Reviews/tests of Double Tap 40 Cal 200 Gr Jhp

Page Navigation

• Pistol Details
  • Specifications
• Shooting
  • Ammunition Performance
  • Ammo Problems
  • Ammo Update
• Carrying
• Conclusion
  • Recommendation Update
  • Disclaimer

(Ed. note – since the writing of this article, the Double Tap Defense company fabricated additional ammunition recommendations that remove the gun from any recommendation I could requite information technology. Skip downwards to the ammunition issues & update sections, and the decision at the end of the article to read more than.)

Armed citizens are frequently looking for a balance of concealment and firepower in a handgun. For a cop, a compact backup gun can literally make a life-or-death difference when that routine patrol phone call goes horribly wrong.

There is a balance each denizen and officer must strike between caliber, concealability, price and reliability.  DoubleTap Defense has a small double barrel pistol that has caught the attending of many people looking for that platonic concealment gun, but concerns across the internet about its recoil and reliability accept surfaced.

Rather than trying to exist a gun for all occasions, the pistol tries to serve a very specific demand: small enough to be carried all the fourth dimension, simply powerful enough to stop an attacker.  Does it succeed?

I had the chance to shoot one of the DoubleTap pistols in both .45 and 9mm. It fared well, merely with some serious drawbacks. It might brand sense for some people, merely but in limited circumstances. Let's take a await at the gun and my experiences with information technology.

Quick Takeaways

• NOT recommended
• painful recoil
• limited capacity
• significant ammunition concerns
• expensive

Pistol Details

The DoubleTap Tactical Pocket Pistol is a 2-shot handgun that is available in both .45 ACP and 9mm.  Ray Kohout, inventor of the Tactical Pocket Pistol and founder of DoubleTap Defence force, designed the gun around the venerable .45 cartridge due to his appreciation for the round.

“I’ve been a .45 carrying guy all my life,” said Kohout during a conversation I had with him at the company’due south Florida manufacturing facility.  However, Kohout wanted a .45 caliber gun that was easier to deport than a full-size 1911, but still “tactical.”  Kohout sketched the original design and specs for the handgun in November 2010, and the gun entered full production in 2013.

The three inch stainless steel barrels are aligned one over the other, and tip up for loading and unloading.  A single trigger controls independent firing pins that are office of a cam system.  When the double action trigger is pulled, ane barrel fires and the cam rotates to the next barrel.  When the trigger is pulled a second time, the second barrel fires.

A handgun with more than one barrel is an old concept, just the DoubleTap takes the idea to a whole new level.  The pocket pistol is manufactured in a high-quality facility, a reliable double action trigger and serious defensive calibers. See photos from my tour of the DoubleTap manufacturing facility here.

One prominent feature of the pistol is the gun’southward farthermost thinness: a mere .665” wide.  Unlike some other pistols, the width is uniform across the entire gun, making it very apartment.  The gun has an overall length of 5.5” and is simply 3.9” tall.

Guns are bachelor in both aluminum- and titanium-framed models.  My unloaded aluminum-framed gun, with the ported .45 ACP barrels, weighed 13.5 ounces unloaded.  The titanium pistol of the same configuration is rated at 15 ounces from the factory.

Initially, the Tactical Pocket Pistol was available only in either .45 ACP or 9mm.  The company subsequently announced a pistol chambered for the .40 Due south&W cartridge, and a gun that will fire both .45 Colt and .410 diameter shotgun shells.  However, I do not know if whatever actually accept made information technology to production yet. (Ed. notation: Equally of June 2016, no other calibers have made it into production, nor do I expect any to be made in the foreseeable future.)

Barrel conversion kits are likewise available and so that an owner of any of the guns can convert the pistol to whatever of the other calibers.

Caliber changes are very easy with the Tactical Pocket Pistol.  The barrel associates pivots on a single pin.  When the barrels are tipped up, the pivot can be pushed out and the barrels will come correct off.  A new caliber tin and so exist dropped into identify, and the pin pushed back in.  Information technology takes less than 20 seconds to swap the barrels.

DoubleTap pistols are rated to shoot standard pressure level loads simply.  When talking to Kohout, he was careful to emphasize that loftier-pressure armament should never be fired in the Tactical Pocket Pistol.  A lot of self-defense loads in 9mm are loaded to +P pressures, and they cannot safely be used in a DoubleTap.

There are some +P loads, predominately with a 185 grain bullet, in .45 ACP. So, be careful with your ammo selections should yous choice one of these guns up.

The break activeness springs open smartly when activated.  The release is ambidextrous, and can be operated with either the thumb or the trigger finger of the shooting hand.  While working with the gun, I institute that I could most easily operate the latch using both the thumb and the trigger finger together in a very natural motion.

One time open, both chambers are tilted upward toward the eyes in just about the perfect position at which to insert rounds.  Once loaded, pressing downwards on the top of the barrels snaps the gun back into a closed and ready to fire position.  The process is very piece of cake and natural.

I found the trigger pull is very heavy, and was more than my 12 pound trigger pull gauge could handle.  According to DoubleTap, the trigger pull is intentionally heavy to help preclude a negligent discharge.  While this volition undoubtedly please some people and constabulary department administrators, I see information technology equally worry over goose egg. I would much rather accept an 8-10 pound trigger pull on this kind of gun.

Every bit with many subcompact guns, the sights on the DoubleTap pistol go out a lot to be desired.  The front sight is very small and difficult to see in all merely optimal lighting conditions.  The rear sight is a shallow gutter machined into the top of the gun.

The grip has a small-scale compartment that tin hold a pair of spare rounds on an included plastic speed loader. The included loader is reminiscent of the archetype Bianchi Speed Strips.

During my time with the pistol, I constitute that the memory latch on the compartment door became very loose, and would fall open during normal handling.  Using a tiny screwdriver, I was able to tighten the latch.  I suspect a driblet of Loctite would permanently fix the issue, but would have hoped this would accept been handled at the factory.

All DoubleTap guns are 100% CNC machined with no injection molded parts, stampings or plastic components.  The machining seemed flawless, and the black terminate was without blemishes.  The DoubleTap logos, QR code and engravings were all well-baked and held up well to multiple range trips.

The only areas of the gun that showed any wearable during testing were the edges of the trap door in the pistol’s grip.

Specifications

caliber	.45 APC, 9mm
capacity	2
barrel length	3"
overall length	5.v"
weight (empty mag)	13 oz
sights	bump and groove
action	DAO
terminate	matte black, stainless steel
MSRP	$499 - $799

Shooting

In that location is no way to sugar glaze this â€" recoil is harsh in this pistol.  Felt recoil is then strong in this gun that an entire page of the pistol’due south instruction manual is dedicated to a recoil warning.  Every bit a guy who has shot a lot of powerful handguns, I found this gun to exist the least fun of them all to shoot.

In an effort to tame the recoil, the Tactical Pocket Pistols tin be purchased with ported barrels.  Even with the ported barrels, shooting standard pressure .45 ACP ammo is but downright painful.  Anyone who says otherwise has nerve damage or is a liar.

Standard pressure 9mm rounds are easier to shoot, but are still not fun.

To increase command over the gun, the DoubleTap instruction transmission suggests wrapping the support-mitt thumb over the top of the shooting paw.  This method has been taught to many revolver shooters, and can help control the muzzle flip.

I as well suggest wearing a good pair of padded gloves if yous programme on shooting more than than a couple of rounds at any i fourth dimension. I purchased a new set of Mechanix Clothing gloves for my second range trip with this pistol – mark the first time I have e'er wanted to habiliment shooting gloves because of recoil.

The heavy trigger pull and lack of good sights did not make shooting the gun any easier or more than enjoyable.  But for extremely close piece of work, neither is likely to make much of a difference. Of course, accurateness at distance becomes even harder due to the barrels – more than on that below.

The DoubleTap pistol produces a relatively impressive muzzle flash – especially with the ported .45 ACP version. A very large, bright flash is visible in total daylight weather condition. In low calorie-free it is fairly blinding.

Ammunition Performance

Since my examination gun came with both .45 ACP and 9mm barrels, I measured self-defense ammunition performance from both.

.45 ACP Functioning

	Velocity	Energy
Federal HydraShok 230 gr JHP	727 fps	270 ft-lbs
Hornady XTP 200 gr JHP	704 fps	220 ft-lbs
Remington Aureate Saber 230 gr JHP	680 fps	236 ft-lbs

9mm Performance

	Velocity	Energy
Hornady Critical Duty 135 gr FTX	868 fps	226 ft-lbs
Speer Aureate Dot 124 gr JHP	970 fps	259 ft-lbs

As was expected, measured velocities were substantially lower than what is seen from a full size pistol. Yet, the velocities are also measurably below those of other compact handguns. For example, from an STI Escort (3.24″ barrel), the same .45 HydraShok averaged 795 fps and and so 780 fps from a Desert Eagle 1911U (three″).

Part of the reason is the way the barrels of the DoubleTap are designed. The DoubleTap barrel length includes the bedroom portion, and then the bullet does non get the employ of the barrels' stated length to build velocity. Figure them for closer to 2″ of constructive length.

Accurateness with all of the ammo was a bit of a trouble beyond near contact distances.

According to Kohout, the barrels are not regulated. The means when shooting the gun at a unmarried point of aim, substantially two groups appear: one for each barrel.  The further the distance betwixt gun and target, the wider the groups are from each other. The groups volition substantially stack on top of each other like the barrels on the gun.

At seven yards, groups ranged from a best of 3 7/8” with the .45 ACP Remington Gilt Saber 230 grain JHP to nearly 10” with the 9mm Speer Gold Dot 124 grain JHP.  I establish that the group sizes varied greatly depending on the load shot, with the .45 ACP appearing to have smaller groupings than the 9mm.

In the target photograph in a higher place, the .45 Golden Saber rounds are the top six holes. The holes shut to the center were the showtime shots of each cord while the upper three holes were the second shot from each string. The two holes closest to the bottom of the photograph are 9mm rounds that were loftier from shooting at another target.

The lower photograph shows a target with 9mm holes. Although these string a footling up and down, the 3 lowest were the beginning shots while the three highest are the second shots.

My experiences were mirrored by Dennis Adler in his review over on Personal Defence World, though he saw larger splits between the groups with the .45 than the 9mm.

Shooting the gun at more than than vii yards significantly increased the odds of at least one circular of either quotient not striking the intended target. That is something of a concern.

Ammo Problems

All of the loads functioned flawlessly, save 1.  When shooting 9mm Magtech Guardian Gilt 124 grain JHP rounds, I encountered a consistent, repeatable trouble.  With two rounds loaded, the first Magtech circular would fire fine. The 2nd shot, nevertheless, would issue in a pierced primer and a shot that would wing wild.

I spoke with Kohout past phone about the pierced primers and he advised the problem was with the ammunition.  Kohout suggested the ammo may not be loaded to SAAMI specification and could exist loaded at too high of a force per unit area.  Kohout suggested shooting only ammo from Us-based manufacturers for best results.

In an email exchange with a Magtech representative, I was informed that the specific ammo I was shooting was loaded to SAAMI specification.  Magtech promised to contact the factory and try to determine if there was potentially a problem with the ammo.

Afterwards several weeks and attempts to follow upwards, the Magtech representative has not responded with any additional information from the factory.

Unfortunately, I've had other bug with Magtech ammunition including rims shearing off of .308 cases and hollowpoint armament arriving with crushed tips. At this fourth dimension, I take discontinued use of all Magtech ammo in all of my guns.

The problem is that without any information from Magtech, I cannot say for certain that the trouble was ammo or gun related. Based on the problems I take experienced with the ammo, I suspect the problem lies there.

Notwithstanding, there have been a number of reports of problems with double fires with the DoubleTap guns. I such case is well documented at the Pocket Guns & Gear blog. Bruce shows the problems he was having with the pistol and provides video stills of the gun firing two rounds at once. I've found Bruce's work to exist very thorough and reliable. I have no dubiousness that his related experiences are authentic.

Ammo Update

At some point after the writing of this article, Double Tap Defense updated its website with additional information and warnings about the use of ammunition in these pistols. Among its many warnings and instructions, the visitor states:

• never use annihilation other than standard pressure, SAAMI spec ammo;
• do not use reduced recoil loads either;
• when first shooting the gun, Just apply the kind of ammo that matches the fired contumely that comes in the box with the gun – a 230 grain FMJ from Remington or Federal for .45 ACP, or a 115 grain FMJ fro Remington or Federal for 9mm (no explanation given);
• merely utilise ammunition fabricated in the Us, and fifty-fifty then in that location are enough of loads to avoid (meet below);
• practise not use aluminum cased ammo; and
• do not use frangible ammunition.

1 might call back that these warnings are more stringent that one should look from a quality firearm. Still, it goes further…

The company states the following loads are to be avoided in both calibers:

• CCI (both brass and aluminum cases)
• Federal Ballisticlean
• Federal Champion
• Federal Hydra-Shok
• Federal Guard Dog
• Fiocchi FMJ
• Hornady Critical Defense force
• IMI (all)
• Freedom Ammunition (all)
• PMC Starfire
• PMC (anything considered "armory grade")
• Ruger ARX
• Sellier & Bellot FMJ
• SIG SAUER Elite Performance V-Crown
• Winchester (anything considered "arsenal grade")

Frankly, a gun that is not safe/reliable to shoot with standard pressure defensive rounds similar Hydra-Shok, Critical Defence and the SIG V-Crown ammo is non worth buying.

Carrying

The DoubleTap excels at the thing it was designed to do:  be discreetly carried.  An armed denizen can slip this gun into a pocket while a uniformed police force enforcement officer tin easily carry the DoubleTap in an ankle holster or on a belong.

For a plainclothes or off-duty officer, the DoubleTap can easily be carried in a crotch holster or in a belly band.  I have known narcotics officers who take had to comport the tiniest of guns when clandestine, and this pistol gives them at least one more than option to consider.

The pistol about disappears in all of these locations due to the small, flat nature of the gun.

The gun could too brand a great handgun to carry in a jacket pocket.  In the past, I have carried a “hammerless” J-frame revolver in a wintertime glaze pocket knowing that I could discreetly access the gun in an unknown state of affairs and fire the gun from the pocket if I needed.  Since the Tactical Pocket Pistol lacks whatsoever external moving parts, it is theoretically as reliable every bit the revolver when shooting from a pocket.

I carried the Tactical Pocket Pistol in 3 different ways: a pocket holster, a belly band and an ankle holster.  All three methods of carry were comfortable and presented no problems.

When compared to a snub nose revolver, I found the gun offered a reduction in printing due to the sparse, flat design.

Conclusion

The DoubleTap Tactical Pocket Pistol is a niche gun that serves a very specific purpose:  shut-in defensive work for people needing a gun that conceals very well.  This is not a firearm that you volition accept to the range for an afternoon’south shooting, nor will you desire to run this gun through an eight hour block of range pedagogy.

Capacity is limited, as is ammunition selection.  It would be piece of cake to dismiss this gun because of what it is not.

However, if you notice yourself belly-to-belly with a felon, fighting for your very life, you can jam this into his side and stop the fight with a pair of .45-caliber holes through the thoracic cavity.  A contact shot will not take the gun out of battery, and there are no moving parts for clothing to get caught in preventing a follow-upwards shot.

It'south tough for me to recommend this gun. I did not have any show stopping problems during my testing of the gun that I tin definitively say was a gun issue. All the same, the ammunition problem and the documented issues that other people have had practice cause me a great deal of business.

Too, the lack of accuracy beyond several yards creates a real problem for me. Especially when the gun just has two rounds in information technology to brainstorm with. Frankly, I recall in that location are meliorate choices for subcompact pistols on the market that require just a slight compromise for a larger size.

If yous understand what the gun’s strengths and weakness are, you lot may observe it has an important identify in your condom gear. For me, information technology does not.

Recommendation Update

As stated in the above section, the gun offered serious concerns nigh its place equally a defensive handgun. All the same, with the company now having a long list of ammo that will not work reliably with this gun, I accept to withdraw my tepid recommendation of this pistol.

At this time, I cannot recommend this firearm as anything more than a curio or collector's piece. Based on my shooting of the gun and the company's own listing of warnings associated with the use of standard pressure, common defensive rounds, I no longer have the conviction that this gun is safe and reliable for its intended purpose.

Disclaimer

Long time readers know I disclose all of my potential biases in each review. For new readers, this may come as a surprise, but I tell you all of the dirty details behind each review I write.

This gun was loaned to me past DoubleTap for the purposes of review. I initially wrote a review for Guns & Weapons for Constabulary Enforcement magazine, then updated information technology for this article. The magazine review was substantively the same as this review, though shorter by nigh 2,000 words and edited by others for space and content. This is a more complete and comprehensive review.

No promises were made, offered or solicited by anyone to do a positive evaluation of this gun. In fact, I retrieve the folks at DoubleTap and Magtech were both displeased past both this article and the one that ran in the magazine. That's unfortunate, only maybe that volition serve equally an incentive for both companies to meliorate their products.

You, the reader, is my customer. I believe strongly in providing yous the best information possible since you may be relying on this for information prior to making a purchase. I'm not near to sing the praises of a gun that doesn't deserve it any more than I am looking to bad mouth one because of some fan boy tendency. I give information technology to you straight – the adept and the bad.

DoubleTap is not a sponsor or advertiser, nor am I in whatsoever talks for them to exist i.

GunsHolstersAndGear.com is a for-profit website. I do not accuse readers a dime to access the information I provide.

Some of the links on this folio and site are chapter links to companies like Amazon and Palmetto Country Armory. These links take yous to the products mentioned in the article. Should yous decide to purchase something from ane of those companies, I make a modest commission.

The links practise not change your purchase price. I exercise not go to see what any individual purchases.

Any questions or comments about this review? Please leave a comment below. Everyone who reads this site can benefit from your questions or experience.

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