DELTA 5® PRO - Competition Gun Bar None
THE NEW DELTA 5 PRO IS RACKING UP WINS IN PRS COMPETITIONS WHILE SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR WHAT A PRODUCTION BOLT-ACTION RIFLE SHOULD BE.
When Daniel Defense Product Design Director Daniel McLeroy finished first in the 2020 Gap Grind Precision Rifle Series (PRS) event in Finger, Tennessee, he turned a few heads. Not just because he bested 258 other shooters in the Production Division, where competitors aren’t allowed to use a rifle with a price tag over $2,500. But also because the production rifle he shot—the Daniel Defense DELTA 5 PRO—was a firearm McLeroy and his team designed and built from scratch.
“It all started as a napkin sketch,” McLeroy explained. “From that, all the way to winning a competition with a rifle you and your team have built is a feeling very few people get to have.”
Starting from the ground up allowed McLeroy and his team the freedom to innovate rather than engineer a rifle to fit existing footprints. “We could’ve made our action fit a standard Remington footprint, and that would’ve instantaneously made it fit into a whole bunch of stocks,” he elaborated. “But when we started with a blank piece of paper, we realized that footprint wasn’t the best for the things we wanted to do, so we pushed outside of that envelope. There’s innovation in this system. It’s not just another clone.”
Every DELTA 5 PRO is a half-minute gun. Guaranteed.
Daniel Defense is currently the official bolt-action rifle of the PRS, one of the most popular and fastest growing shooting competitions out there. But the genesis of the DELTA 5 PRO from a company better known for its ARs came from humble beginnings. According to McLeroy, it sprouted from “two rednecks” walking and talking about hunting deer.
“Another DD product designer and I were walking his property and talking about how we both hunt with bolt-action rifles but we work for a company known for its AR-15s. We challenged ourselves to make a really sweet bolt-action rifle.”
The result was the DELTA 5, which subsequently evolved into the DELTA 5 PRO.
“Basically, we took the DELTA 5 and asked ourselves, what can we do to crank this thing up to 11?” McLeroy explained. “We still wanted to have that ergonomic feel, so we have a thumb rest to get your strongside thumb in the right position, and an interchangeable AR15-style grip so you can make it exactly what you want. The cheek piece and butt pad system can change pretty much in any degree, so every time you lay behind the gun you have the perfect eye relief. You’re not fishing for it—it’s right there.”
These improvements, a precision cold hammer forged barrel, and being one of the first production rifles to feature a fully integrated Swiss ARCA Rail all contribute to making the DELTA 5 PRO a world-class bolt gun for hunting, tactical use, and competition, McLeroy’s personal passion since he began shooting in PRS events just over two years ago.
“It’s comfortable and faster, and seconds count in competition,” he said. “The DELTA 5 PRO also takes some of the expense intimidation out of competition shooting because of its price point. But, at the same time, it gives you the confidence of knowing you have a rifle capable of doing what very expensive rifles do.”
Comfortable, fast, and accurate. But just how accurate can a bolt-action rifle with a price point under $2,500 really be?
“Not to be disrespectful, but this rifle is capable of performing better than most people who are going to shoot it,” McLeroy said with pride. “Every DELTA 5 PRO is a half-minute gun. Guaranteed.”
Not that McLeroy thinks shooting PRS events, which he considers to be the most welcoming of all the shooting disciplines, should be left to only experts. In fact, he believes the customizable DELTA 5 PRO may be the perfect gun for those just starting out in PRS events because it can adapt to, and evolve with, a shooter’s skillset and check one very big box during competitions.
“The DELTA 5 PRO allows you to check that your equipment is good, so you can concentrate on everything else. It’s going to do its job. The rest is on you.”
To learn more about the 2022 Precision Rifle Series, including upcoming events, visit https://www.precisionrifleseries.com/.
