Editing Derringer (section)

{{short description|Small handgun}}
{{Redirect|Daringer|the record producer|Daringer (producer)}}
{{Other uses}}
<!-- {{Infobox weapon
| name               = Deringer
| image              = Colt Deringer.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| alt                =
| caption            = Derringer Colt, first model (1870–1890) on the right, third (1875–1912) on the left, all .41 caliber
| type               = [[Pocket pistol]]
| origin             = [[United States]]
| is_ranged          =
| is_bladed          =
| is_explosive       =
| is_artillery       =
| is_vehicle         =
| is_missile         =
| is_UK              =
| service            =
| used_by            =
| wars               =
| designer           = Henry Deringer
| design_date        = 1852
| manufacturer       =
| unit_cost          =
| production_date    =
| number             =
| variants           =
| spec_label         =
| mass               =
| length             =
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| crew               =
| passengers         =
| cartridge          =
| cartridge_weight   =
| caliber            = .33 (8,38&nbsp;mm) – .51 (12,95&nbsp;mm)
| barrels            = 38&nbsp;mm – 102
| action             =
| rate               =
| velocity           =
| range              =
| max_range          =
| feed               =
| sights             =
| breech             =
| recoil             =
| carriage           =
| elevation          =
| traverse           =
| blade_type         =
| hilt_type          =
| sheath_type        =
| head_type          =
| haft_type          =
| filling            =
| filling_weight     =
| detonation         =
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| armour             =
| primary_armament   =
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| engine             =
| engine_power       =
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| fuel_capacity      =
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| propellant         =
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| launch_platform    =
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| ref                =
}} -->

[[File:booth deringer.jpg|thumb|An original Philadelphia Deringer made by Henry Deringer. This was the [[pocket pistol]] used by [[John Wilkes Booth]] in the [[assassination of Abraham Lincoln]].]]
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 pistol]]s, although some later derringers were manufactured with the [[pepperbox]] configuration. The modern derringer is often [[multiple-barrel firearm|multi barreled]], and is generally the smallest usable handgun of any given [[caliber]] and [[gun barrel|barrel]] length due to the lack of a moving [[action (firearms)|action]], which takes up more space behind the barrel. It is frequently used by women because it is easily [[concealed carry|concealable]] in a [[handbag|purse]] or a [[stocking]].<ref name="Carter2002">{{cite book|last=Carter|first=Gregg Lee|title=Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H_RrLyV9rDUC&pg=PA159|year= 2002|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-268-4|page=159}}</ref>

The original Philadelphia Deringer was a [[muzzleloader|muzzleloading]] [[caplock]] [[single-shot]] [[pistol]] introduced in 1825 by [[Henry Deringer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Deringer|title=Henry Deringer &#124; American gunsmith|date=January 2024|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> In total, approximately 15,000 Deringer pistols were manufactured.<ref name="Flayderman2007"/> All were single-barrel pistols with back-action [[percussion lock]]s, typically [[.41 caliber]] with [[rifling|rifled]] bores and walnut [[Stock (firearms)|stock]]s. Barrel length varied from {{convert|1.5|to|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}, and the hardware was commonly a [[copper-nickel]] alloy known as "[[German silver]]".