What says the masses?

http://www.lionheartindustries.com/

Just curious if anyone has fired one, or general opinons of the Daewoo DP51/ S&T K5 since thats essentially what we're looking at here.



Here's what they said made it differnt from the Daewoo, or the S&T K5:

"the LH9 is an enhanced version of the K5, which is the standard-issue sidearm of the South Korean Defense Forces. Lionheart is the exclusive US partner to S&T and together we have upgraded the grip design, slide serrations, hammer design, Cerakote finish, Organic Frog Lube rather than petroleum-based products, and more to follow very soon. S&T is located in Busan, South Korea and our pistols are currently manufactured and assembled there. Final quality checks, cleaning, and packaging are done in our facility in Redmond, Washington. As our company continues to grow we plan on bringing more and more manufacturing to our US facility"

It will be great if they can get these imported again. I've never owned a Daewoo pistol, but have owned a couple of the Daewoo rifles. If the quality of their rifles are any indication of how the pistols are built they should be a great. IIRC, they will accept S&W model 59 mags too. I hope they don't change that, could be real important to have a healthy supply line of mags in the future.

They are being imported again, under the Lionheart Industries name.  Manufactured by S&T in Korea.  Did you read the post at all?

They're available now.

I have a DP-51, and owned the 12 shot DP-51C compact.

They're actually pretty decent guns.  Nothing particularly amazing about them.  They work well and are quite reliable.  Accuracy was service grade, nothing bad, and not fantastic either.  Basically a solid service pistol that would serve most people better than alot of guns out there.  

They do take the S&W 59 seris mag.  The grip frame is short enough to take the older 59 mag, and will also accept the 59xx mags as well.  S&W made the grip on the third gen (eg 5906) slightly longer and the original 59 mags won't fit in a thrid gen S&W (nearly all "59" mags sold today are actually 59xx size, so they work in everything).  The Daewoo will take any of the mags because of the grip frame size.  The DP-51C took the 12 round S&W 669/6906 mag.

Prices on used ones are lower than they should be on the gun.  I think it's a sleeper right now.  They are one of the good values out there and a good buy.

The tri-action system is interesting, but the novelty wears off and it's not all that big a deal.  I'm not 100% sold on it being that useful.  It still can be "cocked and locked" and traditional DA, though lowering the hammer by pulling the trigger and easing the hammer down manually is an ND waiting to happen.  It's just a regular TDA gun with the added mode that you can easily ignore if it bugs you.

The gun itself fits my hand quite well.  In fact it's one of the best fitting guns I own as far as everything falling exactly where it naturally should for me.  

As far as the Lionheart, I have no expereince with it.  The changes seem cosmetic, and seem more a marketing gimmick than anything useful.  It's sort of, "Well, the hot thing is slide serrations like this, and grips like this, so we have them on our gun so it looks cool and you'll buy it." kinda thing to me.  Frankly, I like the older gun's styling better.  With the low price point of used ones, they'll be hard pressed to build in any value that would justify a big price tag.

ETA: getting rid of the "fish hook" hammer that will snag easily and going to the rounded hammer is useful.

Excuuuuuse me bub. According to their website it said "Coming soon". That indicates to me they're not available yet.

http://www.lionheartindustries.com/lh9/#.URbAvCCRMWM

I bought a DP-51 in the early 90's.  Fit and finish were excellent, comparable to a Smith or Sig.  It was 100% reliable with factory ammo and hand-loads.  Magazines were interchangeable with Smith 59XX series.  Tri-action trigger was interesting, but mostly used it in standard DA/SA.  At the time they were a bargain at around $300-350.

Neat.

not sure where this fits in on the market, but I like that it takes the common S&W mags.

I always wanted a Daewoo and may pick one of these up if priced right and spare mags are available.

I would have preferred a light rail over front slide serrations.

Kinda sexy looking, but the trigger/action setup had me going

After reading the TTAG review I have to say no way would I choose this over any of the high quality options we have here already: Sig, HK, Glock, M&P, FNP, Beretta...

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/03/foghorn/gun-review-lionheart-lh9-2/

Introducing a DA/SA metal framed gun without a light rail right now seems about half stupid.

I handled/shot/ordered some of these yesterday.   I read the TTAG article the moment the rep walked in,  and was hesitant until I actually shot one.    Their gripe was that the DA wasn't safe,  but I disagree.   Those who are accustomed to shooting Sig/HK/Walther/etc will be thrown off:  a little forward pressure on the hammer,  and it drops softly.  With a small amount of pressure on the trigger,  it stages right back to SA.   It's actually quite nice.  
As mentioned,  I love the browning lugs and bushing on the barrel.   I grilled the rep on parts availability,  and he of course said that Lionheart will have bunches thus curing the old stigma from daewoo.   I'm sure he's just trying to sell product,  but there may be truth here.   I hope there is.  

I shot the standard and compact models,  but did not shoot the railed unit.  The patriot brown is cool.  All exterior parts are Cerakote,  either graphite black or the aforementioned patriot brown.   Framer material is 7075 and the slide is forged 4140 (I think).   Barrel is forged 4150.  All specs provided by the rep.  

They're NOT cheap.   Dealer cost is higher than glock,  though I'm sure that's more materials that anything else.  

All things considered, these seem to be promising.

Like this one.

They are making a model with a rail. It is called the LH9 Mark ii, and is only slightly more than the standard LH9. They also have a LH9c compact version. Both can be viewed at Lionheart Industries.

I do not own one, but I did handle one at a local shop.  The pistols look great, the factory finish in cerakote is a great touch, but honestly, I think the froglube is a lil overkill, good luck needing it on a pistol, but it can't hurt so great.  The pistol grips/points well, but the thing that kills it for me is the axis of rotation for the manual safety:  It is like they took the 1911 safety and flipped it backwards, so the pivot point is forward, not at the back.  I know it sounds weird, and honestly, its even weirder to look at and mess with.  I had to hand it back rather than take it once I got a good look at that and tried it a few times.  Never seen another pistol set up that way elsewise, and hints on other makers doing that?  if they changed it to a 1911 style safety, I think theyd have a hard time keeping up with demand, they are sharp looking pistols.

I was in my teens when the Daewoo pistols and K2 rifle were first sold in the states.  I'm still debating if I should buy the MKII.  Wish it had a decocker instead of a safety.  Lionheart did hint at at bringing back the K2.  If they did I would definitely pick one up.

I just purchased the mk2 brown. Havn't shot it yet but its a great looking gun and fits my hand better than almost anything I have. I can not put my finger on exactly why it feels so good in the hand yet. I picked this one up and an m&p shield in 9mm. will be taking them to the range tomorrow weather permitting.

What are we looking at for price?

i just talked to my ffl who is a dealer for these guys. my mk2 in brown is about 625.00.

I handled one a few days ago .  Nice but the safety is too small and poorly placed for me. Good trigger.  Cool grips, I'd pick one up on a whim

I had one of the Daewoo pistols for a little while.  It's just a reverse engineered S&W 59 with cosmetic changes and the safety being moved to the frame, which is a very nice option.  I will really agree with the safety being kind of small and uncomfortable to use.  I guess I could have had it re-welded and shaped down to something better, but instead went ahead and sold it.

had my first experience with lionhearts customer service yesterday. the gun comes with one 13rd mag and one 15rd mag. my girlfriend used the gun for her CHL class on saturday. with the 13rd mag the gun failed to eject the empty case evry 2nd or 3rd shot. put the 15rd mag in and had no problems. i emailed their customer service just asking how to purchase extra mags. i didnt mention the problem she had with the 13rd mag. anyway it took until the next day but they emailed me back and said i could get mags through them for 34.95 each or use s&w 56 series mags. i then explained the situation to the rep about the failure to eject with the 13rd mag. they never offered to replace it. i wasnt really expecting that anyway. the rep emailed me back never acknowledging the problem i had and asked me where i was located and how many mags did i want to buy. i wrote back that i would like to get 2 more 15rd mags...........crickets. never heard another word back. guess ill start looking for some s&w mags. so far i like the gun but im a tad worried if i ever need parts im s.o.l.

Delete wrong thread

HUH?

When I worked in a gunstore we sold a lot of the original daewoo pistols, as I remember we never had a complaint. The trigger was interesting, the whole ' tri-fire ' thing but IMO probably an answer to a question no one has asked.

Got to handle one of these today at the LGS. It's...better than I expected?

No experience with the Lionhearts, but what do you want to know about the DP51 or DH40?  I picked up my first DP51 within a couple of months of when they were introduced.  Upgraded to the DH40 the week they became available. Still have both.





I shot IPSC with the 51, using a combination of the original and S&W 59 mags.  I tried not to use the 59's, as they bumped the pistol into the "modified" class because they stuck down below the grip





The DH40 is ever so slightly larger.  And I've never held a pistol that felt as comfortable.  And the tri-action, once you learn to trust it, is flat freaking amazing.  Once you learn to trust it, and so long as you use a thumb break holster.  With an open topped holster, there is the potential for the hammer to ride back into the cocked position, as it requires very little effort.  Now you're carrying a cocked and UNlocked pistol.





As for reliable?  Dead bang.  The DP51 has a habit of not holding the slide after the last round is fired, but that's the fault of the magazines (they shipped with Meggar mags).  My DH40 doesn't do that.  Other than that, they've fed everything I could fit in the mags, went bang every time I pulled the trigger, and for fixed sight pistols are very acceptably accurate.  They'll also fit like a glove in a S&W 59 holster.





I've got a Sig 226.  I've got a G22.  I've got a 1911.  I carry the DH40, and have for twenty years.





In fact, the only thing it's missing is a rail, which it looks like the Lionheart also doesn't have.  Sure wish Laserlyte or somebody would make a grip laser for them.

 

I have a couple of DP51s, and if I had to describe them it would be "boringly reliable".  I've probably got 10k rounds through one, and have never had to do anything to it other than clean it occasionally.  It never fails to chamber or fire anything loaded into it.  The tri-action is interesting, in that you can have the safety on with the hammer down, but your first shot will not be double action.  They're alloy framed, so are light and relatively small for a service pistol, and make a pretty decent CCW compared to a G19 or G17.  Accuracy is good, but the trigger is heavy, making you have to work a bit to get the accuracy.  About the only thing I can think that would improve it is if someone made low profile grips for it, as I find it a bit thick.

They have one with a rail.

Yes, I saw that. Now they need to release one in .40S&W and I'm a happy camper



 

I got to shoot all 3 of the Lionhearts last night at an IDPA match. They provided a pick up gun (LH9) for a stage and provided the other 2 models to shoot before the match. Im sold! That pistol gave me my only 0 down targets that night! It is for sure on my want list. I dont care about the double action + mode really. The trigger was crisp and I loved the very short positive reset. The wife really liked shooting it also. Seemed about the same weight as my M&P9.

I have one I'm doing a T&E for Gun Digest Magazine, I really like it. It started off good: I've had at over 3 dozen T&E firearms transferred in to my FFL, and this is the first time she has said, "wow, this is a really sweet looking pistol."

- Mine is the LH9 MKII, tan frame. It does have a rail.
- The slide works as smooth as butter
- The safety is just slightly small, but it's mostly a factor when putting it on safe, not when taking it off. I think it's more an issue of a thick grip panel that sits high.
- I found the accuracy to be excellent for a service pistol

I have been interested in getting one of these for a while now. Trying to find a LGS that has one, has been interesting.

I walked into my LGS today to re-up on some Frog Lube, hit the guy up at the counter if he had an LH9 I could check out.

LGS: THATS A PIECE OF SHIT ! Why do you even want to look at that ?
me: Uuuuhhhh(that escalated quickly)
LGS: They suck, they have barrel problems, they are all metal, DA/SA is stupid, We had one in that some dude wanted us to fix and it was a piece of shit. I would never recommend that to anyone.

He then proceeded to go on about how I needed to get a Sig, and a CZ75, and that I need to do my research and that he would be unwilling to order me an LH9.

Wow... fucking Local Gun Stores. Granted this is the first time I have had someone go full retard on me(the customer who wants to give them money) at this shop. But damn, that was some customer service I will remember.

Glad I didn't Form 3 that suppressor to them a couple months ago....

I ordered a DP-51 for a customer when they first came into the country way back when...

The gun felt very nice in the hand, but it had the roughest bore that I have ever seen in a new gun (and I've seen a lot of guns).  I sent it back to the distributor (I think that it was Nationwide Sports Dist., if I'm remembering correctly from this vantage point in time) and they replaced it with another new one from their inventory.  The bore on the replacement was nothing to write home about either (but better than the first), but my customer said that he wanted it anyway.  The customer is always right, of course...

I also thought that the tri-fire mechanism was an accident waiting to happen.  It is made up of lots of tiny parts and begs to have the hammer released to spring back to full cock (which it really is anyway when the hammer is pushed forward) when being bumped in a bunch of ways that I can see happening in real life or from wear on the wrong parts of the tiny mechanism.

Browning 'copied' this mechanism in one of their Hi-Power iterations for a short period of time.  I also played with one of these when they first came out and was very unfavorably impressed with the "tri-fire" design.  Working on one of the guns (the tri-fire mechanism) is a nightmare...

That's been my exposure to the DP-51.  Admittedly, it's (the exposure) been pretty minimal.

I say all this while being a big fan of the Daewoo rifles...

Forrest

I have done a fair amount of research and the only drawback I see, besides the trigger being a love/hate funky trigger, is the high price. There is a local gun shop I rarely visit because of the consistent high prices.  I went on Lionhearts website put in my zip code and was referred to the local store. They had it in stock, very nice to see one in the wild. I am thinking the pricing is going to have to drop for any real sales numbers.

This pistol has been issued to the ROK Army for what? At least 20 years, perhaps as long as 30 years now.  Since the issue of the durability of the tri-fire style system was brought up, I suppose that if we knew how to find it, there would be some information out there regarding the ROK's experience with wear/breakage.  

I have a DP51 and think the size, feel, and weight are excellent.  It has been reliable as well.  

I ordered some of the new 13 round mags this morning from Lionheart for my old DP51.  I had no problem getting through to anyone at Lionheart.  

One of my dealer buddies opened up an account with them this morning at my request for pricing.  For sure, these Lionheart pistols are not cheap, but I am still going to buy one with the under-rail.

While I was at it, I ordered some spare parts from LG for my old 51.  

I'm optimistic about the new pistol and glad to see them new back in the U.S.

Noticed they sell a 10rd compact model now.  Kind of like a smaller S&W 6906.

They need to release a single stack version now.  Korean S&W 3913.  WOULD BUY

I will be buying one of these.










 

I have a DH-40 and pray they make a copy sometime in the near future because I only have 1 mag and I love this friggin gun.

Did you try any of the S&W magazines?

They look cool and have an interesting trigger mechanism. If you are looking for something different, I can respect that.

Other than that, there are just too many better and established options for a handgun on the market. I'd be surprised to see them being sold 5 years from now, seems like a tough sell

yeah, there is only so many posers out there that will overspend on a mediocre pistol with a $50 cerakote job and $25 grips.

CDI has original Daewoo pistols for sale right now.  $289.00


CDI Sales  Daewoo pistols

Colion Nior did a review on one a while back. Bill Frady who does a podcast Lock and Load really likes them also.