Derya DY9 Gold
- Graham Baates
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
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GBGuns has been enabled to complete coverage of Derya's value-packed DY9 pistols by adding the DY9 Gold and DY9 Comp to our list of reviews which already include the original DY9, DY9 Island, and sub/micro compact DY9Z. Our sample DY9 Gold and DY9 Comp show the fruits of the new US facility as both frames are made in the USA.
What Is It? The Derya DY9 Gold is a Glock-pattern compact handgun featuring reduced slide mass and the visual appeal and wear-resistant perks of a coated barrel. I have not confirmed, but highly suspect it to be a titanium nitride coating. This coating is a PVD process which provides surface hardening and wear resistance. What caught my eye were the generous weight reduction cuts to the slide. It's been my experience that lower slide mass makes for softer-recoiling guns. I will have an article comparing all four of the current DY9 models coming soon.
Who's It For? The Glock 19 sizing became the standard for good reasons. With a 4" barrel the gun gets propper 9mm performance, and 15-17 round magazines (Glock compatible) tend to create about the right size grip for most shooters without being too large to conceal. Range characteristics are also pleasant enough to spend time training without regretting it. The DY9 Gold follows that size pattern, but includes so many of the enhancements Glock shooters have wished Glock would make for the last few decades.
It wasn't even a decade ago that enthusiast shooters would need to buy a Glock, then throw hundreds of dollar more at it to start to get the ergonomic, style, and performance enhancements that the Derya DY9 includes for less money than a basic Glock.
Take a look at the Derya DY9 Gold and what all is included in the Tabletop video below. Rumble Link.
Specifications
Model Name: DY9
Front Sight: Truglo Fiber Optic (Red)
Caliber: 9MM
Rear Sight: Truglo Green; Optic Plate
Capacity: 10 or 15 rds
Grip Type: Polymer with changeable back plates
Weight: 1.81 lbs
Action Type: Striker Fired
Barrel Length: 3.86"
Finish: Melonite and Gold PVD Barrel
Overall Length: 6.9"
CA Compliant: No
Overall Width: 1.16"
MD Compliant: Yes
Overall Height: 4.56"
MA Compliant: No
MSRP: $449
Price around the web as of 1APR26
Click links for current pricing and availability
(this article was written while overseas without full access to US-market websites. I will update upon my return to the US)
Having already reviewed the original DY9, DY9 Island, and DY9Z I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the DY9 Gold, but blanket endorsements aren't what GBGuns does. That means the same range protocol would be applied as always including:
Cold Shots: Truly my first shots through the gun.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger.
Multi-Mag: When a handgun is compatible with common magazines, such as the Glock-pattern magazine we test to see how after-market magazines fit. Particularly with Glock-pattern magazines the polymer can be of slightly different dimensions from brand to brand resulting in snugger or looser fits, especially if hydrophillic polymer has been exposed to much weather.
What's For Dinner™: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
45gr Sim-X DEFENSECORE $18.99 / 20 at Target Sports USA (see review HERE)
65gr NovX Crosstrainer $21.20/ 20 at Firearms Depot
72gr Liberty Ammunition Overwatch $41.49 / 20 at Global Ordnance
100gr Federal BallistiClean $33.99 / 50 at Palmetto State Armory
100gr Sellier & Bellot XRG $13.34 / 25 at Target Sports USA (see review HERE)
108gr Norma MHP Out of Production?
115gr TMJ EcoBullet $19.95 / 50 direct from EcoBullet (see review HERE)
115gr Wincherster SilverTip $18.29 / 20 at GrabaGun
124gr Federal Premium HST $39.95 / 50 from Widener's
147gr Winchester Defense $16.32 / 50 at Battlehawk Armory
165gr AMMO, Inc. /stelth/
Standard Range amunition was 124gr PMC FMJ $16.29 / 50 at Ammunition Depot
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12-ish yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of the shooting experience and time for to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
Watch the process from the very first shot for the Derya DY9 Gold in the Shooting Impressions video below. Rumble Link.
On the Range the DY9 Gold ran best with projectiles weighing over 100gr. I had some feeding issues with lighter rounds, I suspect because they had a shorter overall length. There were also issues with some loads not wanting to feed thelast round from the magazine. Because that was discovered during WFD I did not attempt loading the same ammunition from a different magazine other than those supplied with the gun. WFD is a discovery phase, meant for further investigation if warranted.
Further investigation would be to attempt the same ammunition with different magazines, or same magazines and a different barrel. Forunately Derya US has a lifetime warranty, so if it really bothered me that much I could just send the gun in for Derya to figure it out.
My intent with the DY9 Gold is to do a full comparison of all four current DY9 models (excluding the smaller DY9Z) to help you decide which is best for you and how different they really are. Rather than simply jump into a comparison of all four, I wanted to get individual time with each first.
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