Diamondback DB9 - Have they gotten better or still garbage?

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StrikeFire83

StrikeFire83

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With all of the talk about "pocket" handguns, I was wondering what the consensus was on the Diamondback DB9. This thing:

http://diamondbackfirearms.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74

I've heard a lot of mixed things on this gun, with the balance of the information across three gun forums being negative. Guns with scores of jams/misfeeds, guns glowing up, triggers literally snapping off. Bad stuff.

The only reason I'm still mildly interested is that at .80" thick and exactly 4" high, this pocket 9mm is really the only one that approaches Rohrbaugh territory.

Any info you guys have is much appreciated.
 
I bought one, for the size being the reason, but it's back to Diamondback because of the multable FTF and jams. We'll see if it comes back in working condition. LM
 
Mine works fine but I might have just been lucky.....

It's picky about ammo and very susceptible to limp wristing. It's no range toy either, unpleasent to shoot is a bit of an understatement.

Overall though for me it's great. 9mm in a package that's not much bigger than my P3-AT. The DB-9 is the gun I carry most often.
 
It doesn't have a slide lock - which is a deal breaker.

You need three hands to clear a doublefeed stoppage because you can't lock the slide open to rip the magazine from the pistol.

Tap, Rack, which is the initial immediate action to clear a stoppage, will sometimes induce a doublefeed.
 
Shawn Dodson, I hear what you're saying, and I agree with it in principle, but in the middle of a gun fight, I'm thinking that slide stop or no slide stop, if you get a doublefeed stoppage you're toast either way. These tiny guns are compromises.

I just want to know if the things are still regularly blowing up, triggers snapping off, and numerous ftf even with FMJ.
 
You need three hands to clear a doublefeed stoppage because you can't lock the slide open to rip the magazine from the pistol.
Click to expand...

No, just two hands with decent strength and a little technique. I have no problem holding the slide back with the same hand that is holding the gun, and using the other hand to free the mag.
 
So as of now, we have:

1 "Mine worked 100% right out of the box and still does"

and

1 "Mine was a pos that had FTF and jams, I sent it back to the factory, waiting to get it back"

Anybody else?
 
StrikeFire83, I hope your not quoting me, as I did not say mine was a POS, it just didn't work right. I have an idea of whats wrong with mine, but I'm not going to mess with it. FWIW, I think the guide rod, at least the guide rod in my pistol, has too much play where the two parts connect together, causing it to tilt one way or the other, then that causes the spring to catch on it. I could try to go into detail but lets just say the guide rod is in two pieces joined by a pin, and the recoil spring is the only thing keeping it together. LM
 
I read lots of reviews on the DB9 both negative and positive before i decided to purchase one. My experience thus far with this pistol has been very positive and i have no regrets with my purchase. I just finished putting another 75rds through mine yesterday and it still hasn't missed a beat. I've shot 4 different types of ammo 200rds total. These include (PMC 115gr FMJ, Federal 115gr FMJ, Federal 124gr JHP, and Remington 124gr Golden Saber JHP) and all have shot without one hiccup and with zero problems. Im loving this little gun and am very impressed with it thus far. I shot from 14ft and 20ft and had no problems shooting groups at those distances. The accuracy appears to be good as long as i do my part and i think it will only get better the more i shoot it and get use to the gun. As for recoil it's stout and a little snappy but it's not bad at all for such a small framed 9mm and is in no way uncomfortable to shoot for me. I ordered a holster from Diamondback and the DB9 is now my primary CCW and i carry it with full confidence that it will perform should the situation arise. I really hope i never have to find out.
 
Quote:
Mine works fine . . .
It's picky about ammo and very susceptible to limp wristing.

Those statements don't seem to mesh well together .
Click to expand...

add:

The DB-9 is the gun I carry most often.
Click to expand...

None of that meshes well with me. If it easy to limp wrist and I didn't have faith in its reliability except for certain ammo, I can safely say I would carry it at all.
 
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It works great for me and is very reliable but for some reason when my nephew tries to shoot it he gets a failure to feed on the second shot, my guess is limp wristing.

The first 2 or 3 hundred rounds through the gun were 115g fmj but I prefer to shoot 125g HP ammo for Delf Defense. When I tried the Gold Dot and HST I had it didn't like them but has been 100% with Rem Golden Saber or HD home defense which has a more rounded bullet profile.
 
Interesting enough the Remington Golden Sabers were the only hollow points that would reliably feed thru my DB380...Err,both of them actually,the original as well as the factory replacement after the original died.
I mentioned this to a guy that also bought a DB9 and his too runs good on this ammo,but he has only fire two boxes thru his.

Mr.Scott,how many rounds have you actually put thru that DB380??
Less than 500 I would venture to say.
 
kokapelli, thanks for that link. That, combined with the sentiments here and on other forums, have convinced me that this brand is simply a no-go. I'm sure they put out working models, but it seems that you have a pretty high likelihood of getting a lemon.

I've only dealt with one junk gun in my life, a Kimber Custom II that never worked reliably, and I'm not going through that again.
 
To be fair, the diamondback forum is mostly utilized by people that have had problems. You don't hear about all the good experiences. I have an 6.0L Powerstroke in my F250, and if I would have listened to the forum I belong to, where I heard horror story after horror story, I never would have bought mine. I'm glad I bought mine - 123,xxx miles no problem. The same goes with firearm forums - most posts are about the problems. I have a DB380 and a DB9. The DB380 is going back this week for a trigger issue. The Diamondback customer service is second to none. They will not stop helping you until you are happy. My DB9 has about 50 rounds through it, and the issues are few and far between. I am not going to worry about issues until I hit the 250-300 round mark, as they recommend. If there is a problem, I am 100% they will make it right.
 
I actually went out today and decided to run some more ammo through it - about 150 rounds. Very few issues - a couple of ftf. The last 5 or 6 mags were flawless, and I even intentionally limp-wristed a couple of times, and it still ran perfect. Hopefully a sign of a long, trouble-free life!
 
Sorry booboo22 but that just aint so.
I can say right now that my original DB380 cratered somewhere around the 900-1000 round mark.
It was an early production model.
To Diamondback's credit they sent me a completely new pistol with a much higher serial number designation.
It has been back twice.
At around the 400 round mark it had a catastrophic failure in which the trigger bar assembly broke,which is quite common on these.
They repaired it but the returned unit could not feed a single magazine without choking.
Back it went.
The return appears fine but it's my honest opinion that these pistols are 500-1000 round disposable guns.
Shoot yours more and get back to us.
 
Good info about these DB's. I've went through a few pocket pistols such as LC9, Pf9, 709/740Slim but I've never considered a DB9 or 380.
 
Like I said, I hope mine lasts a long time. But to say they are throw away guns based on your experience is a bit irresponsible. Conversely, I don't expect someone to run out and get one because they hear good thing from one person either. But as long as I hear about guys running thousands of rounds through theirs with no issues, and as long as I know DB will take care of me if there is an issue, I'll be a happy owner.
 
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I didn't want to chime in on the DB because I liked the design and feel of the DB380 I had, but I also had serious problems with it and eventually got rid of the pistol.

I was active at Diamondback Talk when I had mine and at that time just about everyone there was having problems with their DB380s.

After my experience with a DB there's not a chance I would consider another one until I have seen a lot of reports of at least a couple years of good reliable service from their pistols.
 
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