MAC Reviews the D9-Z
Tim Harmsen reviewed the D9* on the very popular Military Arms Channel YouTube channel. He covers a lot of ground, but even at almost thirty-two minutes, there never seems to be enough time to get it all in.
Here's the short version; Tim examines the ability of the D9 to complement the MP5 with minimal blowback, minimal POI shift, and maximum sound attenuation at the ear. It would have been great if he could have demonstrated the improved control, but maybe we'll see that in another video.
Below are a few still-shots from the video showing breach gases in three conditions; unsuppressed, with the D9-Z*, and with the Optimus from Griffin Armament. In each frame, the breach has just closed on the first round fired. The ejected casing is indicated by the yellow circle.
In this first image, the bolt just closed on the first round with the weapon unsuppressed.
In this next image, the bolt just closed on the first round with the weapon suppressed with the D9-Z.
In this last image, the bolt just closed on the first round with the weapon suppressed with the Griffin Armament Optimus.
Tim also mentions the lack of gunpowder particles in his face when using the D9-Z as opposed to what he felt when using the other suppressor.
His sound measurements showed that the D9 is consistently quieter at the shooter's ear position. The Optimus is 2dB quieter at the muzzle in that configuration. From a shooter's perspective, the ear position is the more important measurement.
As usual, Tim's video was informative and educational. He did misspeak on one detail, so we'll address that here; the 2020MSRP for the D9 is $1175. This compares to the currently advertised price of the Griffin Optimus at $1095 + $130 for the 3-lug mount for a total of $1225.
You can see the entire 32-minute Military Arms Channel video here.
We appreciate the efforts of Zenith and Tim Harmsen to make this review possible and look forward to more.
(*The D9-Z is the Zenith-labeled D9 from Acadian Armament made specifically for the MP5 platform)
