DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

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MikeyB
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DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by MikeyB »

Hello,

Just picked up a Daniel Defense the AR -15 DDM4 PDW 300 blackout pistol with the 7 inch barrel. I have it suppressed with a trash panda can. I am really struggling with manufacture and what grain size to buy for home defense/close range hunting. Obviously I’m looking for something subsonic or super I’d rather go sub, or maybe both supers since they’re cheaper for target practice but then subs for actual hunting or home defense . Where I’m having trouble is I’m not sure with this rig what size grain to shoot that has good expanding ability for home defense. Can anybody give any suggestions on this specific gun and their experience with ammo? Again I’m looking for a brand,grain size, and what type of bullet. I think FM Jay’s are out of the question in a home defense situation.I don’t want to shoot in a home defense situation and have a go through six walls and five of my neighbors houses. I’m fairly new to the AR scene as I’ve been a handgun guy for decades. Thank you for any insights and advice
ReadyAimDuck
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by ReadyAimDuck »

What would be the reason you want to use subsonic rounds for hunting or home defense? I'm not saying there are not good reasons to. But I think supersonic loads are far superior for both applications in almost all cases. Good loadings for hunting are also much easier to find in the supersonic variety if you aren't handloading.

To answer your question, Hornady makes a 190 gr. Sub-X bullet that you may be able to find in factory loads. This bullet expands at subsonic speeds and it would be what I would use for a factory subsonic hunting bullet if for some reason I could not get my hands on any supersonic cartridge. But I would not choose that for hunting over any expanding bullet in the 110-125 gr. range.
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gds
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by gds »

I am a huge proponent of subsonic use for hunting. The Hornady 190gr SUB X does very well. My son used a supersonic 110gr Barnes black tip last year and it did an awesome job. It is a very popular bullet for 300blk

Having said that, My HD Rifle is loaded with 110gr Hornady VMAX Supersonic.

You are kind of overthinking this. Generally speaking there are several very good supersonic HD loads in the 110 to 130 gr range that would work just fine in your gun. If they did not work, then that would indicate a problem with your gun. Which I would not anticiapte.
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popper
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by popper »

Well, that pistol is going to be loud. As you want to buy ammo, choices are narrow. Consider the 110 vmax goes about 2x a 115 9mm, it's not going to go through 5 houses. One could also look at 150 ish (SST or SP). I use 170gr cast @ 1400 fps.
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plant.one
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by plant.one »

popper wrote: Sun Mar 13, 2022 4:54 pm Well, that pistol is going to be loud. As you want to buy ammo, choices are narrow. Consider the 110 vmax goes about 2x a 115 9mm, it's not going to go through 5 houses. One could also look at 150 ish (SST or SP). I use 170gr cast @ 1400 fps.

yea but that 150 sst/sp or 170 cast is going to have more overpenetration issues than the vmax will due to higher weight and lower velocity - less expansion/energy dump on contact + more weight flyin = therefore more carry thru.
Reloading info shared is based on experiences w/ my guns. Be safe and work up your loads from published data. Web data may not be accurate/safe.
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ReadyAimDuck
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by ReadyAimDuck »

The 110 VMAX factory load is going to be a little bit slower in the pistol length barrel. Any chance you will get into handloading, MikeyB?

Given your concerns about overpenetration, the 110 VMAX or similar bullet would be a great choice if you can load it down a bit. It will still expand at lower velocities. And it will be a lot less offensive to shoot out of a 7" barrel than a factory load, supressed or not.

That said, I don't think the sonic crack while suppressed should be the first concern from a home defense standpoint. Your ears will be fine. I'd recommend you go with a supersonic load that expands and is proven reliable on your platform.
MikeyB
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by MikeyB »

Thank you so much for your feedback. Greatly appreciate it. I just bought a ton of ammo Inc. 110grain Vmax. First of all I got them for a dollar around, secondly I can use them for tactical situations home defense and target. I also picked up a 20 pack of sigsauer subsonic small game and predator hunting ammo. Ridiculously priced two dollars per round. I think I’m just gonna put the silver spring in, and I can shoot Soopers or subs through my can. So I’m with you I think the best bet is to just stick with 110 grain VMAX, and I can use it for everything and anything.
ReadyAimDuck
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Re: DD DDM4 PDW AR pistol ( 7 inch barrel ) ammo help !

Post by ReadyAimDuck »

I think you're on the right patch. Subs can be a ton of fun, but I would strongly recommend you get into reloading if you are going to go that route. I would strongly recommend getting into reloading to get the most out of this caliber anyway. You will find that this is an extremely versatile caliber and can be purposed for almost anything you could want to do with a rifle. And reloading really opens up the doors for that. Granted, right now is really hard to find certain components. But this caliber really is a reloaders dream for a rifle cartridge.
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