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Larry:

I think what KB was basically saying is if the recoil was light out of a relatively light weapon, with no buffering, then the muzzle energy was reduced compared to medium or heavy recoil or a system with a buffer group (such as in most autos). That Newton was one smart cookie to come up with those laws!

The other point to remember is muzzle energy is not the same as the energy available at the target. At the muzzle it’s primarily made up of two components, one the mass of the bullet times it’s velocity, and two the mass of the gas/powder times its velocity. Except at very close range, we’re talking almost contact range, the gas/powder contribution does not make it to the target. Also, the friction of traveling through the air robs the projectile of energy. So the one thing we can say with authority is the energy available to expend in the target is less then what was available at the muzzle, and continues to fall with distance.

Now perceived recoil is a very subjective quantity. One person firing a weapon will report moderate/acceptable recoil and another will report high/unacceptable recoil with the same weapon/load combination…it’s the perception part that gets to be nebulous. The only generally accepted way to quantify the available energy of a given weapons system is to measure the velocity of the projectile. See if you can get actual measured velocities from someone, or possibly off the web…the truth is in the numbers.

Of course the energy in the bullet that is measured (energy x mass) is only useful if all of it is expended in the target, hence the discussion of over-penetration, but with the shotshell load, that’s probably not a worry.

I think the point TXI was making was the limited amount of rounds available. You’re correct, it has two shots which is better then one, but you are limited to two…Maybe a revolver would be an option (J-frames come to mind), and there are some rather small autos that would have higher capacity. One additional advantage to the small auto is the speed/ease of reloading…drop the mag and insert new one and you’re all set to go!

For me personally, I wouldn’t put too much faith in a weapons system based on what it did to a board. True, the effect can look impressive, but real life stopping power could be less then you were anticipating. Ballistic gelatin would be a lot more convincing, but even it can be misleading…

But if you decide to go with the American derringer, I would be very interested in some posted range results, perceptions on defensive qualities, and some velocity measurements. Having never shot one, I’m curious.

Good luck in your search and let us know what you decide