Warm Weather Handguns Part II--The Diamondback 9mm--Update 6-26-2011

In part two of Warm Weather Handguns we are going to look at the Diamondback 9mm.  The surge in states that allow their citizens to exercise their 2^nd Amendment Right (“allow their citizens to exercise their 2^nd Amendment Right” should be read with the appropriate amount sarcasm) brought a cry for smaller and easier to conceal handguns in serious calibers.  The people with permits were not going to be satisfied with the .22 and .25 caliber pistols that their grandfathers carried in their vest pockets.  Manufacturers put their designers on overdrive to answer the consumer demands.  Of course Smith & Wesson has manufactured the five shot J framed revolver for almost 60 years but many concealed carry permit holders wanted something with more capacity, was lighter, and had a much slimmer width.   They wanted a true pocket pistol.  Kel-Tec built their firm on answering this demand providing value priced pistols first in .32 ACP and then moving up to .380 caliber and 9mm.  They did a booming business and I remember their being a waiting list for their .32s and .380s in the early part of this century.  The Kel-Tec’s worked (although some needed the coaxing of a competent gunsmith) but had a gritty feel, almost non-existent sights, and trigger pulls which were long and heavy.  My .380 ACP Kel-tec was accurate within a practical range of 21 feet and was my constant companion for almost a year and a half.  Ruger followed suit with their .380 caliber LCP (which bore an uncanny resemblance to the Kel-tec model) and other manufacturers like Taurus, SIG, and even Smith & Wesson have ventured into the .380 arena. 

The great thing about this country is that consumer demand always pushes manufacturers to keep building the proverbial “better mousetrap” and in this instance the discussions in the research and development meetings went something like this “If we can reduce the size of the .380 pistol to the size of a .25 caliber pistol can we put a 9mm into a pistol the size of a .380?”.  Actually Kel-Tec had already answered that question with a big “YES” and Kahr successfully downsized their P9 to the small PM9.    Just a few years ago Taurus brought out their pocket 9mm, the “PT709 Slim” and it was very successful.  This year brought us some promising offerings in the Ruger LC9 and the Kimber Solo 9mm pistols.  I have not shot the Ruger LC9 but did look several of them over.  It didn’t really feel right in my hand and the trigger pull was longer and heavier than I preferred.  I eagerly waited on the Kimber Solo to show its face and I was delighted when it did.  It had good sights, a good trigger pull, no sharp edges or corners, and looked like a throwback to the early days of the last century when the exquisitely made Colt models 1903 and 1908 were all the rage with those looking for an easily concealed pistol.  Unfortunately the specimen I shot (on two different occasions) was not at all reliable and many people posting comments on the review of the Kimber Solo in this blog have experienced the same problems.

Enter the Diamondback DB9.  If someone were to ask me what pistol I would wish a manufacture would make I would propose that Glock make a single stack 9mm and downsize the entire pistol proportionally.  Well, Glock need not bother as Diamondback has already done it.  In fact the take-down and guts of the pistol look like it is a Glock design.

                                                                           While the DB9 is not nearly as handsome as the Kimber Solo it does work and work well.  I put 100 rounds of MagTech 115 grain FMJ and 40 rounds of MagTech Guardian Gold 124 grain JHP ammo through it today with no problems what so ever.  So Kimber wins in the aesthetics competition and the DB9 wins in the much more important reliability challenge.  Let’s see how else they stack up.

Pistol	Capacity	Weight	Length	Height	Width	Barrel Length	Action	Trigger Pull	Sights
Diamondback 9mm	6+1	11 oz	5.6”	4.0”	.80”	3”	Striker Fired	5 lbs	3 dot
Kimber Solo	6+1	17 oz	5.5”	3.9”	1.2”	2.7”	Striker Fired	7 lbs	3 dot

They have the same capacity and sights but the Diamondback 9mm is 6 ounces lighter, thinner, and has a lighter trigger pull.  The Diamondback 9mm is also about $200.00 cheaper than the Kimber Solo which is a huge advantage as the cost of the Solo was a little more than some shooters could afford.  This is a true pocket pistol in every sense of the word and as you can see from the photo below it is only slightly larger than the Taurus PT22 poly (the subject of an upcoming article in this series). 

There is no manual or grip safety on the pistol so when re-holstering take care to see that nothing catches on the trigger.  Regardless of how you choose to carry the DB9mm it is important to choose a holster that completely covers the trigger guard and of course, the trigger.  I have been carrying the Diamondback 9mm in a Remora #2 holster in my right front pocket and it has worked beautifully.   

One of the problems I had with the Kel-Tec .380 and other small thin pistols is that they were so slim that I could not get enough of a grip on them to keep them from moving around in my hand during recoil.  I had to reposition the pistol after each shot in order to reset a proper grip.  Because of this I added a rubber Hogue “Handall Jr.” grip sleeve to the pistol.  Even at the widest point of the grip sleeve the width of the pistol is .90” and still thinner than the Kimber Solo.  The “Handall Jr.” sleeve worked wonderfully with the finger grooves, slight palm swell, and tacky texture of the rubber making the DB9 stay put in my grip.  It was a tad long but it is easily trimmed with a razor blade or Exacto knife. 

Probably one of the first questions everyone has is how much recoil did you encounter shooting an 11 ounce 9mm with a three inch barrel?  Actually it was not bad at all.  The Diamondback website states that “the DB9 employs an FEA (Finite Element Analysis) designed slide and barrel that is stronger than any comparable firearm, resulting in durability with less felt recoil”.   I have no idea what the Finite Element Analysis is (Finite element analysis (FEA) is a method for performing engineering analyses in which objects having complicated geometries are approximated with many small, simply-shaped elements. If mathematical solutions for the simply-shaped element are known, then a complex calculation is replaced with many simple calculations, which are performed on a computer—www.barr.com) and how it affects recoil but again, the recoil was not bad at all.  I did fire a few +P rounds to gauge reliability, accuracy, and recoil but be warned that Diamondback states that the use of +P rated ammunition will void your warranty so I used 100 rounds of Mag Tech 115 grain FMJ and 40 rounds of Mag Tech Guardian Gold 124 grain JHP fodder.  The Guardian Gold hollowpoint ammunition was actually the milder of the two rounds.  Additionally Diamondback does not recommend the use of any ammunition with a bullet weight greater than 124 grains.

The sights are of the 3 Dot variety.  They are small but useable and the rear sight can be drifted with a mallet and brass punch should you need to adjust the point of impact.  For me the pistol’s windage was fine, it just seems to shoot a little low for me and I am fairly certain that the low shots were operator error.  The slide does not lock back on the DB9 so if was not counting the rounds I would eventually pull the trigger on an empty chamber and when this happened I could see that I was anticipating the shot, pushing the pistol down as I pulled the trigger.  The trigger pull itself is listed by Diamondback as being 5 pounds and mine registered a 4.8 pound average on my Lyman digital trigger pull scale.  The pull is not all that long and very smooth so it was not responsible for pushing my shots low—again, it was operator error and more time with the pistol will bring in much better results!

Target Time

Here are the Mag-Tech FMJ targets shot at 21, 30, and 50 feet.  As you can see 50 feet is pushing it a little bit for me but I’m sure that all shots would have hit a full sized torso.

Here are the Mag Tech Guardian Gold targets shot at 21 and 50 feet. 

I would love the pistol to have night sights and if Diamondback intends to offer the same accessories that they did with their .380 pistol then night sights will be available in the near future along with a finger extension for the magazine which will allow my pinky finger a place at the table.  One last improvement...round off the trigger guard.  

Update 6-26-2011--Additional Target Photos


Remington 115 grain FMJ


21 feet

50 Feet

75 Feet

Defensive Ammo
I still haven't found a defensive load that I can shoot well but here's what I have shot so far (all targets shoot at 21 feet):

Corbon Pow'R Ball

Speer Gold Dot 124 Grain JHP

Speer Gold Dot 115 Grain JHP

Magtech 124 grain JHP

Winchester Supreme Bonded 124 grain JHP+P

Remington Brass Jacketed Hollowpoint 124 grain JHP


The Diamondback 9mm is a keeper; not much in the looks department but combat accurate and reliable.  No longer is there a need to carry a pocket revolver that only holds 5 rounds and has a bulging cylinder.  The Diamondback gives you two more rounds, is much easier to reload and is considerably flatter than any revolver.  Till next time,