Sterling Arms R18 Problem/Disappointment

Bartok5 said:
Interesting - sounds like that could be the culprit. The Bolt should definitely be freely moving within the Bolt Carrier, rotating as the Cam Pin moves in its slot on the Carrier.
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The pin holding the extractor in place is broken. It chipped in 2 pieces. Will an ar15 extractor retaining pin fit in it?
 
Morgan20 said:
The pin holding the extractor in place is broken. It chipped in 2 pieces. Will an ar15 extractor retaining pin fit in it?
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Well, there's your culprit - the Extractor Pin is faulty in the early rifles. Kudos to S3RVO for chiming in with knowledge of that R18 issue.

Unfortunately, the AR Extractor Pin is not a suitable fix, as it is too large for the Extraxtor Pin hole in the R18 Bolt. I don't understand why SAI didn't go with standard AR15 small parts wherever possible, but that gets us no closer to an interim fix. In a pinch you can do a ghetto fix with a piece of 3/32 Drill Bit Shaft cut to the appropriate length. Note that you may need a small piece of painter's tape wrapped around the pin to keep it in place within the bolt body, as the 3/32 Drill Bit is a bit undersized for the hole. My R18 also had the roll-pin, which was slightly bent, but only a matter of time until failure. I replaced it with a piece of appropriate-diameter steel dowel cut to length until such time as SAI provides a factory solution.

I am going to contact SAI about this and I recommend that you do the same. The more voices they hear from, the more of an impact it will have in terms of them quickly pushing out a fix. Although it sounds as though they are already on top of this particular problem, they can't fix issues if they do not get reported....
 
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Ceiferiro said:
Ive never had lacquered steel case gum up a gun. I have rifles Ive been feeding cheap steelcase for at least 3000 rounds without cleaning.

If the rifle is honestly ####ting the bed after 200 rounds Id genuinely consider the possibility of tolerance issues
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Agreed, Barnaul requires no additional cleaning. My AR, WK, X-95 and Mini-14 all ran thousands each without cleaning
 
Morgan20 said:
I have put about 2000 rounds of Barnaul through my Type 97 and WS MCR without cleaning the chamber with a brush and have suffered no malfunctions. Something tells me the R18 is a rifle that has to be babied with brass cased ammo. Honestly I don't care for 1.5 MOA out of a fighting rifle which the R18 purports to be capable of. I simply want a combat accurate rifle that can be fed all types of ammo and not just expensive brass cased ammo. I am not one of those shooters who tries to turn a 556 semi auto into some sort of precision rifle which I hear Sterling Arms constantly talk about how accurate the R18 is. I may have to sell it and buy a X95.
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My X95 runs on steel cased ammo like a champ.

Honestly the X95 is built like a tank and its not fickle at all about ammo (or anything else for that matter).
 
Sniffer said:
My X95 runs on steel cased ammo like a champ.

Honestly the X95 is built like a tank and its not fickle at all about ammo (or anything else for that matter).
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My Type 97, WS MCR, and WK180 are the same. I have been using barnaul steel ammo in them almost exclusively since COVID price increases in 2020. I maybe clean them once every 4-5 months and haven't had a stoppage.
 
Happy to hear the issue was discovered, nothing major and a pretty easy fix for SAI to address. New designs will always need some tweaking, just look at the MCX and how far it has come.
 
Overlander2018 said:
Happy to hear the issue was discovered, nothing major and a pretty easy fix for SAI to address. New designs will always need some tweaking, just look at the MCX and how far it has come.
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Exactly! A faulty pin is hardly the end of the world from a reliability perspective. Fix the pin, crank up the gas, and that R18 ought to run steel-cased ammo just fine like all of the other R18s out there that have been properly adjusted. Some people on this forum seem to live for controversy and trash-talk, and will use any excuse to cast shade on new designs. It is a weird phenomenon, specific to the CGN #####-fest that always follows a failure report, usually from a newb who doesn't know how to adjust the Gas Stystem or perform other routine trouble-shooting and maintenance tasks. Looney-Tunes.....
 
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Bartok5 said:
Exactly! A faulty pin is hardly the end of the world from a reliability perspective. Fix the pin, crank up the gas, and that R18 ought to run steel-cased ammo just fine like all of the other R18s out there that have been properly adjusted. Some people on this forum seem to live for controversy and trash-talk, and will use any excuse to cast shade on new designs. It is a weird phenomenon, specific to the CGN #####-fest that always follows a failure report, usually from a newb who doesn't know how to adjust the Gas Stystem or perform other routine trouble-shooting and maintenance tasks. Looney-Tunes.....
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Update, so I have been getting stovepipes every several rounds using American Eagle 223 Rem 55 grain. How much should I increase the gas setting to make it run? How high should I go to run all types of ammo?
 
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For a gas system with adjustment beyond 2 or 3 settings the general process is to turn it down until it doesn't work and then turn it back a few clicks until you have reliable function (gun cycles, bolt locks back on empty, etc) - this is of course specific to each type of ammo. To get it to cycle with everything, you could repeat the same process with your lowest pressure/softest shooting ammo - which is typically steel case.

I wouldn't recommend that because you risk wearing out the gun prematurely and I think Canadian made guns generally speaking need all the help they can get.
 
OkayShooter said:
Never understood this. Buys a 2.5k rifle then feeds it the most ####tiest ammo.
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I don't know about you but I expect my rifles to fire any and all types of ammo reliably without being picky. It is a tool that has to work. I don't tolerate princess rifles that are picky with ammunition types. If i feed the r18, brass cased American Eagle ammo I expect it to fire every time I pull the trigger.
 
Morgan20 said:
I don't know about you but I expect my rifles to fire any and all types of ammo reliably without being picky. It is a tool that has to work. I don't tolerate princess rifles that are picky with ammunition types. If i feed the r18, brass cased American Eagle ammo I expect it to fire every time I pull the trigger.
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Well I don't expect to buy an Audi and expect it to run on 4 year old lawn mower gas. Sure my Anschutz can fire win 555, but why? You honestly picked the wrong gun if you expect it to be milspec. As many said. Milspec = lowest bidder.

Personally I miss my sheet metal and polymer AR180B2.
 
Morgan20 said:
Update, so I have been getting stovepipes every several rounds using American Eagle 223 Rem 55 grain. How much should I increase the gas setting to make it run? How high should I go to run all types of ammo?
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Weird, I bought 400 rounds of American Eagle 5.56 when it was on sale few weeks ago from Cabelas and I went threw 300 rounds last weekend through my Sterling and didnt have one problem. Ran flawlessly. I've put about 6 different types of ammo through mine and so far not one problem. Haven't adjusted the gas system either.
 
Morgan20 said:
Update, so I have been getting stovepipes every several rounds using American Eagle 223 Rem 55 grain. How much should I increase the gas setting to make it run? How high should I go to run all types of ammo?
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I suggest that you call/email Sterling Arms Inc's Canadian Subsidiary and speak directly with "Mike", the Production Manager. That way, you can obtain advice direct from the source, and can initiate a Warranty claim at the same time if that is required. Save yourself time, energy, potential frustration and ammo $$ by going straight to the source for a solution to your problem(s). Just my $.02, FWIW....
 
My R18 cycles Winchester, Remington and PMC brass without any problems.

Only issues I’ve had are the included p-mag won’t stay in the lower, and my rifle is picky about Mags in general.

The parts that Sterling made have been great so far. Roughly 800-1000 rounds through it so far.
 
Morgan20 said:
Update, so I have been getting stovepipes every several rounds using American Eagle 223 Rem 55 grain. How much should I increase the gas setting to make it run? How high should I go to run all types of ammo?
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is it stripping the next round? if not then the bolt isn't moving far enough back to eject the empty case - not enough gas or something resisting the rearward travel of the bolt - sticky chamber, grit, or perhaps some scarring from your previous issue.

if it is making it far enough back to start to strip the next round then an issue with your ejector (or perhaps the extractor holding on too tight).
 
Snyuk said:
My R18 cycles Winchester, Remington and PMC brass without any problems.

Only issues I’ve had are the included p-mag won’t stay in the lower, and my rifle is picky about Mags in general.

The parts that Sterling made have been great so far. Roughly 800-1000 rounds through it so far.
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Have you tried rotating the magazine catch in a turn or two?

I'll echo the mag pickyness issue. Those crimped 10 rounders are prone to over-insertion due to the angled portion of the mag body above the mag catch hole. I also have some CPD mags that will nose dive every round just below the barrel extension but work fine in every other rifle I've used them in.
 
I did indeed

It seems to be a defect with that particular mag. Other Gen 2 and 3 pmags work without issue, along with Gen 2 crossmags.

The SA branded pmag just won’t catch properly. I can grab it and pull it out when other mags stay retained perfectly fine.

Is what it is, I just keep it for ‘display’
 
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