Bond Arms Rowdy XL: Small Size, Big Hitting Power

What if you want a Derringer-style pistol… with lots of hitting power… and you want to be able to actually hit what you’re aiming at? If you were designing a pistol like that, you might end up with something like the Bond Arms Rowdy XL.

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Beefing up the Rowdy Derringer

Like much of Bond Arms’ lineup, the Rowdy XL is a big-bore handgun, chambered for .45 LC or .410 Bore. While .45 LC isn’t a magnum round, it’s a lot of cartridge for a small-frame, lightweight handgun like a derringer. Shooters might have found the original Rowdy Derringer a bit of a challenge to shoot accurately with its smaller grip and 3-inch barrel. So, we get the Rowdy XL, with some parts built up for easier handling. As per Bond Arms’ website:

We took the things you love about the Rowdy such as a solid frame, quality engineered parts, and the power of the .45 Colt or .410 bore and then we improved it with- A slightly beefier 3.5″ barrel for better accuracy, and- B6 Grips with a smooth backstrap for a superior hold!

While 3.5 inches is still a very short barrel, it should make a particularly noticeable improvement for shooters who are using .410 Bore shotgun shells in their derringer.

A mostly-familiar formula

Still, the Rowdy XL is a lightweight, compact pistol, with an overall length of 6 inches and a weight of 22 ounces. Bond Arms used stainless-steel construction, like its other derringers, meaning it should last a long time and is legal in jurisdictions that ban so-called “pot metal” guns.