![[DC-9 Diagram]](http://144.167.8.40/rgFAQ/dc9i___b.gif)
![[DC-9 Picture]](http://144.167.8.40/rgFAQ/dc9____b.jpg)
SUMMARY
To improve feeding in this gun follow the maker's suggestion of
making sure the mag is pulled down against the catch after inserting
it fully. It helps a lot.
The Intratec TEC-9 was renamed the TEC-DC9 in part because while the
TEC-9 is named as a banned gun in the California Roberti-Roos law, the
DC9 is not so listed, so it may (currently) be legally sold and
possessed in California, without registration.
The TEC-9 is essentially the same in appearance and function as the KG-99
semi-auto pistol made by the former Interdynamic of America, Miami,
FL. That, in turn, was a closed bolt version of the open bolt
firing KG-9 pistol, made and imported by Interdynamic and FIE. The
KG-9 was based on a machine gun marketed by Interdynamic, AB of Sweden. The
KG-9, as it fired from an open bolt, was reclassified by ATF as
a machine gun, due to the ease of conversion, in Revenue Ruling
82-3 in January 1982. KG-9 pistols made before 1/19/82 are
"grandfathered", and are not considered to be machine guns. From
time to time folks will offer "replacement bolts" for the KG-9 pistol
in Shotgun News and similar publications. Such bolts are considered
by ATF to be usable for converting a TEC-9 type gun into
a machine gun, and the purchaser of such a bolt should be aware that
ATF considers the possesssion of a KG-9 bolt and a TEC-9 to be parts to make
a machine gun, and thus a machine gun, even though modification to
the TEC-9 with the bolt would be needed to make the gun work as a
machine gun.
Additionally for a time Intratec and Interdynamic sold a foregrip,
or second pistol grip, meant to be installed on the barrel shroud.
After such grips were made and marketed for a time, in response to
a petition from HCI, ATF ruled that the addition of such a grip,
or possession of the gun and grip, constituted a weapon regulated
under the National Firearms Act, an "Any Other Weapon". It is thus
not advisable to possess a foregrip and gun unless the gun is
registered as an AOW with ATF.
Manufacturer: Intratec Firearms, Inc.
Models: Standard model "TEC DC-9"
Short barreled model "TEC DC-9M"
NOTE: Early DC-9's are labelled "TEC-9"
Type: Single-action autoloading pistol, blowback operated
Caliber: 9mm Luger (aka 9mm Parabellum or 9mm x 19mm)
Capacity: 20 or 30 rounds with factory magazines
up to 50 rounds with aftermarket magazines
Sights: Front: Fixed blade
Rear: Fixed notch
Dimensions:
Barrel Total Weight
Length Length (empty)
------ ------ -------
TEC DC-9 5 in. 12.5 in. 50 oz.
TEC DC-9M 3 in. 9.5 in. 44 oz.
INTRODUCTION
The TEC DC-9 is a low priced autoloading pistol made by
Intratec Firearms of Miami, Florida. In keeping with the
low price, the DC-9 also has a reputation for low quality
construction (more about that later). As for styling, the
DC-9 looks like nothing else so much as a miniature
submachinegun, although it is not a fully automatic firearm.
The magazine well is located in front of the trigger, and
the gun features a threaded barrel, a perforated heat
shroud, and a long 30-round magazine, all of which
contribute to the SMG-like appearance. The DC-9 is blowback
operated and chambers the 9mm Luger cartridge (also known as
9x19mm or 9mm Parabellum).
The TEC DC-9 was originally called the "TEC-9", but was
renamed to "DC-9" about a year later, probably in response
to a widely publicized crime where some deviant blasted his
way through a crowded Washington DC office building with a
TEC-9 in each hand. For purposes of this FAQ, the terms
"DC-9" and "TEC-9" are interchangeable.
The DC-9 bears the dubious honor of having been named
explicitly in the 1994 "assault weapons" ban, as well as
being listed in ninth place on the BATF list of "Top 18
Handguns Used by Criminals". It is legal under current US
law for private individuals to own a DC-9 that was
constructed prior to the effective date of the ban, although
certain states or localities may have more restrictive laws.
As always, check your local firearm laws.
CONSTRUCTION
For a handgun, the DC-9 is very large and very heavy. It is
over a foot in length and weighs in at over four and a half
pounds when loaded (heavier than some rifles). It is
certainly not what most firearm enthusiasts would describe
as a concealable weapon.
Most of the larger metal components of the pistol are
constructed of plain heavy steel. Here there are no exotic
alloys as one might find on many other modern pistols, and
this contributes to the extraordinary size and weight of the
DC-9.
The upper-receiver is built around a large tube of heavy
guage steel within which most of the other components of the
gun are mounted. In this regard it resembles a miniature
Sten or Owen (as does the mechanism inside).
The barrel is permanently mounted to the foreend of the
tubular receiver, and the portion of the tube that extends
over the barrel is perforated and acts as a heat shroud to
prevent the operator from burning his/her hands on a hot
barrel. The bolt, striker, mainspring, etc, are mounted
inside the rear portion of the receiver tube, just aft of
the opening through which the magazine protrudes when
assembled. The other obvious opening in the upper receiver
assembly is the ejection port, which is covered by a portion
of the bolt when closed.
The lower receiver / grip assembly is made of a single peice
of thick molded plastic resin. The plastic is slightly
flexible to allow for some strain and abuse. The magazine
catch, trigger, and sear are the only components of the gun
that are attached to the lower receiver. All other
components are mounted to the upper, and there are very few
parts to begin with. The grip portion of the lower receiver
is considerably larger than the grips found on most other
handguns, so persons with small hands may have trouble with
it.
The gun has a hefty, industrial strength feel to it, as if
it could be actively pounded on, dropped, used as a jack
stand, run over by a division of tanks, and still keep on
ticking.
The DC-9 has been criticized for its cheaply finished
construction, and some of the most common complaints
include:
Now, having stated all these negative points concerning the
DC-9, it should be stressed that these are primarily
cosmetic concerns and do not keep the pistol from
functioning as intended. In fact, the DC-9s that I've
encountered have been very sturdy and ultra reliable. Your
mileage may vary.
OPERATION
The DC-9 operates on the elementary blowback principle,
briefly described here for those who are not familiar with
firearm operation.
When the pistol is fired, the cartridge casing, and hence
the (non-locked) bolt, are pushed backward by the force of
the expanding gasses while the bullet proper is propelled
forward through the barrel. As the bolt moves rearward, the
mainspring is compressed toward the buffer at the rear of
the receiver. The spent casing is ejected as the bolt slams
the case into the tip of the ejector. When the bolt reaches
the limit of its rearward travel, the mainspring pushes the
bolt forward again. As the bolt moves forward, it pushes a
new cartridge from the top of the magazine, up the feed
ramp, and into the firing chamber at the rear of the barrel.
The gun is ready to fire again as soon as the bolt returns
fully to the forward position.
Blowback-operated firearms are sensitive to the power of the
cartridges used. If the pressure is too low, the bolt will
not be driven rearward with enough force to complete the
ejection of the spent cartridge and/or proper loading of the
new cartridge. If the pressure is too high, the bolt may be
driven back too fast and too far, resulting in similar
symptoms as above, premature wear of the mainspring, or even
serious damage to the gun. This is generally not a problem
with regular factory ammunition, but be careful with reloads
and high pressure (i.e. "+P+" etc) ammo. The DC-9 does
seem to be able to handle hot surplus NATO submachinegun
ammo without any difficulty.
The loading, cocking, and unloading of the DC-9 is similar
to many other magazine-fed pistols. For readers not
familiar with this or similar firearms, the following
details are provided.
The DC-9 magazine is a double-stack design, holding either
20 or 30 rounds depending on the model. Rounds are loaded
into the magazine one at a time by inserting a round into
the magazine, then pushing down on the round until it
catches under the lip of the magazine. Repeat this until
the magazine is either full or the desired number of rounds
have been loaded into it. One thing that is particularly
convenient about these magazines is that the rounds can be
pushed rapidly straight down into the magazine, rather than
having to slide each round backwards carefully under the
magazine lips as on so many other pistols. With careful
fingers, it is possible to push the cartridges in five or
six at a time by hand, or load the entire magazine in a
couple of whacks with stripper clips (don't try that with
your Glock [grin]).
After the magazine is loaded, it is then inserted into the
magazine well on the underside of the gun, just forward of
the trigger. When inserting the magazine, it should be
pressed upward into the receiver firmly until the magazine
catch 'clicks', then pulled down briefly by hand to ensure
that the magazine is actually locked in place.
The DC-9 is a single-action pistol. Cocking the DC-9 is
accomplished by pulling back firmly on, and then releasing,
the cocking lever, which is topped by a small knob located
on the left hand side of the upper receiver. The cocking
lever must be pulled all the way back in its channel to
properly chamber the first round. Once the first round has
been chambered, the DC-9 will fire one round with each pull
of the trigger (unless the safety is engaged).
After the gun is cocked, the safety can be engaged by
pressing the cocking lever in against the receiver (i.e.
push it into the surface of the gun, not forward or
backward). With the safety engaged, the firing pin and bolt
are locked in place, allowing the trigger and sear to move
freely without discharging the gun. Note that the safety
can only be engaged while the gun is cocked. If the gun is
not cocked, the cocking lever will not push inward to the
"safe" position. The safety requires a deliberate pull to
disengage; it can't be quickly tapped off.
To unload the gun, press the magazine catch and remove the
magazine from the magazine well on the under side of the
gun. Disengage the safety (if it is engaged) to unlock the
bolt, then slide the cocking lever fully rearward to ensure
that any chambered cartridge is ejected. While holding the
cocking lever back, look into the ejection port to make sure
no cartridge is still in the chamber. IMPORTANT: Keep your
finger away from the trigger while unloading this or any
other firearm.
FACTORY OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES
The DC-9 is available in two basic forms, the standard DC-9
models, which have a 5 inch barrel and perforated heat
shroud, and the "mini" or DC-9M models, which have a 3 inch
barrel without the heat shroud. Other than the differences
in the barrels, the DC-9 and DC-9M are identical and all
parts are interchangeable.
Both varieties of DC-9 are available in three finishes,
including regular gun blue, stainless steel, and Intratec's
"Tek-Kote" finish which is a pewter colored finish that
appears to be similar to electroplated nickel.
The following DC-9 accessories are or have been available
from Intratec:
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Although the manufacture of new DC-9s for civilian
consumption is now banned in the U.S., there are many
thousands of DC-9s that were manufactured prior to the
effective date of the ban, and these are perfectly legal to
purchase and own in most jurisdictions (check your local
laws before purchase). Intratec reportedly has an "after
ban" model that does not have the threaded barrel, though I
have not actually seen one of these yet.
The list price of a blued finish TEC DC-9 in 1993 was
$269.00 (US). The current prices on DC-9s are approximately
the same, typically found in the range of $250 to $300 for
new unfired examples (according to brief survey in
early 1995). Likewise the price of high-capacity magazines
has not changed much, with the 1993 list price being $41.95,
and post-ban prices ranging between $35 and $45 for pre-ban
30-round magazines.
Used guns are considerably cheaper. Used magazines seem to
cost about the same amount as 'new old stock' pre-ban
magazines.
Stainless finish DC-9s cost about $100 more than their blued
or "Tek-Kote" counterparts, and they are hard to come by as
not many stainless models were ever manufactured.
Unfired pre-ban TEC DC-9s seem to be available at many
larger gun dealers, and also are readily available at gun
shows. Used DC-9s turn up occasionally for sale, but not
very often. It is probable that most people who have them
don't particularly want to sell them; after all, how many
other sturdy 30-round blasters can you get for under $300?
MISCELLANEOUS Q & A
Q: What is the recoil like on the DC-9?
A: The recoil seems a little strong compared to some other
9mm handguns. In most pistols, a fairly large portion of
the gun's total weight (i.e. the slide) is involved in
recoil absorption. With the DC-9's blowback action, however,
only a small portion of the gun's total weight (i.e. the bolt)
moves to absorb recoil. The DC-9's felt recoil could
be characterized as similar to the felt recoil of a Colt
1911 (a .45 short-recoil action with heavy slide).
Q: The DC-9 seems really LOUD when I shoot it. Why is that?
A: A conventional short-recoil pistol directs virtually all
of the noise straight out the barrel away from the shooter.
The DC-9, however, is blowback operated and has large
empty spaces inside the receiver, allowing a fair amount of
the blowback gasses to escape from the correspondingly huge
ejection port where the shooter will certainly hear it.
This also has the side effect of tossing the empty cases out
of the ejection port at a higher than typical velocity.
Q: The factory sights truly suck, so how the heck do I
mount a scope on this thing?
A: Although this is not mentioned in the manufacturer's
documentation, the rear sight base just happens to be the
right width for mounting ordinary .22 tip-off type scope
mounts. Make sure you get a sturdy set of mounts, however,
as the 9mm recoil is somewhat more than these tip-off mounts
are usually built to take. The Wideview model WMS22 mount
set seems to work well. Use these mounts to hold your
favorite long eye relief scope. DO NOT mount a scope that
is designed for a .22 rifle, as the eye relief is too short
to be safe, and the insides of the scope will most likely
not survive the recoil.
Q: Are there any larger capacity magazines for the DC-9?
A: Huh? 30 rounds ain't enough for ya? Actually, there
are occassionally seen 50 round aftermarket magazines for
the DC-9 at gun shows, but I have not tried them. The 50
round mags are almost as tall as the gun is long, and they
look pretty unwieldy when plugged into the pistol.
Q: I hear that DC-9's are prone to jamming. Is this true?
A: Using the types of ammo recommended in the owner's
manual, I've never jammed a DC-9. Don't use regular
hollowpoints in the DC-9; they will not feed. There are a
few exceptions, these being the more conical jacketed
hollowpoints that are designed to somewhat resemble ball
ammo (for example, Winchester Silvertips).
Q: I hear that DC-9's are very inaccurate. Is this true?
A: Once familiar with the DC-9, most patient shooters will
have no trouble knocking the center out of a paper target at
normal defensive ranges. However, it is no match pistol.
There are several factors at work here:
1. The factory sights are usually grossly misaligned,
and they are not removable or adjustable. Attach
a scope or some other form of sight, and things
will improve dramatically.
2. The DC-9 is not designed and constructed to the same
tolerances as the more expensive guns to which it is
inevitably compared. It will never be quite as
accurate as the next shooter's Glock or SIG. In that
sense it is 'inaccurate', but it is still capable of
turning in perfectly respectable performances.
3. The shape and weight balance of the gun is very
different from that of more conventional handguns, so
many shooters must become accustomed to the 'odd'
feel before their shooting improves with the DC-9.
HOW TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER
Mailing Address:
Intratec Firearms, Inc.
12405 SW 130th Street
Miami, Florida 33186-6224
FAX Number:
305-253-7207
Intratec supplies replacement owner's manuals for $3.00. If
you have a DC-9 and don't have an owner's manual, you are
strongly encouraged to acquire one, as the manual contains
important information regarding the safe and enjoyable
operation of the firearm.
Use this information at your own risk.
Don't assume everything in this document is correct.
Firearms can be dangerous and deadly if not operated properly and in
accordance with the manufacturer's and other firearm safety guidelines.
Assume all guns are always loaded.
Never point a gun at anything you don't
intend to shoot.
Keep your finger off the trigger until
you are ready to shoot.
Tec 9 Additions
by James Bardwell
(bardwell@netcom.com).