Recently, I had the unique and distinct opportunity to spend some quality time with the Derya DY9. For those who might be uninitiated, the DY9 is a firearm that sits comfortably in a size bracket similar to a Glock 19, but it brings a little more flair to the party with multiple color options and a ported island barrel configuration that really helps flatten out the recoil. It is, by all accounts, a fantastic carry gun. However, life is not always about rigid belts and heavy denim. There were specific times in my life when I found myself needing a smaller-framed, lighter-weight gun that I could carry while wearing my gym shorts. You know, that specific struggle of trying to keep a polymer frame hoisted up without tying them so tight that I lost all circulation below the waist, hold the jokes. While I desperately wanted a smaller and lighter gun for these athletic endeavors, I am a man of particular tastes. I did not want to sacrifice smaller capacity, accept a less reliable mechanism, deal with less ergonomic features, or suffer the lack of an optics cut. Normally, presenting such a laundry list of demands to a manufacturer would result in laughter. Lucky for me, I was mentioning this frustration to the guys at Derya Arms, and they looked at each other in a way that really caught my eye. It was the look of people who know something you do not. After some prodding, maybe threatening waterboarding or at least threatening to sing karaoke, they mentioned that they may or may not have a new offering that would do everything that I was asking.
High Hopes for the DY9Z
The new addition to the Derya Arms line of pistols that I forced, I mean gently nudged out of the guys, was the DY9Z. If the DY9 is the reliable older brother who played varsity football, the DY9Z is the scrappy younger sibling who learned martial arts to survive. The DY9Z is a micro compact pistol that manages to sport a high capacity, shoots 9mm, features a proper optics cut, comes with multiple backstraps to fit hands of various sizes, offers multiple color options, includes a rail for lights and lasers, utilizes a reversible magazine release, and is built on a compact light frame. It is a feature list that reads like a letter to Santa Claus from a concealed carry enthusiast. The DY9Z, like its older brother the DY9, is a 9mm striker-fired pistol that has a crisp 5lb trigger that breaks cleanly and comes with industry-standard white U-notch iron sights right out of the box. You have probably heard that I very much enjoyed my time with the Derya DY9 and, naturally, I had extremely high hopes for the DY9Z. Expectation is the thief of joy, they say, but in this case, the anticipation was palpable.
Easy to Conceal
Let us talk about the physical reality of this device. The DY9Z, being a micro compact pistol, comes in at around 1.25 pounds naked, you know, without an optic and unloaded. It is a featherweight contender. It is right around 1.1 inches in width and 5 inches tall, making it incredibly easy to conceal. I don’t know about you, but I work best when doing comparisons because numbers on a page rarely translate to how a thing feels in the hand. If you are like me, you hear micro compact, and you immediately think of a pistol that is too small to shoot comfortably, low capacity, and a feeling of inadequacy. We have all fired those tiny pistols that feel like they are trying to jump out of your hand and smack you in the forehead with every trigger pull. However, the DY9Z is none of those things. It manages to occupy that physical space where it is small enough to vanish under a t-shirt but substantial enough to actually hold onto when the recoil impulse hits.
Derya Broke the Mold
Aesthetically, the firearms market can be a bit monotonous. When it comes to pistols, especially concealed carry pistols, the ability to get them in a color other than black is a luxury. We are usually told we can have any color we want, as long as it is tactical void black. That luxury also tends to come at a price, and the options are usually very limited. This holds true unless you are Derya Arms. Derya again broke the mold and decided to offer the DY9Z in nine colors, including black, purple, blue, pink, black cherry, Barrett brown, midnight bronze, grey, flat dark earth known as FDE, and olive drab green known as ODG. As you can see in the pictures, the frames are dyed, and the slides are black, creating a very handsome two-tone contrast. All of these come in at the same price point, which is pretty awesome considering most companies charge a premium for anything that isn’t basic. I had access to black, purple, and black cherry. My wife absolutely loved the purple and black cherry, which proves that aesthetics matter. Yes, I am boring and went with straight black, but if I had to do it again, I would probably pick up the FDE and ODG as I am a big fan of those colors. I am starting to think that when it comes to Derya Arms, their firearms are kind of like Pokémon, and I need to collect them all.
Mythical Task
We must address the elephant in the room regarding modern pistol accessories: the red dot sight. The DY9Z comes standard with an RMSc optics cut. Now, for those of you looking to run the more prevalent EPS, EPS Carry, and similar Holosun K footprint optics, you will need to shave the back two lugs off of the DY9Z. This might sound like a mythical task if you have not done something like this before, but the old statement about anyone with a Dremel being a gunsmith holds true in this case. Taking a grinding wheel to a brand new slide induces a certain amount of heart-pounding adrenaline, but it is actually quite simple. A quick, maybe 5-minute grinding down of the back two lugs lets you mount nearly any optic your heart could imagine. I found the optics cut for my DY9Z to be very precise and locked the optics in tightly, even before the screws were installed. Before you jump to conclusions and ask about why not have an optics plate system for the gun, just remember that the gold standard is to not need plates when mounting an optic. Direct milling is always superior to adding another layer of failure points. While there are quality plate companies like Calculated Kinetics, many of the plates that we get with guns are plastic, and quality can vary. If you are not going to have a plate made by someone like Calculated Kinetics, then you want to have a direct mount option.
Premium Magazines
If you carry a gun for protection, the amount of ammunition it holds matters. The magazine capacity for the DY9Z was a big seller for me. The DY9Z has a flush-fitting magazine that holds 15 rounds. That is a lot of firepower in a package this small. Yes, there is also a 10-round magazine for those who live in less-than-ideal locations where the government has decided you are only allowed to defend yourself a little bit. Unlike some companies that love to create magazines that are proprietary to only their firearm, especially when they are a new company trying to make waves, the guys over at Derya Arms have integrated compatibility with Glock 43x magazines. This is a stroke of genius. Derya has also ensured that they have a great supply of their premium OEM magazines, but knowing you can grab a widely available alternative is comforting. We have all purchased a new firearm and found that the proprietary magazines that it uses are in short supply, leaving us scouring eBay for overpriced replacements. For those who plan to take their firearms ownership seriously, this is very important. You should, as a rule of thumb, have at least 10 magazines per firearm. This ensures you are able to take most firearms courses and that you can swap out magazines that are either failing or are otherwise unusable.
Reliability is King
Now, one of the most important factors in picking a firearm is reliability. It could have the best optics cut available, great magazine capacity, or the best color options; however, if the gun jams every 3rd round, then it really is just a fancy paperweight. When it came to the DY9Z, I was able to do something that I rarely get the chance to do. I was able to use and abuse 3 different DY9Z pistols. This gave me a sample size of more than one, which was great to have because individual lemons can exist in any manufacturing line. For the reliability test, we used 115gr 9mm rounds from Global Ordnance and some of my personal handloads that consisted of Titegroup powder, CCI primers, Hornady bullets, and brass, and it was loaded on the RCBS press. Doing this ensured that we had both full-power rounds and lighter recoiling rounds as well to see if the slide would cycle properly with lower energy. Each of the DY9Z pistols was lubed using Clenzoil prior to going out to the range, and not lubricated after that during the testing. I put 100 rounds through each of the DY9Z, watching for malfunctions and accuracy. I repeated this another four times for a total of 500 rounds through each of the DY9Z. Other than my hands nearly freezing and falling off in the 15-degree weather, all three of the DY9Z performed flawlessly. The cold weather actually added a layer of difficulty, as lubricants can get gummy and hands can get limp, but the guns just kept running.
Hits All the Right Points
Ultimately, I am evaluating the DY9Z as a concealed carry style pistol, given that it fits in the micro compact size. Please continue to hold your jokes. As a concealed carry gun, the DY9Z hits all the right points. It is reliable, has a 15+1 capacity, is optics-ready, and as a bonus, comes in multiple colors to match your outfit or your mood. One thing I know you are likely going to think is how do you know that the pistol is so reliable after only 500 rounds in each one. Well, that is where it is important to consider context. The DY9Z is generally going to be your concealed carry pistol, and 500 rounds through a concealed carry pistol is a lot. Your average shooter is going to shoot a magazine or two through the gun to zero the optic and ensure it works, then put it in a holster and rarely shoot it again. You can do that with the DY9Z and your Holosun EPS Carry and know that it will still be reliable and ready to go when you need it…But I would highly recommend you take it out and shoot it. Stay proficient and keep leveling up your skills.
