Yes they were making Dakotas in 1980. Mine isa Jager. in fact I have 2. One was sold as a kit called a Californian. it was only $120. and I gave it an antique finish. And as Old Top will recall it had the hated brass tg/bs until EMF did a clean up in the back room and found some ASM bs/tg that fit.
here is a pix of the kit Dakota. it was kind of cool. I even took one of the catalogs and price lists that I had down to EMF on one of our little visits to MECCA (just one more thing that you won't be doing unless you make a trip down here, right Top?? hehehe just have to rub it in, especially for comment about me "not knowing what year/century we are in. Of course I know what year it is. It is 1964, and we have to get on the Suzuki and get on down the hill to high school., April and Paula will only wait so long for us at the "kittenKoop" right?
actually the Dakota was the first gun I got after I got my ffl. I had another one that I picked up a year before and I let my ex wife keep it in my seperation. and now it is off to bed. been a long day.
curley