Honest Review: Bond Arms Stinger Fireball Derringer

Bond Arms is known for making tiny pocket derringers in all sorts of calibers, from .22 LR all the way up to .50 AE! My personal experience with defensive pistols like these is mixed. On the one hand, I love that these are American-made firearms crafted from stainless steel that I can just drop right into my pocket. On the flip side, stainless steel is heavy, so even though the pistol is tiny, it weighs more than it looks like it would. I’ve also had trouble getting a proper grip on the bird’s-head butt—the pistol is so small that my hand sort of swallows it.

That said, in a retail setting, Bond Arms derringers sell like hotcakes. There’s lots to like about them. They are dirt simple to learn how to use, and they’re very safe. You can’t even shoot the pistol until you manually cock the hammer back. As long as you’re carrying with the hammer down, an inadvertent trigger pull won’t result in a discharge.

Recently, Bond Arms has made a couple improvements to modernize a design that is basically unchanged since the year 1866’s Remington Arms Model 95. Derringer fans, say hello to Bond Arms’ “Stinger” frame!

The frame has been slimmed down, so it no longer wraps around the rear end of the barrel. Since the frame of the Stinger is flat, the barrel is basically exposed on the sides, but is safely locked by the top hinge and bottom cam mechanism. This cuts down on the size and weight of the pistol by a couple of ounces … if you’re still going with stainless steel. The first release of the Bond Arms Stingers were even lighter, since the original Stingers come with an aluminum frame (while keeping the stainless steel double barrel). An original Stinger weighs a spritely 12 oz., practically a featherweight pistol!

While the aluminum Stingers solved my issues with the weight and width of these tiny pistols, I still had all kinds of problems getting a good grip. To be honest, I felt as if I was along for the ride while shooting the pistol. The small bird’s-head grip would move under recoil, and .38 Spl. was punishing to shoot. That said, these derringers were never meant as a “hey, let’s go target shoot for shiggles” pistols; although you certainly can use them that way if you want to, they’re designed specifically for deep concealed carry.

Enter the Stinger “Fireball,” which shifts the evolution of the derringer to an even better place. From the factory, the Fireball Stinger (aluminum frame only at this time) ships with a B6 Resin grip. This simple grip change made all the difference in the world for comfort in shooting. The extended grip allows me to get all three fingers in place, with my pinky finger resting on a nice finger hump. The back strap of the Bond Arms B6 grip is shaped like a Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolver, which I immediately felt right at home with.

The Stinger Fireball is the first Bond Arms pistol that I would actually casually shoot for fun. Remember, this is a new pistol for 2024 so the “Fireball” is only currently available in .22 Mag. and .327 Fed Mag. I can tell you that .22 Magnum is quite fun to shoot out of such a short barrel and, like the name implies, can make quite the fireball out of the muzzle.

Look, I understand that .22 Mag. is underpowered for self-defense. But I could also make the argument that I never practiced with my older derringer because it did not agree with me. The fact that I can accurately and confidently shoot the Fireball means I am more likely to hit my intended target. Furthermore, given that the overwhelming majority of armed-citizen incidents do not result in a shot being fired, I can confidently assert that criminals don’t sit there and examine the barrel of your firearm to see what caliber it is. “Oh, that’s just a .22. I shall continue with the mugging!” Nope.

My hope is that in the future Bond Arms starts to ship more pistols with similar extended grips. In the retail setting we seem to be selling two to one with the preference to the new grip. Now understand that the aluminum frames do cost more that the stainless steel frames. Some customers will live with the older grip and weight if it means saving around a hundred dollars. My guess is that if Bond Arms offers the B6 grip with the stainless steel Stingers, that will be a top seller.

DEETS

Model #: BASL-FB

MSRP: $399.00

Calibers: .22mag, .327 Fed Mag

Barrel Length: 3inch

Grip: B6 Extended

Sights: Fixed

Length: 5.5 inches

Height: 4.19 inches

Weight: 14.4 Oz

Capacity: 2

Action: Single Action

Trigger Weight: 7 Pounds

Frame: Aluminum 7075

Barrel: Stainless Steel

—James the “XDMAN” Nicholas Mr. UnPewFessional Himself!