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Old April 6, 2013, 10:01 AM   #1
2tango2
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Had my heart set on Daniels Defense but....

I just sold a Sig M400 enhanced to get a DD M4 V5LW. Price on the DD is 1450.

Since last week 2 things happened. I stopped on Sig today to buy a Pmag and they hit me with super aggressive pricing on.a M400 Enhanced FDE. 25 above cost. I've also saw a M&P 15 mid length FDE as well. Both of those would save me about 500 over the DD. I'd have to sink a few more $$ into the DD as well sights new hand grip etc

In any event......worth the extra $$ for the DD over the other 2?
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Old April 6, 2013, 12:28 PM   #2
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NO , think what you can have if you put the $500+ you saved in to one of the others , Simple math to me , total custom gun for the same price . Really if your ready to spend $1500+ . You could build a very nice one for that no problem . BCG are hard to come by now but give it a couple months . You can trick out a PSA upper and have just as good a AR as most
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Old April 6, 2013, 04:02 PM   #3
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Daniel Defense definitely is worth the extra money - if you need that kind of quality and reliability. As I remember from another thread, you also have a Windham so give it plenty of thought and decide which rifles to sell and which to own. I like the SIG M400 but myself I have DD, BCM and PSA ARs.
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Old April 7, 2013, 09:33 AM   #4
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Daniel Defense definitely is worth the extra money - if you need that kind of quality and reliability. As I remember from another thread, you also have a Windham so give it plenty of thought and decide which rifles to sell and which to own. I like the SIG M400 but myself I have DD, BCM and PSA ARs.
Just curious out of the ARs you have and with your real world experience with them. What truly makes the DD stand out and worth more than the others. Can you give some insight on actual things like accuracy, any kind of malfunctions that keep the weapons from firing, stuff like that.
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Old April 7, 2013, 05:16 PM   #5
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Just curious out of the ARs you have and with your real world experience with them. What truly makes the DD stand out and worth more than the others. Can you give some insight on actual things like accuracy, any kind of malfunctions that keep the weapons from firing, stuff like that.
Well I'll try to keep it short since this isn't my thread. As far as accuracy my DD is built more as basic duty rifle (and has a pencil barrel) so 2-2.5 MOA is about all I get with it with M193, M855, etc. This is roughly the same as my BCM and PSA which are built to the same format, LW 16" midlengths. As you can see I'm not a target shooter nor do I try to be. The DD and BCM have been extremely reliable over thousands of rounds, malfunctions have been a few stuck steel cases which of course is common. No issues with quality ammo. The PSA is quite new and doesn't have a lot of rounds down the pipe yet. The DD and BCM are roughly the same quality for roughly the same price. The PSA is a few hundred cheaper and is high quality for the money - it's very close to the other two. My DD has the CHF barrel and the BCM and PSA do not.

Back to 2tango2, he's comparing quite different rifles, the DD M4V5 LW has a quality DD 12" rail and hammer forged barrel. Those features and others naturally increase the price over the Sig M400 which is a basic carbine that used to sell at Walmart for $900 or so. The M&P-15 midlength probably is a nicer rifle than the M400 but I haven't compared them. And he also has a Windham.

Really in the end he's going to have to answer his own question, the DD costs more but it is worth it to those who want the extra features and quality. Does he need that kind of rifle? He'll have to decide that. I just was pointing out that Daniel Defense is worth the money.

Last edited by Quentin2; April 7, 2013 at 05:25 PM.
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Old April 8, 2013, 06:55 AM   #6
2tango2
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Had my heart set on Daniels Defense but....

Brought home the DD today. Sure is nice! Going to be adding an ACS stock, MOE + grip and already having MBUS sights sent. All in FDE

Looked at the M400 again at the Sig Academy and decided the FDE finish didn't look like it would up over time. So opted for the DD


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Old April 8, 2013, 07:25 AM   #7
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Re: Had my heart set on Daniels Defense but....

Great choice!I have the M4V5.You will love it.Throw some mbus or the like on there and a optic and go to work.Congratulations.Have you seen their torture test video on YouTube?http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=WCBcV...%3DWCBcV2Nb2Wo

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Old April 8, 2013, 07:48 AM   #8
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Re: Had my heart set on Daniels Defense but....

No, I do not think the DD is worth the extra money for a firearm I plan to keep. If you are a horse trader then the DD may be worth it because in normal times it sells for more so it equals out.

I have PSA, Colt with WOA upper, RRA, YHM, DD and a M&P. They all do the same job just about equally. Actually they all do the same thing because in general, they are the same gun.

The ONLY thing that sets them apart real world is accuracy. The WAO and RRA are much more accurate. Each have been to at least one class so they have been ran, hard.

The name stamped on the lower is what makes the largest difference. Some of the testing and materials cost a hair more to manufacture but the usefulness of those said differences (CHF, particle testing, staked castle nut, etc...) haven't proven out unless you are a "fast mover". But some just wanna say they have the best, good on'em.

I wouldn't purchase the higher priced AR's again but I am a horse trader so it equals out for me. Another exception is if funds were not an issue them you may as well get the "best". If not then I would use that money saved to buy another firearm on your want list. $500 can get you a new Ruger GP 100, XDM, Ruger 10/22 takedown, etc...
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Old April 8, 2013, 05:28 PM   #9
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Very nice rifle, 2tango2! You won't be sorry you invested in a quality AR, in fact that's a real good price since ARs haven't come all the way down from inflated prices.

I'm sure you've heard this saying:

"You'll remember the quality of a gun long after you forget how much you paid for it."
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Old April 8, 2013, 08:04 PM   #10
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GREAT CHOICE!! I love my DD V2. you can NEVER go wrong with Daniel Defense. their rails are top of the line along with all their other parts. they use the lightest and strongest materials. def check out their torture test vid thats been posted. just slapped an aimpoint Pro on mine along with a troy rear flip up sight. ENJOY!!
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Old April 11, 2013, 01:59 PM   #11
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Yes! DD is worth the money; they are reliable, accurate and have great customer services. I bought my Daniel Defense M4V3 - LW two years ago and with thousands of rounds through it without any hiccups, it was worth every bit of the $$$ spent. I paid $1350 for mine and you will love it so much you might buy another one.
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Old April 13, 2013, 08:33 PM   #12
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For a range gun the DD may not be worth the extra money, for a rifle you depend your life on, yes.
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Old April 14, 2013, 02:39 AM   #13
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The WAO and RRA are much more accurate. Each have been to at least one class so they have been ran, hard.
The Rock River ARs tens to get a bit of a bad rep as they aren't milspec and what not, but everyone who own one seems to love theirs and have no problems with them, and also seem to be able to get great accuracy out of them, well under 1moa with a heavy barrel one.

Not that this adds anything to this tread, but its something I have noticed looking through AR threads.
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Old April 14, 2013, 02:55 AM   #14
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Had my heart set on Daniels Defense but....

I think my DD M4V1 was well worth the extra. It runs circles around friends' ARs at the range. Fewer stoppages, tighter feel, and prettier to boot.

Buy once, cry once.
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Old April 14, 2013, 04:20 PM   #15
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What I'm noticing is these DD have a few extra do dads that drive up there cost . (in a good way ) . In my first post I was not thinking the gun was going to have a quad rail , front grip , Magpul stock and other things these DD have . Sure they are worth it . I was trying to comparing apples to apples . That said I would not have a problem buying a PSA or Del-Ton dressed up the same way for 1 or 2 hundred less .
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Old April 15, 2013, 11:15 AM   #16
2tango2
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Had my heart set on Daniels Defense but....

This is what looks like now with some Magpul additions. Should have a MOE FDE pistol grip delivered tomorrow. Debating a AFG2 as well. Pictured with it is my xDs and Shield

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Old April 15, 2013, 01:26 PM   #17
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I bought a V7LW on Friday and couldn't be happier with it. I installed an AFG2 and got a set of Magpul BUIS sighted in yesterday. Their MFR rail with the mid-length gas system was a big selling point for me as well as DD's reputation for quality and customer service.

I really liked the spec on this rifle, I didn't have to replace anything to get exactly what I wanted... I just installed the AFG2, BUIS and RSA and I had exactly what I would have built otherwise.
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Old April 15, 2013, 01:35 PM   #18
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So tango, what did you do to that XDs? I mean, the grip surface is certainly not the factory one.

I don't feel the need to modify the grip on mine, since it is anchored in my hand quite well by the aggressive grooves. There is a little "bit of a bite" around the grip safety but I can live with that.

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Old May 7, 2013, 09:51 AM   #19
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Bart Noir, Those look like Talon rubber texture grips on the XDs. I put them on mine and really like them.
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Old May 7, 2013, 12:12 PM   #20
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DD might have a bit higher premium than some of the other normal high quality brands like LMT, Colt, and BCM. But they're most definitely a very viable choice. Sure maybe a couple of 100$ more but that's the buyer's decision. I personally use BCM it's all i have and the price i right for me. My point is if i went to a store looking for a carbine and they didn't have BCM but had DD for around the same price i wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
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