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A clear standout at SHOT Show 2020’s Range Day, the Diamondback DBX57 has been at the top of my must-have list for a year now. This diminutive, featherweight of a scaled down AR-format pistol packs 30 rounds of 5.7x28mm punch and a gas piston operating system.

[On some mobile browsers the Rumble video embed may not work. Click HERE to watch the video if you see an error bar above.]

A full, written TTAG review will follow. For now, check out the Rumble-hosted video above to see the DBX57 in action on the range, both suppressed and au naturel.

Well, not quite au naturel, as I slapped on an SB Tactical FS1913 pistol brace. For the time being, Diamondback is shipping the DBX without a brace, in part because supply has been difficult to come by during the last year (FYI I have them in stock at Black Collar Arms for anyone who’s looking).

Two sentence review: the Diamondback DBX weighs a scant three pounds, is barely over an inch wide, runs like a champ, and shoots flat and fast. Fit and finish are great, and I really like the darn thing a lot.

 

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49 COMMENTS

  1. Looks cool 😎 but I’m fairly underwhelmed by the 5.7. SEE: Paul Harrell’s video.
    Another boutique round I’ll never shoot…

      • This is nothing like the pistols. It’s very well made. Machining, fit, finish, what I can tell of materials quality…all damn solid.

        • The DB9 gen4 is a very nice micro handgun. Mine has over 2,000 rounds through it. I carry it and three mags everyday as my work gun.

      • True story, at NRA Con 2014 in Nashville, a Diamondback engineer/sales rep told me they molded the grip of the DBFS9 buy taking a brick of modeling clay, wrapping it around a magazine and squeezing it in their hands to form the shape, then molded it.

      • Never Shot anything, Like it. Had so much fun Shot my Load without realizing. Huge Game Changer. Dual Gas piston, No recoil , Super Thin , Super Light , Super fast. Thank You

    • I have yet to see any of the victims of Ft. Hood complaining about the lack of performance from the 5.7…

  2. Sooo..Lighter weight, higher velocity and a boutique round as ‘walker’ says that I don’t remember seeing at all pre-covid much less now.

    Don’t misunderstand, I’m liking the gun itself. Piston, not very wide. probably don’t need full length rail..looks funny.

    From Diamond Back’s site MSRP: $1,125.00

    To each their own. Not for me.

    • It’s been a few years, but AIM (and maybe even PSA, can’t remember) was selling FN 5.7 for $14 and Federal 5.7 for $13. When you see those prices you buy 5K at a time.

  4. .22 Hornet was thought to be an ideal Groundhog/Fox cartridge years ago. For the military, there was even a survivor rifle created, and latter a civilian version, in .22 Hornet. Appears that the “new” 5.7×28 is an updated .22 Hornet. Without the rim, of course.

    Know that there are “gun experts” that feel that a .300 Mag is too small for deer hunting, but how much power/velocity does one needs if one can’t hit what they are aiming at??? A “Kit Gun” or “Trail Gun” is not for shooting bears, but maybe rabbits. With today’s two legged critters, a Trail Gun in 5.7×28 makes a lot more sense than the typical .22LR/.22 Mag handgun of my youth.

    P.S. – Love my .22 Hornet T/C pistol. If I had to replace my Contender (10″), I think that I would buy a DBX57. If they offer a 10″ barrel, might buy one anyway.

  5. I like it, but too expensive for me.
    Wonder if they are planning other calibers, 9mm, 45ACP, Or as people are comparing it with .22 hornet, now that would be interesting.
    I have seen it advertised as “IN Stock” at a range in Raleigh NC.
    But we need ammo!!!

    • I expect so. This is begging to be made in standard pistol calibers. Plus the lower is marked “multi” for caliber so perhaps that’s an indication.

  7. Looks better than the Kel-Tec that uses the P90 mags. That said Diamondback should have considered making it with Ruger 57 mags instead as I see that pistol being a lot more popular than the FN in the future.

    • There’s a lot of FN’s out there already, most likely way more than the Rugers. FN had quite a head start.

    • Diamondback released this at the same time Ruger released the Ruger-57, so using those mags wasn’t an option. At this point, though, I’d agree. The Ruger mags load more easily than the FN mags and I’m guessing they’re less expensive but I haven’t looked into that.

      I’d take this in 9mm with CZ Scorpion mags over the 5.7 though from any mag.

        • I’ll take one in 10mm as well…you are not alone in the wonderful world of 10mm,
          I carry a glock 29 EVERYDAY, EVERYWHERE.

  9. Looks like lots of fun, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. But I just don’t see how I would put it to good practical use. So I guess if I ever find myself in the company of a dozen Benjamins without a purpose, I might get this thing as a toy. Otherwise, sadly, no.

  10. track with me here…
    dbx57 5.7×28 pistol: a thousand dollars
    5.7×28 ammo: two dollars sixty cents a round
    5.7×28 round: same power as a 9mm
    9mm pistol: five hundred dollars
    9mm ammo: sixty six cents a round
    right on man…
    right on…

  11. ECONOMICS:
    “30 rounds of 5.7×28 punch” equals TEN rounds of 7.62×39 or 5.56 nato punch
    30 rounds of 5.7×28 punch=80 bucks
    10 rounds of 7.62×39 punch=4 bucks
    10 rounds of 5.56 punch=8 bucks
    right on man…right on…

      • No, the bullet choices are much fewer due to the fact that it takes shorter bullets. The fat cases of the .22TCM make mags longer. So, that is another two ways in which the 5.7 is better. That said, I have a lot of experience shooting and loading 5.7 and it is a PITA and not my favorite unless in a full auto P90 – then it is super cool.

  14. “No, the bullet choices are much fewer due to the fact that it takes shorter bullets.” – True for the TCM9R; not so much with the original TCM.

    The 5.7’s range of projectiles is no real advantage anyway, since – despite being in the .357 / .44 Magnum length category, and loaded to higher pressure than 7.62x39mm(!) – it’s still less powerful than the TCM, giving a Hobson’s Choice between either bullets lighter than the typical .22LR, or 40 grainers at rather modest velocity (in pistols).

    The “fat cases of the .22TCM” fit in normal-size magazines (that fit in a huge array of normal-size magazine carriers, not to mention normal human hands). The slightly greater length for a given capacity is far outweighed by the lesser depth: 22 .22TCM9R rounds fit into a 21rd Magpul Glock magazine which is about 3/8-1/2″ taller than the 20rd FiveseveN mag – scarcely noticeable in pouches. The 17 (18) round G17 mag is the same height. Three of those Glock mags will occupy the same belt or vest space as two 5.7 mags, so (for equal-length mags) you can have 40rds of 5.7 or 54 (harder-hitting) TCMs – 66 if you can live with the minor height difference.

    One more disadvantage I will concede is the lack of choices in the full-length cartridge, which tends to work against some of its potential advantages. My hope is that the more people who recognize those advantages, the more choices will be available.

    • Sorry, I said that wrong, it is the nose length not the bullet length that is the problem. From the .22TCM diagram I have, it looks like the max bullet nose length is .24″ I don’t think you can used rifle profile long nose bullets in the .22TCM without either have too long of OAL for the magazine or having the bullet seated past the case mouth. Now whether being able to use long nosed bullets is of any use for a pistol or SBR is another question, I, however, do it. I have also never loaded or fired a .22TCM weapon and am not really criticizing it.

      • That is a fair observation. Long-ogive rifle-profile bullets won’t crimp properly in either TCM, and .24″ sounds spot-on. Of course, they’d be s l o w in 5.7 (out of a pistol, anyway).

  15. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The P90 performs like an armor piercing shotgun. The terminal ballistics of the ammo (I can’t buy anyway) after passing through body armor are about equal to a piece of buckshot. With a full auto P90, a short burst will put about 6-8 shots into the area about the size of a 12 gage pattern. A 50 round mag is approximately equal to a tube of shells. The P90 is basically a very short, low recoil, armor piercing shotgun. Which makes it pretty awesome…unless you can’t have it in full auto. Then you are in effect firing a single piece of buckshot at a time. If I marketed a gun that fired one piece of buckshot at a time, would anyone buy it? I think not.

    • God……. your ignorance is ASTOUNDING….
      Along with most other commenters here….
      I think there are some extremely dedicated liberal eff-heads who come here to spout lies and misinformation all while pretending to be pro-gun….
      Anyone with even the slightest knowledge about firearms knows the 5.7 round has a singular purpose….. just like every other round of different calibers….. THEY ARE ALL DESIGNED FOR DIFFERENT USES….
      So before you show your ignorance, or show your deception in the case of the liberal mole, when you only have opinions, please keep them to yourself…. nobody else wants to waste time reading your misinformation….

  18. How did the suppressor get mounted? Direct thread onto barrel, or is there a mount in the middle? If so which one?

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