derringer for self defense 6 years ago.

I almost bought a High Standard DA Derringer in .22 WRM many years ago with the wallet/holster. I still wish that I had bought it.

Picked up one of those High Standards at my first gun show for $75. Best buy ever, over a decade of plinking.

I'd really like to see more companies make a DA derringer design. Bond Arms I think would profit widely if they could do that, just like I think of NAA could make their Mini revolvers DA, they would sell like hot cakes.

Yup. I carried a nickle-plated .22 mag version in a wallet holster for a couple of years. This gun was a popular backup at my department.

Hi standard was a good brand and we still have a revolver and one of those derringers and still work great.

I got a Roughneck 45acp to honor my grandpa. He was a gambling sailor. Always wanted one. Cool little heavy guy.

Great video. Like you mentioned I saw a lot of officers w/these as BUG even some in 38. By far the most popular was the 22 Mag. Great video and thanks.

Definitely a gun on my list now. Gotta love these Lucky Gunner episodes!

I heard the same thing about High Standard Derringers being loved by police as a backup gun, down in Arkansas, in the 1980's.

I have the 22mag.i bought it in 1974.boot gun when I was in enforcement.still have it.

My DM101 is my favorite handgun. It's remarkably accurate and it fit beautifully in my second handcuff case. Simply a cool, great gun.

I actually bought some ammo form lucky gunner and the shipping was great. Ordered on Friday arrived on Saturday. And for that I want to say thank you

I bought a High-Standard DM-101 in .22 WMR about a year ago. This one is nickel finished making it somewhat a scarce model. As indicated in the video, trigger pull is nothing you'd want for target shooting, but it's manageable, especially for one of those "Get off me!" moments. I could never afford one in the 70s and had to wait. What might these be good for? Bank clerks/managers who might be used as a hostage; store owner/manager who might be ordered to open a safe; bartender/bar owner and similar occupations where a small pistol in your pocket can be hidden when your clothing prohibits a larger gun.

This is a really great video, so much interesting info here, and you explain the history and the gun really well, very easy to listen to. I wish many others were this easy and fun to watch. Thanks much for this video.

Love you’re vids man great work

hey, thanks for the review of this gun..i managed to buy one (cheap) for 200, some years back. they command a pretty good price there days...but they are unique ,and have a cool factor . I appreciate you zeroing in on this one .

Loving the pocket pistol series.

As always, keep up the quality work

They are really compact, smooth textured and reliable. It's nice to have something that is a genuine pocket pistol. I like something that you can palm and not draw a lot of attention. They really are very concealable. I've always liked the design.

Skeeter Skelton really liked this one from what I read.

Love the videos! Thanks for the great work!

I bought one in .22 magnum in 1969 when I began in law enforcement. Carried it in a pocket holster, in my left rear pocket.

I recently saw one of these at a LGS and I have to say that it is an extremely unique pistol. The 20ld trigger pulls makes it stand out.

I began a career in law enforcement in 1973. So, of course, I needed an off duty concealed carry handgun. I can tell you that in the early and mid 70's there were very few choices. You went with a PPK/s, Walther HSc, or a S&W J frame/Colt Detective Special. That was about it. I was using a S&W Model 40 Centennial and a Model 19 with 2.5" barrel as my off duty guns but neither were good for summer pocket carry. so I sought out and bought one of the Hi-Standard derringers. Definitely a better pocket gun. I managed to add the PPK/s Walther HSc, Colt Mustang Pocketlite, a S&W Model 640 and 642, FN 1910 .380 and .a .32 ACP Colt Model 1903 to the collection. Fast forward a few decades, I am retired and out come all these small, light .380 pocket pistols. I buy a lot of guns but rarely sell them...however the Hi-Standard was one of those I sold. I just no longer had a use for it, the ammo is relatively expensive, it is not fun to shoot, it really no longer had any redeeming qualities for me. Well, anyway, someone had $$$ in an amount that interested me more than the gun did. I kept the others because at least they are fun to shoot or serve well for formal occasions when I have to wear socks and want to look my best...weddings and funerals. I now use a S&W Bodyguard .380 as my pocket carry gun (when I need one, it is not my EDC) It is smaller, lighter, cheaper and holds SEVEN (6+1) .380 cartridges. Plus the finish is pretty much bullet proof for pocket carry. THAT's more better!

My grandpa bought one of these for my grandma back then he got her the .22 mag.. we now have it and its fun to shoot.

My friend has one of, those in 22mag. He never uses it though. I borrowed it once and, carried it around for, awhile until he asked for, it back. It carries nice. Very convenient.

I have the blue HS in 22 mag. Have Carried it many years.

I ended up being given 2 of these. One in .22 LR, one in .22 mag. They're actually neat little guns. I've carried the mag as a back pocket backup. They're well built.

If you want a pocket pistol for close combat, try the S&W 642 5 shot 38 hammerless double action only.

The best back that I carried for a long time was north American arms 22 magnum revolver work perfect the times I needed it

I remember lusting after an American Derringer DA38 in my youth. It was a good choice in the early 1980's for a tiny pocket rocket.

Cool vids on the mouse guns. Thank you!

Enjoy your videos. Excellent content and videography.

Thank you for this video ! Please make more

Some cops carried derringers as b/u weapons but I could never see the sense in it. My J Frame always worked in that role, as well as an off-duty weapon.

I love my Derringer, its a star of my collection for the cool factor. ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you, Always interesting information

Chris, I inherited one of the DM versions from my grandfather who carried this as a BUG to his combat commander. I was super excited to see you holding one, as most people have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention it. Also, I was a little disappointed you didn't bring up the key holing issues with these little guys; they're definitely picky on which ammo is used.

nothing beats knife in a close encounter

Great info + great video. More pocket pistol videos please! I'm in the market for a pocket pistol. Thanks.

When you expect Manny Mansfield judging by the title

I have one of these in 22 mag, very surprised to see you do a video on this cool little pistol

Great vid on that forgotten classic!

High standard 22 magnum very nice light and thin.

Thank you for keeping the vids short. If I have a suit on, my choice is a made in Italy flip-tip Beretta Minx .22 short in a pocket holster.

You should do an episode on derringers. There are a few companies now that still make them, some even in more contemporary calibers like 9mm and 10mm

In a discussion about self defense, an older friend of mine pulled out his 41 caliber rimfire derringer that he always carried (the rounds were really interesting, copper cased instead of brass, heeled bullet, ~110gr iirc). His claim was that most fights are over at the very presentation of a firearm much less two shots. However he did go on to say that whatever he shot with the little thing was pretty safe even if he managed to hit it. It also bears mentioning that the man always carried a much larger revolver as well.

My granddad once had a little 4 barrel pocket blaster, that always intrigued me. the firing pin would rotate with each trigger pull, so you had 4 shots.

Good advice for Derringer lovers " Do not get in a gunfight with 3 dudes " !

It is amazing how many people call these a "Dillinger". We all know the type...

Before ATF classified wallet holster as an AOW several manufacturers produced them. The gun is a dandy hideout, perfect for the wallet holster because it doesn't jam. Soldier of Fortune magazine once commissioned a special run of the gun with no grips, an OD color, and an included wallet holster. The gun itself along with the Mossberg Brownie and COP .357 is almost identical to the Lancaster, a fascinating pistol made in both two and four barrel versions. That gun was available in several frame sizes, The largest in that gun was available in .577, the smallest in.38 S&W (known as the .380 short in the U.K).

I would think another big advantage would have been barrel lengtj, that extra inch of so over a comparable semi-auto probably made a notable difference over .25acp, it's smart that the top strap doesn't have a webley style lever on it since that would add to snag. Also worth noting that in a stubnose group I'm in on social media a few there posted pictures of theirs with original leather pocket holsters which featured ammo storage for more rounds and a hole to expose the trigger for operation while in the pocket holster

Thanks for bringing the High Standard derringer up. I never bought one, but kind of wish I had if nothing else but for nostalgia. I have heard more than one story about it saving the day. Jackass Holsters (I believe) made a wallet holster for it that was carried in your pocket just like a real wallet. You did not have to remove the gun from the wallet to fire. I heard a story of a mugger with a knife demanding a guys wallet. The guy just said OK, Bang bang! End of story. 😲

200 punks, Well, what you gonna do? That's 2 dead. And 198 pallbearers.

Excellent Presentation!

I carried one for 8 years undercover. Never had a problem and never had anyone find it. I carried it in my back pocket in Florida weather. Took the grips off emptied the ammo 22 mag, once a month and put it in a zip lock bag oiled down overnight. Never did rust. Still have it today

i have the old version of the american derringer da38...chambered for .357!!!, ,it is a BEAST

1:10 if someone has a problem with remembering to cock the hammer when drawing a revolver they will probably also forget to disengage any safety other than a grip safety on a semiautomatic pistol. Odd how that wasn't a problem until the semiautos became more prevalent.

That darrenger is awesome!! Somebody get that back on the line!!

I owned one of these little derringers in the 1960's in 22 magnum cal. and I did find that because of the horrible trigger pull it was best to fire it with the index finger alongside of the barrel. I found this little pistole to be extremely concealable because of the flat barrel design and the fact that a lose glove would fit over it with the index finger alongside the barrel there was no need for sites at close range,

I own the 101 magnum . Something about mouse guns that’s cool ... many others also .. I see some nice holsters for the High Standard being made now . What’s old is new again in the next generation .

I have a pair of Colt Lady Derringer pistols in original wood and silk box. They sit in the safe pretty good.

I still want one for its cool factor.

I had a SILVER plated 1 of 500 at one time, had around 12 or so over the years. LOVED THEM, still have 3,

i got 2 of them, that derringer is lethal, the hard trigger pull is its safety

Nice history lesson on the derringer 👍

I have this model in .22 magnum. She is cheap to buy and maintain, you can still get parts for her. The weight is similar to my SW Air Light, but she goes great on an ankle rig, or a i pocket holster. Firing the gun is fun. You think it's going to be a kicker, but the weight being at the bottom of the grip really absorbs the recoil.

thats, i just want to own one, because it's just cool, some old spy vibes...

This gun just looks cool. I don't even need ammo for it i just wanna fiddle with it. Its like when you got a new toy as a kid and just couldn't put it down : D

As soon as I saw the S333 this is what it reminded me of. I would like to see an S333 video. I'm not optimistic about barrel velocities, but the double shot seems compelling to me.

Bond Arms makes today really high quality derringers in 410, 44 long colt barrels and are reliable.

I’m just getting aquatinted with your videos a year later which are great by the way. What do you think of the 21 A Bobcat from Beretta ?

Just got one of these. The trigger pull on mine is more like 9 to 10 pounds and it works. I was surprised I could hit 12 inch steel at 35 ft. Cool gun for sure.

I still keep a bond arm in the pocket no matter where I go

I just found one of these in 22WMR at my LGS.

Is that a model 10 Smith and Wesson at 0:56 if so what year did they switch the half Moon sight to the ramp? Or is that the J-frame 5 shot?

That's a good looking little pistol.

I had one of those little devils in the 70s when I was with my first department. I did not have it long.... The .22 Magnum cartridge was almost as long as the barrel, which meant there was no way all the powder could burn... So a HUGE muzzle flash. And, the DA trigger was both long and draggy.... Your chances of hitting anything at beyond contact range was minimal....But you stood a pretty good chance of burning your enemy to death......

Double Tap makes a double action derringer in 9mm and 45acp. It is a nice maintenance free derringer.

I bought a 38 several years ago for $40, I put 200 rounds through it to check for some semblance of reliability, and carry it a front shirt pocket sometimes. Defiantly a last ditch about to die type of thing.

Anybody taking bets on a few of these popping up on the used market with inflated prices now?

2 shots of .22lr when Mr bad dude is already bearing down on you sounds like a death pact. Lol 🤗

Cool that it gets respect as a backup.