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The reason I've been so critical of this gun is that I have never heard so many negative comments about reliability of any gun and not just on this thread. If it were mine and I managed to get it working properly, I would still have a nagging feeling that it might fail at the critical moment.

I've got much less patience for an unreliable gun than some folks around here. I would have the gun serviced and sold.

Embalmo

There's not a good enough variety of gunchow at the pet store I shop at to feed a finicky eater. If either of my .380's ever complain about what I feed them, they're getting euthanized.

I have never heard of a gun fail that many times from this many different owners.

adam71176,

The quote about the bad LCP from from RPG and I was agreeing with him that he should ditch an unreliable LCP. Don't misunderstand me, I have no loyalty to any brand, shape, color, or caliber of gun. The moment my LCP becomes unreliable I will trade it. My bottom line is that no one should accept that a good gun, specifically a good .380 should jam and misfire constantly. Why is that sentiment so controversial?

Embalmo

NcongruNt wrote:Yeah, my LCP has been flawless for a good 700 rounds or more. It has feed everything I've given it, including HP and and flat-nosed SP. I only wish I could find some .380 to feed it any more. Poor thing needs some exercise from riding around in my pocket.

There are some drawbacks on the gun, but functionality has never been on of them for me. The long trigger pull is really my only complaint. Some people hate the sights, though they don't really bother me. It's also quite comfortable for me to shoot, though this is apparently subjective, as most people seem to hate shooting the LCP.

As for the DB, I won't discount it completely, but I'll be cautious about getting one until the issues described here can be suitable addressed.

This is weird-It's like we are the same person with the same gun. I agree with, and have experienced every word you've said. I've been told recently that I'm one of the lucky few, but I think we are of the majority of LCP owners.

Guys,

It would not surprise me if the future reviews for the DB .380 put in on a higher reliability shelf than the LCP. Clark Howard often says that you can read a favorable consumer report on Hyundais based on a study of 1,000,000 cars, but if your neighbor has a lemon, you'll never buy one.

"This will be it's third trip to Ruger.I have decided this gun is not fit for carry, defense, or anything for that matter. It is far too unreliable to trust to your life. " This is DEAD ON! Only a fool would trust his life to an unreliable LCP like this; I do not have blind faith in ANY brand of firearm.

The problem I have is if I were an absolute beginner, this thread would make me believe that it's OK for auto handguns to consistently jam, and break. And the .380 round is inherently jam prone because it isn't powerful enough to push the slide back to cycle its operation, as a member in this feed wrote, "...as I believe what was happening is that the low pressure of the .380 was not quite enough to fully send the slide backwards." My bottom line is: Auto handguns, specifically .380s are very reliable, and don't trust your life to an unreliable gun, no matter how pretty it is, how much money you've spent on it, or what name brand it is; It's all about "bang bang", or "click click". This thread may single handedly turn the whole world off auto handguns.

Embalmo

mr.72 wrote:Snapping the trigger bar every couple of hundred rounds does indeed sound like a major problem...I think the DB looks like a really solid contender.

Guys,

I will agree, it's a very attractive gun, but Installing a backup trigger bar, and clearing a jam in a SD situation just seems a little time consuming when they do make guns that require neither. I just can't accept that good handguns jam and break consistently; I'm even considering making a poll to see how reliable member's daily carry are. I suspect that most members are like me and seldomly experience such maladies. Opinions can be can be volleyed back and forth, but in the end it's about "bang bang", or "click click".

Embalmo

Guys,

I'm a firm believer that a new gun often can have bugs that need to be sorted out, and then it'll be perfectly fine; kinda' like a new car. That was true with the first generation LCP, and the famous disconnector spring issue with the Bersa .380 that I encountered. I'm also a firm believer that all guns have their share of lemons.

With the exact thing going wrong after warranty work, however, this sounds like a serious design flaw. This gun is officially on my "do not buy list". I am, however, curious to see what the future holds for this company. Who knows, 10 years from now they may be the next Taurus, or even Bersa.

Embalmo

adam11776,

Well you've had an even amount of good days and really bad days in the 6 days and 1204 rounds you've shared with it. It just sounds to me like an on again, off again relationship that you really want to work out; you've certainly maxed out your credit card just to spend time with her, probably over $600 in ammo and range fees in just 6 days.

I'm guessing that you really did trade your LCP for ammo, which would push your financial burden close to the $1400 range when you include the price of the your Diamondback; that's a lot of money for that little heart breaker in only 6 days. $600 for ammo and range fees, $300 for your LCP, $400 for your diamondback.

Reliability isn't just about the amount of rounds you've put through it, it's also about length of trustworthy time that you've owned it. My suggestion to you is to give it a lot less rounds, a lot more time, and carry a back-up for a couple of months before you officially trust your life to it.

Embalmo

Adam 71176,

Wow, 50+50+14+200+50+150+90+100+300=1004 rounds you've put through that Diamondback since the 17th, and that with a 48 hour hiatus. Not sure many of us have seen that many .380 rounds available in a 4 day period. At the going rate that's about $400 worth of ammo in a 2 day period-maybe a mouse gun record. You must share the name of your supplier.

Embalmo

Mr. 72,

I completely agree with you about the Sigma and the reality of reliability. The Sigma is an amazingly reliable gun with a huge round capacity for an extraordinary price. I came very close to getting one in 9mm, but I learned to shoot, and qualified for my CHL on a Bersa .380 and got spoiled on a SA trigger.

And I just don't get it when people state, "Sometimes my gun goes bang and sometimes it doesn't, and that's OK;" bang or click=life or death. I'm no expert, but you can always look at 15 different reputable reviews of any gun and determine a consensus of reliability; you will never see an auto handgun in my arsenal that ever had the words "finicky eater", or "break-in period" written next to it.

Embalmo

"She is a little finicky with ammo..."

I read a few reviews, and this seems to be a common theme, which reads very Kel-Tec like. I almost didn't buy an auto for my first gun because of my jam and feed failure phobia. With the .380 shortage that doesn't seem to be going away, I would prefer a gun that shoots whatever the store's got.

I'm really not trying to be rude-I happen to love cheap ammo for the range, and that is why I got a .22 revolver, so I could shoot the Federal cheap stuff. I'm also not very learned in the ways of good vs bad ammo. So for someone like you who knows good ammo, shoots good ammo, and can find good ammo, that's your gun.

Embalmo

Guys,

I always get excited about itty bitty guns that are easily concealed. My concern with this innovation is even if it turns out to be as reliable as an LCP, what existing need does it fulfill? The handle doesn't fill the hand, it isn't a more powerful round, it doesn't offer a higher round capacity, it doesn't offer a lighter trigger (I just don't believe that it could offer a 5 lb DA trigger). I guess if I didn't already own an LCP, and aesthetics mattered to me, I might be interested.

Now if it had a long enough handle to fill my hand, with an extra 3 round capacity, or a little bitty hammer that I could cock to fire it single action, I might look up from my newspaper.

Embalmo