DoubleTap Defense .45 Ported Barrel (courtesy doubletapgun.com)

DoubleTap Defense pocket pistol didn’t get a lot of love in our latest grab-off competition with the Kahr PM9. It might have something to do with the masochistic pleasures of firing the .45 derringer. As Jeremy S. pointed out in his three-star review of the DoubleTap, shooting the entry-level .45 caliber version is a bit like shaking hands with a sea anemone. Diehard DoubleTap fans can solve the problem in two ways: buy the ported .45 or the the 9mm version (ported or non-ported). But what if you’ve already bought the non-ported .45? Simple! Just warm-up the plastic and buy a conversion kit. DoubleTap would be happy to send you a nine-millimeter barrel for $199 or a ported .45 upper for $269. And if you’re still hurtin’ for certain DoubleTap Defense is working on a slip-on oversize rubber grip that fits all DoubleTaps. The website says it will offer “Soft touch for inproved comfort” [sic] and “Improved shock absorbtion to reduce muscle fatigue” [sic]. Done!

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29 COMMENTS

    • I believe the solution to relieve the pain of using a DoubleTap is to NOT buy a DoubleTap.

      OHHH BURN!!!…

      • I shot mine 6 times when I bought it, hurt for 2 days, I put the rubber grip on, only hurts for 1/2 hr, 2 shot 45 will kill, 9mm most likely, not sure why someone would buy 9mm, my 45 is for up close only,

  2. I’ll put this forward for the many that seem to have missed the POU on this firearm:
    This is not a recreational handgun, it is a derringer, a firearm of last resort. It is designed to be light and unobtrusive not comfortable to shoot. If you are in a fight for your life you will not notice the recoil or the report.
    Fire it once every few years, clean it, reload it and put it back in your pocket.

    • So are LCP’s, LCR’s, Bodyguards, Bodyguard 38s, et all.

      I would argue the POU is a gun that is pocketable, moreso than “last defense”. A 357 revolver, while slightly bigger, fits the same POU with more firepower and great ballistics. the 380s are less than stellar, but still are 6+1 or 7+1 depending on mags and just as pocketable.

      • but the argument that has been presented against the above is RECOIL
        your evidence against the DT is a small, low recoil 380 pip squeak or an equally heavy recoiling 38/357 which is bulkier and heavier.
        the POU of a derringer is not to engage targets at distance or engage in running-gun-battles but apparently that meme is too firmly seated in the minds of the armed intelegensia

        • So you think it’s a good idea to buy a carry gun, then never practice with… All because you just HAVE to have a .45 in your pocket?

          There are plenty of .380s and even 9mms in the same size class as the DT that people can actually shoot, and carry more than 2 rounds. It has nothing to do with dreams of running gun battles, it’s simply a better idea to carry at least a slightly more capable firearm.

    • I understand that full well. This gun assumes a single assailant at point blank range. And in that very limited role, it will undoubtedly prove effective against the attacker. On the other hand, there are a bunch of pocket pistols (aka mouseguns) that carry .380, 9mm, .40 and .45 cal. power, and have a higher capacity and greater range for the same or less money, and therefore have greater utility than the mano-a-mano scenario the Double Tap is designed for–and limited to. Given a choice between 6 rounds of .45 with an effective range of fifteen yards (and rapid reloading capacity) versus 2 rounds at ten feet or less with an essentially nonexistent ability for a reload during the fight, I’ll take the six rounds 24/7. And this is even more true if the attacker is armed with a firearm instead of a bludgeon or knife.

      From a purely utilitarian perspective, the Double Tap is a last resort of last resort.

  5. So for 2/3rds the cost of an LCP, you can make your gun that cost more than an LCP and is less comfortable to shoot than an LCP shoot more comfortably.

    I’m going to invent a line of state of the art VHS rewinder as a standalone unit and sell it. I’m going to be rich.

    • What, no 44 magnum or .50 S&W conversion????? Hey, If I can only take two shots, I want to make really REALLY big holes. (LOL)

    • I don’t know, tdiinva. Why would anyone want a pocket-concealable, last-resort 45 that can’t pushed out of battery?

      What a bizarre concept.

  11. I could get one and put it in the drawer next to my Jennings J-22. Of course, that only cost $85.

    Or maybe I’ll just use my new LCR.

  12. Have they fixed these things from firing off both barrels on one pull? Seen too many reports, and watched a video of it happening that makes my hand/wrist/arm/right side of my body hurt to imagine it.

    I wouldn’t mind a new iteration of the 357 COP with modern manufacturing and materials. That would be an interesting backup, with twice the capacity, and the options of 357/38.

  13. I can only see this as bring a useful backup to your main gun. I would never carry this alone, but it would be a nasty surprise to have this hidden in deep concealment as backup to the glock on your hip.

    Then again though, I’m 19 and living in California. So not only can I not buy this (approved handgun list, and federal minimum age law), but I am also currently being denied my civil and constitutional rights.

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