Dual Taper Lock (DTL) Complete Uppers

You’re well on your way to a better build with the Blackout Defense Dual Taper Lock (DTL) complete upper. The upper receiver and handguard are precision machined to achieve perfect alignment, giving a monolithic-like appearance. And with the alignment pins, you get a boost of structural integrity as well.

Dual Taper Lock system

Tapers are well known across industries to be one of the best self-centering mechanical fasteners for critical, continuous load, and loads under thermal expansion. The DTL system harnesses the power of taper locks to secure and center the barrel. 

The DTL system uses two tapers and two interlocking barrel nuts. The taper on our custom barrel extension mates with a taper on the I.D. of the first barrel nut; the second taper on the barrel profile mates with a taper on the I.D. of the second barrel nut.

This guarantees the centricity of the barrel and upper bores while stabilizing the chamber. The DTL design delivers a smoother shooting experience while prolonging barrel accuracy by providing rigidity and harmonic dampening right over the chamber.

It also provides an exceptionally rigid base for mounting the handguard that does not result in handguard deflection, while also substantially reducing POI shifts from impact and trauma to the rifle.

Upper Receiver

The upper receiver is machined from Aerospace Grade Aluminum with enhanced walls for greater rigidity and structural integrity – all while keeping a low profile. It features two anti-rotation holes that align precisely with our handguard. What you’re left with is a monolithic-like style and design with an extremely robust upper/handguard combination.

The dust cover often goes unnoticed in an AR-15. Not to us. The dust cover is fully contained within the upper receiver. We don’t rely on a C-clip to keep everything in place. Instead, the dust cover hinge pin is held in place by the barrel nut, ensuring nothing comes loose during operation. Due to the variation of dust cover manufacturers and their loose tolerances, we’ve machined a very thin locking groove in the upper receiver. This allows the ball detent of the dust cover to “cut” its own channel in the upper receiver, ensuring a positive, audible lock up and exact alignment.

Handguard

Our handguard brings the full package together with its monolithic-like style when paired with our upper. Like to accessorize? Our DTL handguard gives you seven sides of M-LOK compatible mounting slots with a full-length Picatinny top rail. The hand deburring process we put our products through ensures a smooth finish throughout. And for style-conscious people, our barrel nut is hidden to provide an even cleaner look.

Barrel