rifles/Things that are rad

Daniel Defense DDXV Review: Part 1

Posted on by Caleb

Daniel Defense recently sent me one of their new DDXV rifles to shoot and review – and now you get to see it in action before anyone else.  This is part 1 of the two part First Look at the new DDXV, with Part 2 taking place LIVE (so watch live) on tomorrow night’s Gun Nuts Radio webcast.  Part one deals with the shooting of the rifle, and tomorrow on Gun Nuts Radio we’re actually going to look at the function and features of the rifle.  Of course, to intro the rifle here are the features as listed on Daniel Defense’s website:

  • Barrel: 16″ Ordanace Grade 4150 MP Tested, Cold Hammer Forged, 1:7 Twist, M4 Profile
  • Bolt Carrier Group: Mil-Spec MP Tested, Properly Staked Gas Key
  • Sights: Daniel Defense A1.5 Fixed Rear Sight; Pinned “F” Marked Front Sight Base
  • Magazine: MAGPUL 30 round PMag in Black

There are several other features, but those are the key items, because they reinforce an important point – this is not an “entry level” M4 clone.   In fact, this is the same gun mechanically as Daniel Defense’s excellent M4 Carbine with the exception that the DDXV does not have the rail system, the Magpul MOE stock, or the forward handgrip.  The sights, barrel, and lower receiver are all the same parts – which means that the DDXV is a top of the line rifle at a fraction of the price.  Of course, none of that is important if it doesn’t shoot – so I hauled it out to Atlanta Conservation Club with Mrs. Ahab in tow to do some shooting.  She had never fired an AR pattern rifle before, so the DDXV was going to get tested twice: first in the hands of an experience shooter, and then in the hands of a neophyte.

(note: click any of the photos in the post to enlarge)

First item of business was to sight the gun in and make sure we were on paper at 25 meters.  I’m generally a fan of the 25/300 zeroing technique for iron sights as it gets the rifle on paper for the most likely defensive ranges I’d use it as a civilian, while at the same time ensuring that it’s on target for a long shot as well.  The DDXV comes with Daniel Defense’s excellent A1.5 fixed sight, which features two apertures, a small one for precision shooting, and a wide, almost ghost ring aperture for up close shooting. Once the rifle was sighted in, the bulk of the shooting was done with the large aperture. But the sighting in process – how well does that rifle shoot?

From Daniel Defense DDXV

Pretty well, I’d say. Three shots at 25 meters, and the only reason that last one isn’t touching is because I jerked the trigger. As far as the shootability of the rifle, it’s excellent. My wife was able to handle the rifle with ease:

From Daniel Defense DDXV
From Daniel Defense DDXV

The light weight and short barrel make the rifle very easy to handle on the move, and of course it feeds reliably from the supplied PMAG. Doing moving and shooting drills, the rifle fed flawlessly, and as long as I didn’t yank the trigger, put the bullets exactly where they were supposed to go.

From Daniel Defense DDXV
From Daniel Defense DDXV

In this image (which I’m going to link to, not insert) you can get an excellent view of the rifle itself – that’s me with the gun in full recoil, so as to be expected from the 5.56 cartridge, recoil is mild, even for my tiny wife.

So what’s the bottom line on the Daniel Defense DDXV? I mean, there is a veritable sea of AR/M4 clones out there, so why should you buy the DDXV? Ultimately, it comes to to quality. The DDXV carries an MSRP of $1199, which means street will be lower than that, and for around $1k you’re getting a rifle with all the same functional mechanical parts as a $1700 rifle. It’s built right, and it’s built to shoot. From the factory you get an accurate, functional rifle with excellent iron sights – you don’t need to do anything to this rifle to make it an excellent home defense carbine. It terms of “no-muss no fuss” defensive weapons, the DDXV does very well for itself, providing an accurate, lightweight platform at a reasonable cost.

Don’t forget to tune in to tomorrow night’s Gun Nuts Radio for Part 2 of the DDXV review! We’ll be looking at the rifle live on camera and taking your questions briefly regarding the gun. But you only get the webcast if you listen live, so make sure you listen in at 9pm Eastern time!

From Daniel Defense DDXV
Uncategorized

Unthinkable technology

Posted on by Caleb

This isn’t about guns, so I’ll keep it brief.  The other day, while I was leaving the grocery store, my mom sent me a text message asking me if I could look for an In-N-Out Burger in between Petaluma and San Francisco.  Mind you, I’m in Indiana and she’s (apparently) in California at the time.  I used the Google Maps/Search function on my iPhone and found one, so I texted her back the address.

Living in the future is weird.

shooting/sports

The nail that stands out

Posted on by Caleb

…will be hammered down. Related wisdom: It is better to be the hammer than the nail. What does that have to do with shooting though? I get an email at least once month, that goes something along these lines: Hey Caleb, I want to get started in practical shooting, but I don’t want to use the same gun that everyone else is using, what should I get? In this case, the email writer is asking to be the nail. I have been the nail, and it’s not fun. In the past year, I’ve gone from “no action pistol” to shooting over 1500 rounds per month, competing in major matches, and even winning some stuff here and there. I have learned a lot in that time, and most of it has been because of the wisdom and experience of the shooting community, filled with people like Todd Jarrett, BJ Norris, and Julie Golob.

But this was the hardest lesson for me to learn, becase 1) I’m extremely individualistic, and 2) I’m kind of pig-headed. Reference for example the Bianchi Cup – the biggest match of my life, and I shot a gun that was the only one of its kind in the entire Production division. Go to the Production Nationals and what is everyone shooting? Glocks, XDs, M&Ps. Sure there are a few guys clinging to their DA/SA guns, but by and large, the plastic guns dominate the competition scene.

There’s a reason for that, and it’s because those frames and those designs have millions of rounds through them collectively, and the guys that shoot stuff for a living demand the characteristics that those pistols embody. There is a reason why people don’t win IDPA championships with EAA Witness guns, Bersas, or some other “weird but different” brand.

Don’t be the nail – be the hammer, buy a Glock/1911/XD/MP and let your shooting be what makes you stand out.

Uncategorized

Wisdom

Posted on by Caleb

I bought 100rds of CCI Mini Mags (at Premier Arms) because I always try to buy something when I’m in a gun store. I want them to associate my face with the jingle of the cash register so that they are happy to see me when I walk in.

For the first time in my life, I’m on a first name “Hi Caleb” basis with a gun shop, that shop being Beech Grove Firearms in, duh, Beech Grove.  I do all my FFL transactions through there, so when I buy guns on GunBroker, or get T&E guns shipped to me for shooting and testing, it comes through Beech Grove.  I also try to buy ammo there whenever I’m in the store, because 1) they actually carry good ammo, 2) they were the only store that maintained any kind of reasonable stocking levels during the worst of the shortage, and 3) reasonable prices.

If you’re on the southside of Indy, or if you don’t mind making the long haul from El Norte, check ’em out.  They’re good guys, they have reasonable prices, and they loads of goodies in stock.

handguns

Gunday!

Posted on by Caleb

I’m off to the Indy/Metro Area gunshop circuit today, in search of a gun that fits the following criteria:

  1. Must be 9mm
  2. Should be legal for either Production or Single Stack division (preferably Production)

Knowing me, I’ll probably come back with a Glock 24 which isn’t legal for Production and isn’t a 9mm.  Lord give me strength to resist the temptations of the gunshop, and stay focused on my mission.  If I see an XD(m) or a Para LTC in 9mm for a reasonable price, I’ll buy it go home happy.

handguns

A good trend

Posted on by Caleb

One of the things I have noticed with pleasure lately is that an increasing number of handguns leaving factories are coming from the factory with quality fixed sights hooked in them. It used to be that the first thing you did when you bought a pistol for carry or competiton was whack the lousy factory sights off it, and replace them with decent sights.

In the category of “things I never thought I would say”, Taurus has basically beaten the pants off every other major manufacturer in this category. Their 1911 series guns either come with Heinie or Novak sights, their 24/7 guns do the same, their new 800 series are rigged with good sights, and even their budget friendly 909 and 911 are wearing metal low profile carry sights.

S&W is also doing well in the world of sights. The M&P pistols can be had from the factory with Novak night sights, or Warren Tactical fiber optics in the JG or the Pro editions. Their 1911 pistols are similarly well set up, as are some of the revolvers on the catalog.

Even Springfield brought things up a notch on the XD(m), with a finely serrated rear sight from the factory, instead of the “glare catcher” featured on the rest of the XD family.

However, with all the goodness in the sight world, Glock still continues to produce pistols with those insultingly cheap and easy to break plastic sights. Honestly, how hard would it be to put some decent sights on those guns? If Taurus can do it, then for Pete’s sake you would think that Glock would able to either make or buy a decent set of sights for their guns.

I also predict that in the comments, someone will accuse me of having a soft spot for Taurus…they would be correct, I do have an affinity for Taurus’ semi-automatic pistols. I spend an inordinate amount of time at their SHOT SHOW booth each year. But hey, they also put good sights on their guns, right out of the factory.