DB380?

[vospertw]

I was in Yuma today and stopped by the LGS. They had a nice selection of 380's and had a chance to handle and dry fire the G42, DB380, Kahr CW380, LCP, as well as a Kel-Tec, the designation of which escapes me. First off, the Glock was comfortable and had the best trigger, but it's too big for what I'm looking for.

I thought the Kel-Tec trigger was the worst of the bunch. The Kahr probably had the "best" as far as breaking a little earlier and resetting a little quicker but not so much that it was clearly superior. Basically the Kahr, Ruger, and DB had acceptably smooth triggers though expectedly longer and heavier than the Glock.

Overall, I was most impressed with the DB. Felt good in my hand and seemed well made. Anyone have any comments or experience on reliability? I seem to see mixed reviews on line with FTF, etc. but didn't see a review by anyone I am familiar with so take it all with a grain of salt.

Thanks in advance.

[Quiet]

Diamondback Firearms is based in FL.
The people running Diamondback Firearms have decades of experience making airboats.

The DB-380 was the first firearm they ever designed/produced.
The first several runs (serial number series starting with ZA to ZC) of the DB-380 were not very reliable and had lots of problems (FTF, FTE, parts breakages). The current production (serial number series starting with ZD) of DB-380s are suppose to be better.

Externally it resembles a Glock, but internally it's a Kahr Arms.

Diamondback Firearms copied the Kahr Arms "safe cam action" DAO trigger mechanism, which caused them to be sued by Kahr Arms. On 04-25-2013, Kahr Arms won their lawsuit and Diamondback Firearms had to pay damages & licensing fees in order to continue using the trigger mechanism.

[vospertw]

I thought I saw a review somewhere that said it was started by former Kel-Tec employees... So the trigger is pretty much a Kahr and the rest of it looks like a Glock... I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

[morrcarr67]

I've handled the DB, LCP, KelTec, Hellcat, Bodyguard and the Taurus TCP.

IMHO the Taurus TCP has the best trigger of any small 380.

[Quiet]

I thought I saw a review somewhere that said it was started by former Kel-Tec employees...

Former Kel-Tec employees started SCCY Industries, which makes clones/variants of the Kel-Tec P-11.

[vospertw]

Thanks for the clarification.

[vospertw]

I've handled the DB, LCP, KelTec, Hellcat, Bodyguard and the Taurus TCP.

IMHO the Taurus TCP has the best trigger of any small 380.

They might have had one there and maybe I goofed - I was thinking it had an external safety so I didn't look at it.

[morrcarr67]

They might have had one there and maybe I goofed - I was thinking it had an external safety so I didn't look at it.

Nope, no safety. I had a Bodyguard and sold it when I was informed I was getting a TCP for my birthday.

[Nrai2020]

Would you really want to risk your life on something that may or may not work? There are so many accounts and videos online of DB products failing..

Having been robbed before I can tell you it happens fast and is frightening when you think about it (but at the time you really dont have the time to even be scared.. it happens that fast).. point is if the time ever arises that you need to use a ccw it ll happen quick and up close and personal.. no time to mess around with jams or failures.. I wasnt carrying my ccw that day but if was I could imagine the stress level would have been five fold just knowing there was a gun involved in the situation..

[Huevos Machaca]

I had a zd series, put over 500 rounds through it without a single failure. accurate, decent trigger, comfy to shoot for a .380

[SandHill]

A friend of mine bought one of the early ones and I shot it with him a couple of times. Jam-o-matic! Mostly failures to feed, lots and lots of failures to feed, with a variety of ammo. He sent it back to the manufacturer for warranty work. I haven't shot it since it came back, he says its much improved. I still wouldn't trust it.

I got an LCP. Similar specs to DB, much more reliable, I would do it again.

[SDM44]

The one quirky thing about the DB380, and DB9 for that matter, is that there's no slide stop or a way to lock the slide back... not unless you use something to wedge it to stay open.

[vospertw]

Yeah, I found a few reviews where both models' performances were less than stellar, and one in particular had been a fairly long-term review with two separate DB380's. On that note, I think it was American Rifleman that reviewed several popular 380s and all had some issues - of course those were all brand new guns that may need break-in time.

As Nrai2020 mentioned, things happen quickly and up close in a lot of situations. One thing I worry about with a 380 is reliability within the context of it's expected use. Especially in a pocket carry sitation, you may still be able to draw in contact, whereas with a slightly larger pistol carried IWB you will probably not be able to draw until you create a little space between you and the bad guy. I'm doing a lousy job of making a concise point but the reliability of the class in general, plus the fact that most are locked breech operation, makes me wonder if a small J-frame type revolver is maybe worth the loss of a round or two. You can jam a revolver against the bad guy and make it go bang, but if the auto comes out of battery on contact you are probably screwed. Granted, you have to train to a whole different ball-game if you need to reload, but in those situations I'm not sure how much reloading you are going to be doing.

[morrcarr67]

The one quirky thing about the DB380, and DB9 for that matter, is that there's no slide stop or a way to lock the slide back... not unless you use something to wedge it to stay open.

Another reason I like my TCP