I recently developed an interest in getting into 3 gun competitive shooting and because this interest was developed spontaneously, naturally, I wanted to get started ASAP. This urgent drive led me to look for a rifle that I could pull off the shelf, slap an optic on and then take it to the range and compete with the best. In the end, the rifle that I picked for this role as being the highest quality without demanding the highest price was Daniel Defense’s DDM4V11 Pro.
The appealing features on this rifle that make it ideal for fast-paced, accurate run and gun shooting include DD’s signature 32 round mag, 18″ Strength to Weight, Cold Hammer Forged Barrel with rifle-length gas system, Muzzle Climb Mitigator, and Geissele Automatics Super Dynamic 3 Gun Trigger to name a few. For this review, I chose to mount the Atibal X 1-10×30 LPVO on the DDM4V11 pro because of it’s crazy magnification range that makes it great for short-range and long-range shots alike.
One thing that you get when you buy a Daniel Defense is an amazing warranty. Instead of the typical “If you break it, we will replace it.” Daniel Defense stands behind a Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee. This means that you don’t have to have a reason for returning your DD except that you aren’t happy with it. This is likely because at DD, they know that you will love your firearm and never want to let it go. At Daniel Defense, they only have one full-time gunsmith who takes care of all service and repairs as well as the majority of the custom firearm builds because far less than 1% of the products that they make (they produce 40,000-50,000 per year) will ever come back into the DD Service Center and 100% of those are resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
The other thing that you receive when buying a DD product is a truly military-grade firearm. DD has extensive background in this area, with several recent notable acquisitions including:
- TX Parks and Wildlife – using DDM4 V7 Mil-Spec +
- Czech Army Special Forces – MK18 and M4A1
- US SOCOM – Recently started fielding DD 14.5” Gov Mid 5.56mm Barrel, more than 10,000 barrels total so far.
Initial Impression
When I received the DDM4V11 Pro, the presentation screamed “Quality!” to me. The rifle comes in a padded hard case and includes a Daniel Defense 32 round magazine, rounded recoil pad and a checked-off list of who inspected the rifle, test-fired it, packed it and the date it was shipped. I love a company who can claim responsibility for their products and this signed checklist does just that in my mind.
When I picked the rifle up out of the case, I immediately noticed that the grip felt like it was made specifically for my hand. Daniel Defense works hard on the ergonomics of their firearms by fitting their parts to the average feature. This means, for example, that the grip on the gun will not be a perfect fit for my oven mitted friends, but it will be somewhat close. The same is true for the opposite extreme. That said, the same grip will fit most people as if it was made for them specifically. Consequentially, the DDM4V11 fit me extremely well. The rubberized grip and cheekpiece on the buttstock further add to the comfort and usability of this rifle because it helps the shooter stay solid in their shooting position through their course of fire.
Important Features
The DDM4V11 Pro is stacked with some very high-quality components, thus the $1,999.00 MSRP. One of these that I believe makes the gun a pleasure to shoot is the Geissele Automatics Super Dynamic 3 Gun Trigger. This trigger allows the shooter to shoot quickly and accurately with its crisp, light pull and short reset. I measured the trigger pull on my DDM4V11 to average 2.25 pounds using my Wheeler Engineering Trigger Pull Gauge. This trigger’s flat design allows the shooter to place their finger on the very end of the blade and exert maximum torque on the trigger for a perceived lighter trigger pull.
Now, moving from muzzle to buttstock, I want to point out the other features that make this gun what it is; a competition-ready masterpiece. The Muzzle Climb Mitigator is a tiny muzzle brake/compensator which reduces felt recoil as well as keeps the muzzle flip to a minimum. The brake effectively keeps the shooter on target. This single part is likely the largest reason that I found the DDM4V11 to shoot so flat and smooth, but more on that later. The muzzle is threaded 1/2″x28 TPI for use of whatever muzzle device you might wish to use.
The 18″ Strength to Weight, Cold Hammer Forged barrel is the perfect balance of weight and accuracy, keeping the shots on target while also allowing the rifle to be handled quickly and easily. On this barrel, Daniel Defense has a rifle length pinned gas system on this rifle which creates a softer recoil impulse from a lowered bolt speed and a longer unlocking delay upon firing. This feature is also typically seen to extend the life of all mechanical components within the firearm.
Next up, the 15″ Daniel Defense SLiM rail with keymod attachments allows the shooter to use the extra length to extend their grip out farther. This provides the shooter in a competitive situation with more leverage for control when transitioning between targets, reducing over travel. The SLiM rail provides superior airflow through the handguard to accelerate cooling of the barrel during long strings of fire. Not to mention all of the real-estate for whatever types of attachments you want on your gun.
The innards of the gun consist of an M16 profile bolt carrier group that is Mil-Spec magnetic particle tested and chrome lined with a staked gas key. The buffer in the Daniel Defense DDM4V11 Pro is an H1 buffer for increased reliability and a reduced bolt speed. The BCM Gunfighter charging handle is large and easy to operate, but not too large as to get in the way. All of this coupled with a generously flared magazine well and flush cup attachment locations set this rifle up to be competition-ready out of the box.
Range Results
It is important for a competition rifle to be able to be reliable and accurate no matter what ammunition is fed through it. The DDM4V11 showed during my range session that it can handle basically any type of ammunition that you wish to give it. Here, I tested Barnes, Hornady and HSM ammunition and the following pictures show the results:
The DDM4V11 Pro was a pleasure to shoot. The trigger was amazing, recoil was nonexistent and the rifle seemed to be locked on target, never bumping off once the shot broke.
Specifications
- upper and lower receiver CNC machined from 7075-T6 aluminum
- type III hard coat anodized
- flared mag well
- rear receiver QD swivel attachment point
- M4 feed ramps
- Geissele Automatics Super Dynamic 3 Gun Trigger
- Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel, Cold Hammer forged, 1:7 twist 18″ S2W profile Chrome Lined, Heavy Phosphate coated barrel
- pinned low profile gas block
- Rifle length gas system
- Daniel Defense Muzzle Climb Mitigator, Gen II muzzle brake
- M16 Profile bolt carrier group, Chrome lined and staked gas key
- H Buffer
- DD SLiM Rail 15″
- BCM Gunfighter charging handle
- 6-position receiver extension
- Daniel Defense Buttstock, glass-filled polymer with soft-touch overmolding
- Daniel Defense pistol grip, glass-filled polymer with soft-touch overmoulding
- KeyMod mounting system
- ambidextrous saety
- 5.56mm NATO
- 1/2×28 TPI threaded muzzle
- 7.53 pounds
- $1,999.00
- Made in the USA!
Final Verdict
I am very glad that I decided to go with the Daniel Defense DDM4V11 Pro as an off of the shelf competition-ready rifle because it performed extremely well in my testing both for reliability (there were 0 malfunctions that occurred during 400 rounds that I have fired through it so far) as well as accuracy. Coupled with an amazing optic like the Atibal X 1-10×30, I can be confident at point-blank range to long-range shots alike. This rifle is a high-performance rifle that I would recommend to anyone that has high-performance demands.
where are you finding this for $1500
I love mine. Switched out the trigger to a Larue MBT 2 stage.
I was looking to build a rifle length gas system 3 gun/spr to go with my other AR builds ( pistol length gas system.300BLK , carbine length gas system 5.56 , mid length gas system.223 wylde ) after adding up the cost of building what I want to buying off the shelf I decided to get this V11 PRO for $1500 it was a excellent decision!!
The weight of this rifle (heavy barrel) and rifle length gas system and smoothness is just ridiculously good. Coupled with the Geissele SD3G trigger and MOD 4 charging handle this thing is a freaking tack driver!!
I use a YHM suppressor shooting mostly match grade 77g OTM with a Trijicon Accupoint 1-4 it’s easy hitting targets fast and close and almost cheating at 400 yards!
I have and can hit 300+ yards repeatedly off hand consistently… ping , ping ,ping , ping!!
I’m going to get a Primary Arms 1-8 ACSS reticle and see how far I can get this thing to hit !
DDM4V5s represent. Prob my favorite rifle I own besides my Colt Le.
After much research, a few years ago I bought a D.D. V11. This incredible rifle amazed me. When put to the test and fired with quality glass it gave me wide smiles. I did my part, yes, but no amount of work on my end could create 5-shot .280″ groups at 100 yards. Ammo was carefully tested from several “match” rated selections. It fires best on std 77 gr OTM’s. I only use a bipod at bench position. A D.D. D5 had to follow the V11. It was evident that if they did such an excellent job with 5.56 that 7.62 couldn’t be far behind. It is equal in performance. Either rifle gathers attention which initially was surprising. I could go on at length but when asked by others (those with spotting scopes) did I like either rifle, their cost, about jamming, etc. I reply, “Buy it. You won’t be sorry”.
No, I don’t work for D.D. or know anyone who does or have been paid or requested to offer any opinion other than my own….just trying to help my brothers.