Diamondback Forum

The Diamondback Firearms => DB380 => Topic started by: jayz64 on September 21, 2021, 04:49:51 AM

Title: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on September 21, 2021, 04:49:51 AM
Hello everyone.

Bought my original DB380 about 11 years ago & had not 1 problem with it shooting & cycling ammo.  Sent it back about 1 1/2 years ago for an upgrade & was sent a new one.  Just recently got out to shoot it for the 1st time & it's giving me problems by failing to load some of the rounds.  I believe I know what the problem is but not sure how to go about remedying it.  The bottom of the slide, where the forward end of the recoil spring is secured, is rubbing the polymer frame as it cycles fore-and-aft.  Not sure if I should remove some metal from the slide bottom, remove polymer material from the frame OR send it in to CS.  Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thx.......
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: mr380acp on September 21, 2021, 08:50:48 AM
So you have wear marks at the end of the frame? I just compared my 2 pistols and the one that has a couple of thousand rounds thru it has wear marks in the frame where the front frame rail is which is the opposite end you are talking about. The other pistol I have with a few hundred rounds thru has no marks at all
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on September 21, 2021, 11:25:49 AM
Yes, the front end of the slide, where the little tab that drops down from the slide with the hole in it,  that captures the front end of the recoil spring, is rubbing on the polymer frame right below that part as the slide moves back & forth during firing.  The sides don't rub, only the bottom.

My guess is that with enough shooting it will eventually wear in, but in the meantime there's enough friction there to impede the free movement of the slide to where it prevents about every other round from chambering.

My 1st inclination was to somehow remove, or burnish away, some of the polymer material that the slide is rubbing against OR burnish away some of the metal on the underside of the eyelet that captures the front of the recoil spring.  Both ideas are probably bad ones as, like I mentioned, the gun will probably wear itself in with time.

What would be your take on the situation?  Remove material or wait & see if the gun wears itself in?  Or send it back to customer service?
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: mr380acp on September 21, 2021, 12:21:16 PM
Ok so I’m thinking you might have an issue with the rear frame rail. Is there any up and down play between the slide and frame at the rear? Is there an uneven gap between the slide in the frame anywhere on the pistol? I don’t believe it’s possible to install the frame rail upside down but maybe the hole in the frame rail where the pin goes through is damaged? You could knock the pin out and inspect the frame rail. I had my pistol completely apart and I can tell you the front frame rail is much more difficult to reassemble than the rear part. You can just hinge it up and take it out after you take the pin out
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on September 21, 2021, 01:25:05 PM
This is a brand new ZLxxxx gun so the frame rails are tight in the poly frame with no movement at all.  I will try to remove that rear rail pin later on to see if there's any damage anywhere in there, like you mentioned, but right now it seems very solid & tight.

On closer inspection I did notice, however, that the front bottom tab, that I said was rubbing on the bottom only but not the sides, is after all rubbing on the upper sides too, right where the the tab (with the recoil spring hole) gets close to the top surface of the poly frame.  So it's rubbing on the bottom AND both sides plus there some slight rubbing of the slide on that same top surface of the poly frame. 

I don't believe the frame rails are the culprit here because when I flip the slide around (with all the internals of the slide removed) & run it back & forth into the poly frame, it still binds on all 3 surfaces that I mentioned before without ever making contact with the metal rails (which it can't in that orientation).  I have a Crimson Trace laser sight on it, which I removed just in case it was causing any upward pressure on the frame, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

I think what I'm gonna do, for now, is try firing 50-100 rounds through it to see if that loosens it up any.  If not, then I'll contact CS to see what their take on it might be.
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: mr380acp on September 21, 2021, 02:25:44 PM
Keep me posted on how it turns out. Too bad you aren’t closer then we could put the guns side by side and maybe figure it out then...
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on September 21, 2021, 02:58:11 PM
Yes, that would be nice alright.  Thx for the help/suggestions.  I'll update this thread on what takes place along the way after I put another 50-100 rounds through it, like I had mentioned.

I think what's happening, meaning why it's failing to chamber about every other round, is because the reloads I'm using are relatively light lead bullet loads intended for target plinking so as not beat up the gun/action more than necessary.  They were customized for my previous DB380 (that had no binding problem) but now don't have enough oomph to cycle the slide all the way back, because of the binding, to pick up the next round in the mag.  What I may do is make some loads with a little hotter powder charge to see if that does the trick.

Take care.....
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: mr380acp on September 21, 2021, 03:25:18 PM
....and I would give you all my brass if I was closer because I don’t reload....good luck
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on October 06, 2021, 11:56:11 AM
Got a positive update for my DB380.  Took it out shooting yesterday & only fired 12 rounds through it since it was my intent to test the functioning only.  Happy to report that there was not 1 FTF or FTE this time.  Since the last shooting session, I oiled up the area of the gun that was rubbing together & that seemed to do the trick.  I need to fire it a lot more now before I can feel confident that the problem is solved but, AFAIC, it's basically taken care of.  Now the more I shoot the gun the more it will break in & I'm happy about that because these are great little guns & wouldn't want to have to take it out of rotation or even getting rid of it.
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on October 21, 2021, 12:19:06 AM
Got another update for you.  Went out today & fired another 25 ea of 95 LRN cartridges I had along with 45 ea 100 Speer JHP & they all fired without a hiccup so I have certified that my DB380 is cured of its malfunctions & graduates to the status of being fully broken in  :main_thumbs_2up: :main_thumbs_2up:. 
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: mr380acp on October 21, 2021, 09:18:06 AM
Good deal! Looks like you just needed a break in. Carry on!
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: jayz64 on October 21, 2021, 12:23:56 PM
Thank you. That thing is a shootin' little son-of-a-gun now.
Title: Re: DB380 cycling problem
Post by: mr380acp on October 21, 2021, 02:34:04 PM
Best shooting tiny pistol IMO