If you’ve followed the long and winding road from the first announcement of the unique little DoubleTap pocket pistol through their shit-canning their original manufacturer, Heizer Defense, and picking up production through Azimuth Technologies, you’d be forgiven for entertaining doubts that we’d ever see an actual gun in the wild. We know we did. But ye and we of little faith got our comeuppance with today’s announcement that the double barreled nines and .45s are now shipping. We hope to get our grubby mitts on one soon for a full and thorough review . . .

ST. LOUIS, MO (May 2013) – DoubleTap™ Defense is officially shipping the DoubleTap™ Tactical Pocket Pistol (design and utility patents pending) to their distributors. Azimuth Technologies, the manufacturers of the DoubleTap™ pistol, are ramping up production to fill all outstanding orders as quickly as possible. DoubleTap™ Defense Stocking Dealers (with qualified orders) are receiving their free promotional package for their stores.

“The DoubleTap™ Tactical Pocket Pistol has undergone significant improvements since we moved the project to our new manufacturer; making the DoubleTap™ a  more reliable, simpler and less-parts-to-go-wrong type of concealed carry,” Raymond B. Kohout, DoubleTap™ inventor stated. “We have production capacity to quickly fill all orders and many anxious customers to appease, but we are certain, beyond a doubt, that this newest version is of higher quality and extremely reliable.”

 

Significant improvements to the DoubleTap™ include:

  • Interchangeable barrels (9mm and .45ACP) using a M16 style push pin that is now ambidextrous
  • Enhanced pistol grip with new “FRAG” pattern inspired by the fragmentation grenade
  • Improved, easier to use thumb-latch
  • Patent pending trigger system simplified to only four major components and featuring dual hammers for extra reliability
  • Double-action, sequentially fired mechanical trigger system has double-strike capability
  • Ported barrels available for both the 9mm and .45 ACP to reduce recoil and muzzle flip

The DoubleTap™ Aluminum non-ported model has an MSRP of $499.00. The Aluminum ported model’s MSRP is $569.00. The MSRP for the DoubleTap™ Titanium non-ported model is $729.00 and the ported model is $799.00. Caliber conversion kits in the non-ported version have been lowered to $199.00 and the ported kits lowered to $269.00. DoubleTap™ Defense also sells a variety of accessories to complement the DoubleTap™ Tactical Pocket pistol.

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74 COMMENTS

  1. I still think they’re goofy, but I’d love to get my hands on one to try out. Maybe it would change my mind.

      • Already got an XDs, so I’ve already got my tiny .45 fix. At this point I wouldn’t mind having a DoubleTap too, but as a curiosity or a last-ditch backup gun rather than a main CC piece.

      • DoubleTap looks like it is considerably lighter (about 2x) and thinner (about 1.5x).

        • And yet, my XDs holds four more rounds -six with the extended mag-, comes from a manufacturer with a proven track record for outstanding quality, and disappears under an untucked shirt or a jacket. Since they both cost about the same, I’m pretty confident I got the better deal.

          Now, don’t get me wrong; if they knocked about 200 beans off the price, I’d snap one these little bad boys up in a heartbeat.

        • If you are comfortable carrying IWB, and can/want to dress so as to make it viable, you definitely don’t need this thing. Now try putting your XDs in a pocket…

        • Like I said, if your arrangements allow you to carry IWB comfortably, by all means do that. But then don’t complain that you don’t understand the point of this gun – it’s clearly not for you, but the some of us may find it very utilitarian for our specific use cases.

  2. I love the simplicity of this pistol. By my count, there are only 14 or 15 moving parts. And the action of it looks very sturdy. The price isn’t bad, this could be a great backup gun.

    • Eh, for the price, you could buy something with a little more ammo count. I never understood why people use little piddly guns as “backup”. If you have to use a backup gun, you are then in a situation where the SHTF; if 2 magazines from a 1911 didn’t eliminate the threat(s), then will 2 more rounds from this thing really defend you? Of course, on the flip-side, one could argue that something is better than nothing.

      If it was cheaper, maybe for summer carry if I couldnt carry anything else, but otherwise, nah.

      • Are you taking about me or you? Because “me” doesn’t carry a 1911 with an extra loaded magazine.

      • “If you have to use a backup gun, you are then in a situation where the SHTF”

        Sounds like a reasonable definition of ‘SHTF’ to me.

  3. I love my guns. But a 2 shot modernised derringer is something that I feel, and I speak only for myself here, is a totally useless concept. If you’re in a situation where this pistol would be useful you would probably be better off with a good knife. A good knife is quicker to reload and a lot cheaper.

  5. Its a good thing the company address specifies they are made on Earth, wouldnt want any depays shipping from that wannabe planet Pluto.

  6. Would be interesting for $200, but $500+? No thanks. And $69 to drill 20 little holes? C’mon, that should be free.

    • “And $69 to drill 20 little holes? C’mon, that should be free.”

      And I’m sure it would be if Azimuth didn’t have to pay for the extra manufacturing step, the machine to drill the holes, and the worker to move the pieces around. Alas, that’s not how the world works.

    • *sights

      I swear to God I read that three times before my brain stopped interpreting it as “I never understood why sites this small have guns on them.”

  9. So “Tactical” has been reduced to a 2 shot derringer.
    I wonder what the tactical situation could be when this is the appropriate weapon.

    I watched the demo video on their site, the grip holds a speed strip with 2 cartridges .
    I guess with a little practice you could reload this at the same speed as a revolver.
    They didn’t show how you would eject the spent shells, no extractor like on a revolver. Maybe you can talk about how you do a “tactical” reload when you perform the review…

    • Too bad Chris Costa and Travis Haley ain’t doing the Magpul videos any more, we could’ve had “Magpul Dynamics: The Art of Tactical Derringer”.

    • Choose your poison: “tactical”, “pre-owned”, “organic”, “genuine faux”, “like new”, etc.

      Meh.

      • You forgot “virtually” this-n-that. 🙂

        (from my high school physics book, in the section on lenses; lenses cast a “real” image and a “virtual” image. Ergo, “virtual” means “not real.”)

  10. Looks like a nice piece of engineering but what would be better, one of these with 2×45 or a LCP with 7×38? I think the latter.

  11. I see these ending up in the far end of the case at the LGS where they stick all the weird used pistols that never sell.

  12. I see this as being a reliable pocket carry chambered with a cartridge more capable than the usual .380.. that being said, the cost:benefit ratio is outlandish. a basic model for $500? I can buy a brand new Gen3 Glock of any size or caliber for that price. primary or backup, I say you’re a fool not to carry a gun with a double stack mag in this day and age. $300-$350 is about where the price should be. I’m sure they’ll sell simply for the “cool factor”, but the average person is more likely to dish out that kind of money for a tacticool add-on for thier AR. swing and a miss..

    it’s nice to see something gun related on TTAG again.. sad to see everyone so worried about protecting thier RKBA that they forget about the arms themselves.

    • If you can’t get it done with six rounds then you probably can’t get it done with 15 rounds. Double stack is unnecessary for most people, but it is a free country, carry what you like.

      • well, I’m sure most of us have had our “safety bubble” burst at some point. the last straw for me was when I was jumped in the street and beaten nearly to death by a group of 10-12 attackers. in that scenario 6rds on a dark street means IF every round was a stopping hit, I still have a group of people out for blood and I’m empty. mag change? no problem at the range. adrenalin dump and panic? not so smooth, especially with a single stack (less surface area/ smaller magwell). but as you said, free country and all that.

    • >> primary or backup, I say you’re a fool not to carry a gun with a double stack mag in this day and age.

      I pocket carry, so I want my handgun to be as flat as possible.

      (which is why I carry a P32)

  13. “it’s nice to see something gun related on TTAG again…”

    It was the best 5 minutes of the year. Alright, back on your heads…

  14. Glad the price dropped from the original presser. Still steep, but the street price should be about right

  16. a back up for your back up when the bad guy gets back up? I’ll take a sequential 4 shot chambered in .50 BMG

  17. About 2 oz lighter than a S&W 642, and a bit thinner. Heavier and probably bigger than a small pocket .380. Not seeing much of a niche here. Maybe interesting if your primary was a .45 so you could use the same ammo in both guns?

    • >> About 2 oz lighter than a S&W 642, and a bit thinner.

      642 is 1.31″ wide at the cylinder. DoubleTap is .665″. That’s twice as thin, not “a bit”. For pocket carry, this would make a huge difference.

      And no, it’s not actually bigger than pocket .380s. The thinnest one I’m aware of is Kel-Tec P3AT at .75″. Heck, even .32 ACP P32 is 0.75″.

      This thing is heavier, though. At 12 oz that they advertise for the aluminum version, you might as well get a PF9 with 7+1 9mm, 0.88″ wide. Or Diamondback DB9, same weight but 0.8″ wide.

  18. I’ve got nothing against neat oddities, but I don’t see a point for this. A two shooter for the price of a Glock that can fit snugly in your bellybutton. Meh.

  19. The prices are prohibitive for what it is. No way I’d spend $800 for a two-shot derringer.

  20. So it’s officially the DoubleTap TAP now? If they make a version with twice the barrels, will that be the double DoubleTap TAP? Or the DoubleTap TAP Double?

    Anyway, if you wanted a close range gun that is extremely unlikely to fail get a J-frame and get yourself three more rounds as well. There was never a point to this thing.

    • +1

      no one is going to produce anything that beats a J frame for price point, stopping power, and concealability rolled into one package.

  22. Almost $600 for ported? Or $800 for Titanium (which is what id want)….yikes. Guess I wont be getting one afterall.

  23. Sig P238 with 7+1 .380acp blows this thing way out of the water in any and all ways and at a bit less money. Extremely accurate, flawless function and the only handgun with less recoil is a .22. A joy to shoot too.

    • Probably true, but take a peek at gunbroker. They’re consistently selling north of $500. That won’t last (hopefully), but there’s clearly demand out there.

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