Diamondback .380

[opr1945]

I just laid away a Diamondback .380.

Any suggestions for break in when I get?

Or which ammunition works with it or doesn't?

Thanks

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[jwhite75]

Hear they are hit or miss for reliability...just hope you get a good one.

[archer51]

No real feedback on the gun other than mixed reviews.

As for break in, see if the manufacturer has a recommended break in procedure and round count. If not a thorough cleaning and at least 200 rounds of FMJ and 50 rounds of JHP without any problems, before deeming it ready for carry.

Brand of ammo is going to be something you need to experiment with. 2 guns of the same make/model/caliber can have a preference on what brand of ammo they function properly with. For practice ammo I'd start out with Federal, Winchester and Remington and see what works best for you. Same procedure for finding a defensive round for it.

[marksz71]

Archer51 is dead on...at least 250 round count function free with various brands of ammo. Despite the cost of the ammo...you'll need to practice and check the reliability of your defense ammo as well...the pistol won't do you any good if it won't eat what you feed it when the time comes...you'll have to throw it at the bad guy....

[vinman92]

Okay. Here's the deal on the DIAMONDBACK 380, at least my one (ZB serial # range). Great, really great, gun. BUT... I initially thought I had a lemon and wanted to send it back. It would shoot/stovepipe,fail to extract, partially extract and stovepipe at the same time, etc., at least 50% of the time with the 6 or 7 types of ammo I tried, of all types... Have since gone through 300+ rounds and the last 100 rds have been 100% (Blazer 95gr TMJ ALUMINUM case per Diamondback's factory recommendation--see message boards out there). Keep in mind I am not a fanboy of that Blazer Aluminum in general--for instance it jams like crazy in my Taurus TCP 380--but seems to work perfectly in the DB. I think they should put this ammo recommendation in the manual, as it would save Diamondback and its customers both money and time. Stay away from flat nose ball, conical-ish, and hollowpoints at least during the so-called break in period. Here are some sugggestions:

Suggestions:
A) When you get it, take a look at the almost vertical feed ramp. Reminds me of the Kahr PM40, also famous for jamming out of the box. Tight space in the chamber area and lots of sharp edges to catch on. The extractor when new is almost razor sharp. Pick ammo accordingly (round ball, and thin case walls with less to catch on).
B) Don't start with hollowpoints or truncated conicals, use full metal jacket ball ammo, and dont get the flat jacketed ammo either. Even though my gun is now broken in, flat nose ball ammo is still slamming straight into the lower feed ramp (winchester white box) and often will not go into the pipe.
C) Use ammo with thin case walls. The tolerances are really tight on this gun. Once again, LOTS of stuff to catch on, and a lot of gun crammed into a very small space. As stated above, the ammo that worked best for me so far (100 rounds, 100%) is Blazer 95 grain TMJ (total metal jacket) with ALUMINUM case, and that has been recommended by Diamondback themselves on forums also as being the most reliable for it. Blazer BRASS case did not work well in my Diamondback (works fine in my other guns, but the cases kept getting stuck and nicked around--causing many malfunctions).
E) Be really patient. The first 200 rounds were brutally horrible and took 3 hours to get through because of all of the tech work clearing jams. Upside is that my Diamondback now works great.
E) Have had really bad results with hollowpoints and flat ammo (cheap vs. premium makes no difference here) for my DB it hates them all so far, especially deep hollowpoints and easily catches on the folds. Have heard Cor Bon works in it, but have not tried. Best hollow point I tried, so far was the Hornady FTX which is the hollowpoint with the plastic/composite substance ball on top. Works about 90% of the time but still unacceptable obviously. But it is really pointed (cone) and that has impacted reliability as well. Worst hollow point by far was Federal personal defense low recoil. That ammo is great in 38 Special, but in 380, at least in my specific Diamondback, will NOT even CYCLE the action reliably.
F) Sorry for so many words. I have seen a number of DB owners have different experiences with ammo, so you may have to try some things on your own--everyone seems to like the Blazer Aluminum though from what I have read and experienced. The mags are third-party italian mfg, and the feed ramp on my mag seems less than ideal, so that may be something affecting the reliability as well.

[HandgunWorld]

I just laid away a Diamondback .380.

Any suggestions for break in when I get?

Or which ammunition works with it or doesn't?

Thanks

Yes, my suggestion is that both the gun and the shooter will need a break in. Shoot it a lot!