The shot shell holder for my Snake Slayer arrived. Mine is the one on the top right. It slides over my belt and the fit is very snug so it doesn't move around. Which is good.
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| Bond Arms Slide Shell Holder |
What is not so good is the fact that the shot shells, especially the Winchester 3" 000 buck, are slick and tend to slide up and down in the loops when you wear it in front, which I do for concealed carry. In fact, I mostly wear a pistol in the appendix position for concealed carry, this giving the best concealment, comfort and access while either sitting or standing. When the shell slide is worn in the 10 to 11 o'clock position, the normal daily movement of walking, sitting, standing, etc. will tend to push the shot shells down at different depths. In order to reliably get two of them out for a quick reload, you have to train to push two up from underneath then grab them from the top. Slows things down a little.
The other factor with a belt slide holder like this is where to carry it for concealed carry. If you are carrying the pistol at the appendix or strong side positions, then it should obviously go on the weak hand side for quick reload access. However, if you are carrying the pistol at the cross draw position, that recommended by Bond Arms for their Driving Holster, the belt slide holder has to go somewhere else. If it goes on the right side (assuming you are a right hand shooter), it's going to be awkward to access, especially if belted into your car seat. There is not enough room to carry the cross draw holster and the belt carrier on the same side. So, the alternative is to either have another gun available as a back up to go to if you have to fire more than two shots, or to stash spare shot shells in your shirt pocket or somewhere else handy in your car.
The Bond Arms Driving Holster is a solid, extremely well made leather holster built to exactly fit your Bond Arms derringer. I've seen a lot of holsters and this one is right up there with the best quality wise. In fact, it fits the derringer so precisely, that a rigorous break in period is necessary for it to perform as intended. This is not particularly easy, but it's necessary if you want the holster to perform as designed. Even though break-in can be a long process, it is in the nature of a well designed and executed leather holster. It's just part of the territory.
I use a few wraps of kitchen plastic wrap around the gun and force it into the holster. I let it sit for a while, then remove it and repeat the process. I also leave the wrapped gun in the holster over night. Working the leather around the thumb break and where it curls over the top to attach to the velcro is important for a close and sung fit. The thumb break is necessary due to the way the driving holster rides - horizontally. You want the gun to stay in the holster after it's broken in, so a thumb break is necessary for this configuration.
If the holster isn't totally broken in, when you go to release and draw the pistol, the tight fit will pull the entire rig - holster and gun - along the belt until it hits a belt loop and stops.
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| The Bond Arms Driving Holster - new and tight. |
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| A black model shown in the driving, cross draw, position. |
Once properly broken in, this is a good driving (or extended sitting) holster. I can recall some excruciating meetings when I wished I'd had such a rig.... Anyway, given that the holster and gun can be easily donned and removed while in the seat, this is a good answer to the question of where to carry while sitting for ease of access. For concealed carry, it's another story.
One thing that doesn't get mentioned frequently about concealed carry is the fact the person's build has upon where and how to carry. Small skinny people have different carry requirements than big fat people. And there are those folks who fall somewhere within that spectrum. If you are a big person with a overly large gut, it's going to be much easier to conceal a handgun placed somewhere around the waistline, especially at the appendix or cross draw positions. If you are, say, tall and thin, it just gets harder.
I'm about 6' 3" and 200 pounds and while I don't have a flat, muscular stomach, I don't have a gut either, so concealing a gun of any appreciable size under a T-shirt - my favorite warm weather shirt - is not particularly easy. With the right holsters and placement, it can be done. The Bond Arms Driving Holster is not one of those rigs that lends itself to concealed carry in the warm weather for me. With my build, there is no way that setup is not going to print to a large degree. Under a loose shirt, like a flannel shirt, or perhaps a tropical print shirt or a light jacket, sure, it's going to work, but in the main, unless I can wear a pretty loose cover garment, the Driving Holster is not a good conceal carry rig for me.
The only other option I have been able to come up with is a hybrid type holster, modified by me. I took an appropriately sized IWB Remora no-clip holster with a mag pouch attached, drilled a hole between the mag pouch and the holster and attached a nice, simple kydex belt clip. The clip keeps the holster from going anywhere - sideways or up or down - and the mag pouch easily accommodate three extra .410 rounds. I padded the bottom of the mag pouch with dense foam to keep the .410 rounds at the proper height for an easy finger grab. I wish the mag pouch had been a trifle wider though. I can fit four .410 shells into the pouch, but it won't stay flat. It conceals better when it is flat.
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| Remora no-clip holster modified with a kydex belt clip for the Bond Arms Snake Slayer and .410 reloads. |
I can carry this at the appendix or cross draw positions. When I get in the car, or someplace where I may be sitting for along while, I unclip and slide it to the cross draw position. Or, vice versa when I like it in appendix carry position.
Gary Bond was kind enough to also send me his belt clip holster with retention strap for my Snake Slayer. It too is a quality holster and just the thing for carrying the derringer either when you can wear a coat or want to open carry. The retention strap is not so good for a concealed carry holster as it slows down the draw though.
I contacted the D.M. Bullard folks and they are sending out one of their cross draw holsters for the Bond Arms Snake Slayer. Their leather work is second to none, and David makes holsters to his own design and styles, which are well thought out and functional. Bullard's cross draw holster is an OWB with a 'negative' cant and two anchor points for the belt. Being familiar with the design, I suspect it will offer quick access while seated and also better concealment for my body type than the Driving Holster. I'll report on it after I've had a chance to break it in and carry for a while.
Reloads: This is the main issue with carrying a two shot primary self defense weapon. As I have written before, there is a matter of trade-offs and risk evaluation with a two shot weapon. Obviously, the need to quickly reload is paramount, but this may be balanced by the fact that both of those shots are going to be more powerful and effective, and probably more accurate, than the normal carry gun can produce.
I have not had the opportunity to run a set of live fire drills emphasizing reloading speed and efficiency yet. I have done a number of dry fire drills though, enough to know that this is one area where the shooter has to be proficient and fast. It is going to come down to being able to go into full "automatic" mode to open the barrels, swipe out the spent shells, lock the barrels down with the shooting hand's thumb while snatching two shells from your carrier or pocket and
fully slotting them into the barrels. Sometimes the ejectors are extended enough to inhibit a clean slot. Then snapping the barrels closed and cocking the hammer.
I have not practiced this enough to decide whether I am fast and reliable enough to depend upon it.
The Hammer: This is the last bit of not so good news. This is a single action pistol. Something to remember in these days of semi-autos and double-action revolvers. And, more importantly, with the derringer design, coupled with a strong hammer spring, it's not all that easy to cock. The smaller, curved grip doesn't provide as much leverage as a full length pistol grip does. For someone with small and weaker hands, it's going to be extremely hard to cock with only the shooting hand's thumb. A technique for cocking the pistol with the non-shooting hand as it comes out of the holster is absolutely necessary for those people, and a damn good idea for everyone.
More to remember.
So, the Bond Arms derringers are different guns that require a different approach and technique if they are to be used as a primary concealed carry weapon. The two main differences are the need to develop a fast reload procedure and a reliable easier to use cocking system.
