FS: DB380 dissapointed

[G26ster]

got one a CTD for 299. nice little gun resembled my glock which i like. once i get home i take it apart and look at in then i load it up and go to chamber a round and the round keeps getting stuck on the firing pin. it will do it about 80% of the time on the first round. and after i shot it a few times the next day it would only shoot about 2-3 rounds before it was catching the bullet on the firing pin keeping the slide halfway open and a bullet not chambered?

is there anything i can do to fix this or should i just return it to the manufacturer im kinda p.o. about it. and i would rather spend a few hundred bucks more and get a walther, and get my money back, but i dont think that is possible about a money back exchange ive never had to echange or problems with ANY gun ive owned.. i just wanted a relible small 380 to pocket carry when i cant wear my g27. i was debating on the db380 and the Ruger LCP. and the glock design sold me on the db. they were both the same price and size/weight was eyeball identical.

any tips? or just send it back to DB? anyone ever deal with them?

DB has admitted that there is an issue with the firing pin. That is, BEFORE you load a new mag (if the trigger has been pulled), you must rack the slide, then insert the mag and re-rack the slide. No announcements of a fix have been made. I have not heard of firing pin issues mid-mag, other than light strikes.

I have a DB sitting in my safe with about 500 rds through it, and one trip home to the factory. Even the newest EXO coated slides (ZC series) are having issues with FTF, FTE and trigger resets. I can't carry a gun if it is not reliable, and the DB380 is not. Call DB, ask for Peter (the gunsmith), ask for a shipping label and send it back. They may want your dealer to request the label, but he can do it by phone also. However, when you get it back, even if it is replaced by DB, chances are you will have some issues. The DB380 is a neat gun, shoots well, but frankly just doesn't pass the reliability test. here's a link to the DB forum. Lot's of good info there, and you can share your issues with others.

http://www.diamondbacktalk.com/forum" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[karl]

Cheap guns just aren't worth the savings. I'd rather wait six months and buy a quality gun by setting a few bucks aside every week than buy a Taurus again.

[gigag04]

I usually say this in these threads, my Kahr P380 has never had a malfunction through close to 800 rounds.

[cubbyjg]

Sorry to hear about your problems with this new firearm. I was reading about this firearm in a Concealed Handgun magazine and was considering this as a pocket pistol. It seemed to be a solid contender until now. Im with Karl on this; save up and get a quality piece. I will do the same now. Goodluck and i hope you figure out a solution.

[Salty1]

I will no longer sell the Diamond Back product, every one we sold had issues. I should have know better from the beginning, to make a $300 gun many shortcuts have to be taken. Quality costs more to manufacture, I would rather pay double that price for a gun I can depend on than buy a cheap one and deal with the headaches associated with it. DB may require the gun to be shipped back by an FFL, they did to one of our customers, hopefully the dealer you purchased it from will do it at no charge to you otherwise you could be paying an FFL fee each way. DB is the only manufacturer that I am aware of that will not let the purchaser send a defective gun back on their own.

[USA1]

Somebody once called it "The LCP Killer".

[bigred90gt]

When I called DB about my issues, they emailed me a Fedex overnight label, and I took it to Fedex myself, and shipped it back. The only out of pocket cost to me was purchasing a Fedex box, because they wouldnt take it in the car stereo box I had it in. Make sure you take the slide off before you send it. The firearm has to be disassembled and in an unusable state when it ships.

FYI - it is still having problems AFTER it was sent in for work and returned. It's not having anymore failure to extract, just failure to feed and 1 light primer strike. But, the FTF issues are enough that I dont feel particularly comfortable carrying it, in the instance I need it in a pinch. Some magazines I can get through all rounds without an issue, sometimes I get one round off and it wont feed the next one. There is no consistency with the issue, it is random and frequent.

[Middle Age Russ]

It seems that every small (pocket) auto has issues at release. Perhaps this is due to tolerances needing to be more precise in some way with the smaller pistols. Ruger and Keltec worked through their issues, and I have faith that S&W and SIG are dealing/will deal with theirs. These major manufacturers can ill afford a serious black eye in a very competitive market, which is why each of them spend so much on customer service after the sale. For the sake of competition in the marketplace, I hope that Diamondback has the financial wherewithal and business savvy to invest in fixing the issues and repairing/salvaging their name.

[jamisjockey]

Have you looked at Kel-Tec? Mine has been very reliable. I've had it for about 7 years. P3AT .380ACP. Several thousand rounds through it.

[Katygunnut]

Have you looked at Kel-Tec? Mine has been very reliable. I've had it for about 7 years. P3AT .380ACP. Several thousand rounds through it.

Roughly 300-400 rounds through my P3AT with no issues. Nice, cheap, little, gun.

[Embalmo]

I heard from this forum and others about issues with every part of this gun. It seems that aesthetics is what reels everyone in; well that and the lighter trigger.

[bigred90gt]

I heard from this forum and others about issues with every part of this gun. It seems that aesthetics is what reels everyone in; well that and the lighter trigger.

What got me was the feel in my hand, not so much the looks or the trigger. I actually dont care for the trigger. The pull is EXTREMELY long, and even though I completely understand the reason and agree with the necessity for it, it is obnoxiously long. When I first got it, there were a few times I thought it didnt fire, but realized I just didnt pull the trigger all the way. I dont put aesthetics high on the list, but feel in my hand is king. Aside from the overpriced Sig P238, none of the .380 pocket autos feel good in my hand, and I'm not paying that much for a .380 pocket auto. The Kel-tec, while apparently reliable, feels horrible. The LCP has the same shape and dimensions, just smoother lines, so it is not as rough, but the grip is horrible. The Taurus TCP also feels terrible in my hand.

[Embalmo]

I heard from this forum and others about issues with every part of this gun. It seems that aesthetics is what reels everyone in; well that and the lighter trigger.

What got me was the feel in my hand, not so much the looks or the trigger. I actually dont care for the trigger. The pull is EXTREMELY long, and even though I completely understand the reason and agree with the necessity for it, it is obnoxiously long. When I first got it, there were a few times I thought it didnt fire, but realized I just didnt pull the trigger all the way. I dont put aesthetics high on the list, but feel in my hand is king. Aside from the overpriced Sig P238, none of the .380 pocket autos feel good in my hand, and I'm not paying that much for a .380 pocket auto. The Kel-tec, while apparently reliable, feels horrible. The LCP has the same shape and dimensions, just smoother lines, so it is not as rough, but the grip is horrible. The Taurus TCP also feels terrible in my hand.

It ain't designed to feel good in the hand, it's designed to feel good in the pocket. I carry an LCP in my pocket everyday; I shoot it about once a month. Now if it were the other way around then I would probably hate my LCP.

Embalmo