SHOT Show Highlight: Diamondback DBX 5.7x28 Pistol

There haven’t been many surprises at this year’s SHOT Show, because many gun makers chose to announce their new products ahead of the event. But one gun that did manage to sneak up on us was the new Diamondback Firearms DBX pistol chambered in 5.7x28mm.

Ruger kicked off this year’s 5.7x28mm revival with its new Ruger-57 pistol, CMMG has launched a slew of rifle, pistol and caliber conversion kits for this cartridge and Speer Gold Dot is on board with a new load. With Diamondback’s DBX in the mix, we may see this cartridge make a real comeback.

Generally speaking, the 8” barrel DBX takes its design cues from AR-15-pattern pistols with lower receivers built for handgun magazines. In this case, the 20-round magazine has been borrowed from the FN Five-Seven pistol. Popular AR inspired features abound including aluminum receivers, an interchangeable A2 grip, safety selector, trigger group, MLOK slots on the handguard and the full-length optics rail.

However, unlike AR pistols, the DBX has a slim, flat profile of just 1.25″. That makes it about the same thickness as a typical 9 mm pistol. The locked breech action employs a dual gas piston system with a reciprocating left-side charging handle.

The DBX can be outfitted with a single-point sling using the milled in QD ports or the vertical rail at the rear can be used to support the stabilizing wrist brace (shown) that ships with the gun. Without the brace, the unloaded pistol weighs 3-lbs., with the brace it’s 3.7-lbs.

The DBX proved to be a fast-handling, soft-shooting gun that fits neatly in between the hip-holster pistols and carbines being offered by other companies. It’s definitely a candidate for additional testing.

It has a projected suggested retail price of around $1200 with Ruger-57 magazine compatible models in the works for a future release. For more information, please visit diamondbackfirearms.com