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treefarmernc · April 29, 2012, 12:33 PM

After about a year of sitting on the fence between the DB9 and the 380 pastures I decided to saddle up the pocket 9mm. I kept looking at the DB9 and the small 380’s (mainly the LCP) and in the end I decided that I would rather stick with my harder hitting 9mm rather than having to add 380 to the ammo receipt.

Made the purchase at my LGS a little over 3 weeks ago and finally was able to make it to the range last Saturday. It is a DB9 EX with nickel boron coated slide and came in a plain, slick, black plastic case with the gun well secured in its foam rubber cutout. Also included was a simple trigger block and small master lock.

First up was my primary carry piece a Ruger SR9c. Handling the Ruger gave me time to practice and also a basis to judge the Diamondback. For the DB9 I brought 100 rounds of Remington UMC 115gr FMG for the primary break-in followed by 15 rounds of Hornady 115 JHP/XTP and 12 rounds Remington 124gr Golden Sabers. The DB9 came with only one 6 round magazine giving me plenty of thumb exercise.

The first 100 rounds of Rem. FMJ went fairly well. I did have 3 Failures to load and 1 fail to fire. Knowing what I was doing at the time and after some handling experiments I concluded the load failures were due to my own error. In all three cases I was too hasty in trying to load the first round resulting in me short stroking the slide. When I was paying attention I had no problems. Practicing good slide handling is a must to overcome the stiff spring in the DB9. There were no load failures with the JHPs.

Of the 127 rounds I had only 1 FTF on one Horhady JHP. It fired on the second try after resetting the firing pin.
My DB9 was firing about 2 inches low at 7 yards. Grouping was surprisingly good with most shots within 3 inches and several 1 inch groupings all from a standing, freehand, two handed position. To acquire this accuracy did take a great deal more concentration and trigger control than usual. The little 9 is snappy but recoil was not as bad as I had suspected.

So far I am impressed with my DB9 and if it will digest another 200 rounds like the first, it will get my final approval.

Pros.:
Use of the 9mm cartridge.
Small enough for pocket carry.
Light weight.
Good sights with windage adjustment.
Grip fills hand better than most pocket 380s.
Easier to find grip while in pocket.
Decent trigger.
Manageable recoil for the size and caliber.

Cons.:
Close to but not as small as many pocket 380s
Not as light as 380’s
Sights are not adjustable for elevation.
Long trigger pull
No safety (if you like safeties)
Stiff spring making slide operation stout.
A little snappy.
Should include a second magazine.

Edit: As stated further down in a post the DB9 is restricted to ammo that is not rated +p, +P+ or any thing above 124gr. Use standard pressure rounds only.

Above remington Golden Saber

Above HornadyJHP/XTP

April 29, 2012, 12:33 PM	#1
treefarmernc Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 186	DB9 review After about a year of sitting on the fence between the DB9 and the 380 pastures I decided to saddle up the pocket 9mm. I kept looking at the DB9 and the small 380’s (mainly the LCP) and in the end I decided that I would rather stick with my harder hitting 9mm rather than having to add 380 to the ammo receipt. Made the purchase at my LGS a little over 3 weeks ago and finally was able to make it to the range last Saturday. It is a DB9 EX with nickel boron coated slide and came in a plain, slick, black plastic case with the gun well secured in its foam rubber cutout. Also included was a simple trigger block and small master lock. First up was my primary carry piece a Ruger SR9c. Handling the Ruger gave me time to practice and also a basis to judge the Diamondback. For the DB9 I brought 100 rounds of Remington UMC 115gr FMG for the primary break-in followed by 15 rounds of Hornady 115 JHP/XTP and 12 rounds Remington 124gr Golden Sabers. The DB9 came with only one 6 round magazine giving me plenty of thumb exercise. The first 100 rounds of Rem. FMJ went fairly well. I did have 3 Failures to load and 1 fail to fire. Knowing what I was doing at the time and after some handling experiments I concluded the load failures were due to my own error. In all three cases I was too hasty in trying to load the first round resulting in me short stroking the slide. When I was paying attention I had no problems. Practicing good slide handling is a must to overcome the stiff spring in the DB9. There were no load failures with the JHPs. Of the 127 rounds I had only 1 FTF on one Horhady JHP. It fired on the second try after resetting the firing pin. My DB9 was firing about 2 inches low at 7 yards. Grouping was surprisingly good with most shots within 3 inches and several 1 inch groupings all from a standing, freehand, two handed position. To acquire this accuracy did take a great deal more concentration and trigger control than usual. The little 9 is snappy but recoil was not as bad as I had suspected. So far I am impressed with my DB9 and if it will digest another 200 rounds like the first, it will get my final approval. Pros.: Use of the 9mm cartridge. Small enough for pocket carry. Light weight. Good sights with windage adjustment. Grip fills hand better than most pocket 380s. Easier to find grip while in pocket. Decent trigger. Manageable recoil for the size and caliber. Cons.: Close to but not as small as many pocket 380s Not as light as 380’s Sights are not adjustable for elevation. Long trigger pull No safety (if you like safeties) Stiff spring making slide operation stout. A little snappy. Should include a second magazine. Edit: As stated further down in a post the DB9 is restricted to ammo that is not rated +p, +P+ or any thing above 124gr. Use standard pressure rounds only. Above remington Golden Saber Above HornadyJHP/XTP __________________ The mightiest oak in the forest was once only a little nut that stuck its ground. Last edited by treefarmernc; April 30, 2012 at 06:00 AM.