Saw this Diamondback SDR for the first time today. My friends at Carolina Sporting Arms texted to say that a new/unusual revolver arrived.
It took me a minute, staring at the revolver case, to figure out what they wanted to show me. Was looking for a Smith or maybe Colt. It was this diamondback SDR.
My first thought, it looks sort of like Ruger LCR and Kimber K6S had a baby. It is a reasonably attractive revolver. Fit and finish felt solid. Trigger was nice. The trigger felt a bit like late 1970s Charter Arms. I mean that in a good way, really. The fiber-optic sights are nice.
You know how you can remove a screw by the trigger guard and then pull out the crane and cylinder? Well, this gun has a little push button where that screw would be on a Smith. Push the button and the crane and cylinder pop out for easy cleaning. It is a nice feature and, frankly, would be glad to see it on Smith. I noticed that there is no firing pin bushing. Just a little hole in the recoil shield. Not sure if that offers any advantage.
Diamondback markets this as the lightest 6 shot 357 revolver. I watched a couple videos about the gun this afternoon. It is compatible with Smith J Frame grips.
This is a "new" gun. So, no opportunity to test fire it. I am not going to buy it, right now. Very glad to see new entrants into the revolver market. I am concerned, however, that this one might have trouble finding a place. Has a hefty price tag. CSA tagged it at $684.99. Not sure about MSRP. looks like a solid little revolver. Hope Diamondback does well. All of us who like revolvers benefit from more revolvers on the market.
It took me a minute, staring at the revolver case, to figure out what they wanted to show me. Was looking for a Smith or maybe Colt. It was this diamondback SDR.
My first thought, it looks sort of like Ruger LCR and Kimber K6S had a baby. It is a reasonably attractive revolver. Fit and finish felt solid. Trigger was nice. The trigger felt a bit like late 1970s Charter Arms. I mean that in a good way, really. The fiber-optic sights are nice.
You know how you can remove a screw by the trigger guard and then pull out the crane and cylinder? Well, this gun has a little push button where that screw would be on a Smith. Push the button and the crane and cylinder pop out for easy cleaning. It is a nice feature and, frankly, would be glad to see it on Smith. I noticed that there is no firing pin bushing. Just a little hole in the recoil shield. Not sure if that offers any advantage.
Diamondback markets this as the lightest 6 shot 357 revolver. I watched a couple videos about the gun this afternoon. It is compatible with Smith J Frame grips.
This is a "new" gun. So, no opportunity to test fire it. I am not going to buy it, right now. Very glad to see new entrants into the revolver market. I am concerned, however, that this one might have trouble finding a place. Has a hefty price tag. CSA tagged it at $684.99. Not sure about MSRP. looks like a solid little revolver. Hope Diamondback does well. All of us who like revolvers benefit from more revolvers on the market.






Last edited: