The Story of the American Derringer

Back in the 1800's, the "seed" for the future American Derringer was sown during the days of the wild and wooly west. In fact, the old .41 rim fire Remington derringer found its way into the later version of the American Derringer's single action over/under. Women, especially, love the derringer because it fit into their smaller hands-or, in the older days, the gambler at the poker table might have a small derringer up his sleeve for protection. Many old west movies showed the "ladies of the evening," dressed to the hilt, but protected by a small derringer tucked away in their garter belts! American Derringer would, many years later, expand on the old Remington derringer by producing a stainless steel model in more than 60 calibers-not to mention a wide range of models. Consumers are now able to procure a .38 Special, a .357 caliber or a .45 or .22 in the form of the American derringer.

The Vision of Robert Saunders

Robert Saunders founded the American Derringer Corporation in 1980 with a vision to make a totally rust-less high quality stainless steel derringer. Robert was a precocious child who was assembling guns from parts in his grandfather's basement when he was only seven years old. With his gunsmith grandfather to nurture his intense interest in guns, Saunders went on to serve as captain of the gunsmith division at the United States Air Force Marksmanship School in San Antonio. Following his stint in the military, Saunders would go on to work for a gun-selling company. Saunders attended Baylor University, gaining an MBA; he then decided to invest his savings-about $30,000-into his own business. Saunders looked at the current gun market and ferreted out his own niche market, deciding on the smaller derringer as his primary product. He felt he would not get the intense competition from the big companies like Colt or Smith and Wesson as long as he stayed out of their specialty markets.

Elizabeth Saunders Joins American Derringer

Robert Saunders met his future wife, Elizabeth in 1986, and fell in love. Lucky for Mr. Saunders, Elizabeth was a marketing whiz, resulting in her joining American Derringer and becoming responsible for sales and marketing. Perhaps remembering the past ladies who felt secure with their derringer tucked away under their voluminous skirts, Elizabeth believed American Derringer needed a "Lady Derringer" model added to their line. In 1989, her dream became a reality, when the Lady Derringer was marketed. The Lady Derringer, along with Elizabeth's vision and considerable marketing skills, allowed the sales of American Derringer to increase many times over. It has even been speculated that while it was Robert Saunders who started the company with his particular vision, Elizabeth was responsible for really putting the company on the map and in the full view of the American public. Elizabeth has followed her belief that keeping it simple is the best practice, hence her Lady Derringer's design of a single action, simple-to-use model.

Today, Elizabeth Saunders continues the legacy of Robert, who died in 1993. While she realizes the derringers produced by her company are used as dependable and high quality guns, she also knows many gun collectors search out the company's derringers as works of art. The derringers are made with only USA materials and manufactured in Waco, Texas, handcrafted by experienced people who have a true passion for what they produce. All American derringers come with a standard one year warranty, free repair, and various options for extended warranty as well.