Questions for Daniel Defense Owners

Armchair Commando · October 1, 2012, 12:07 PM

Let me start off by saying that I am a bit of a noobie when it comes to the AR platform. I have shot a handful but I recently came into a little bit of money and I want to go ahead and purchase my first AR15. I've pretty much decided on a daniel defense. (I've read nothing but glowing reviews and the furniture and accessories that are included are pretty much exactly what I want). I want to get one with the 9 inch quad rail but I have a few questions for you experts.

#1 - I was told by a guy at a local shop that the mid-length gas system is better over the carbine length because it is supposed to provide less felt recoil and keep the gun a bit cleaner. I was hoping someone could elaborate on this a bit more and tell me why I might prefer one system over the other.

#2 - Looking at the models DD offers that fit my requirements, they have a
V4 (Carbine length) and a V3 (Mid length). The V4 has fixed, but removable, sights while the V3 seems to only come with a fixed A2 styled front sight post. Why is this? I can't quite afford optics at the moment but ideally I would like to have the removable sights so that I can replace them with flip up front and rears when I get the money for an EOTech. Is this common among other manufacturers or is the specific to DD? What is involved with removing that A2 style front post if I choose the mid length system?

#3 - What is a fair price for these riffles? The DD website list their prices up to $1800, but I've read reviews with people saying that they found them at local shops for far less.

#4 - Any feedback from DD owners would be greatly appreciated. I would love to know what owners of these riffles have to say about their quality and reliability.

Thanks in advance for those who take the time to answer some of my noobie quistions,
-AC

Technosavant · October 1, 2012, 01:32 PM

1) The midlength gas system really won't keep things cleaner, but on a 16" barrel it feels a touch smoother than the carbine length system. Reason is, the carbine length system was devised for a 14.5" barrel. On a longer barrel you end up with more "dwell time" (the time period that begins with the bullet passing the gas port and ends with the bullet exiting the muzzle; it's essentially the time in which the gas system is getting full pressure). That means gas pressures are higher in the system, and that ends up with the thing cycling a bit rougher. A carbine length system will work just fine, but the preference on a 16" barrel is for a midlength.

2) The fixed front sight won't bother you if you add an EOTech or Aimpoint on down the line. Seriously, it won't. You will be focusing on the reticle/dot and not the front sight post, and if you go for a lower 1/3 cowitness (the iron sights cowitness through your optic at the lower third point of the field of view) mount, it really won't be any thing. IMO, unless you just absolutely hate the idea of a fixed front sight base or just want a really long rail there's really no reason to spend more for the low profile gas block and mount a backup to the rail system.

3) Beats me. You'd probably be doing decently to get it for under $1500, but that depends on whether the gun shops in your area tend to be high or low priced.

Quentin2 · October 1, 2012, 03:27 PM

I agree with Technosavant and would get midlength gas with a 16" barrel or carbine length gas with 14.5". Both give you near the optimal 7" of barrel from the gas port to muzzle, the same as the original 20" design. A 16" barrel with carbine length gas takes you up to 8.5" which does batter things more over time, though you can add an H2 or H3 buffer to try to tame the recoil.

I bought a stripped DDM4 V3 style upper about two years ago and have no problem with the fixed FSB. I also use the bottom 1/3 cowitness or just flip down the rear sight so the red dot "floats" over the front sight. Either way the FSB doesn't bother me. And it doesn't interfere with a 3x scope.

My upper is the LW profile 16" midlength and it's works out very well for me. Only the stripped upper/BCG and LPK are DD. The rest is a S&W stripped lower, BCM receiver extension/H buffer/Gunfighter Mod 4 charging handle and Magpul MOE handguards, MOE grip, CTR stock and MBUS rear sight. If you're interested, doing it this way kept it right at $1K. The DD upper came from Smartgunner.com, prices today are of course higher. Last time I checked $409 with free shipping but they're out of stock a lot.

October 1, 2012, 12:07 PM	#1
Armchair Commando Junior Member Join Date: August 26, 2012 Posts: 9	Questions for Daniel Defense Owners Let me start off by saying that I am a bit of a noobie when it comes to the AR platform. I have shot a handful but I recently came into a little bit of money and I want to go ahead and purchase my first AR15. I've pretty much decided on a daniel defense. (I've read nothing but glowing reviews and the furniture and accessories that are included are pretty much exactly what I want). I want to get one with the 9 inch quad rail but I have a few questions for you experts. #1 - I was told by a guy at a local shop that the mid-length gas system is better over the carbine length because it is supposed to provide less felt recoil and keep the gun a bit cleaner. I was hoping someone could elaborate on this a bit more and tell me why I might prefer one system over the other. #2 - Looking at the models DD offers that fit my requirements, they have a V4 (Carbine length) and a V3 (Mid length). The V4 has fixed, but removable, sights while the V3 seems to only come with a fixed A2 styled front sight post. Why is this? I can't quite afford optics at the moment but ideally I would like to have the removable sights so that I can replace them with flip up front and rears when I get the money for an EOTech. Is this common among other manufacturers or is the specific to DD? What is involved with removing that A2 style front post if I choose the mid length system? #3 - What is a fair price for these riffles? The DD website list their prices up to $1800, but I've read reviews with people saying that they found them at local shops for far less. #4 - Any feedback from DD owners would be greatly appreciated. I would love to know what owners of these riffles have to say about their quality and reliability. Thanks in advance for those who take the time to answer some of my noobie quistions, -AC

October 1, 2012, 01:32 PM	#2
Technosavant Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO area Posts: 4,040	1) The midlength gas system really won't keep things cleaner, but on a 16" barrel it feels a touch smoother than the carbine length system. Reason is, the carbine length system was devised for a 14.5" barrel. On a longer barrel you end up with more "dwell time" (the time period that begins with the bullet passing the gas port and ends with the bullet exiting the muzzle; it's essentially the time in which the gas system is getting full pressure). That means gas pressures are higher in the system, and that ends up with the thing cycling a bit rougher. A carbine length system will work just fine, but the preference on a 16" barrel is for a midlength. 2) The fixed front sight won't bother you if you add an EOTech or Aimpoint on down the line. Seriously, it won't. You will be focusing on the reticle/dot and not the front sight post, and if you go for a lower 1/3 cowitness (the iron sights cowitness through your optic at the lower third point of the field of view) mount, it really won't be any thing. IMO, unless you just absolutely hate the idea of a fixed front sight base or just want a really long rail there's really no reason to spend more for the low profile gas block and mount a backup to the rail system. 3) Beats me. You'd probably be doing decently to get it for under $1500, but that depends on whether the gun shops in your area tend to be high or low priced.

October 1, 2012, 03:27 PM	#3
Quentin2 Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2009 Location: NorthWest USA Posts: 1,996	I agree with Technosavant and would get midlength gas with a 16" barrel or carbine length gas with 14.5". Both give you near the optimal 7" of barrel from the gas port to muzzle, the same as the original 20" design. A 16" barrel with carbine length gas takes you up to 8.5" which does batter things more over time, though you can add an H2 or H3 buffer to try to tame the recoil. I bought a stripped DDM4 V3 style upper about two years ago and have no problem with the fixed FSB. I also use the bottom 1/3 cowitness or just flip down the rear sight so the red dot "floats" over the front sight. Either way the FSB doesn't bother me. And it doesn't interfere with a 3x scope. My upper is the LW profile 16" midlength and it's works out very well for me. Only the stripped upper/BCG and LPK are DD. The rest is a S&W stripped lower, BCM receiver extension/H buffer/Gunfighter Mod 4 charging handle and Magpul MOE handguards, MOE grip, CTR stock and MBUS rear sight. If you're interested, doing it this way kept it right at $1K. The DD upper came from Smartgunner.com, prices today are of course higher. Last time I checked $409 with free shipping but they're out of stock a lot. Last edited by Quentin2; October 1, 2012 at 03:33 PM.