# What is this weird gun confiscated by the Baltimore Police Dept? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509 "2017-03-06T01:38:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/1 "2017-03-06T01:38:55Z")
Never seen anything like it. [Gun here](https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreCityPolice/photos/a.277239856955.154351.58771761955/10154185854496956/?type=1&theater) > [@](#): > > Eastern District > > Officers arrest man with a loaded handgun during traffic stop > > On March 1, 2017, officers from the Eastern District Operations Unit pulled over a car in the 700 block of N. Rose Street. During the traffic stop, officers recovered a loaded handgun and drugs from inside the vehicle. > > 36-year old Keith Gladden was arrested at the scene. He was transported to the Central Booking and Intake Facility. Gladden is a repeat offender and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/2 "2017-03-06T02:05:42Z")
This looks like it: > **[German Remington Type Single Shot .22 Cal. Derringer](https://www.gunauction.com/buy/10699456)** > > German mfg. 22 caliber single shot derringer. Bottom of the barrel and receiver are stamped Germany. Plastic grip, no chips or cracks. Does show some ware and ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/3 "2017-03-06T02:12:28Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Never seen anything like it. You’re even younger than I thought. You never saw a re-run of _[Yancy Derringer](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051329/)_ with his forearm mounted [deringer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derringer)?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/4 "2017-03-06T02:17:08Z")
It’s a Noisy Cricket! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/5 "2017-03-06T03:05:08Z")
A cheap deringer missing the grips. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/6 "2017-03-06T03:06:50Z")
The comments on that Facebook post are pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/7 "2017-03-06T04:10:19Z")
Never mess with a dude that only needs a single shot .22 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/8 "2017-03-06T06:33:13Z")
It’s a [Derringer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derringer) pistol with the fancy duct tape grips (I believe those cost extra!). Derringers are commonly associated with riverboat gamblers, saloon girls, and other folks in the Old West-1920s or so who needed a small, concealable gun which was really more for deterrent purposes than putting down a serious threat. Having said that, you still wouldn’t want to be on the business end of one, either. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/9 "2017-03-06T08:30:34Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > It’s a [Derringer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derringer) pistol with the fancy duct tape grips (I believe those cost extra!). > > Derringers are commonly associated with riverboat gamblers, saloon girls, and other folks in the Old West-1920s or so who needed a small, concealable gun which was really more for deterrent purposes than putting down a serious threat. > > Having said that, you still wouldn’t want to be on the business end of one, either. Back before the stopping power revolution (and by revolution I mean the trend since the late 80’s for concealable compact 9mm and .45ACP handguns) people would carry incredibly tiny guns with very limited velocity and iffy stopping power which served more for intimidation then actually putting down a threat (I’ve also heard feral dogs were such a major problem in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s that carrying a small pistol constantly was the actual most practical solution for it) All the old .22 short, .25ACP and .32ACP pistols people used to use as the standard self-defense guns that you still see occasionally are reminders of that era as now most “professional” shooters say the absolute bare-minimum self-defense cartridge is the .380 ACP. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/10 "2017-03-06T11:42:55Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > It’s a [Derringer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derringer) **pistol with the fancy duct tape grips** (I believe those cost extra!). > > Derringers are commonly associated with riverboat gamblers, saloon girls, and other folks in the Old West-1920s or so who needed a small, concealable gun which was really more for deterrent purposes than putting down a serious threat. > > Having said that, you still wouldn’t want to be on the business end of one, either. Actually, that’s electrical tape. I like the added retention strap. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/11 "2017-03-06T14:49:31Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > The comments on that Facebook post are pretty funny. No–they aren’t “pretty funny”–they’re _extremely_ funny!!! Doper-level quality. My favorites: “This is the type of gun the founding fathers had in mind when drafting the Second Amendment…On second thought, I believe this is the actual gun they had with them when they were drafting the Second Amendment.” " He is a repeat offender? Was his first offense throwing tea into the harbor?" “aww…give the guy a break. He was late for the game, and by the time he got there , the battleship, the top hat, the iron and the thimble were already taken.” ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/12 "2017-03-06T16:15:45Z")
Following ballistic analysis and comparison with records from unsolved shootings, Baltimore PD have announced that Gladden will be charged with a series of shooting murders linked to the same gun. These include cases from 1995, 1973, 1948, over a dozen murders from the 1920s and and the long-unsolved 1897 murder of livery stable owner Sam O’Malley. A spokesman for the police department said, “Every so often, as a cop, you catch a lucky break. This find puts our clearance rate back on track, and we are not going to look that gift horse in the mouth.” Asked whether they really believed Gladden had committed murders dating back to before his grandfather was born, the spokesman replied. “A man’s got to have a code. It’s all in the game, yo. The fuck did I do?” He then added, “Omar comin’” for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/13 "2017-03-06T16:20:01Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Following ballistic analysis and comparison with records from unsolved shootings, Baltimore PD have announced that Gladden will be charged with a series of shooting murders linked to the same gun. These include cases from 1995, 1973, 1948, over a dozen murders from the 1920s and and the long-unsolved 1897 murder of livery stable owner Sam O’Malley. A spokesman for the police department said, “Every so often, as a cop, you catch a lucky break. This find puts our clearance rate back on track, and we are not going to look that gift horse in the mouth.” Asked whether they really believed Gladden had committed murders dating back to before his grandfather was born, the spokesman replied. “A man’s got to have a code. It’s all in the game, yo. The fuck did I do?” He then added, “Omar comin’” for some reason. Omar with just a single-shot derringer would still be the baddest badass on _The Wire_. Someone here on the SDMB suggested that there should be a show called _Oh Shit! Omar Comin!_ that was just an hour of Omar robbing drug dealers every episode. I’d watch that. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/14 "2017-03-06T22:12:03Z")
Indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/15 "2017-03-07T05:35:47Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Back before the stopping power revolution (and by revolution I mean the trend since the late 80’s for concealable compact 9mm and .45ACP handguns) people would carry incredibly tiny guns with very limited velocity and iffy stopping power which served more for intimidation then actually putting down a threat (I’ve also heard feral dogs were such a major problem in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s that carrying a small pistol constantly was the actual most practical solution for it) All the old .22 short, .25ACP and .32ACP pistols people used to use as the standard self-defense guns that you still see occasionally are reminders of that era as now most “professional” shooters say the absolute bare-minimum self-defense cartridge is the .380 ACP. I think it depends where you were. The trend in the British Empire and Colonies had pretty much always been for big fuck-off calibre handguns - most handguns seemed to be around either .36 or .442 calibre (and a .36 calibre black powder pistol is still extremely effective) until the cartridge firing era, when .442, .455 and .38 revolvers were the way forward. .32 calibre semi-auto pistols were also very popular too. [British Bulldog revolvers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Bull_Dog_revolver) (the type an Victorian consulting detective might carry) were typically chambered for .442 Webley, .450 Adams or the .455 Webley service round - the latter being in roughly the same ballistic ballpark as the .45 Long Colt round. Incidentally, you are absolutely correct about there being guns especially for shooting feral dogs - [Velo-Dog revolvers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velo-dog), chambered in rounds one step up from a cap gun. They were a thing up until the 1920s, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/16 "2017-03-08T22:26:24Z")
My fav comment: “Officers also recovered a monocle, top hat, and distressed damsel.” ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/17 "2017-03-08T22:38:57Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Following ballistic analysis and comparison with records from unsolved shootings, Baltimore PD have announced that Gladden will be charged with a series of shooting murders linked to the same gun. These include cases from 1995, 1973, 1948, over a dozen murders from the 1920s and and the long-unsolved 1897 murder of livery stable owner Sam O’Malley. A spokesman for the police department said, “Every so often, as a cop, you catch a lucky break. This find puts our clearance rate back on track, and we are not going to look that gift horse in the mouth.” Asked whether they really believed Gladden had committed murders dating back to before his grandfather was born, the spokesman replied. “A man’s got to have a code. It’s all in the game, yo. The fuck did I do?” He then added, “Omar comin’” for some reason. Omar…!? OMFG!!! Do You Have Any Idea Who They Have !? … \*\*That’s Jack The Gripper!!! \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/18 "2017-03-08T22:51:40Z")
Specifically, it looks like a Cobray Derringer. I own several - they’re crude, crude, crude. But they’re also seriously robust, and are about indestructable. > **[Cobray Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobray_Company)** > > The Cobray Company was an American developer and manufacturer of submachine guns, automatic carbines, handguns, shotguns, and non-lethal 37 mm launchers. These were manufactured by SWD. In the 1970s and 1980s, Cobray was a counter terrorist training center in addition to being an arms maker under the leadership of Mitch WerBell. > After some legal troubles,\[clarification needed\] the company changed its name to Leinad (Daniel spelled backwards) and produced at least four new models which were desi... ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-gun-confiscated-by-the-baltimore-police-dept/781509/19 "2017-03-10T05:41:43Z")
It’s just an early version of [this model.](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_59GYpEVAu0U/TCb84S4_BTI/AAAAAAAAANw/AVbjCqrZ3iM/s1600/24-barrel_pepperbox.jpg)