Dakota Tactical is a maker of roller lock style rifles that included copies of the Heckler & Koch MP5, HK91, HK94, and others. They are the premier roller lock manufacture and it even shows in their company motto “Roller Locks made Right”. So when I decided I needed to upgrade my Dakota Tactical D54 SBR I knew right where to go.
Now I love my MP5 but wasn’t the biggest fan of the front hand guard, it did its job but was just sorta “blah”. In the past I tried the Surefire squeeze grip that had a flashlight in it like all the movies and Special Operations Forces used and I hated it. That set up led to scorch marks on a very expensive light. So I decided to shop for something different but until recently my only other alternative was a Surefire trip rail set up, and if we remember from my last article I’m not a fan of that either.
Enter the Dakota Tactical DTAC rail, a new alternative to the old MP5 style front hand guards. The DTAC allows for dozens of options for the end user to configure his or her MP5 to exactly the way they want it to be. There are two versions of the DTAC available for both camps in the ongoing war of capitalism between the M-Lok and KeyMod fans. Each variant is slightly different so lets break them down.
DTAC Rail Specifications:
Maker: Dakota Tactical
Place or Origin: Canton, Michigan
Available Styles: M-Lok and KeyMod
Colors: Black
Diameter: 1.64″ Diameter
Length: 6 1/2″ Long
Material: T6 Aluminum
Weight: 4.3 Ounces
Number of Slots:
- M-Lok: 11 Full Length, 5 Half slots for 22 Possible Options
- Key-Mod: 27 Slots Total
Part Numbers:
Price: $159.95
The Dakota Tactical DTAC rail was a no brainer for me when I saw it was officially on the market and available in my preferred mounting style, the M-Lok. I’m not a guy who wants to load my rifles up with 73 lbs of accessories and gadgets, so a selectable rail system works best for my applications. When I want accessories on my gun I want them where I want them.
The video above goes over the installation of the rail and the quirks or tips to get a better fit with the receiver but what the video can’t show you is how small and light this rail is once its installed on your gun. The MP5 doesn’t have bad ergonomics by any stretch of the imagination, but this rail really is very tiny and just makes holding the MP5 feel like holding a very heavy toy.
Joe Stoppiello and the crew at Dakota Tactical have been some of the most professional and enthusiastic gun manufacturers that I have had the chance to interview or interact with. Their guns may cost a good deal of money but you get what you pay for and that is no different when it comes to their accessories. If you are an owner of a MP5 clone and want to freshen up your rifle I would suggest you check into Dakota Tactical and the DTAC rails.
Thanks for Checking out The Arms Guide, if you have any questions be sure to drop them in the comments section below and we will be sure to answer them. If there is any guns or gear you are curious about let us know we will see if we can work up an article with viewer requests.
Rick
