First Impressions: 2 Dreamy Derringers From Bond Arms

NRA Staff

posted on June 28, 2019

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Derringers—miniature, pocket-sized, one- or two-shot handguns—are an American tradition that predates modern concealed-carry pistols by a century (or two), and the ones created by the folks at Bond Arms have earned a special spot in our hearts. Bond, located in the small town of Granbury in the heart of Texas, is known for making some of the finest derringers out there. Of course, collector's items like Bond derringers do tend to be a bit pricey, so it's long been a derringer fan's dream to find a Bond arm at a budget price. That dream came true with the new Rough Series handguns, which features two models: the Roughneck and the Rough N Rowdy. Both of them come in under $300, so there'll be plenty of room left in your pocket for your spare cash next to your compact self-defense Bond gun. The only question a derringer dreamer will need to answer is what caliber works best for them.

For recoil-sensitive consumers, the Roughneck (above) may well be your best bet. It's a single-action double-barrel handgun, chambered in the relatively gentle 9mm. Boasting a stainless-steel finish and black rubber grips, it comes with fixed sights and the same quality push-button cross-bolt safety and rebounding hammer used in their high-end models. The trigger guard is removable, if you wish.

The Rough N Rowdy (above) is virtually identical to the Roughneck, except for its chambering: .45 Colt and 2½-inch .410 shells. (Interchangeable barrels are available for both models.) It features a stainless-steel finish, black rubber grips and fixed sites sights with the same push-button cross-bolt safety and rebounding hammer. The trigger guard is also removable.

The Roughneck retails for $269 and the Rough N Rowdy for $299—by far the lowest price models in the Bond Arms family of handguns. Consumers should rest easy, however, knowing that both guns are manufactured with the same quality materials and components that Bond uses in their highest-end models. So how did they do it?

Bond Arms engineers intensively reviewed the processes used to build their firearms detail by detail. Their goal was to determine the minimum amount of finishing needed to create a handgun in order to take less time to manufacture and thus less costly to create. Of course, a rougher finish was inevitable. On a high-end firearm, much of the cost comes from the time spent finishing the gun-sanding out swirly marks and rough areas inherent in the machining process and hiding seams where parts fit together such as where the metal frame joins the trigger guard. The one thing the handguns still needed to do, however, was they had to have the same safe, reliable operation all Bond Arms® handguns are known for, and they still had to be comfortable to shoot.

"The rough finish adds quite a cool factor to the Roughneck™ and the Rough N Rowdy™," says Dylan Hunsucker, spokesman for Bond Arms®. "We do minimal clean-up and deburr to ensure there are no sharp edges, and then we bead blast the finish. There is no sanding and polishing of the frame, which takes enormous amounts of time and adds to the cost of our higher-end firearms. The final product is that you can see the parting lines in the frame and trigger guard as well as some of the tool marks on the barrels and casting imperfections in the frame. It gives each one its own unique rough-and-tumble look."

Roughneck Features: