Diamondback 380

I own a DB.
I paid 325.00 for mine but that was a special deal offered to me by my FFL as I have bought several firearms through GunBroker and used him as the transfer FFL.
Others out there go for 345-400.00.
At this time this is the only pistol they make.
Even though mine is back at DB for a warranty repair I do like it and especially like how easy it is to field strip and the fact that no tools are necessary to perform this task.
The only thing I know about the company is they make a nice air boat and now have started producing this pistol.
I think before long they will become very popular.
Google Diamondback firearms and give them a call to locate a dealer near you.

So far Winchester whitebox 95 gr. fmj appears to work great.
I bought some Fiochii FMJ and the pistol had issues with that.
After I get it back which should be today or very soon there after I am going to use some MagTech and PMC and some newer Winchester whitebox 92 gr round nose fmj to see how it does with that.
A few pages back on this forum I did a few range reports on mine including an explanation of why it went back to DB for a warranty repair.
This pistol is more ergonomically correct for my hand than the LCP or Kel-Tec P3AT.
Is very comfortable to shoot.

I havent shot one yet but I did get to handle one at a local shop. When I first got a look at it I was pleasantly suprised, it is smaller than it looks. The sights are very good for a pocket pistol and the trigger was NICE. Smooth and light like a Kahr but better (shorter) travel and takeup.


Im not in the market for any more pocket pistols myself but that little gun has made me think about getting "just one more". The word around the gun shops is the guy's making this nice little handgun are former employees of kel-tec.

More info here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=505583

More info is also available here: Diamondback Forum

I have some Herters .380ACP ammo in transit so we'll see how well it works. Initial reports on this ammo seem mostly positive.

My Diamondback now has over 300 rounds through it and it is easily the best shooting pocket 380 I have shot. The high grip axis makes for fast follow up shots, felt recoil is significantly less than my other pocket 380s and the sights are very good.

I believe that because of the tight fit the pistol needs a little more break in than pistols like the P-3AT & LCP. I had some initial extraction problems that I thought were due to me using KelTec P-3AT magazines, but after about 200 rounds everything extracts and ejects fine.

I have shot Winchester flat point, PMC bronze, Gold Dot, American Eagle fmj, Herters Brass cased, Remington jhp and Buffalo Bore jhp and all function perfectly since around the 200 round mark.

As far as ease of disassembly yes it is very easy, but if it were harder I'd still love this pistol for it's shooting and accuracy qualities.

You can see the difference in the grip axis compared to my P-3ATs here.....

GunLvrNLearner said:

Is this new 380 the only gun made by this company?

Whats the story/background on this gun/company?

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The DB380 is currently the only firearm Diamondback Firearms has made.

The people behind Diamondback Firearms have decades of experience making boats.

The Diamondback? Stamped sheet metal and plastic squished into the shape of a Glock. Perhaps a generational thing, but the venerable respect for materials fit and finish has fallen woefully in favor of the black gun mystique.

Alas.

Harvey said:

The Diamondback? Stamped sheet metal and plastic squished into the shape of a Glock. Perhaps a generational thing, but the venerable respect for materials fit and finish has fallen woefully in favor of the black gun mystique.

Alas.

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What "Stamped sheet metal" are you referring to on the Diamondback and what do you find wrong with fit and finish on the Diamondback?

I received my Diamondback back from repair this past Thursday.
The magazine starting popping out after each round fired.
This started at round number 218.
According to the work sheet thay replaced the magazine release spring and fired 18 rounds through it.
Took it to the range Friday and blasted 45 PMC FMJ rounds through it and another 45 of Magtech FMJ with only one fail to eject.
Tried 10 Hornady Critical Defense and had a couple of issues of failing to load when racking the slide.
Since most hollow points are probably not going to expand at the slow speeds coming out of such a short barrel pistol I think I will just stick to a reliable feeding FMJ and call it a day.
Mine is well broken in now and has had a total of 410 put through it.
Fwiw a few other Diamondbacks owners have reported the same magazine release issues as well.
If the pistol shows no other issues after a couple of hundred more rounds I will call it reliable.
My accuracy is getting pretty good with it too.
I really like my Diamondback.

Brought mine last week I went to the range and ran about 100 rounds through mine. It has been flawless. I have the one that has a nickel slide. I ran a box of pmc and then a box Magtech 380 through the gun. The magtech ammo is very dirty ammo but the little gun ate it up with no problems so I can't complain. I wish it had a slide lock on it but I knew that when I brought it.

My only issue is it can be hard to actually chamber the first round. But everything is working good for me. My buddy had a similar issue with his LCP when he first got it . So this issue I am attributing to user error.

I will say if you have one make sure you chamber a round and pull the slide all the way back it has stiff springs so it going to take a couple of hundred rounds to loosen it up.

kokapelli said:

What "Stamped sheet metal" are you referring to on the Diamondback and what do you find wrong with fit and finish on the Diamondback?

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Seventy-five dollars worth of sheet metal, pot metal and black plastic. The parts with any respect or import at all include the slide and the barrel. Just my opinion, no more.

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1187396

I take no issue with the Diamondback, simply wouldn't choose to own one, regardless how Glock-like they look. And I choose not to own a Glock. I do, however, own a few Mustangs.

Harvey said:

Seventy-five dollars worth of sheet metal, pot metal and black plastic. The parts with any respect or import at all include the slide and the barrel. Just my opinion, no more.

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1187396

I take no issue with the Diamondback, simply wouldn't choose to own one, regardless how Glock-like they look. And I choose not to own a Glock. I do, however, own a few Mustangs.

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But by making unspecific statements you are taking issue with the Diamondback and I suspect without ever shooting one or possibly ever handling one.

The question was "What "Stamped sheet metal" are you referring to on the Diamondback?"

You said "the parts with any respect or import at all include the slide and the barrel." What does that mean?

Well I own a Mustang PocketLite and it is a nice pistol and for whatever reasons is probably worth twice as much today as the Diamondback but is no where near as a comfortable to carry in pocket mode as the Diamondback,LCP,P3AT,etc.
The biggest drawback with the Mustang is that sharp beavertail and the hammer spur in the cocked and locked phase.
That really gets in the way for my comfort in pocket mode.

Nothing wrong with the Diamondback. I also don't care if they made boats before they made guns. A new gun company is always a risk of defects. Back in the 70's people would have said even worse things about a company that makes shovels in austria and started to make a plastic gun. Turned out that plastic gun was pretty reliable and now has a huge following.

The Diamondback has some good engineering in it there is no doubt about that. Once they have a reputation the gun could easily go for as much as a P380. I am sure they are only going to get better. I have a feeling they are going to sell a lot them. After buying one and getting 100 rounds though it I am going to say this is probably the best pocket 380 out there for price and design. The only gun that compares is the kahr p380. Since that gun is double the price the Diamondback 380 is probably a better buy.

I agree Tiger and not just because I bought a DB.
I really believe these guns are going to become pretty popular due to their simplicity,accuracy and last ergonomics.
I have fired more than once a 100 rounds at the range with no issues from sore hands/wrist.
They are not perfect but they are very good.

kokapelli said:

But by making unspecific statements you are taking issue with the Diamondback and I suspect without ever shooting one or possibly ever handling one.

The question was "What "Stamped sheet metal" are you referring to on the Diamondback?"

You said "the parts with any respect or import at all include the slide and the barrel." What does that mean?

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Not to belabor the issue, but save the barrel and slide, the rest of the gun is pot metal, sheet metal and plastic - all prone to failure as mentioned here http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1187396

You can view the parts diagram here http://www.diamondbackfirearms.com noting that even the firing pin is constructed of sheet metal, tipped with steel.

By all means, spend your money freely, but the Diamondback is simply not something I choose to own; not something I'd choose to include in a collection of venerable weaponry.

PS: and yes, I've handled and fired the Diamondback. It shoots just fine.

Harvey,

At some point all guns have sheet or pot metal in them except for the barrel and slide.

All guns have issues and malfunction at some point. If you use bad ammo I guarantee you it will jam no matter what gun we are talking about.

Nothing wrong with a 1911 but they do need to be kept clean to work properly. Great for a gun guy horrible for a gun in the pocket.

Diamond back is keeping the cost down in the real world that is important. All gun companies do this wouldn't question this logic at all. A perfect gun that can last forever is going to cost too much. If they came out with a new gun from a new gun company for $1000 no one would buy it. At at around $350 they can get them out the door and gain a reputation. Don't be surprised if a lot people start buying these things to carry.

There's a comprehensive review of the Diamondback from a couple of months ago at http://www.gunblast.com/Diamondback380.htm.

Before the usual Jeff Quinn bashers jump in I'm just saying it's a thorough review, with detailed pics and video of the gun being fired. I for one like his gun reviews, however I know there are naysayers.

Yes they made boats at one time. But a little over 6 years went into the design of this gun. Its the ONLY .380 with a steel handle and can be shot under water, dropped in sand, shaken off and shot etc. Accuracy cannot be beat with any pistol of the same caliber. This gun is f*cking amazing.

BS its accuracy cannot be beat

maybe if you neglect to include mustangs.

I took my Diamondback to the range Friday along with my Colt Mustang Pocketlite.
My Diamondback is well broken in now and has over 500 rounds put through it.
Very accurate pistol.
I tried out a box of S&B FMJ that I ordered thru Midway and it just shot and shot and shot.
Except for Fiochii fmj and Hornady Critical Defense it just shoots with any ammo without issues.
My Mustang did not have any issues with the Hornady's.
I like both pistols but carry my Diamondback on a daily basis because it is more comfortable to pocket carry in the RKBA pocket holster that was made for it.
And 380 ammo is now getting to be found at the local level.
I bought four boxes of 92 grain Winchester Whitebox on Saturday.

There is a poll at DIAMONDBACK TALK about the Diamondback reliability that indicates a lot of problems with the little pistol.

73% of the voters are having problems with their pistols and that's way to much for me so even though I really liked the way the Diamondback shoots I replaced mine with a Taurus TCP.

The link to the poll is...
http://www.diamondbacktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=122