Back in August, we hosted a sweepstakes for Daniel Defense. Greg Hermann from Minnesota was selected as the winner of the DD M4 flyaway sweepstakes. Last week at the Daniel Defense headquarters in Black Creek, Georgia, Greg claimed his prize.

Greg follows several gun and tactical websites/forums and has a lot in common with other SSD readers. He is a US Army Veteran, having served for 14 years from the early 80s into the mid-90s at several duty stations, both here CONUS and in Korea. Like so many, his family is dedicated to service, with two Army Vet sons and a daughter finishing up her studies to become a chiropractor. These days, Greg makes a living as a Heavy truck/Track mechanic for Connexus Energy

But he’s not all work, and no play. Greg has started tinkering with drag racing and can be found every winter on his snowmobile. Naturally, hailing from Minnesota, Greg is also an avid outdoorsman and loves to hunt. Although his favored game is deer, he plans to take his new rifle on a varmint hunt to the Dakota Hills in search of ground hogs.

Greg Hermann is no stranger to Eugene Stoner’s brainchild. Aside from having carried the M16A1 and A2 during his military service, Greg also owns a DPMS A1 clone that he has done some modifications to over the years. But his big influence regarding ARs is his son who works part time at Element Arms, a local gun store that has made a good name for itself by specializing in the AR platform. Greg said you’ll often find him there. Interestingly, Element Arms is a Daniel Defense dealer and Greg related that when he stopped by to brag about winning the sweepstakes they were initially, begrudgingly congratulatory. Of course , it was just friendly jealousy but they quickly came around.

I asked what his buddies back home thought about his prize and he told me, “They didn’t believe it.” Guess he showed them.

Greg was able to go into the Daniel Defense rifle configurator to customize his build. When he arrived at the factory, everything was ready. Longtime DD Armorer Joe Guerin was on hand to assist Greg with his build. Over dinner we talked about the hand on portion of the day, and Greg was very impressed relating, “It was a great experience and I really appreciate the guidance I received from DD’s professional gunsmiths during the build.”

Greg spec’d his rifle out with these features:

Greg and I both test fired his new creation in DD’s 100m test range. That Geissele trigger was a great choice and I’m a big fan of the mid-length gas system. Greg beamed, saying it was a step up from his first AR, which he’s had for years. In fact, Greg told me, “I customized it to my specs. It is very different than any of my other rifles. In particular, the rail is a bit different than what I’ve experienced in the past. I can’t wait to get it home and zeroed.”

All-in-all, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Greg Hermann. The Sweepstakes winner didn’t just get a chance to build a custom rifle. Greg also received a full tour of Daniel Defense facilities as well as dinner with Marty Daniel and his lovely wife Cindy. Greg told me he really enjoyed the visit. He summed the entire experience up, “I think they’re a pretty class act organization. I’m impressed with what I see and hear. These guys know what they’re doing. The proof is in the pudding.”

Additionally, www.blueforcegear.com generously donated a Vickers Combat Applications Sling to Greg for his build.

Greg Hermann should have picked up his new DDM4 by now. It’s a great rifle and I hope he gets a chance to take it out soon.