Popping by the Bond Arms booth at SHOT Show is always a pleasure, the guys are always fun to chat with and they always have something new and unusual. By far the most eye-catching firearm at the Bond booth this year was their brand-new lever-action, but for more on that check out our earlier article.
Getting back to what Bond Arms are known for – Derringers. Once again this year Bond had a couple of new models – their biggest and smallest so far! First up is the new Bond Arms Cyclops, a single-shot pistol chambered in big caliber. Gordon Bond explained the origins of the .45-70 Derringer to us, the company has had a steady flow of requests for the caliber – with another company’s older derringer becoming somewhat mythical. Bond Arms have approached the challenge in their own way and sought to make the pistol, at least somewhat, pleasant to shoot.
.45-70 Cyclops from Bond Arms (Matt Moss/TFB)
Speaking to Gordon Bond, he likened shooting the Cyclops to shooting a hot .410 but recommended nothing hotter than the 1300 feet per second Remington .45-70 loads for the Cyclops, just to keep the shooting experience pleasant.
The Cyclops from Bond Arms (Matt Moss/TFB)
They’ve redesigned the grip for the Cyclops, reduced it to one barrel (hence the name) with the lower portion of the derringer’s barrel assembly being solid – they claim that this extra weight makes the gun a little more pleasant to shoot. The Cyclops has a 4.25-inch stainless steel barrel and will also be available in some other big boy calibers including .454 Casull, .44 Magnum, and .50 Action Express. MSRP for the Cyclops is expected to be $699.
Bond Arms’ 2in barrel 9x19mm – with TFBTV’s James Reeves for scale (TFBTV)
Check out TFBTV’s video with Gordon Bond here.
At the other end of the spectrum, Bond Arms also have a brand new cut down 9mm Derringer, with an open trigger and a very short, and very concealable 2-inch barrel. The small pistol should be available later this year and while MSRP isn’t confirmed just yet, Bond expect it to retail for under $300.
Find out more over at Bond Arms.com
TFB and TFBTV’s coverage of SHOT Show 2023 is proudly sponsored by 5.11 Tactical. Click here to check out their new products.