This post was originally published on Athlon Outdoors.
The AR-15 is possibly the most tinkered with, modified, and experimented with gun of all time. Companies have spent countless hours poring over designs and specs in an attempt to essentially create a better mousetrap. Like many of you, it takes quite a bit for me to take a serious interest in “design advancement”. However, that is precisely what happened when I was invited to tour a local rifle manufacturer. The tour consisted of the standard look at machines, but it took an interesting turn when I saw their barrel design. I uttered the words “what the hell is that?” The barrel was for the new Quantum DTL rifle from Blackout Defense, and it is a game-changer.
Blackout Defense Quantum DTL Rifle – Precision Performance
First, a little background. Blackout Defense is a major company that few have heard of. The Blackout Defense team has a strong history in the highly technical world of aerospace for over 15 years. With that as a backdrop, they launched Blackout Defense in 2015. They saw an opportunity to bring new and existing mechanical innovations from other critical industries into firearms design.
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What started as a small 3,000-square-foot prototype facility in 2015 quickly expanded to nearly 20,000 square feet of high-end manufacturing equipment and production space just over five years later. They hold several patents and patent-pending on many of their products, including the new barrel systems, rattle-free lower receivers, and adjustable drop-in triggers. They operate out of their state-of-the-art facility, where they design and manufacture all of their products in-house. Their logo is the mathematical symbol for “not equal,” as a nod to their unique perspective and approach.
Dual Taper Lock
That is a serious pedigree, and it is the driving factor behind their new rifle and barrel design. What caught my eye with their barrel design was the use of two tapered barrel nuts. They call it the Dual Taper Lock (DTL) system, and it is ingenious. The DTL system harnesses the power of taper locks to secure and center the barrel. Tapers are used across various industries to secure two critical surfaces together due to the incredible frictional forces they generate when mated. In the DTL system, Blackout Defense designed two areas of mating 60-degree tapers: one on the barrel extension and primary barrel nut, and the other on the barrel profile and secondary barrel nut.
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These two tapers bring the barrel to center with the upper bore and substantially reduce harmonic vibration, thereby improving barrel precision and accuracy. The DTL system also prevents barrel un-torquing and provides an exceptionally rigid platform for handguard mounting. “The DTL system is another example of how we look at things differently. It will enhance accuracy and rigidity on the AR platform in a manner that has never been achieved before. After months of design and testing, we’re ready to push it to the market,” said Brooke Afshari, Owner & President. This patent-pending design has applicability across firearm platforms. The AR-15 platform is compatible with any standard upper receiver. Although this design is proprietary to Blackout Defense’s handguard and barrel, the company is looking forward to the release of a variety of barrel nuts compatible with other popular handguard and barrel brands.
Quantum DTL
The rifle, this ingenious design, is the Quantum DTL. This rifle is clearly the product of individuals who are committed to quality manufacturing. The upper and lower are perfectly mated to create a solid fit. Blackout goes further, though, and includes what they call Presslock Technology. They install a Linear Compression Pad to ensure a tight, rattle-free fit, essentially “bedding” the upper and lower receiver together while eliminating carrier tilt. The result is an upper and lower with zero play or movement.
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Another area where they focus on super alignment is between the upper and the handguard. I have had countless rifles where I saw movement in this area.
Their solution is the use of anti-rotation pins. Their uppers and handguards feature precision-drilled pinholes for perfect monolithic-like alignment and anti-rotational rigidity. Inside the upper, their bolt carrier is manufactured from 8620 steel, while their shot-peened bolt is made from either 9310 or Carpenter 158. The bolts are batch high-pressure tested and individually magnetic particle inspected after heat-treatment to ensure there are no microcracks.
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416-R Barrel
The unique barrels begin with premium 416-R stainless steel bars that are gun-drilled and reamed at standard production speeds, featuring 5R rifling and a 1:8 twist. The blanks are then fully stress-relieved and precision air gauged before profiling, threading, and chambering begin. The barrel profile features strategically placed linear expansion rings that control the heat growth of the barrel during heavy use.
These unique design features, coupled with their adherence to improved machining tolerance standards, result in straighter bores, a superior finish, and improved accuracy. The barrel also comes with a pinned and welded Dead Air Silencers muzzle brake. This features a 16-inch barrel length, providing an excellent brake that’s ready for your suppressor. To me, this is the mark of a serious rifle design when they essentially prep the rifle for the suppressor; they know you are going to run on the gun.
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Zero Trigger
Another noteworthy feature of the rifle is its patent-pending Zero trigger. This trigger is worthy of an article by itself and is one of the nicest triggers I have ever seen in an AR. These triggers are the only ones on the market that allow users to tune the trigger tail to suit their safety needs. They are also the only triggers on the market with arc-welded pull-weight and disconnector set screws, ensuring a lifetime of use without loosening or failing of parts. The bottom of the Zero trigger housing features threaded holes that straddle both the front and rear of the trigger tail. Hardened set screws are provided and can be installed through these threaded holes to finely tune the trigger location and push it into contact with the safety.
The trigger tail shape is also modified to cup the safety drum. This patent-pending design enables fine-tuning that eliminates take-up and over-travel. The trigger, hammer, and disconnector are also EDM-cut and then polished with brass wire to a micron finish in all critical contact areas for a frictionless engagement. The trigger’s reset is both short and positive, facilitating faster shooting during training or competition. Wrap the whole thing up with Magpul furniture, and it is pretty much a work of ballistic art.
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Range Time
The folks at Blackout Defense were kind enough to offer me a rifle for testing, and I jumped at the chance. The only modification I made to the rifle was the mounting of my old reliable Aimpoint patrol optic. Range day arrived, and setup went along as normal. Mags were loaded, targets set up, and cameras were rolling. That is pretty much where the “standard” range day ended. Once I began firing the rifle, everything changed. I seriously stopped at one point and just stared at the rifle. My first thought was “How am I going to describe this?”
The pulse/recoil on this gun is unlike what I have experienced with any other gun. While the term smooth shooting comes to mind, it is an insufficient description. The combination of managed barrel harmonics, high-quality manufacturing, and premium materials makes this gun an exceptional experience. Add the exceptional trigger, and it quickly turns into a grin maker. The standard cycle of firing an AR is a trigger press (sometimes good, sometimes crunchy), the initial shot and slight muzzle rise, the feel of the BCG slapping back into the stock, and then finally lurching back into battery.
Smooth Pulse
With the Quantum DTL, this was condensed into a smooth pulse in the stock, resulting in almost zero muzzle rise. I once again head back to the word smooth. It was like a well-choreographed dance between all the moving parts in the gun. Without question, it was one of the nicest rifles I have ever run, and that is saying a lot.
Performance-wise, I was able to achieve a ¾-inch group using Federal 77-grain Gold Medal Match. Please note that I was using an Aimpoint red dot. I believe I could have shot even tighter with an optic more focused on precision. I ran the rifle through all my standard drills, from close-quarter contact to 500-yard steel, and it shone at every turn. My concern was that the gun had tolerances that might cause it to have an issue with certain brands of ammunition or magazines.
Blackout Defense Quantum DTL Rifle
I was proven wrong on this point as it ate every round I fed it out of a variety of magazines. I will admit that I did not run any steel case ammo through the rifle. My opinion is that if you buy a rifle of this caliber, you should not be feeding it the cheapest ammo you can find. Ultimately, I was not eager to put the gun back in the case. The Quantum DTL, with its unique barrel locking system, changes the AR game in my opinion. My psychic forecast is that you will be seeing this design in other guns moving forward. If you are interested in seeing what the next level of AR performance is, you should visit the folks at Blackout Defense.
For more information, visit Blackout Defense.
Specs
| Caliber: | .223 Wylde- Othe calibers available. |
| Capacity: | 30-round magazine |
| Barrel: | 416R stainless steel |
| Barrel Finish: | Black nitride |
| Barrel Twist: | 1:8, 5R |
| Overall Length: | 31.5” (collapsed) |
| Stock: | Magpul |
| Finish: | Available in black anodize and various Cerakote finishes |
| Grip: | Magpul |
| Weight: | 6.99 lbs |
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