The Philadelphia Derringer,In 1806 a gunsmith named Henry Deringer settled in Philadelphia where he

The Philadelphia Derringer,In 1806 a gunsmith named Henry Deringer settled in Philadelphia where he made a living producing military muskets for the US Army.  In 1825 he invented a small large caliber pistol (around .45 - .50 caliber) that was small enough to be carried in a pocket.  The Philadelphia Derringer (somehow another “R” was added to the name) became a big hit for its size and concealability.  It was especially a popular weapon for gamblers, who could produce the small pistol at a moments notice in case of a poker game gone bad.  Early versions were flintlock but most were made with the more reliable percussionlock system.  Eventually the Philadelphia Derringer became so popular that hundreds of small gunsmiths, workshops, and factories all over the United States produced copies.  In the US they became the most popular pocket pistol.  In Europe they were less popular as boxlock and muff pistols dominated the European market.  Eventually the word “derringer” became a colloquialism for any small pocket pistol.  I often hear people today use the term to describe modern subcompact automatic pistols.  While the Philadelphia Derringer’s legacy is of scoundrels, riverboat gamblers, and thieves, it also has the stigma of being the pistol of assassins.  On April 14th 1865 the notorious Confederate John Wilkes Booth mortally wounded President Abraham Lincoln with a point blank shot to the head.  Booth’s weapon of choice was a Philadelphia Derringer.  Booth’s derringer (pictured above) is currently on display at the Ford’s Theater Museum. -- source link

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