Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 Gov 4.25 in. – Proven Engraved Stainless Big Bore Derringer

Description

The Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 is a single shot derringer chambered for a cartridge designed to knock down bison. That sentence is the entire product and Bond Arms knows it. The barrel wears an anniversary engraving reading ‘Merica, Land of Rednecks, 1776 to 2026, and the gun underneath is the Cyclops, the only single barrel derringer the company builds.

Losing the second barrel is what makes it work. The space where a second chamber would sit is filled with steel instead, which drops the bore closer to your hand and puts twenty eight ounces of mass under a cartridge that badly needs it.

What the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 actually is

• A single shot, single action derringer in 45-70 Government. One round, not two, despite what some listings for this gun say.
• A 4.25 inch flat sided barrel in rough matte stainless, engraved on both sides with the America 250th commemorative design.
• A rough finish stainless steel frame, with a trigger guard fitted rather than the bare trigger some Bond models use.
• Extended B6 resin grips, the larger pattern rather than the compact one, which matters a great deal on a gun that recoils like this.
• Fixed sights, a seven pound trigger and an exposed hammer. Manufacturer number BACY-250TH-45-70.
• Built in Granbury, Texas, and marked as such on the frame.

Read this before you buy ammunition for the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70

• Bond Arms is explicit about this: 45-70 loaded to rifle velocity, in the 1,800 to 2,300 feet per second range, is not recommended in the Cyclops.
• Bond states that 45-70 ammunition under 1,500 feet per second is entirely manageable in this gun.
• That rules out the heavy 45-70 loads built for modern lever actions and single shot rifles, and we stock several of those. They belong in a rifle, not in the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70.
• Subsonic 300 grain factory loads sit comfortably inside Bond guidance and are what we cross sell on this page for that reason.
• The Cyclops barrel has no extractor, so the fired case comes out with a fingernail or a rod rather than a spring. Plan accordingly at the range.

Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 specifications

• Caliber: 45-70 Government
• Capacity: 1 round, single shot
• Action: Single action with exposed hammer
• Barrel: 4.25 in., flat sided, rough matte stainless, engraved both sides
• Overall length: 6.75 in.
• Weight: 28 oz.
• Frame: Rough finish stainless steel with trigger guard
• Grips: Extended B6 resin, black
• Sights: Fixed
• Trigger pull: Approximately 7 lb.
• Extractor: None fitted
• Item number: BACY-250TH-45-70
• Origin: Made in Granbury, Texas

Feeding the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 safely

Bond Arms publishes its own guidance on this cartridge in this gun. The Cyclops 45-70 product page states that ammunition running 1,800 to 2,300 feet per second is not recommended, and that loads under 1,500 feet per second are entirely manageable. Take that seriously. 45-70 is loaded across an enormous pressure range, from mild trapdoor level ammunition to loads built for a Ruger No. 1, and the box does not always make it obvious which one you are holding.

• Federal 45-70 Government 300 grain subsonic sits far below the ceiling Bond describes and is the easiest thing to recommend for this gun.
• Remington 45-70 subsonic 300 grain is the same idea from a different maker, and worth trying if you want to compare.
• We also stock heavy 45-70 from Buffalo Bore and others. Those are rifle loads. Do not put them in the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 regardless of what they would do to a target.
• There is no extractor. Bring a cleaning rod or a pencil to push cases out, and expect the process to slow your range session down.
• Hold it properly and hold it hard. Extended grips and a trigger guard help, but 45-70 from a 28 ounce gun is an event every single time.

What the engraving on the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 says

The right side of the barrel reads Merica, Land of Rednecks, with 1776 and 2026 flanking a 250th mark. The left side carries a flag design running the length of the flat. It is not subtle and it is not trying to be, which is presumably the point of buying one.

Because the Cyclops barrel is flat sided rather than round, the engraving reads cleanly from any angle instead of disappearing around a curve. That is a real advantage of this frame for a commemorative gun, and it is why Bond used this model for the anniversary rather than one of the twin barrel guns.

Why the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 earns its place

• It is the only single barrel derringer Bond Arms makes, and the reason is engineering rather than novelty: a lower bore axis and more steel under the muzzle.
• Twenty eight ounces in a gun this size is the difference between firing 45-70 from the hand and regretting it.
• The engraving is cut into a flat sided barrel, so the design is actually visible rather than wrapped around a curve.
• Bond Arms barrels are interchangeable across the frame family, so the gun is not locked to one cartridge forever.
• Stainless with a rough finish is the most weather tolerant combination the company offers, and it hides handling marks.

Let us be honest about what this is. The Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 is a conversation piece that happens to be a functioning firearm, and there is nothing wrong with that. It suits the collector who wants something nobody else at the range has, the Bond Arms owner adding to a set, and the buyer who wants a 250th anniversary gun that is not another 1911.

It is not a defensive handgun in any practical sense. One round, a seven pound trigger, fixed sights and no extractor are not a carry package, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling. Every firearm on this page ships to your chosen FFL for transfer and pickup.

One practical note on storage. Rough finish stainless is tolerant of humidity but it is not immune, and the engraving has cut edges that hold oil and fingerprints in equal measure. Wipe the barrel flats down with a lightly oiled cloth after handling, particularly if the Bond Arms America 250th 45-70 is going to spend most of its life being shown to people rather than shot. A silicone cloth in the case costs almost nothing and keeps the engraving looking the way it did the day it arrived.