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 a 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 16-inch hammer-forged .308 Winchester "Varmint" 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. The aluminum chassis has a fully adjustable buttstock, allowing you to fit both the length-of-pull and cheek rest height. Using the same pattern grips as the popular AR, it also gives you countless options should you wish to customize.
Underneath the chassis, you will find a barricade stop machined into the front of the mag well. Beginning right in front of the barricade stop is an Area 419 ARCAlock 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, which made for easy and quick changes. Just behind the bolt knob is an adjustable thumb rest attached to the chassis. It can be swapped to either side based on shooter preference.
Range Time
After opening the box, I must say I was 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. 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 ARCAlock 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 an initial accuracy baseline.
Once I had boresighted 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, 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 breathe, I could have shrunk those groups a little more.
Pushing the Distance
Since this rifle is being sold as a competition 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 spindrift, 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, 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. Smiling to myself, I muttered something about a broken clock.
Controversy?
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. When starting a review of a product, whenever possible I attempt to enter without an opinion.
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 using 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 forming my own opinion, I looked online and found all kinds of hate for the Delta 5. Surely some of the issues came from earlier models still working out bugs, which happens to many products. I was surprised how many people were quick to discount the rifle. Perhaps I was lucky, as no doubt some complaints are valid.
Pros & Cons
