It has been a few years since I have truly written a review on a firearm as now we have a proper range for reviews at any time. So why a written review? Well, I can go more in-depth with the build of the firearm than we would in a normal review and this gives us a place to link to parts to build your own using these parts.
The Diamondback Firearms Upper
If you are reading this in the future and not during the great shortage of everything just know that some parts are harder to come by than others. First off I went with a prebuilt upper from Diamondback Firearms, I went with the Upper assembly 16″ .223/5.56, 12″ M-LOK CMML Rail FDE with Bolt Carrier Group and charging handle (I was just being lazy and didn’t want to source a BCG for this project when I have two more builds coming up).
The changes I have made to the upper are:
- PSA CUSTOM SIX-PORT AR-15 MUZZLE BRAKE 5.56/.223 1/2″X28
- PSA CUSTOM AR-15 CHARGING HANDLE AMBIDEXTROUS
- Strike-Industries AR Ultimate Dust Cover for .223/5.56 – Texas Edition v1
- MAGPUL – AR-15 MBUS PRO BACKUP SIGHT SET
The Diamondback Firearms Lower
This wouldn’t be a Diamondback firearms review if the upper and lower weren’t matching sets so we had Diamondback send us their DB15 223/556/300blk Stripped Black Gold Series Rifle Lower, Flat Dark Earth.
I cleaned up some parts lying the shop around and only installed premium parts except for mag release and takedown pins.
The Parts List:
- AR-15 MAGAZINE CATCH ASSEMBLY
- Take Down Pins
- Vltor IMOD: Improved Modular Stock Standard Mil-spec
- PSA Custom AR Ambidextrous Short / Long Throw Safety
- PSA Freedom Complete 6 Position Mil-spec Diameter Buffer Tube Assembly
- CMC Triggers Ar-15 Tactical Single Stage Curved Trigger, Matte Black
- Hogue AR-15 Vertical Grip, Black
- HEXMAG Series 2 Ar-15 30rd Magazine, FDE
PSA
PSA is a great company to work with if you’re looking for everything from complete firearms to parts or optics. They carry many brands and parts at good prices.
The Review
The rifle shoots beautifully as you can see from the video below and is only 6 lbs unloaded and w/o a mag, it manages recoil perfectly. It is hard to review an AR as an AR is an AR is an AR. It is the parts that make or break a rifle. So I will break it down in terms of my most important parts to the least.
The upper and lower needed to have a good fit and finish and from all the firearms I have seen from Diamondback, I knew I was going to be happy.
The mil-spec charging handle had to go. I HATE them with a passion and I always replace them. PSA had the style I like which is larger than a standard mil-spec so that was a must!
The trigger needed to be from a brand I trust and use and CMC is in Texas so clearly, I am going to support a local company.
The muzzle device has to be one that manages recoil and the design of the PSA Six-Port muzzle break fits that bill for this rifle. How it handles calibers that have more recoil I can’t say. In the video, you can see the rifle has very little climb thanks to the muzzle break.
The dust cover was sent to us from Strike Ind because we are in Texas. Thank you.
The safety selector being a 45-degree switch is something I really like on my other ARs and PSA had me covered for that.
Another product I have been holding on to for a few years is the Vltor IMOD Stock. They sent us a whole box a few years ago, and I have slowly been using them up.
The Video
My Final Thoughts
I will admit I own more than a few ARs and I am always looking to build or add a new one to my collection. The Diamondback Firearms Upper and Lower look great in FDE and all the PSA and other parts that have been changed on this rifle truly complete this build for me. If you are looking to build your next AR I slap my seal of approval on these parts. Or if you are just looking for a complete rifle, well Diamondback Firearms has you covered there too. They have everything from their DBX57 which is a 5.7×28 caliber firearm to your DB15s in 5.56 and.300BLK to your DB10 in 6.5CM and .308 and they even have DB9s in 9mm for your AR 9mm using Glock mags.
