Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Flight characteristics
  3. Recommended uses
  4. Plastics & variants
  5. History
  6. Notable throwers
  7. Similar discs

The Discraft Malta is a 5-speed overstable midrange. With published flight numbers of 5 / 4 / 1 / 3, it is most often described as suited for overstable midrange drives with a dependable left finish, forehand approaches that need to resist turning over.

Overview

The Discraft Malta is an overstable midrange from Paul McBeth's Discraft signature line, rated 5/4/1/3 with a stability rating of 1.9 on Discraft's scale.[1][2] It pairs a low profile and pronounced bead with a slightly larger diameter for a comfortable, controllable grip, and it is built to hold a strong, predictable flight path with a reliable fade at the end.[1][2] Discraft positions it for advanced players, and it handles both backhand and forehand power without flipping over.[1]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Discraft (mfg) 5 4 1 3 Published spec
Discpedia community Loading ratings…

Flight numbers describe the published behavior of the disc when thrown at its design speed. Real-world flight varies with plastic, weight, age, and thrower power. The community-averaged numbers above reflect crowd-sourced observations from real throws — typically slightly more understable than the manufacturer's published values, which is the most consistent pattern across nearly every commercial mold.

Reach for the Malta when you need a midrange that will not turn over: wind-fighting drives, forehand upshots, and flex lines that start on anhyzer and finish left for a right-handed backhand.[1][2] Its 1.9 stability rating and fade of 3 make it a placement disc — aim right of the target and let it work back rather than expecting a dead-straight finish.[1] The tacky ESP blend gives consistent releases in wet or cold conditions.[1]

Best for:

  • Overstable midrange drives with a dependable left finish
  • Forehand approaches that need to resist turning over
  • Headwind midrange shots
  • Flex lines thrown on anhyzer that fight back to center

Plastics & variants

The Malta is available in the following plastic blends from Discraft:[1]

ESP, Big Z, Fly Dye Z

Plastic blend significantly affects flight character. Premium plastics like Champion, Z, or C-Line generally fly more overstable when fresh and hold their stability over time. Base plastics like DX, Pro, or Active beat in faster and become more understable workhorses with use.

History

The Malta entered the PDGA approved-disc list on September 12, 2019 under the name "Malta (Paul McBeth Proto Mid-Range)," certification number 19-64, with first-run ESP prototypes carrying Paul McBeth stamps.[3] It joined the signature line Discraft built around McBeth after his high-profile switch from Innova, alongside molds like the Luna, Zeus, and Anax.[2][3] Stock releases followed in ESP, with Big Z and Fly Dye Z versions added to the McBeth line later.[1][4] PDGA-certified specs list a 21.3 cm diameter, 1.7 cm height, and 176.8 g maximum weight.[3]

Notable throwers

Paul McBeth

Similar discs

References & further reading

Sources

Content on this page has been cross-checked against the following sources. Numbered citations in the prose above link to the matching entry here.

  1. Paul McBeth Malta — Discraft (official product page)
  2. Malta — Team Discraft disc page
  3. Malta (Paul McBeth Proto Mid-Range) — PDGA Equipment Certification (approved 2019-09-12, cert 19-64)
  4. Paul McBeth Big Z Malta — Discraft

This is a community page. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction — every edit is reviewed before it goes live.