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30 Law Enforcement Technology December 2014 www.officer.com N ot long ago I tested the Bond Arms Big Bear double barrel derringer in 45 Colt. The Big Bear is similar to the Bond Arms Backup, a gun I antici- pate to be popular as a third gun for law enforcement. I'm going to talk about Big Bear's handmade quality in a minute. But before I do that, you need to hear about the intangible part of Bond Arms. Everyone likes products that last, but not every consumer can afford the handmade knife, the expensive sports car or the well-made watch. People buy Bond Arms guns for their utility, but many purchase them just to own them. The parts fit together with a hand feel that makes this brand feel commis- sioned, not manufactured. What is evidence of this mystique? I can go to the range and lay out all the guns I'm shooting that day. Invariably, other shooters with me want to handle the Big Bear and the Brown Bear. There is something about them, and few can describe it. Bond Arms makes more than a dozen models with interchangeable barrels. There are more than 20 calibers from which to choose. That's correct: One can get a base model and switch barrels, a one-minute process, and have a different gun altogether. The Big Bear and the Brown Bear, designated for sales in California, are the only models that cannot swap barrels. The type of gun that is becoming most popular is the 45 LC/410 Shotgun combination. My favorite Bond Arms model is the Ranger II in 45/410. The Big Bear comes in 45 Colt, or as I still call it, 45 Long Colt (45 LC). The 45 LC has enjoyed a 141-year his- tory as a military and occasional law enforcement cartridge. Most shooters theorize that the 45 LC would have such an offensive recoil in the Big Bear that it would be unmanageable. This is absolutely incorrect, but we'll get into that later. The American firearms manufactur- ing industry is at its finest right now and the increase in firearms laws have only improved the industry. Not only have consumers created a demand in the quantity of guns nationwide, the average consumer is also driving up quality. The evidence is in the gun store, where mass produced firearms now reflect the qual- ity of slow production products 20 years ago. The best example I have seen is the Bond Arms: Your third gun FIREARMS TACTICS By Lindsey Bertomen The Bond Arms Big Bear is a compact derringer in 45 Long Colt. When this gun first arrived, we theorized that it would be hard to shoot. It actually turned out to be relatively comfortable, considering the large projectile it sent down range.