Last year, Bond Arms stretched the company's big-bore, stainless steel over-under pistol line with the arrival of the 6" barrel Texan chambered in .45 Colt/.410. The company also started offering factory-fresh barrels featuring trapezoidal ports installed by Mag-Na-Port International.
Just when you thought these pistols could not get much bigger or louder, Bond Arms has launched a new .44 Mag. version of the platform. Although the stainless steel frames have always been strong enough to handle the pressures generated by what used to be the most powerful revolver cartridge in the world, the felt recoil it produced in early 3" barrel Defender models was simply too intense. To manage the recoil, the .44 Mag model will feature a 6" barrel with four ports in each barrel to significantly reduce muzzle rise.
In an interview with company President Gordon Bond, he said that it was unlikely that the .44 Mag. barrels would be sold separately like the other caliber conversions available through the company website. Instead, it will only be available as a complete firearm. This is because the .44's frame will be fitted with heavier firing pin springs than those found in standard frames to ensure that the second barrel is not ignited by the recoil of the first being fired. However, the .44's frame will still have a removable hinge pin so that the frame can be converted to other calibers.
This new pistol is currently the subject of an online naming contest, just like the Texan. When the name is chosen, the theme of the extended hardwood grip panels will be decided as well. This new pistol will start shipping in the late spring or early summer of 2018.
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