There are “fancier” AR 15 rifles than the DDM4. There are AR-15 rifles with specks of gold flakes fire infused into the paint, barrels forged in the flames of hell, and lower receivers made from material not yet identified on the periodical table.

Though the DDM4v1 may not glow in the dark or sparkle in the sunlight, make no mistake, the quality of the DDM4v1 is undeniable. At $1250 – $1700 the DDM4 isn’t exactly cheap, but neither is the most attractive dancer at a strip club, at least you get to take the rifle home. I’m sure some of you intend to come home with both, but Im not here to judge, you get what you pay for.

STOCK & GRIP

The Magpul MOE Stock is one of the best entry level stocks you can put on a rifle. The Mil Spec buffer Tube is a testament to the abuse an AR 15 my encounter. I’ve dropped this rile more times than Mr Achy Brakey Heart must have obviously dropped his first born. I will say, the A2 Pistol Grip, should be sold into slavery, It’s the one thing about this rifle that feels cheap, it’s the after thought of the world of grips, why are they still being made, they’re about as ergonomic as a 2×4 wrapped in news paper.

TRIGGER GAURD & MAGAZINE WELL

The flared trigger guard is kind of like finding out your car has adaptive headlights after 2 years of ownership; you don’t realize how helpful adaptive headlights are until you don’t have them anymore. The Same applies to the flared magazine well; sometimes trying to load a magazine at speed, is like trying to put your key into the door of your apartment by running full speed with the key in your outstretched hand, it’s not going to end well. Now, imagine a funnel cone coming out of the key hole passively guiding you to the hole. The first time I had sex comes to mind. Anyway thats what the flared magazine well does.

SAFTEY & MAGAZINE RELEASE

The Safety is very positive, however it almost feels too lose, but it’s not, it’s doing what you tell it to, engage and disengage. The magazine release sits naturally, your index finger easily finds its way to the mag release and has enough pressure to keep you from accidentally engaging it, but light enough to engage it without giving your index finger a work out. the ping pong paddle are too small I don’t like it, but most stock ping pong paddles are too small for my taste so that’s not saying much.

SIGHTS

Now, when I first saw the iron sights on the DDM4 I wasn’t a fan. They seemed waaaay too intrusive to me, and still are, but they are damn good sights, especially if you’re going to be running iron sights only. I’m sorry, not everyone has $3 billion to spend on an optic after dropping $1700 on a rifle. So, a pair of good iron sights is key.

RAIL SYSTEM

Arguably, Daniel Defense rails at to the AR 15 what Swiss movement is to the watch. The DDM4V1 is fitted with the Daniel Defense DDM4 Rail 12.o fsp. The most notable character trait of this rail is the cut out top for the front site, which allows you to have a fixed front site without being a rail space hog. I’m sure the guys who like their rails to look like a tactical Christmas tree will love that extra rail space.

My favorite part of the rail is the patented bolt up system, something about those four bolts remind me of the bolts to a huge bank volt. The bottom portion of The rail is sucked up closer to the barrel like a body builder doing the stomach vacuum exercise to get a smaller waist. The rail also comes with  front and rear integrated sling swivel attachment points. At 13.7 ounces this rail is rather light and balances the rifle well.

BARREL 

The barrel is a cold hammer forged, CMV steel, which is chromed lined.
For those of you scratching your head going huh? Some may debate the true value of a cold hammer forged barrel and chrome lining, but the general consensus is that cold hammer forged barrels are stronger and longer lasting, and chrome lining protects against corrosion and prolongs the life of the barrel. Some argue that chrome lined barrels may or may not be as accurate as a non chrome lined barrel.

MUZZLE DEVICE

Top top everything ofF, the DDM4 is fitted with the Daniel Defense flash suppressor assembly, which does exactly what it says it does — suppress the flash. Obviously, the flash suppressor does nothing to mitigate the recoil, as is the case with most flash suppressors — Hard to get both.

TRIGGER

The trigger is what I call an abc trigger, just the basics but done very well. You’re not going to pull this trigger and feel some kid of way, but it is a very pure feel. This trigger doesn’t have that hallow disconnected feel that some rifle triggers have. There’s a very short wall, but a little heavy. The reset communicates throughout your finger so that there’s no denying the trigger has been reset.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Admittedly, in a whore house of guns; we like to call this a gun store. The DDM4V1 is not going to be the first rifle you notice. This rifle doesn’t try to be sexy, it just is, and knows it. However, it’s not until u pick up the rifle and really give her a feel do you realize how sexy it is.

Is it worth the $1700 price tag? Based on quality alone, the rifle is worth it. Based on aesthetics alone, I think it should be about $1500. However, it’s not until you shoot the DDM4v1 that you realize that you’ve  just got in bed with a sexually repressed preachers daughter.  You’ll have to wait for the shooting review to figure out why.