Inland Manufacturing recently announced a new derringer-style handgun on Facebook. Called the Liberator, the new handgun is a double barrel design chambered in .45 ACP.
The gun design is relatively simple, but not light. At 18 ounces unloaded, the gun is roughly the same weight as a 9mm Glock 43 and significantly heavier than a range of five shot revolvers in .38 Special and .357 Magnum.
Inland designed the gun with 3″ barrels. A tall front sight rides on the top of the barrels. The sight appears to be well rounded to reduce its ability to catch on clothing when drawn. It appears to need the height to clear the rear hinge.
These new guns are made of stainless steel and have a bead blasted finish. Inland builds these guns with a trigger guard. The grips are made from wood with the company’s logo. At this time, the suggested retail price is $495.
Based only on the limited information released on the Liberator, it would seem the gun’s main competitor would be some of the choices in the Bond Arms line of derringer style handguns. Frankly, the Liberator looks very similar to a number of the Bond models.
I’ve never been a fan of the derringer type handgun as many of the examples I’ve seen were poorly built in addition to having limited capacity and poor ergonomics. Bond Arms guns are well built, so I can understand why someone would pick one of their products. But, the guns still tend to be a bit beefy for a two shot handgun. For a defensive handgun, I’d much rather have a Smith & Wesson 642 in my pocket.
What are your thoughts? Is this style of gun something you would choose to carry, and if so why? I know many Bond Arms owners are quite happy with their guns. Everyone has to find what works for him or her, and if I’m missing something on these guns, I’d like to find out what.