Small Firearms.............

[knife7knut]

As I like small knives I am also attracted to small firearms. Thought I would post up a few from my modest accumulation.
I have always been in favor of a smaller but not necessarily under-powered pistol for everyday carry. One of my favorites was an over and under derringer chambered for .22 Magnum which had about the same ballistics as a .38 special. Sadly a friend of mine talked me out of it before I moved to Michigan.
When I do carry(which isn't frequently anymore)I have a Mk1 Detonics .45ACP. These were made many years ago when Detonics bought up a bunch of Government model Colt M1911's and modified them by cutting down the frame(holds 6 rounds);eliminating the grip safety and muzzle bushing and using a tapered barrel and a slide of their own manufacture.
These pre-dated the Officer's Model Colt by quite a few years and resulted in a .45 you could literally carry in your back pocket. The one I have is one of the first two hundred manufactured. Sadly they didn't sell well and the company went bankrupt.They tried to revive it several times but to no avail.
Another small pistol is the Baby Hammerless I got many years ago from the guy who conned me out of my derringer.Not sure who made it;there is a large letter K on the grips which may stand for Keystone although I have never really researched it.Chambered for .22 LR with a folding trigger and nickel plated I doubt it has ever been fired.
Another folding trigger model is of Belgian manufacture.Not sure of the maker or even what caliber it is(smaller than.22)it was given to me a long time ago.Seems to be tight but a lack of proper ammunition has caused me to relegate it to my collector status.
The Colt .25 auto was given to me by a co-worker when I attended a party at his house. He said it had belonged to his grandmother who ran a small grocery store and used to keep it under the counter for protection. When he gave it to me I discovered it was loaded(!). I fired it a few times but it is horribly inaccurate. The other thing I don't like about it is there is no indicator that the hammer is cocked and/or a round is in the chamber. It had a broken grip on it when I got it and the only grips I could find were thick pearl ones. Another safe queen.
The H&R 922 was given to me by my 91 year old aunt who was moving from New York to Florida and didn't want to take it with her and it was too hard to dispose of in NY state.Her husband had bought it new in the 1930's and had never fired it! Sitting in it's holster all these years(no damage)and perfect celluloid grips it remains unfired. When she gave it to me she apologized for not unloading it first but her arthritis prevented her from pulling the cylinder pin(which you have to remove to pull the cylinder and unload it).It will remain unfired.
The next one is a bit unusual in that it is a DEWAT(DEactivated WAr Trophy)Hotchkiss sub-machine gun that I bought many years ago.The receiver had been cut apart and a section removed to de-activate it.I had a section of black pipe made to fit the opening but not welded in.There is no bolt so it is still unserviceable. What I liked about it was how compact it was when folded.It was supposedly designed for paratroopers and folds very compactly.It has since been permanently affixed to a wall board.
The last item is one I actually have a couple of. They were made in Austria(exactly when I'm not sure)and fire 2mm pinfire cartridges.Sadly I don't have any ammo for them and am not sure that it is still available.One was missing the grips (which I made)when I got it. I also bought a third one which is made in Japan and fires blanks.

[knife7knut]

The rest of the pictures.

[zoogirl]

I would love to get my hands on a Derringer but thanks to Canadian law, they are restricted up here. I don’t even have my PAL, so I’m out of luck. About my only hope would be to find a pellet repro.
I do have a couple of pellet and B.B. guns, one being a good old classic Red Ryder. I like small and very clean-lined rifles. If it has extra stuff all over it, forget it! When I do get that PAL, I’ll be getting a very simple preferably old, .22.

Very nice collection!

[knife7knut]

I would love to get my hands on a Derringer but thanks to Canadian law, they are restricted up here. I don’t even have my PAL, so I’m out of luck. About my only hope would be to find a pellet repro.
I do have a couple of pellet and B.B. guns, one being a good old classic Red Ryder. I like small and very clean-lined rifles. If it has extra stuff all over it, forget it! When I do get that PAL, I’ll be getting a very simple preferably old, .22.

Very nice collection!

Thank you. I used to have many more but when I moved to Michigan 25 years ago I thinned out the herd. The one I miss the most is my Colt Python with a 4 inch barrel. Most accurate and smooth action pistol I have ever owned.Used to do a lot of trap shooting and still have my left hand model Remington 1100. Must have run 10,000 rounds through it with nary a problem. Still have a few long guns including a Marlin 336 lever action chambered for .44 Magnum. Had it as a companion piece to my S&W Model 29 revolver with a 10 5/8ths inch barrel. Great hunting piece but way too long for holster carry. Got it from a guy who hunted Dahl sheep with it in Colorado. Had it sighted in for 200 yards!
Also have a nice Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Long Colt. Still a bit heavy for an everyday carry pistol even with a 4 3/8ths inch barrel.
My son inherited my Ruger 10/22 which was one of the nicest guns I've ever owned.

[Dinadan]

Very cool stuff, K7K! I have always wanted to try one of those mini revolvers with a folding trigger. I suspect they might not actually work all that well or be very durable, but just a neat design that I like the look of.

My mother had an H&R revolver that looked a lot like your aunt's. My father gave it too her back about 1968: one of my sisters has it now.

Regarding small firearms, I do not have any that are really old, but I do have a few made in the last couple of decades by North American Arms. Here is a .22 LR revolver. It is a nice little gun which I do carry in my boot sometimes.

[zoogirl]

Out of curiosity Dinadan, when you carry in your boot, do you have some kind of clip or holster to hold the gun in place? I have enough trouble keeping my socks up! I’d imagine a loose gun would be pretty uncomfortable.
Little beauty, btw!

[Dinadan]

Out of curiosity Dinadan, when you carry in your boot, do you have some kind of clip or holster to hold the gun in place? I have enough trouble keeping my socks up! I’d imagine a loose gun would be pretty uncomfortable.
Little beauty, btw!

Thank you, Zoogirl. You may envy us our gun access, but there are a few things about Canada that I envy, too. I made a special holster to fit my particular kind of Wellington boot and my particular revolver. When I am carrying a firearm I am not willing to trust to a clip such as holds a cell phone to my belt. My holster has snap closures to secure the holster to the boot and the retaining flap for the revolver.

Sorry if I went a bit off topic here.

[knife7knut]

I made a special holster to fit my particular kind of Wellington boot and my particular revolver. When I am carrying a firearm I am not willing to trust to a clip such as holds a cell phone to my belt. My holster has snap closures to secure the holster to the boot and the retaining flap for the revolver.

Sorry if I went a bit off topic here.

Not off topic at all;nice little holster!I had a leather vest made a long time ago by a good friend who in addition to being a great leather worker was a 1% er(local chapter).He made a built-in holster for the right side inner pocket(I'm left handed)that fit my Detonics perfectly. Sadly I outgrew the vest(that was 75 lbs. ago)and gave it to my youngest son who is also left handed and has a Colt Officer's Model that fits perfectly.
If I carry at all anymore I have another vest that has an inner pocket with a Velcro closure that the Detonics fits in nicely.Hardly a quick draw but at my age I don't worry too much about that.At least it keeps the pistol secure.
Concealed carry has always been a problem for me because I cannot carry any amount of weight on my hip due to some medical issues.This was bad because I really liked large caliber pistols. I had a Smith & Wesson Model 29 with a 10 5/8ths inch barrel and 4 way sights.Sadly not a carry gun unless you were carrying it in a pistol case.At nearly 7 lbs. loaded and 16 plus inches long it was impossible to holster. I had a friend of mine build a side break holster for underarm carry and the barrel dug into my hip! I sold it to my brother-in-law.
My next fiasco was a custom made Phelps single action chambered for .45/70 rifle cartridges.The barrel had been cut down to 8 1/2 inches from it's normal 12 inch length and it was nearly as heavy as the S&W. I fired three rounds out of it at the range one day and put it away. Sold it shortly afterward.The recoil was unbelieveable!
The Detonics takes a bit of getting used to. The small frame makes it difficult to hold comfortably. I developed a technique for firing it by laying my index finger along the frame and using my "signal finger" as my trigger finger. Once you get used to it it works very well.
My only other big bore pistol is a Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 5/8ths barrel in .45 Long Colt. Still have yet to fire that one.Not a good carry gun for me either.

[garddogg56]

My Wellingtons dad a set-up like that sewn in with a strap and hook post to secure my old J-frame.Very nice mouse guns shown here guys

[zoogirl]

Very neat holster and looks quite secure.
Knife7knut mentioned that he wouldn’t be doing any quick draw. Actually the guy that l learned the most from is the son of two quick draw artists. He’s my sons ex girlfriends dad and they’ve stayed friends. He goes camping way out in the boonies with us and I get lessons in proper handling. I even took a whack at a 12 gauge last summer! Won’t do that again, but I’m glad I had the chance. Anyway, his mom and dad had umpteen trophies and were around the circuit for years.
I’m actually - stop laughing fellas - going to go look into pellet repro Derringers. I’ve wanted one for years.
Have any of you ever handled or owned a ‘matchbox’ gun? I’ve seen them pictured and on YouTube. They are the ultimate tiny gun. They break down and fold up into something the size of a matchbox. Very cool. Probably useless, but cool.
“Hey mugger, wait ‘til I unfold my gun! Rats! That’s my Zippooooo....urk! “

[Paladin]

My favorite 'back pocket' piece is a Colt Mustang. I also have a compact 1911 by Sig. I thought it would be punishing to fire but it is not uncomfortable at all. I have a S&W 60-7 that I can also carry if needed.

Ray

[tongueriver]

I also have a compact 1911 by Sig. I thought it would be punishing to fire but it is not uncomfortable at all.

Ray

Ray, I have a little Sig P938 in 9 mm that I pocket carry (or fanny pack, automobile, etc) that I really like also. I visit states that have very restrictive gun laws, so I just leave my firearms at home when on the road (Wyoming has ZERO gun laws, to speak of).
Remember this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A74Wq0B1WrI