Would you really use a handgun chambered in ".22 Short" for self-defense? I don't think I would. How about a 2-shot 9mm derringer that won't fire half of the time. Would you use a single shot pistol for protection?
I know Jennings/Davis autos have a bad rep but I've owned several and put thousands of rounds through them and never jammed. Must have been Lucky. Only new gun I ever had jamming problems with was an XD40. They did do a nice kob of fixing it for free...after 8 weeks .Go figure.
Problem with that kind of Derringer is that one firing pin is always protruding. Close that barrel without half-cocking then locking the trigger and you'll get a big surprise.
as long as you understand the ammo what it can do and what it can't and where it has to go it'll do you fine that being said i'd take 22 short over 25 ACP period!!
@@keithmoore5306 Hello! I'm fascinated by your view. No judgment, I'm just curious. Theoretically: a .25 acp has the advantage of a heavier bullet (50 g vs 29 g), faster delivery (900 fps vs 730 fps), and being center fire, more reliable. Those are just numbers on paper of course. So what causes you to side with .22 short vs .25 acp? Thanks!
@@annpuvicerpu7171 Also interested in his view.I have that same cub in .25acp plus a few Beretta tip up barrel .25s that function flawlessly. I do pocket carry my Beretta model 20 with >25 acp federal punch in it and feel it would do some damage while stopping someone if you drilled 9 rounds on target.45gr flatnose @825fps.
@@zipper396Mine's just the HP Phoenix. Wish I had a classier model, but it is accurate and I've had no cycling issues. As far as SD is concerned, a Ruger LCP isn't much bigger! But I like the little guys.
I've had a few zinc "ring of fire guns" in .380. The slide is prone to cracking. I used to buy them for about $10 each at police confiscation auctions from one agency and resell them for $100 to the police buy back programs at another agency. LOL!
@@99somerville Depends on the area. The departments that do sell their guns will sell them to a dealer so they're not selling guns without a background check.
@@bwofficial1776 Yeah, I should have added this was 30 years ago when anyone could get an FFL. And I was buying cheap guns in lots of 10. I picked up a few NAA mini-derringers that were thrown in with the cheap guns so I bought those NAA mini-derringers also for about $10 each. People would look at me weird for buying up all the junk guns but for me it was like an infinite money glitch. The ones not sold back to the police were sold back to gun stores also at a large markup.
Does anyone know that Astra produced the Colt Junior .25acp for Colt prior to the 1968 ban. They also made an Astra version, same gun as well. Thats why I keep a wood pile in my basement!
22 short will go into your sternum and into the heart, sometimes even less then 30 ft/lbs from a 22 bullet, we have to go by facts not feelings, even though not the best choice statistically in a private citizen context they work if shown or just 1 shot fired, almost all private citizen gun fights only lasts 3 to 6 seconds, with in 5 yards and bad guys running, most incidences incapacitation wasn't even needed or a physical stopping of a threat, the stopping was a mental stop where bad guy runs because a private citizen was willing to show the gun or even firing just a single shot, just like a flat tire your under size spare tire will get the job done and get you home same with these if reasonably reliable, that single shot gun be it may be hard to believe statistically you would probably survive, remember shot placement is key, malfunction do a tap and rack not looking at gun but get it back into battery, the key also is making your first shot count,, heart and head, never exclude head shots but be aware of whats behind the target, most Saturday night specials killed with just 1 single head shot in their street history documentation by forensics so don't under estimate small calibers and crappy guns, they still kill
I bought a raven arms p25 last year at a show , theyy said it wouldn't fire . Got it cheap, noticed when I was looking at it , they had the firing pin/loaded chamber indicator in backwards and it couldn't load a round from the magazine. Swaped it around and has been fine . Nice different video , thanks for taking us with you
To this day, I do not understand the hate Astra gets for their pistols. I've shot a Constable, own an A-75 in 9MM, and have a few friends that own their old surplus pistols. Everyone I know that had owned an Astra pistol all say the same thing, that they are reliable and tough. I really do think the few rotten apples that came from old world spanish gun making just kind of ruined it for the whole bunch that are actually good pistols
I've got an Astra Cub in .22short. Sometimes I carry it for the "dessert". The "appetizer" is a Glock 33 in a shoulder holster and the "main" is a PM40 in my side pocket. That's summer, winter I carry anyting and everything. I live where one can wear a leather jacket comfortably and without suspicion 10 or more months out of the year!
@@matthewmcallister8546 I found a sweet 1967 astra cub in 25 acp that is still like new,very good quality firearm but wont carry it over my beretta 950b or model 20 because it does not have an inertial type firing pin like the berettas do.
@@matthewmcallister8546 Or they had the mentioned rotten apples, like the Astra 600. A 9mm Parabellum simple blowback. Nicknamed the "lamp killer" by German police officers. When disassembling the gun, and removing the barrel bushing, and it slipped out of your hand, the bushing was flying away extremely fast. Usually in the direction of the ceiling. That was due to the strong recoil spring necessary for the simple blowback. Also extremely hard to rack the slide. Or the Astra 400, same thing but in 9mm Largo. And that caliber is on the same level as 9mm Parabellum.
Excuse me while I deploy this here sharp stick! On personal and professional notes: Way back in the 1970s I owned and carried (sometimes) a Llama chambered in .380ACP that was often compared, by size NOT quality, to the old Colt's "Pony" and allegedly had a degree of parts interchangeability with the Colt's. The Llama was an accurate, very concealable little pistol but it had a hair trigger on it for sure. Making it just a wee bit dangerous to carry even as backup to a real gun! The Raven was a frequent find at shootings back then, "jammed up jelly tight", in or very near the rapidly cooling hand of the deceased. Years later, toward the end of my tour of service in the Army, I saw outdoor signs at pawn and gun stores in Texas advertising them for "Four For $75.00" and even "Four For $50.00".
I had a mint condition LLama pistol chambered in .380 around 30 years ago. It was actually a nice pistol, good quality and very reliable. I should have kept it, it was a nice little shooter and very reliable, even with hollow points.
@@richb.4374 Mine was accurate, would feed, fire, and eject any .380ACP ammo/bullet type I fed it. I too miss my little Llama but that hair trigger thing bothered me a lot. Having been raised up with firearms of all kinds and brands I felt that trigger was dangerous for carry purposes. It was just shy of being a "look at it and it will go off" kind of trigger. As a young, freshly minted LEO I was not willing to trust it as either a backup to my issue M10 S&W .38Spl or for off duty carry. I felt duty bound to replace it with a revolver and I did.
Astra made some great guns. My favorite handgun I own is my Astra Terminator 44 magnum. I’ve had it since the mid 80,s and have put thousands of rounds through it. Very accurate and as nice as any S&W I’ve owned.
My first centerfire revolver, which I bought around 1978, was an Astra .357 and I loved that gun. I eventually traded it for a Winchester lever action rifle. Bad trade. The Astra was a much better firearm.
A stove pipe in the Lorcin is exactly what you want to see in a gun fight...for the other guy. I would love to have an Astra 22 short for a pocket gun.
That Astra was the best of the bunch by far. Atleast it fired every time, even if it is only 22 short. I'm not hiking on it, I have a Beretta Minx in 22 short only and it works every time too. Like you said I wouldn't want to be in front of either.
the Lorcin is an absolute death trap (for the shooter), The Bearman derringers have always been junk IMO, sorry you have an expensive paperweight. The Cub is absolutely awesome! I would absolutely love to that that with me hiking for some backwoods plinking. Thank you so much for always having some of the best guntuber content on YT. Cheers!
A few years ago, I had one of the Roughneck .357's. I can't remember if there were any light primer strikes, but the gun had a broken torsion spring and a hammer issue. Bond Arms' customer service was excellent. After two problems, they offered me a refund or a new Roughneck.
@@tylermorrison7051I had an issue with my snake slayer when I first got it like 10 years ago. Completely unusable. I agree with the customer service- they made it right pretty quickly
I contacted Altor and suggested that they redesign the grip so that it could store extra cartridges, like the .45 acp Liborator. They didn't like my suggestion......Oh well.
I had a 1980's Beretta Bobcat .22 that was TOTALLY reliable and accurate, even with hollowpoints. The tiny sights were actually useful! Alas, I sold it for rent.......................elsullo
I used to have an Astra Cub 2000, from my patents. Original grips fractured, so Dad made yellow cedar grips. Other than being 22 short … well, it did work fine. Mouse guns are fun.
Probably lucky to be pushing 800fps out of that Astra, that's about 38 ft/lbs energy with the 27 grain bullet, not much but probably enough to put the lights out with a well placed shot, especially 6 or 7 shots. Definitely an arms length last resort type of gun, though I reckon any gun should be a last resort option anyway.
I know the feeling. Many years ago I had a Colt Junior .25 Auto (made by Astra) and I traded it for a .22 pistol. I still slap myself every time I think about that trade.
The Astra (the Colt was the same) was a great little pistol. However, even though nobody wants to get shot, a 22 Short is the very bottom of the cartridge food chain. The 25 is better as it is a centefire and has a little more energy with its heavier bullet. 22 Short out of this tiny barrel gets the velocity down to close to the same as the 25. However, out of the guns in this test if I had to choose one it would be this one. The Bearman derringer I wouldn't like either due to quality and just 2 single action shots. I don't know why anyone would buy the Altor. A single shot that you pull the trigger and then let the trigger go to fire does not inspire confidence + it's just 1 round. We've seen the Lorcin act as a jammomatic so that ones out of the running.
I have a Beretta 21A in 22 short and as long as I carry CCI in it, it’s reliable and fast moving projectiles, despite being small, will still scare off a lot of bad guys.
The lizard never even flinched when you fired the derringer ! Mr. Lizard you are a certified Bad Ass. All jokes aside the Astra Cub would make a great backup weapon or deep concealed carry. All the other guns on this list are just for show at the range. Thanks for the video Mixup98 always a pleasure.
Just as I opened this amazing video, I immediately pressed the '👍' button. Having been your loyal subber / follower for quite some time, I'm pretty sure now, every video from mr. Mixup is even better than the previous one. Even much better when your (also..) sharp shooting son is involved. All respect due, just a couple notes: *Astra firearms (Cub + others..) are usually well built, accurate pistols. As far as I can remember, Colt licensed Astra to manufacture their reliable 'Junior' pistol in .25 acp until 1.968 (?). We usually disregard the 'puny' .22 short as totally usesless. Well, according to my experience, (ER/ ICU ex- Military MD here..) it's far from 'harmless'. I've seen over a dozen deceased (Code 11.44) from the 'puny' .22 short wounds. *Regarding the Lorcin, (As well as Raven, Jennings, Brico, etc..) I'd try hard looking for a good pre- owned baseball bat for a trade. Baseball bats are lifelong & 100% reliable as defensive tools. They can also be used to play baseball in your very nice place!!. So many thanks & Blessings for another great video!!.. 😊🇺🇲💪🙏🙏🙏🙏
Good morning my friend. First, I want to thank you for being a six year subscriber to my channel. Second, my son works full time and can't always be in my videos (I'm retired) but I'm hoping he will be in my next video. You're right, Astra did make the Colt Junior. I had the Colt .25 ACP version back in the '80s but being a dumbass I eventually traded it for a .22 pistol and a knife! And yes, a baseball bat would be much better than the Lorcin pistol. 👍😎
@Mixup98 : Thank you kindly for your prompt & generous response. Also, many thanks for the wide range of gorgeous 'tools' you allow us your followers to enjoy thru your outstanding channel, teaching us how a responsible & honest citizen must follow the shooting etiquette. All respect due, I'd never think of you as a retired person, since you look TOO young + full of life to be retired!!. My very best regards to you & your lovely family!!.🏆 😊🇺🇲💪🙏🙏🙏🙏
@@hernandovillamarinbuenaven7476 Thank you for the compliment about me looking "TOO young" 👍😎 My son and I are planning on shooting a new video tomorrow on my new double barrel shotgun and it should be posted this weekend. Thanks again and the very best to you and yours.
@tomcat : Actually the Astra in .25 ACP, branded as 'Colt Junior' (Licensed by Colt before 1.968) is becoming collectible, specially if it's mint condition + original box. The Lorcin/ Raven + the Bear 'derringer' are pot metal crap. The single shot 9mm, well, it's what it is.
I like the Astra. It might not have a lot of stopping power but it does damage when fired multiple times. You might have to put two magazines into somebody to stop them but boy are they going to hurt from the first one.
I got an Astra Cub. I carry it in low threat conditions, where concealment is also handy, so as not to freak out all the gun grabbers among us. You can conceal this easily, no bulge or anything with just a t-shirt and shorts. I did some tests on mine and found the CCI Copper Plated Round Nose .22 short will go all the way through a 2 x 4 consistently. A .22 short will work in a pinch.
The Astra would make a nice little kit gun. If it was a slow day fishing, you could at least shoot up some soda cans. The pistol & a 100ct box of cci's would make a great addition to a small EDC pack.
I’ve seen pellet and BB guns along with slingshots out perform that bear man the lorcin plus that single shot 9mm . That cub 22 is the only one worth having for any reason in my opinion.
Astras are good guns. Altors were probably an experiment in how simple a gun can be, not really designed to be used for anything beyond plinking. But a gun that goes bang is better than no gun and not every gun needs to be a self-defense gun. Self-defense shouldn't have a price cap. Even cheap guns are good now. Shows how far engineering has come.
Mixup always great to see you.. well I guess if I had to carry one of them, the choice would be obvious unless you’re gonna just use it to throw at somebody😂😂😂
I have an old Davis derringer in .38spl. not a great gun nor very accurate but I have never had it fail to fire. I plan to do some careful patterning of each barrel separately to see what the potential is. Got some HBWCs to give the shallow rifling its best shot. As to the 22 short I have seen some loads do surprisingly well in gel. Lots of interesting tests on YT.
Great video. Many years ago I bought a Sterling 22lr Stainless auto. It would go off twice with one trigger pull then jam. I traded it on a new Ruger MK2. I have a Davis 22 magnum over and under derringer. It is junk. I have a very reliable North American Arms, 22 magnum mini revolver that I like a lot. Keep on plinking.
I have a raven 25acp. Paid like $20 for it like 20 years ago. Been in the safe with a broken firing pin. Fixed it this year with a new stainless firing pin. I think I paid more for it and the gun. It’s so cheaply made I questioned myself even fixing it. But she’s cleaned and back in the safe. I’ve never fired it. Just sitting there with a box of ammo. Just in case.
Good morning Sir, Really fun video here with your worst defense handguns. That weird little break apart 9mm single would be fun to play with, but yeah....in a defense scenario, I might opt to just throw it instead of trying to get a round off with it. lolol Your little Astra Cub is pretty cool, and yeah...I wouldn't want that little toy popping me either. So good to see you today and stay blessed!!
That Astra is a gem, a copy of the Baby Browning. Excellent, all steel quality and craftsmanship. Most were chambered in 25 ACP, which is a better defensive caliber than the 22 Short. The derringer and the Lorchin are best used for those gun buybacks where they give you $100 when you turn in a gun. Thanks for another interesting video.
Man, even my worst gun is still way better than almost all of those. I do like your six shot mouse pistol - the one that actually works. I'd buy that one myself.
The Lorcin reminds of of the old Raven arms .25 auto pistols. Also junk guns but they usually did function okay. Just terrible build quality. A friend of mine bought one many years ago brand new for around $60. It was the epitome of a "Saturday Night Special" .
Hey Mix! I LOVE those little guns like the Cub, but it needs to be in .25 to be even moderate in effectiveness. I used to have a Beretta jetfire in .25 and it was very reliable and accurate. It WAS a .25 so....effective? Meh, but easy to carry. I'd like to find another small 25. But with 380's of the same size (ish), not really relevant anymore. But still cool. That Cub is nice. (I am forgiving the lack of beam in on this vid......)
As always, your reviews are fun and informative. I have an Astra Cub that I bought many years ago in a pawn shop. Paid around $100. It's in mint condition. No box or paper work though. Astra's were always really good quality guns. Too bad those and Star pistols are no longer manufactured. The Lorcin and the Bearman, I would drop those off at the pawn shop and put them toward a trade.
I have two EXCELLENT Star 9mm pistols that I will never sell. One is the "UltraStar" a polymer framed pistol that was marketed BEFORE the Glock. They favored rigidity more than capacity so it is a 9+1 and so it did not sell well in America, and Star soon went under because the balance of trade world market made European guns too expensive...........................elsullo
Oddly, the .22 Short fired from a rifle will penetrate a Douglas Fir 2X4 and lodge deeply into one behind it. Doug Fir is a whole lot more dense of a wood than the soft pine lumber that Eastern homes are built with! All of these guns would be excellent traditional "Throw-Downs." But that is of course a historical term and impolite with modern Law Enforcement, so I will not define it...........................elsullo
Had a friend that years ago owned a Astra Cub. It was a great little plinker, but limited by the cartridge (we didn’t have CCI Stinger shorts back then). As for the Lorcin and the Bearman, there lethality comes through tying a good heavy shoelace to the trigger guard and hit your assailant with it.
The Astra Cub's lack of recoil and reliability makes it much more effective than the other junk. Target placement is more important than calibre, especially at short range, which is where self-defence takes place
Well Damn! I had made a comment earlier in the day, and it's gone already....I HAD said, I wouldn't mind having a couple of those, Not edc, pistols, to shoot either, but have as a keepsake.....RU-vid is corrupt on comments I notice.
A couple of real stinkers. I might pick a big, sharp knife over all but the Astra. At the kind of ranges those things are meant for, a knife might be quicker and more reliable. Thanks for sharing your collection with us.
I have a consec pair of astra cubs. Both are highly engraved silver with pearl grips NIB with original hang tags. Have no idea if they are worth anything but I like to look at them.
I had a Lorcin when I was younger and it did okay if I kept it fairly lubed and shot the hotter 22 ammo through it. The biggest issue that I had with mine was the magazine base plate being ejected practically turning it into a paperweight.