I’ve been checking around and there’s a few places that sell .22 caliber Derringers.
I’m pretty sure a concealed carry permit is required to walk around with it.
How about home protection?
Any restrictions on keeping it in a desk drawer just in case someone gets into the house?
My wife has a very small hand. Derringer would fit it well and it’s pretty much fool proof. If two shots doesn’t put the bad guy down then you’re pretty much S.O.L. anyway.
You don’t want to use a .22 pistol for home protection. It’s a very weak cartridge and with only 2 shots, she could easily miss and run out of ammo.
The size of the gun has nothing to do with the “walk around part”
Derringers come in much bigger sizes then .22 I’ve seen quad barrel .357 mags. For home protection I would go for a much weightier gun for recoil reasons. The point of a Derringer is concealment, and for that purpose there are many good choices.
" Any restrictions on keeping it in a desk drawer just in case someone gets into the house?"
Local laws vary.
“My wife has a very small hand. Derringer would fit it well and it’s pretty much fool proof.”
Hand size and gun size do not match up 100%. As an example I have very small hands ( for a man ) and never have had any issues with size of weapon. I have instructed a number of people on basic handgun shooting and no woman has been unable to fire a double stack 9mm. Some women and men have preferred single stack 9 or .45 but been capable of good beginner marksmanship with larger auto’s and revolvers. On the “fool proof” front my Derringer is very far from fool proof. In fact its a useless toy, being single action and very stiff ( and other bad attributes ). My Derringer is a bigger threat thrown as a weapon then shot.
“Imf two shots doesn’t put the bad guy down then you’re pretty much S.O.L. anyway.”
If you need to fire you are S.O.L. I personally want at least 4 shots when I am S.O.L. . In a perfect world I would have a “GUN OF INFINITE SHOTS”, that would never be used.
Millage my vary.
Meflin
Where you live, might possibly be a factor.
On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that unless you’re a convicted felon, it is legal to possess a*** (legal)*** firearm in all 50 states.
Oh, and IANAL.
And as third name offered, a .22 cal “derringer” is NOT a very good choice for home defense.
If you’re not very familiar with firearms, I suggest you consult with someone, THAT IS.
There are some factors that need to be considered, when choosing a weapon for “home defense”.:dubious:
First off, what types of firearms are you familiar/proficient with?
And more importantly, EVERY bullet that leaves the barrel of your gun needs to be “accounted for”.
In other words, if said bullet does not hit it’s intended target, what IS it going to hit?
The construction of most modern homes, make for very poor “backstops” for the majority of calibers that would be considered sufficient for stopping an assailant.
You need to know what is on the other side of the wall that you are about to send bullets flying thru! A great many of the commonly used rounds will penetrate quite a few layers of sheetrock.:eek:
I know of an excellent web site that has done extensive testing on ammunition that might be considered for home defense. IIRC, the site is called “Box-o-Truth”. I’ll try and post a link here, momentarily.
Here is the link for an excellent site, (in my opinion) that is quite possibly, exactly what you’re looking to find out.
Totally SFW:D (unless of course you happen to work for an “anti-gun” type, establishment.):rolleyes:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/theboxotruth.htm
Thanks everyone.
I’ve hunted & target shot with rifles/shotguns all my life. Had very little pistol experience. The neighborhood around me is not like it was ten years ago. There’s been a few home invasions a few miles from here. It really makes me think about keeping something ready just in case.
You’re very welcome!
I hope that you find the site informative, I know that I did!
If you would be so kind, please post and let us, (read, me :D) know what you think of the site, that I posted a link to.
I’ll check out the site tomorrow.
I’m open to other pistol/calibers.
My cousin and I are going out target practicing this coming weekend. He’s bringing my uncles .38 police special that he carried in the 1950’s. 18 years on the force and he never had to fire it at anyone. Anyway, I want to see what the recoil is like.
Excellent!
I think you’ll find that a .38 caliber has a very manageable recoil.
When you say .38 Police Special, I’m wondering if you’re referring to the .38 Special, caliber.
There is a difference, albeit a minor one.
(Just so you know, you can, safely fire .38, .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition in a .357 caliber handgun.)
The difference between the calibers being, the length of the cartridge casing.
And of course, the amount of powder contained in each one gets larger, which causes a stronger recoil. Since you mentioned that you’re very familiar with long guns, I’m sure that you’re already aware of the difference that can occur due to the type of ammo. (Long brass shotgun shells vs. short brass shells. 
)
Here’s a little something to think about, also… The sound, alone, of a shell being “racked” into a pump action shotgun, would be cause to stop and consider… “Do I really want to continue doing whatever it is I’m doing, that caused that particular sound?” Ya know what I mean?