thoughts on Daniel Defense M4

[griz1]

Does anyone have experience with the Daniels Defense M4. They have the Larry Vickers Signature M4 on there website for $3,000. It does have all the bells and whistles, but that is a large chunk of change. I know you can put an AR together for less than that. It does have Micro-T1 and Sureifre X-300 light which are expensive. They are going to put some more together because the first 250 sold. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[JoeMal]

If you don't care for the T1 or the X300, you can buy 3 BCMs or Spikes for that

Or buy one or the other and have plenty leftover for your T1, X300, and ammo

 

[kwelz]

DD makes top notch stuff. A friend of mine has one of the Vickers Carbine and it is a good gun. However the cost isn't just for the raw parts but also for the collectors value.

My primary training gun is a DD and frankly except for Noveske I think it is hard to do better.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

DD stuff is very high quality. Cold hammer forged (CHF) barrels are superior to standard cut rifle barrels because of their durability. I only use components from a select number of manufacturers for my customer builds, and DD is one of them. You will spend a little bit more for the LAV M4, but as stated above, there's some collector's markup. If you want the gun without the accessories and want to outfit it yourself, just get the DD M4 V1.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

DD is high quality. Good stuff.

 

[kwelz]

Since I have more time now I thought I would make a couple of other points.

1:They are selling CHF barrel guns at the price most companies are selling Button rifled guns.

2: They make almost every part in house. Most companies source their parts. Of course many like BCM have very high requirements for the level of parts they will accept and therefor put out a HIGH quality product. DD went the route of making things in house. The few things that are not made in house have extremely high requirements. Vendors must provide certifications, etc.

Last year I built a Gun using exclusively DD parts. I was going to buy one outright but I wanted a 14.5 inch gun and it was easier to purchase the upper and lower separately. I also found it a bit cheaper to purchase a stripped lower and build it up myself using a Daniel Defense LPK.

As I mentioned in my above post it has become my main training gun. So far it only has about 5K rounds through it in 6 months or so but it has proven to be 100% reliable in that time. Total investment in the gun, not counting optics, is only about 1200 and that includes the VLTOR IMOD, Tango Down Grip, Omega Rail, blackout Flash Hider, etc.

 

[Derek Zeanah]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. I've toured the facility and was incredibly impressed. Top notch guns, and top notch people.

 

[Quentin]

Nice looking rifle, kwelz! And built right.

I also ordered a DD upper during the end of year sale and am pleased with it. The price was right and CHF was basically thrown in for free. My DD is basically a 16" V3 LW.

griz1, the Vickers model is amazing but I think they should offer a midlength version too. At $3000 I would build my own DD since you can bring in a similar design much cheaper.

 

[kwelz]

Nice looking rifle, kwelz! And built right.

Thanks. It has kind of become my pride and Joy. Yes my Noveske is probably a better gun. And I have a couple custom builds that are more interesting. But there is just something about this one...

I also ordered a DD upper during the end of year sale and am pleased with it. The price was right and CHF was basically thrown in for free.

I wish I had done this. I could have saved another couple of hundred by going through Smartgunner.

The Vickers model is amazing but I think they should offer a midlength version too.

Will never happen. The Vickers carbine is a special case Set up to Mr. Vickers exact specifications. Just like the above is my "Perfect gun" for training the Vickers carbine is his. That is the appeal of it to most people. No doubt it is a great gun By the Carbine FSB is my biggest beef. That is right where I want to put my support hand when shooting. I really need a 10 inch rail to be comfortable but I can make a Middy work. A carbine with a FSB is a recipe for a burnt hand in my case.

 

[Z-Michigan]

DD makes great stuff. In the recent past you could find their standard M4 model for $1200 or less with some shopping. I think they raised prices at 1/1/11, but it's still one very good deal. Here's one at AIM:
http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1DDM4&name=Daniel+Defense+M4+.223/5.56+Rifle&groupid=11

If you have $1000+ to spend, I would look mostly at models from Daniel Defense, Colt, and Bravo Company. There are excellent rifles below their price point (e.g. an $800 Spike's Tactical), but not by a lot, and if you go with one of those three you can be confident that every important detail has been done right.