Introduction
Controversy isn’t usually a topic I bring up in many product reviews. And it surely wasn’t on my mind when I began this project, I’ll tell you more about that in a moment. Today we are looking at something new to me, from the very well known manufacturer Daniel Defense. The company has made quite a name for itself in the AR market, with many of its AR models reaching legendary status. But today we are looking at something different, the Daniel Defense Delta 5 Pro.
The Delta 5 is a precision rifle marketed towards the competition and sharpshooting public. Having been a part of that community for a few decades, I was intrigued by this opportunity. Daniel Defense is frequently in firearms news headlines, and I was aware of their products but never got much time with them. Like many, I assumed they must be good with all this hype.
The Daniel Defense Delta 5 Pro
With precision rifle shooting becoming more and more popular, it should come as no surprise that every manufacturer dips their toe in the market. The Delta 5 is a three lug bolt action fed by a detachable box magazine. Mating the action to an aluminum chassis seems to be becoming the norm very quickly.
The model we are testing here today features DD’s sixteen-inch hammer forged 308 Winchester barrel. Varmint Pro models feature the heavy and short barrel. The muzzle is threaded and adorned with an Area 419 Hellfire muzzle brake.
The Delta 5 Chassis
The chassis itself is another great feature. It’s aluminum chassis has a fully adjustable buttstock allowing you to fit both length of pull and cheek rest height. Using the same pattern grips as the popular AR, also gives you countless options to change should you wish to customize.
Underneath the chassis you will find a barricade stop machined into the front of the magwell. And beginning right in front of the barricade stop is a an Area 419 ARCA Lock rail machined into the foregrip. This is an incredibly handy feature many manufacturers are adding. It allows the user to quickly adjust bipod, bags, barricade stops, etc. fore and aft on their rifle. I love this feature and use it frequently. The Delta 5 comes with a Timney Trigger from the factory, and it feels fantastic.
Removing the AICS pattern magazine is done by pressing down either side of the trigger guard. I like the position of the magazine release, it made for easy and quick changes. Just behind the bolt knob there is an adjustable thumb-rest attached to the chassis. It can be swapped to either side based on shooter preference.
Range time with the Delta 5 Pro
After opening up the box, I must say I was pretty excited to get this rifle on the range. I’m a sucker for short and sweet precision rifles. But before we could hit the range, the Delta 5 needed some accessories.
First up was mounting a scope, for that I chose the Kahles 318i. It is a fantastic riflescope, and its stubby complexion would match the Delta 5’s compact nature. I bolted a set of Vortex 34mm rings on to the Delta 5’s 20 MOA scope rail. After nesting the little scope the rings were torqued down properly.
Next I grabbed an Atlas bipod that had an Area 419 ARCA Lock clamp on top. It was easily attached to the rifle, and we were ready to start making some noise. I grabbed a few boxes of 308 Match ammunition and off we went.
Shooting the Delta 5 Pro
Avoiding public ranges is a serious hobby of mine, so getting the Delta 5 into the high desert was a better option for me. I set up a target at 100 yards to get the rifle zeroed, and get some initial accuracy baseline.
Once I had boresighting the rifle, I loaded the magazine with a few Hornady 168 grain Superformance Match cartridges. After just a couple adjustments we were hitting point of aim, so I fired five shots. Then I loaded another five shots but this time using Desert Tech 175 grain Match. After shooting those five, I walked down to my target to see just how wobbly I was that day.
To my surprise both groups were not bad at all considering my hurried state. The five shot groups from both ammo types were .75 MOA for the Hornady and .68 MOA from the Desert Tech. That’s good enough to do some definitive damage on quite a few targets. I’m positive had I taken a few more minutes to breath and take time I could probably shrink those groups a little further.
Pushing the Distance
Since this rifle is being sold as a competitors rifle, and a precision gun. I wanted to test it at some greater distances. To be fair, I knew that if the rifle is shooting .6 and .7 MOA groups, it would shoot well for quite a ways.
I picked out a flat rock on a distant canyon edge. As I looked through the scope, I could see the mirage waving across the plain before me. Only the distant call of a Raven could be heard across the landscape, until the familiar sound of clicks as I dialed up the elevation turret. After correcting 7.8 MRAD for the 780 yards to the target, I settled in and focused on the mirage.
Aside from the spin-drift, I could tell I would need a little bit of extra wind-hold to hit my point of aim. I favored into the wind my estimated call, and began pressing the Timney trigger-shoe. As the shot broke and I watched through the scope to see how good my wind call had been.
The bullet hit a few inches into the wind, meaning my call had been too aggressive. I corrected and sent five additional shots making a nice stack of white bullet impacts on the smooth face of the rock. I smiled to myself, and muttered something about a broken clock.
Contradiction?
I mentioned a contradiction at the beginning of this story, let me explain it now. When starting a review of a product, whenever possible I attempt to enter without an opinion. And in the case of the Delta 5 I had very little to go on besides the rifle in my hands. I can honestly say that after playing with the rifle for a few weeks, I really do like it. What’s more, I can’t really come up with anything about it I dislike. At least no more than any other rifle.
But after gaining my own opinion, I looked into the internet and found all kinds of hate for the Delta 5. Surely some of it came from earlier models still working out bugs, that happens to many products. I was surprised how many people were quick to discount the rifle. No doubt some complaints are valid, or perhaps I was lucky.
Pros and Cons
It was a challenge to come up with something I genuinely dislike about the Delta 5. The rifle looks great, and the craftsmanship looks superb. It’s fit and finish are absolutely on par with the price point. It shoots accurately, the action is smooth and cycles rounds flawlessly. The features of the Daniel Defense Delta 5 Pro seem above average. And to be completely fair I’ve shot comparably priced rifles that offered far less in various categories.
Many of the arguments I’ve heard is that it is overpriced for what it is. I think part of that might be the DD name on the rifle. But even at the $2000 mark it doesn’t seem unreasonable.
