By Bob Campbell | Contributing Editor
High end handguns are fascinating. Whether you own one or several everyone should experience a handgun that features excellent fit and finish.
Tolerances are tight and accuracy high in the best examples.
Joining the ranks of Dan Wesson and Les Baer handguns is the Daniel Defense H9. Yes, the long time maker of good quality AR 15 rifles has entered the handgun field.
The H9 pistol resembles the Hudson H9, which was an innovative, even unique handgun introduced in 2017. It did not last long, however, for a variety of reasons. From what I understand, the pistol was the product of outsourced parts and specifications and quality control may have become a problem. An assembled versus manufactured firearm doesn’t always work out. Yet, my H9 was a great shooter. There were a few problems along the way including a failure to reset the striker at times. Just the same the Hudson was an interesting handgun. Not one I trusted for carry as it stood but clearly someone was thinking outside the box.
Interesting enough I borrowed a friend’s gun and that piece went well over 1,000 rounds without trouble. There were reports of accuracy problems- and my personal guns failure to reset the striker only worsened with time.
Daniel Defense purchased the rights to the Hudson and is building a considerably re-engineered version. I did not like the dated takedown of the Hudson, but the new DD H9 now features twin bars that are pressed for takedown similar to the Glock pistol.
The new handgun is optics ready. Fit and finish are superior. Most of all the new H9 runs and runs without any glitches. Accuracy is good to excellent with quality ammunition.
The Daniel Defense H9 is a locked breech operation pistol. The recoil spring mounts on a conventional guide rod, while the pistol features a plunger-type Browning magazine catch and a 15- round magazine.
The trigger is single action, and there is a blade safety in the trigger face. Daniel Defense designed this handgun with a fiber optic front sight and notch rear. Optics plates are not provided but upon purchase, Daniel Defense will send a plate.
Comfortable Grips, Full Capacity
G10 grips offer a good balance of adhesion and abrasion, while the slide rides very low on the frame. This is due to an innovative design.
The dust cover is deeper than most, allowing the recoil spring and guide to ride low into the frame. As a result the bore axis is low with the bore center line’s height above the hand, affecting muzzle flip. With a lower bore axis there is less leverage for the muzzle to rise.
This pistol shoots well and exhibits modest muzzle flip.
Meanwhile, the grip feels good in the hand, and is more comfortable than any polymer frame double stack magazine handgun I am aware of, yet the H9 holds a 15 round magazine. Three of these magazines are supplied with the pistol.
The Daniel Defense H9 is intended to perform reliably as a carry gun. The finish is a dark black non-reflective type, evenly applied and attractive. The original pistol’s steel frame has been reengineered to a weight-saving aluminum frame, so this new version weighs 29 ounces unloaded, and recoil isn’t difficult to control.
The pistol features an upswept grip tang. It appears as if the H9 would have a grip safety but it doesn’t. Both front and rear grip straps are nicely checkered. The slide lock is easily manipulated. Speed loads are not difficult. The slide lock is ambidextrous. The pistol features a light rail for mounting combat lights. Take down is straightforward. First, confirm the handgun is unloaded. Remove the magazine and lock the slide to the rear. Check the magazine well and the chamber. The H9’s slide is retracted slightly and the dual takedown levers in front of the triggerguard, higher on the frame, are pulled downward. When the slide is off the frame the recoil spring and guide are easily removed. The barrel lifts out the bottom of the slide.
Holsters are not common for the H9. A maker that is set up for the H9 is C&G. (Candgholsters.com) This company offers a good value in well-designed Kydex. I used their strong side holster with good results. The holster features a sweat guard, dual belt loops adjustable for ride and cant, and a tension screw.
My draw was sharp from this scabbard. I also used a C&G inside-the-waistband holster while evaluating concealed carry with the H9. This is good kit well worth their price.
All went well during the evaluation. The pistol clears leather quickly and gets on target with a good natural feel. I ran the standard response drill drawing and getting a second hit just under the required 1.5 seconds at 10 yards.
I did a lot of work at 7 and 10 yards. The pistol handles well with modest recoil energy. Combat groups were very good. The pistol handles better than all but the best polymer framed handguns. While it is striker fired, the metal frame provides lower recoil impulse. Coupled with a lowered bore centerline modest recoil results in a formidable defensive firearm.
Trigger control is good with the trigger breaking at a crips 4.5 pounds and very clean for a striker fired handgun. A note- use the fiber optic dot itself for aiming. This will ensure the proper point of aim. If you use the flat top of the front sight shots will go low.
While combat shooting is most important I am interested in accuracy and fired the Daniel Defense H9 at 25 yards from a solid benchrest. I rested the pistol on a Birchwood Casey pistol rest, a device well suited to accuracy testing. It didn’t take long to confirm the pistol’s accuracy potential. Most groups were well under 2.5 inches with an exceptional group of only 1.5 inch- the average was larger.
This is a good shooter that will allow a skilled shooter to defend themselves as a well as is possible with any handgun. Support gear such as threaded barrels are not yet available to the best of knowledge. Just the same- the pistol is worth its price and performance cannot be faulted. If they are all this good the H9 has a bright future.
Accuracy results- 25 yards, 5 shot groups
Load Group in Inches
Speer Lawman 115 grain TMJ 2.25 in.
Blazer Brass 115 grain FMJ 2.5 in.
Speer 124 grain Gold Dot 2.2 in.
Speer 147 grain Gold Dot 1.9 in.
(Smallest group with this load 1.5 in.)
Federal 147 grain HST +P 2.0 in.
Specifications:
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15
Action: Striker fired
Trigger: Single action
Sights: Fixed, Fiber Optic front, Notch Rear
OAL: 7.69 inches
Width: 1 inch at slide
Height: 5.12 inches
Barrel: 4.28 inches
Grips: G-10
MSRP: $999.00
