walkin' trails
Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,173
- Reaction score
- 548
Probably the one issue I've seen with people having trouble with new subcompact semi autos is their failure to first clean and lube them before running down to the range to shoot them. The root of that problem, I believe, was because with the polymer pistols developing a reputation for being so reliable from the get-go, the rumors spread that pistols such as Glocks did not require ANY lubrication (or cleaning) to operate 100 percent reliably. Writer John Connor penned an article in "American Handgunner" when the S&W Shield was introduced. He made a point to stress cleaning and lubrication before heading to the range, and subsequently had a positive range session during his evaluation, including break-in. Now whether or not proper lube on a Diamondback and some of the other affordable-priced pistols will reduce or eliminate malfunctions remains to be seen, but any semi auto needs a break-in, even if it is for the owner's piece of mind. In my experience, if I clean and lube my Glocks and M&Ps before heading to the range and they work flawlessly through the first 300 rounds, which include hollow points, then I can rely on that pistol. I've only had one such polymer pistol that has given me fits beyond what I consider a decent break-in period, and that was a 9c that ended up going back for some work.
I have no experience with the Diamondback, but the last time my interest was perked on a small cheaper priced pistol not manufactured by Glock or S&W, I encountered a lot of problems. Fortunately, the gun was not mine, but I had sufficient time to put a few rounds thru it to see how I liked it. Even with lube, the gun never did seem to want to work reliably. Even after a trip back to the factory, it still was not reliable, and finally blew up - the only gun I've ever seen do that. Granted, it had received a steady diet of +p and +p+ ammo thru it's short, 500 round life, but I never thought that would cause any more damage that accelerated wear and tear. Cracking the barrel all the way from the chamber to the muzzle was another thing. What I would recommend is that you take into consideration a lot more factors than just carrying the gun for CCW - such as how it will hold up when you train with it. That said, I would go with the Shield over the DB9.
Incidentally, a friend recently brought a new Glock 42 to the range. He had three factory magazines with it. I have fired another 42 and noted it to be reliable and sort of fun to shoot - almost making me start to appreciate the .380. This particular 42, however, did not want to fire thru a magazine without a failure to feed. I checked the gun and noted that it did have some lube on it, but I added a bit more. It still did not seem like it wanted to function. Granted it was being fired for the first time, and the shooter was using a box of cheap .380 FMJ ammo, so that may have been the problem. It also seemed to run a little more reliably when the magazines were not loaded to capacity. Nevertheless, I emphasize my point that any semi auto needs a break-in before being relied on for self defense.
I have no experience with the Diamondback, but the last time my interest was perked on a small cheaper priced pistol not manufactured by Glock or S&W, I encountered a lot of problems. Fortunately, the gun was not mine, but I had sufficient time to put a few rounds thru it to see how I liked it. Even with lube, the gun never did seem to want to work reliably. Even after a trip back to the factory, it still was not reliable, and finally blew up - the only gun I've ever seen do that. Granted, it had received a steady diet of +p and +p+ ammo thru it's short, 500 round life, but I never thought that would cause any more damage that accelerated wear and tear. Cracking the barrel all the way from the chamber to the muzzle was another thing. What I would recommend is that you take into consideration a lot more factors than just carrying the gun for CCW - such as how it will hold up when you train with it. That said, I would go with the Shield over the DB9.
Incidentally, a friend recently brought a new Glock 42 to the range. He had three factory magazines with it. I have fired another 42 and noted it to be reliable and sort of fun to shoot - almost making me start to appreciate the .380. This particular 42, however, did not want to fire thru a magazine without a failure to feed. I checked the gun and noted that it did have some lube on it, but I added a bit more. It still did not seem like it wanted to function. Granted it was being fired for the first time, and the shooter was using a box of cheap .380 FMJ ammo, so that may have been the problem. It also seemed to run a little more reliably when the magazines were not loaded to capacity. Nevertheless, I emphasize my point that any semi auto needs a break-in before being relied on for self defense.
Last edited:
