Diamondback Arms 380 and 9mm

[Char-Gar]

Two weeks ago while at the shooting range/gun store, my buddy the dealer had two very small autopistols made by Diamondback Arms. One was a .380 and the other a little larger 9mm. We field striped them and they are very Glock like in construction. They appear to be very well machined and made. We fired a couple of clips through each and they ran just fine.

Anybody have an experience with these guns. Looks like they could be very good pocket pistols.

[subsonic]

I am only familiar with the .380. The reviews i have seen are positive and the one i looked at seemed pretty decent. I'd put it on par with a Kel-tec P3AT or LCP. There are things inherent to tiny lightweight pocket autos that make me dislike them in general, so i personally would pass on one of these in favor of something with a rotating cylinder. I had a P3AT and it did not inspire the same confidence that my .38 spl J-frame does, although It was easier to carry.

[Char-Gar]

I am not autopistol adverse, if they are reliable. I have used a Walter PPK for a carry weapon for ten years now and it is starting to get a little heavy.

[subsonic]

If you like it, get it. Run a couple hundred rds of your chosen carry ammo through it before you stake your life on it though.

I have no problem trusting autos that are the compact version of a larger model or bigger. It's only the pocket guns that I don't trust.

[Treeman]

The 9mm in my possession (belongs to my shooting buddy) is extremely accurate for a mini but it groups horribly low.-I'm not a fan of the "tactical sight picture:".l Does anyone know of a source for a higher rear sight?

[bobthenailer]

See if the factory makes a higher rear sight ? or possibley reduce the height of the front sight
are the easyiest soultions . or you could try refitting the rear sight and put a shim under it to raise the rear sight!

[jameslovesjammie]

My friend's wife was going to get one. Alot of the reviews I have seen typed online have been good, but I watched a few vids on YouTube and some people are having problems with them.

Here is the first, which documents 2 different ones failing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmcyyJ83TNg

Here is the same guy and his gunsmith, who also had problems with his.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GitEcR-DlOc&feature=relmfu

Here is a vid of one with stopages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKovR9Xl8c8

Another vid of them failing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cND0dlwdtVw&feature=related

Failing again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIS7EHXjzE&feature=related

Another broken DB380

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MLlgCJBGxM&feature=related

This guy got one back from Diamondback and is selling his.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7tRLrOiNMk

Alot of good reviews on paper and alot of problems from actual users.

[Multigunner]

Some of the recent crop of .380 auto pistols have very badly cut feed ramps that leave far too much of the case head and body unsuported.
After seeing photos of one of these showing how nearly half the case body was exposed I checked my FN 1922 barrel and found that the entire case body is supported with only the extractor groove visible in the feed ramp cut. This older design is much superior in this regard.
Why so many modern autoloaders repeat this well known flaw of the Colt 1911 I'll never know.
The Colt .45 ACP is a fairly low pressure cartridge and with good ammo the small unsuported portion is unlikely to blow out, but the number of blow outs of modern .40 S&W chambered autos as well as some of the hotter loaded 9mm pistols with unsuported case heads should have caused the designers to take heed long before now.

The original .45 ACP design called for a very rounded nosed bullet, much like the later .455 Webley Auto cartridge. The slightly longer nose of the .45 ACP cartridge as we know it might be why the feed ramp was cut so deep now intruding into the chamber.
Though this caused no problems with standard pressure .45 ACP ammo it did require that higher pressure ammo be loaded using cases with a much thicker web.

[Treeman]

Bob, I would ordinarily just file down the front sight.....but with the DB 9 that would mean totally removing it and just making a mark on the front of the slide. It is STOOPID low with a normal sight picture. I realize that many people buy pocket pistols for handshaking distances and don't use the sights much more than waving the front in the direction of the target. However,my buddy and I were plinking with the DB at 140 yards. We have the unconventional notion that a person should be able to use a defensive handgun at distance if it should become necessary.