The Remington Model 95 is a double-barrel pocket pistol commonly recognized as a

Derringer A derringer or deringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver, semi-automatic pistol, nor machine pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepp ...

. The design was little changed during a production run of nearly 70 years through several financial reorganizations of the manufacturer causing repeating serial number sequences. Guns were offered with

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...

or plain blued or

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

-plated finish with grips of metal,

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

, hard rubber,

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

.Quertermous, Russell and Steve ''Modern Guns'' (1981) p.390 Multiple-barrel firearms

Design and production details

The Remington Double Derringer was made from 1866 to 1935. Production before 1869 had no extractors. The first 100 Double Derringers have "Manufactured by E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, N.Y." stamped on the right side of the barrel and "ELLIOT'S PATENT DEC. 12, 1865" stamped on the left side of the barrel. (This refers to firearms inventor William H. Elliot's U.S. Patent 51,440, "Improvement in Many-Barreled Fire-Arms", which describes the key features of the original design in some detail.) After the first 100, the "manufactured by" was no longer stamped between the barrels. There are a few DDs with the marking, "Remington's Ilion NY USA" but there is no known reason for this marking. Starting around serial number 1600, an extractor was installed on the left side, between the barrels. After about serial number 2400, the marking was put on the top of the barrels in two lines. "E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, N.Y.; ELLIOT'S PATENT DEC. 12th 1865." This is the Second Model and is called the "Two Line," by collectors. The barrel rib top inscription changed to "REMINGTON ARMS CO. ILION N.Y." in 1888, this is the Third Model. In 1911 the marking was changed to, "REMINGTON ARMS - U.M.C. CO. ILION, N.Y." In 1921, Remington adapted a number system for every model. At this time the Double Derringer became the Model 95. Remington manufactured more than 150,000 over-under double-barreled derringers from 1866 until the end of their production in 1935. The gun was made only in .41 Short rimfire. There are four models with several variations. The first model, first variation is only the first 100 made and were marked "MANUFACTURED BY E. REMINGTON & SONS" on one side rib, and "ELLIOTS PATENT DEC 12 1865" on the other side rib. These are very rare. The second variation is marked the same without the "manufactured by". The third variation has an extractor on the left side and is referred to as an "extractor cut." The fourth variation is marked, "REMINGTONS ILLION NY" and is very rare. The second model is marked on the top rib in two lines, "E REMINGTON & SONS ILION NY," "ELLIOTS PATENT DEC 12 1865". There are no variations. In 1886 Remington went bankrupt and in 1888 was bought by a consortium of Hartley&Graham, and Winchester Arms Co. The company name was changed to Remington Arms Co., and beginning in 1888 all Remington guns were marked with that name. The third model was made in 6 variations, all marked, "REMINGTON ARMS CO, ILION NY". on the top rib. The variations are determined by the font style. The first variation of the third models were serialized, but all other variations were marked in batches, not with serial numbers. After the merger between Remington and UMC Cartridge Co in 1910, beginning in 1911, the fourth models were marked "REMINGTON-U.M.C.CO.ILION,N.Y." and were serialized. Starting in 1922, all Remington guns were stamped with a two-letter date code for the shipping month and year. The second variation has strengthened hinges and serial numbers that begin with the letter "L", These were marketed as the Model 95. The third and final model has no side rib and is referred to as a "monoblock". About 500 monoblocks were made through 1935, with only ten guns shipped after that. Above information is from the book, "Dr. William H. Elliot's Remington Double Derringer." Graphic Publishers, 2008,

Performance

According to ''Cartridges of the World,'' the .41 Rimfire consisted of a 130-grain (8.4 g) lead bullet propelled by 13 grains (0.8 g) of

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

in its original load. The round produced a muzzle velocity of and a muzzle energy of . However, more recently firearms writer Holt Bodinson has disputed these findings. He states that his testing showed the 130-grain bullet traveled at so producing of energy - a significant difference in ballistic energy from the earlier tests. The difference in findings can potentially be attributed to variances in the specific ammunition fired or measuring equipment used.

In popular culture

Remington derringers often played critical roles in the exploits of James T. West, a fictional Secret Service agent, in the American television series ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'' (1965 - 1969). West carried up to three derringers: one as a

concealed carry Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a sidearm such as a handgun), either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's pre ...

backup gun to his holstered and openly carried full-sized revolver. This derringer was carried either in a vest pocket or an inside pocket of his jacket. Another derringer was carried as a sleeve gun under his right shirt sleeve, and the third was broken into two parts with the barrel-chamber assembly hidden in the hollowed-out heel of one boot and the frame hidden in the heel of the other. In "Judgment in Heaven" (S01E15; 1965 Dec. 22) of ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour epis ...

'', Jarrod Barkley gives Heath a nickel-plated

-gripped Double Derringer as a Christmas present. Paladin, of ''

Have Gun, Will Travel Have or having may refer to: * the concept of ownership * any concept of ''possession'' * the English verb "to " is used: ** to express possession linguistically, in a broad sense ** as an auxiliary verb ** in constructions such as ''have somet ...

'' (1957 - 1963), kept a Remington Double Derringer behind his gunbelt's buckle. J.B. Books, portrayed by

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

, uses a Double Derringer hidden in his wallet to shoot a robber who tries to stick him up at the beginning of the 1976 film ''

The Shootist ''The Shootist'' is a 1976 American Western film directed by Don Siegel and based on Glendon Swarthout's 1975 novel of the same name,Swarthout, Glendon (1975). ''The Shootist'', New York, New York: Doubleday. and written by Miles Hood Swart ...

''. Colonel Douglas Mortimer, played by

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of spaghetti Westerns, particularly t ...

in ''

For A Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' () is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. Klaus Kinski plays a supporting role as a se ...

'' (1965), shot and killed Juan Wild aka "The Hunchback" (played by

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...

) with a Remington Model 1866 during a one-on-one standoff. In ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode " Simpsons Tall Tales", the characters

Bart Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...

and

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

are portrayed as Tom Sawyer and

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

. The two start a barroom brawl on a Mississippi river gambling boat, in which the bar patrons fire comically weak Derringer pistols. The bullets all bounce off glass bottles, glass beer mugs, glass windows and their intended victims and they escape unharmed. In the ''

Team Fortress 2 ''Team Fortress 2'' (''TF2'') is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation in 2007. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' Mod (video gaming), mod for ''Quake (video g ...

'' promotional short "Expiration Date", the character Ms. Pauling is seen holding a Remington Model 95-styled Derringer. It is also of note that the pistol seen during the animated short was originally developed to be used by the Spy class. The Changeling, a character in the game '' Pathologic'', uses a Remington Double Derringer as her signature weapon.

Notes

External links

A Fist Full of Double Trouble

Remington Model 95 Double Derringer
(collegehillarsenal.com)
Remington Model 95 Type 3 Over-Under Derringer Pistol
* * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Derringers Remington Arms firearms Pistols of the United States