Opinions on the DB380

Glockfan35 · April 27, 2011, 09:17 PM

To those who own or have ever even tried the new Diamondback 380; what's your opinion of it. Is it accurate, comfortable to shoot? Is it picky with ammo? What holster(s) would you recommend? I really would like to try one of these as I think it could work, maybe even with a CrimsonTrace Laserguard! If I like it as much as I think I might, I may even buy the DB9 whenever it comes out. I do like the "Glock-like" look and feel (I had the opportunity to handle one a few months back). I gotta say, I really love this little gem of a pistol! Please be honest and forthcoming with you opinions, as I'll probably buy the next one I see. Also, would you rather buy the Diamondback or some other 380 pocket pistol?

walkamile07 · April 28, 2011, 12:10 AM

I own one and also a ruger lcp. The diamond back is coined the mini glock since glock can't import their 380s to the states. It is NOT comparable in quality to a glock.

Mine has about 100 rounds through it. It got less than 10 through it before I had to send it back to the factory. Brand new gun, bought just this feburary, and it did not function properly out of the box. The trigger bar would not reset enough to catch the sear and release the striker. Good customer service at the factory and a couple of weeks later i have a diamondback that functions properly.

Shooting it even with target ammo proves to have quite a noticable recoil for a gun of its caliber but no worse than other belly guns of its size. People with large hands should take into consideration the slide bite factor on this gun. The "beavertail" is not as forgiving as other pocket pistols. Mine seems to be accurate enough for this type of gun. It does not leave tight groups at 15 yards but it lands them on the paper and mostly in the black with a standing 2 handed grip. The crimson trace laser is one of the best parts of this weapon in my opinion. It is reliable and well fitted. But then again crimson trace makes lasers for many pocket pistols so I would not pick a DB for this reason. The glock type sights are nice compared to the groove and front sight nub on my lcp. I have no concerns about hitting what I want in a close range self defense situation. It has a long moderate but consistent trigger pull. To reset the trigger on a second shot you have to release the trigger ALL the way to its resting position and then press it ALL the way back again. Very un-glock like in my opinion. In the hundred ish rounds i have put through it I have not had any ammo related issues. I have tried blazer with aluminum cases, american eagle, and horniday hollowpoints. Others I have talked to say theirs are as picky as a .22 pistol in finding the right round that works well.

Conceal ability is excellent with this pistol. The size and weight are perfect for me at work. I have to wear dress pants and a tucked in polo or dress shirt without a jacket. A super fly pocket holster does the job quite nicely. It prints a flat 4x4 flat square in my pocked (when it does print) that could be anything like a smartphone or a wallet carried in the front. When I wear jean you can't even make out tha flat square.

I am considering selling it and keeping my lcp. I would suggest before you buy one of these guns to do a search on the net for diamondback problems. Even with the good customer service there are a fair amount of people posting that are furious after the gun's second or third trip back to Florida and it still does not function reliable enough for it to be a carry gun. If I were to do it all over again I don't think I would go too far out of my way to find a diamondback. Calling it a mini glock is a misnomer in my opinion. It looks like one on the outside but the reliability and quality are just not there. After buying a new db 380 that had problems out of the box, when the design has been on the market for 2-3 years now, I seriously question the companies decision to make a 9mm version. Compared to other 9's already on the market I would expect the db9 to be disappointing at best.

Nakanokalronin · April 28, 2011, 12:23 PM

I got suckered in the "mini Glock" look but it defiantly is not. Trigger reset issues galore after 25rds when it was supposed to be fixed at my ZC serial number range. Slide sliced my hand, trigger was long to fire and long to reset, mags barely ejected and the grip was at an odd angle. It fed and fired everything 100% when the trigger did work but the accuracy was sub-par. The trigger is the worst thing on the DB380. Even if it did work correctly, the long pull and reset kills it. I would have to say the LCP and P3AT have better triggers even though I don't care for them either.

The P238 is what I went with and is above any pocket 380 out there IMO.

8shot357 · April 28, 2011, 06:31 PM

Quote:

To those who own or have ever even tried the new Diamondback 380;

Sr, I just want to thank you for clarifying what a DB380 is, my hat's off to you.

franco45 · April 28, 2011, 06:45 PM

I had an early DB380, ZA series. It went back to the factory twice and still had trigger reset issues. It was nowhere near reliable enough to carry. I loved the look and feel of the gun.
On the third trip to the factory they sent me a new ZD series pistol. I immediately traded it for an LCP which has been 100% reliable.

April 27, 2011, 09:17 PM	#1
Glockfan35 Senior Member Join Date: April 1, 2011 Location: Kentucky Posts: 113	Opinions on the DB380 To those who own or have ever even tried the new Diamondback 380; what's your opinion of it. Is it accurate, comfortable to shoot? Is it picky with ammo? What holster(s) would you recommend? I really would like to try one of these as I think it could work, maybe even with a CrimsonTrace Laserguard! If I like it as much as I think I might, I may even buy the DB9 whenever it comes out. I do like the "Glock-like" look and feel (I had the opportunity to handle one a few months back). I gotta say, I really love this little gem of a pistol! Please be honest and forthcoming with you opinions, as I'll probably buy the next one I see. Also, would you rather buy the Diamondback or some other 380 pocket pistol? __________________ "The best revenge is not in violence, but simply living well".

April 28, 2011, 12:10 AM	#2
walkamile07 Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2011 Posts: 13	I own one and also a ruger lcp. The diamond back is coined the mini glock since glock can't import their 380s to the states. It is NOT comparable in quality to a glock. Mine has about 100 rounds through it. It got less than 10 through it before I had to send it back to the factory. Brand new gun, bought just this feburary, and it did not function properly out of the box. The trigger bar would not reset enough to catch the sear and release the striker. Good customer service at the factory and a couple of weeks later i have a diamondback that functions properly. Shooting it even with target ammo proves to have quite a noticable recoil for a gun of its caliber but no worse than other belly guns of its size. People with large hands should take into consideration the slide bite factor on this gun. The "beavertail" is not as forgiving as other pocket pistols. Mine seems to be accurate enough for this type of gun. It does not leave tight groups at 15 yards but it lands them on the paper and mostly in the black with a standing 2 handed grip. The crimson trace laser is one of the best parts of this weapon in my opinion. It is reliable and well fitted. But then again crimson trace makes lasers for many pocket pistols so I would not pick a DB for this reason. The glock type sights are nice compared to the groove and front sight nub on my lcp. I have no concerns about hitting what I want in a close range self defense situation. It has a long moderate but consistent trigger pull. To reset the trigger on a second shot you have to release the trigger ALL the way to its resting position and then press it ALL the way back again. Very un-glock like in my opinion. In the hundred ish rounds i have put through it I have not had any ammo related issues. I have tried blazer with aluminum cases, american eagle, and horniday hollowpoints. Others I have talked to say theirs are as picky as a .22 pistol in finding the right round that works well. Conceal ability is excellent with this pistol. The size and weight are perfect for me at work. I have to wear dress pants and a tucked in polo or dress shirt without a jacket. A super fly pocket holster does the job quite nicely. It prints a flat 4x4 flat square in my pocked (when it does print) that could be anything like a smartphone or a wallet carried in the front. When I wear jean you can't even make out tha flat square. I am considering selling it and keeping my lcp. I would suggest before you buy one of these guns to do a search on the net for diamondback problems. Even with the good customer service there are a fair amount of people posting that are furious after the gun's second or third trip back to Florida and it still does not function reliable enough for it to be a carry gun. If I were to do it all over again I don't think I would go too far out of my way to find a diamondback. Calling it a mini glock is a misnomer in my opinion. It looks like one on the outside but the reliability and quality are just not there. After buying a new db 380 that had problems out of the box, when the design has been on the market for 2-3 years now, I seriously question the companies decision to make a 9mm version. Compared to other 9's already on the market I would expect the db9 to be disappointing at best.

April 28, 2011, 12:23 PM	#3
Nakanokalronin Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2006 Posts: 1,066	I got suckered in the "mini Glock" look but it defiantly is not. Trigger reset issues galore after 25rds when it was supposed to be fixed at my ZC serial number range. Slide sliced my hand, trigger was long to fire and long to reset, mags barely ejected and the grip was at an odd angle. It fed and fired everything 100% when the trigger did work but the accuracy was sub-par. The trigger is the worst thing on the DB380. Even if it did work correctly, the long pull and reset kills it. I would have to say the LCP and P3AT have better triggers even though I don't care for them either. The P238 is what I went with and is above any pocket 380 out there IMO.

April 28, 2011, 06:45 PM	#5
franco45 Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 2010 Location: Toledo Ohio Posts: 474	I had an early DB380, ZA series. It went back to the factory twice and still had trigger reset issues. It was nowhere near reliable enough to carry. I loved the look and feel of the gun. On the third trip to the factory they sent me a new ZD series pistol. I immediately traded it for an LCP which has been 100% reliable.