{"id":130750,"date":"2020-07-05T14:09:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-05T18:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=130750"},"modified":"2020-07-05T14:09:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T21:30:00","slug":"daniel-defense-m4a1-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/daniel-defense-m4a1-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel Defense M4A1 – GWOT War Horse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Daniel
DD M4A1, SOF standard issue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t often that a review gun is something I have an emotional attachment too, but this one is an exception. The Daniel Defense M4A1<\/a> holds a special place in my heart, as I am sure is true for a great many Veterans. Why you ask? Because we carried one in war. You know you are getting old when a replica of your battle rifle is on the market. But then, replica isn\u2019t quite the right word. Since Daniel Defense actually built our guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
More than one firebase has been defended just like this<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I can still remember the day we got our DD uppers as part of\nthe SOPMOD 2 block of upgrades. Daniel Defense was a much smaller company back\nthen, and I have still no idea how they managed to win this particular\ncontract. My guess is that somebody competent on our side did their homework\nfor once, and found exactly what was needed. Even in Special Operations, weapon\nprocurement can be a goat rodeo. But a few years into the GWOT, we were also\ngaining some leverage to get better tools. Prior to this, our primary rifle had\nbeen the same M4 issued to the entire Army. Albeit with an auto switch instead\nof a burst setting, a difference so small as to be insignificant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Period correct EOTECH and VTAC sling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the moment we put them on, the difference in the Daniel Defense upper was stunning. Part of which you have to look at in historical context. This first major improvement is the RIS II handguard, which is 12.25 inches long. Probably shocking to our younger audience, but just Picatinny rail attachments themselves are not that old. They were not common until the late 90\u2019s, and into the early part of the war were only 6 inches long. The leverage gained by being able to put your hand out further was HUGE for the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Legendary RAS II rail attachment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The old rails also interfaced with the standard M4 delta ring\nrear, and A frame style front sight post. The new Daniel Defense upper was the\nfirst ever issued free floating barrel, which would contribute to its accuracy.\nAlso gone was the A frame front sight. Now an A frame is very durable, no\nquestion. And you can run optics with one and be successful, we did it for\nyears. But we also shouldn\u2019t deny that having a huge front sight post in the\nway of your optic is like shooting with a pinky finger in your line of vision.\nHaving it removed was like upgrading from regular TV to HD. Heady stuff in the\nmid 2000\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Grip N Rip charging handle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And oh Lord that accuracy. Daniel Defense is one of the few manufacturers\nthat actually makes their own barrels. You might see another stamped with the gun\nmakers name, but it is actually produced for them. Daniel Defense keeps it all\nin house, with cold hammer forged straight from Blacks Creek, Georgia. At the time\nwe got the DD uppers, our service issue guns would shoot around 4 MOA on average.\n4 inches at 100 yards. The new Daniel Defense guns were so lights out it was\nhard to believe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Alt view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I wasn\u2019t smart enough back then to slap a Leupold scope on\nthe DD uppers to see exactly how tight they were. I was in a door kicker unit,\nso I never tested them with anything other than an EOTECH. Even if I had, I\ndoubt I would remember exactly the group sizes now. But even with just red\ndots, the accuracy difference was like night and day. We were in love with the\nDouble D\u2019s, which is not probably the first time a Soldier has said that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Many a tango has been dispatched from this view right here<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The new upper would eventually become standard issue for\neveryone in SOCOM. Ranger Battalion, Special Forces, MARSOC, the Squeels, and whatever\nthe Air Force calls its guys this week. It is arguably the most iconic gun of\nthe War on Terror, having seen service from Tal Afar to Kandahar to Damascus. A\nfitting tribute to the men who carried it, I was really happy to see Daniel\nDefense release a commercial version. So how does the version you can buy compare\nto the version that fought the jihad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
flash hider top<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Daniel
flash hider bottom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Remarkably well, in my opinion. The barrel is 14.5 inches, which\nis true of the issued one as well. ( A 10.5 inch was also issued, and is also available\nfor purchase.) In order to keep this rifle from being an SBR and requiring a\nstamp, DD pinned and welded a flash hider to make the overall length past 16. This\ndoes mean that you can\u2019t twist off the flash hider and run a suppressor, but\nfor this gun I don\u2019t find that a huge problem. More period correct would also\nhave been a Surefire\n3 prong hider<\/a>, which came with our new suppressors around the same time. But\nthe Daniel Defense model is a good one, and does a fine job of completing the\nlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
ambi selector lever and grip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The handguard is true to spec, including the dark earth\ncoloring. It has proven durability which few others could claim, and makes the rifle\ninstantly recognizable. While full length quad rails might not be the most\nmodern feel now, it did represent a great leap forward at the time. It is functional\nand comfortable, if a bit on the heavy side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
DD rail with a KAC rail section on top. Difference in length was a huge plus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The other minor change to the upper receiver is the new DD\ncharging handle. Called the GRIP-N-RIP, it is fully ambi. It is beefed up from\na mil spec model, with a rubbery type texture to the handle. It also has a an\nanti gas feature, which directs gasses away when using a suppressor. Not\nhelpful on this model, but the charging handle is a nice upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Original Gangster as it gets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To fully complete the period feel, I had to put an EOTECH 512 on the rifle. This would be the double A model that was the SOF standard back then. I absolutely love this optic. I had one all through training, and in all my operational time in Special Forces. Not only was this door kicker optic of choice, but it wasn’t uncommon to see them on 50 cal machine guns, or even the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle. My Bravo taught me that one! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
keeping it fed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I also reached out to our friends at Gun Mag Warehouse <\/a>for period-correct magazines. While the SureFeed brand name is new, the magazines are made by Okay Industries. Which has been a military supplier for decades. As expected, they ran in the DD without so much as a hiccup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Daniel Defense brand buttstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The lower, as you can imagine, couldn\u2019t be made to replicate the issue one. ATF something something class III. But DD did the best they could here. The safety is also ambi, and what I would call historically accurate as well. The right side is a full-size lever, with a big beefy screw holding it in place. I wouldn\u2019t swear to it, but it looks a faithful recreation of the ones lefty\u2019s would have used at the time of issue. The trigger is also mil-spec, which I don\u2019t love. While it is also period correct to have that, most Daniel Defense rifles ship with a Geisselle. We did get those later, but while this upper was still the standard issue. Rounding out the package is Daniel Defense furniture, which I like enough to have bought and put on other guns in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Accuracy testing with Accutac Bipod, Leupold MK5, and Hornady 75gr Match<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What kind of accuracy do you expect from what is billed as a service rifle? I wasn\u2019t quite sure how this was going to go. I remember the DD\u2019s being WAY more accurate than the big Army uppers they replaced, but I couldn\u2019t put a true measurement on that. I also know Daniel Defense barrels in their other guns to be insanely accurate. The M4V7 Pro I reviewed<\/a> 4 years ago was so accurate as to be nearly unbelievable. \u00a0For the M4A1 model, I would have been happy with 1 MOA. That is still a high mark for an AR-15, and I thought maybe DD would have cheaped out a little on a \u201cmilitary-grade\u201d model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
1\/2 inch 5 round group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And I would have thought wrong. The M4A1 was incredibly accurate, just as good as any other DD rifle. Which is a high compliment. Apparently, when they cold hammer forge those barrels, they only make one grade. Excellence few others can match. My test gun turned in groups on par with any custom barrel you can make, and there may actually be more accuracy in this gun. I am still recovering from an injury, so I am shooting left-handed. And I did the accuracy testing with the mil-spec trigger and lower, no special fixed stock ringer to squeeze every millimeter of accuracy out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Staggering 1\/4th inch 3 round group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Using Hornady Match 75 Grain<\/a> and a Leupold MK5<\/a>, the M4A1 averaged \u00bd MOA. And it turned in a 3 round group that was right at 1\/4th<\/sup> of an inch. I won\u2019t BS you, I quit on that 3 round string because I was shocked to see them all touching in the scope. I should have gone for 5, but I knew my odds of tossing one with my current shooting status was high. But I would say it is a safe bet that is closer to the actual mechanical accuracy than the \u00bd MOA average. Which would make it exactly the same as the M4V7 Pro I tested 4 years ago, that gave a .27 when I was at full capacity. That is absolutely stunning accuracy from an AR-15, something you could only dream about 20 years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

All in all, this is an absolutely fantastic gun. I can\u2019t even look at it without getting warm fuzzies remembering riding hot breeches all over Baghdad in the middle of the night. Or riding the skids of a Blackhawk on the way to go hand out some vengeance. This gun is an absolutely perfect tribute to the men who carried it, and all the stories they could tell. The M4A1 gets a highly recommend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It isn\u2019t often that a review gun is something I have an emotional attachment too, but this one is an exception. The Daniel Defense M4A1 holds a special place in my heart, as I am sure is true for a great many Veterans. Why you ask? Because we carried one in war. You know you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":130769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[132,179,102,2556],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-130750","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-buzz","9":"tag-daniel-defense","10":"tag-feature-articles","11":"tag-m4a1"},"yoast_head":"\nDaniel Defense M4A1 - GWOT War Horse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Daniel Defense M4A1 - GWOT War Horse - Uncategorized\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/daniel-defense-m4a1-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Daniel Defense M4A1 - GWOT War Horse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DD M4A1, SOF standard issue It isn\u2019t often that a review gun is something I have an emotional attachment too, but this one is an exception. 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