Description
Another famous pistol of the mid-1800’s was the derringer designed by Henry Deringer. In 1825, Deringer had converted his flintlock dueling pistol to percussion ignition. He was one of the first to make percussion handguns. He cut down his pistol to everyman’s size, hoping to compete with Colt and others for the expending popular market. The result was the .44 caliber “Philadelphia” Deringer, as fine a thing as any little man ever carried to cut a big man down.
The original of this model became famous, or infamous, by being the weapon used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Overall length of this non-firing replica: 6.75”; Weight: 0.5 lbs.
Deringers were often ordered in pairs like dueling pistols and were used for dueling. Gradually the name “derringer” became synonymous of pocket pistols of heavy caliber. Colt later made a widely popular derringer. So did Remington and Smith &Wesson. The derringer is accepted as being the weapon with which Frankie shot Johnny in the famous popular ballad.
