Whenever possible, take a new shooter and introduce them to America’s Rifle, the AR-15, because you never know where that first experience might lead. For Marty Daniel, it illuminated a path that would soon create Daniel Defense, one of the nation’s premier manufacturers of semi-automatic rifles. And for this range session, we’re diving into a carbine derived from Stoner’s AR-15 yet configured for pistol-caliber cartridges: the Daniel Defense DD PCC 916.
The DD PCC chambers the ubiquitous 9 mm Luger cartridge, making ammunition affordable and widely available. Better yet, it pairs naturally with many shooters' favorite sidearm, earning itself pistol-caliber carbine status. While not purpose-built as a hunting rifle, the DD PCC is versatile enough for everything from range sessions to home-defense applications, and it would hold it’s own on a varmint shoot, or pig hunt.
Built as a 7-pound carbine, it comes with many of the prized features Daniel Defense is known for, for instance, the matched receiver set is topped flat and cut for Picatinny rail, which seems common today, but a configuration that helped establish Daniel Defense as one of the industry's most respected manufacturers.
The beauty of this PCC system starts with the fully ambidextrous lower, which gives both left- and right-handed shooters easy access to the controls. Add in a few proprietary touches—such as the push-button magazine release, in-house-designed glass-filled polymer pistol grip and soft-touch-overmolded buttstock—and the ergonomics box is thoroughly checked. Daniel Defense also includes a vertical foregrip mounted to the M-Lok slots in the trim handguard, which is topped with a full-length rail.
Another distinctive feature is the gun’s 16-inch barrel, which Daniel Defense cold-hammer-forges from steel in-house. That’s noteworthy, because relatively few manufacturers make their own barrels—especially using this method—and it gives the DD PCC 916 another premium feature worth highlighting, along with the accuracy potential to back it up.
The gun is a smooth operator, too, thanks in no small part to the hydraulic buffer system. Add in the affordable CZ Scorpion magazine provided, and you’ve got a great combination that’s ready for varmint shoot, pig hunt or 3-Gun competition. On the range with the DD PCC proved to us its quick-handling and soft-shooting characteristics, allowing for quick target engagement and follow-ups. Add in the fact you have a direct-blowback system with unique buffer and threaded barrel, and this is one suppressor-ready option not to be looked over.
For more information on this incredibly capable 9 mm carbine, visit DanielDefense.com. And of course, to help in the fight to keep our 2nd Amendment rights, click the join button in the upper lefthand corner to pick up an NRA membership, and check out some more great American Hunter content while you’re there.
