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For those of you who expressed an interest in the Bond Arms Snake Slayer from my post on show and tell, I have the following range report, and basic firearm review.
I have always had a love of double barrel pocket pistols. The nature of these little wonders has always interested me. Years ago, I carried a Davis .32 when out delivering pizza to the bad areas of Jacksonville Fl. The problem with these pistols is they required a good amount of practice to become accurate beyond the average size card table, and Derringers over .22 cal hurt to fire more than 10 or 20 rounds.
In comes the Bond Arms Snake Slayer. This is a very meaty pistol and weighs a ton compared to the Davis Derringers. It is milled from solid Stainless Steel (the Davis being aluminum frame with steel barrel inserts). It is also about a 3rd larger than the Davis in size, which helps greatly with the recoil. The Davis used for comparison is a Big Bore .38 Spl with 2.5" barrel.
Range Report:
The Bond comes with a 3.5" barrel and is chambered for .45 LC and .410 shot shell. A second barrel for the Bond in .45 ACP was also tested. Since the range used does not allow shot shells they will not be part of the review. The Davis is chambered in standard non +p .38 spl.
First shots from the Davis at 10 feet show the sights are set for the bottom barrel and are dead on with the top barrel printing about 6" high. This is likely due to the recoil of the upper barrel forcing the gun vertically. Shots fired at 20 feet show the bottom barrel still on target, with top barrel printing about 8" high. Accuracy beyond 20 feet was non existent and difficult to even get a shot to print on the 8x8 target. Recoil on the Davis was rough, and about 26 rounds of fun was all my hand could take. Now on the the Bond.
First shots from the bond in .45 LC with 3.5" barrel at 20 feet show the sights are also set on the bottom barrel with the top barrel printing about 2" high. 35 feet out, and still hitting dead on with the bottom barrel, with the top barrel printing about 4" high. I did however, notice that some rounds were key holing. This was probably due to the barrel rifling being only .5" of the barrel length. This is done to accommodate 3" shot shell. Accuracy beyond 35 feet was difficult.
Bond with 3" barrel in .45 ACP was outstanding. Shots at 35 feet were dead on with bottom barrel and top barrel printing about 3.5" high. Recoil was very manageable due to the over-sized grip, which allows you to get your pinky around it. Accuracy beyond 35 feet was reduced to center mass body shots with an impressive head shot from the bottom barrel at 75 feet. Although the trigger requires an unusual downward pull, it is easily mastered with a little practice.
Bottom line, the Bond takes the Derringer to a whole new level. It is no longer a belly gun, but a full-on reliable shooter in a very compact package. Although the 2-shot design is a draw back, the availability of running .410 in 000 buck and being able to hide it in any style of dress, puts it back on my ccw list. Great little gun and a very solid shooter. Plus it just looks Cool!
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Originally Posted by Westwindmike
