Daniel Defense DDM4 Carbine Review

This is going to be my first firearms review, so bear with me.

After having recently been discharged from the US Army because of a knee injury, I decided it was due time for me to purchase my own long-gun.
I decided to stick to the platform I had the most experience with, which was of course, the M4 platform, as that was what I was trained on in the Army.
After long hours of research, poring over specifications, etc etc, I finally settled on a Daniel Defense rifle, the DDM4 carbine.

We'll start with the specifications as listed by Daniel Defense on their website.

• Lower Receiver: Mil-Spec with Enhanced Flared Magazine Well
• Upper Receiver: Mil-Spec with Indexing Marks and M4 Feed Ramps
• Barrel: 16″ Ordnance Grade 4150 MP Tested, Chrome Lined, 1:7 Twist, M4 Profile
• Chamber: 5.56 NATO
• Flash Hider: A2 Birdcage Flash Hider
• Bolt Carrier Group: Mil-Spec MP Tested, Properly Staked Gas Key
• Buffer: H Buffer
• Sights: Daniel Defense A1.5 Fixed Rear Sight; Pinned “F” Marked Front Sight Base
• Rail System: Daniel Defense Omega X 12.0 FSP
• Buttstock: MAGPUL MOE Buttstock & Mil-Spec 5 Position Receiver Extension
• Magazine: MAGPUL 30 round PMag in Black
• Vertical Grip: Daniel Defense A2 Styling Vertical Grip
• Case: Comes with Custom Daniel Defense Full-Latch 30ft Impact Plastic Case
• Made in the USA!

Daniel Defense has been around for a few years now, in the beginning only manufacturing accessories for the M4 platform, such as rail systems, sling mounts, etc.
As a matter of fact, they recently took over the contract for supplying the US Army with rail systems!
Their quality is generally considered quite high and it appears that my rifle does reflect this.

I chose their product because it, for a very reasonable price, had almost all the add-ons that I was looking to acquire anyways, such as a full rail system, a back-up iron sight, a decent stock, a Pmag included as standard and a vertical foregrip.
The rail system alone, retails for 346 dollars!
Combine that with the other desirable characteristics, such as a 1:7 twist, chrome-lined barrel, Magnetic Particle inspected barrel and bolt carrier group, and a properly staked gas key, it was almost a no-brainer.

And here it is, in all it's black glory.

Here shown with a Magpul Dynamics MS2 Sling. Review Forthcoming.
Note the extra "rail estate" forward of the front sight post.

Very nice Daniel Defense BUIS. This sight is preset for an elevation of 300 meters and is only adjustable for windage.

Castle nut has been staked in one location only. Should make it easier to replace the rear sling mount plate than some other rifles where the castle nut has been staked in more than one spot.


Very nicely flared magazine well.
Overall, the machining and fit and finish of this rifle looks impeccable.

Note the Magpul trigger guard. This gives you a nice bit of extra room if for instance you're wearing gloves.
In general, this rifle is pretty loaded with Magpul gear. Definitely not a bad thing!

Zeroing for the first time. The rifle is very accurate and zeroing went smoothly. Any errors were entirely mine. The trigger is a complete dream to shoot, compared to the Colt M4 I was issued. Very crisp and with a remarkably short and light pull. I'm not sure of the actual trigger weight, but it's pretty light. Very, very nice.


Playing around with some barricades and just generally shooting the hell out of the rifle.
It eats the cheap Wolf ammo like it was nothing. No failures to fire or to extract.

The DDM4 comes standard with an A2-type grip with the typical finger groove. While at first, it didn't really bother me, the more I drilled and shot with the DDM4, the more it bugged me. So being the incorrigible tinker that I am, I took matters into my own hands.
I removed the finger bump and textured the living daylights out of the grip. At the same time I very slightly contoured the grip further and the end result can be seen in the picture below.
The grip is significantly more comfortable now and the heavy texture adds a significant amount of grip. Feels very secure.



Overall, I'm quite happy with my actual purchase. As a product, the Daniel Defense DDM4 looks to be everything it should be.
But, all is not roses.
The DDM4 comes fitted with a Daniel Defense QD swivel mount and the rail system itself has limited-rotation mounting points for QD swivels as well.
However, the DDM4 doesn't come with a single swivel in the box. A decision I find slightly odd.
When I inquired with Daniel Defense, more baffling things ensued.
No response whatsoever to the two emails I sent them. None, zip, zilch, nada.
This is slightly troubling from a customer service standpoint, especially for a company that is relatively new to the M4 market. I'm now somewhat doubting that I'll get a response if I ever have a real issue with the weapon.
I'm frankly not expecting to have any issues, the DDM4 seems exceptionally well-built out of solid components. But it's still somewhat unsettling, and something I dearly hope that Daniel Defense fixes in the near future.

Other than that, I have no complaints and can only look forward to shooting this a lot more!
Recommended with some reservations per the above comments.

Addendum: Joe at Daniel Defense finally got in touch with me the other day and answered my question entirely to my satisfaction.
The swivels are not included for two reasons. One, to cut costs for the end user. And two, to make it easier for the customer to pick the sling solution that fits his needs.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen at least the rear swivel included, but Daniel Defense's reasoning behind not including them is entirely understandable.
I'm also gratified to find out that Daniel Defense does indeed seem to care about their customers! Something I find exceedingly important in this day and age of out-sourced customer service.