Sneak Preview - Sterling Arms International R9 Mk 1

Bartok5

Bartok5

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Production Sample Rifles are currently being distributed to various individuals (including yours truly), for live-fire Testing and Review. I received this random sample today, laser-engraved as Serial #00054. The R9 Mk 1 ships in a cardboard box complete with 1x 5/10 Magazine, 1x Trigger Lock, 1x Tube of Lubricating Grease, 1x Owners Manual and 2x Stickers. Photos below show the R9 as received in the box, assembled as received, and assembled with my preferred Buttstock and Optics for test-firing. I will be hitting the indoor range on Sunday to conduct reliability and accuracy testing. My review should be published by Tuesday of this coming week. The MSRP is $1599.00 CAD and spare 10/30 Pistol Magazines are just $65 CAD for a steel, double-feed Mag with last round hold-open. Magazines will be made available on the basis of 5 per R9 to begin with, with production ramping up or down as demand dictates.

Watch and shoot!!!


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KGB2014 said:
I think I want one…. It’s been over a year since I bought a new rifle….
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Well, I must say that my initial impressions are very positive - very much like the R18 Mk3 in terms of fit/finish and overall impression of high quality for the $$. We shall see if performance matches appearance at the range tomorrow....
 
Things went very well at the range today. I fired 300 rounds without a single stoppage of any kind. Accuracy was on par with other PCCs, putting 10 rounds into 2" at 25 yds from the seated position, slow-fire. Groups would shrink with a lighter Trigger-Tech style of trigger.


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True Shadows said:
Did you try different types of ammo?
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I had the opportunity to test fire an R9 with 5 different types of ammo including two different handloads. Projectile styles ranged from RN, FP and JHP. All were 147gr and 160gr. The R9 fed and fired all the different rounds without a hiccup. I did not shoot for group. This was simply a cycling test.
 
Bartok5 said:
Groups would shrink with a lighter Trigger-Tech style of trigger.
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The trigger appears to be an AR trigger but I don't know that for sure. 9mm ARs generally use a different hammer than the 556 models.

Having admittedly very limited time with the R9, I found the trigger to be ......... not nice. 🤷‍♂️ It works and should be reliable but the feel could be a lot better. If I were buying an R9 and if it is indeed an AR trigger, I'd for sure spend a little extra for an aftermarket trigger.

It's easy to biatch about an OEM trigger and how it should be better on a ca. $1600 rifle but 99% of AR's and AR180 rifles all come with varying degrees of MIL style triggers and we generally accept that trigger setup for what it is, so I don't see this as a negative for the R9.
 
Looks good! Is the buffer tube on the included stock mil-spec, commercial, or proprietary? Would the bolt-hold open mags work on a standard MP5 (without functional bolt hold open of course) should the MP5 be allowed in Canada again, or if the manufacturer wants to get better economies of scale by selling unpinned magazines to the U.S.?
 
Bartok5 said:
Things went very well at the range today. I fired 300 rounds without a single stoppage of any kind. Accuracy was on par with other PCCs, putting 10 rounds into 2" at 25 yds from the seated position, slow-fire. Groups would shrink with a lighter Trigger-Tech style of trigger.
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Looking good.

What kind of ammo were you using?

How was the muzzle flip/rise with the longer ported barrel?
 
I Dont Care About You said:
The trigger appears to be an AR trigger but I don't know that for sure. 9mm ARs generally use a different hammer than the 556 models.

Having admittedly very limited time with the R9, I found the trigger to be ......... not nice. 🤷‍♂️ It works and should be reliable but the feel could be a lot better. If I were buying an R9 and if it is indeed an AR trigger, I'd for sure spend a little extra for an aftermarket trigger.

It's easy to biatch about an OEM trigger and how it should be better on a ca. $1600 rifle but 99% of AR's and AR180 rifles all come with varying degrees of MIL style triggers and we generally accept that trigger setup for what it is, so I don't see this as a negative for the R9.
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Sadly the bolt doesn’t have enough clearance for an AR trigger, they’re hoping to update this in future iterations.
 
Bartok5 said:
Things went very well at the range today. I fired 300 rounds without a single stoppage of any kind. Accuracy was on par with other PCCs, putting 10 rounds into 2" at 25 yds from the seated position, slow-fire. Groups would shrink with a lighter Trigger-Tech style of trigger.
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Appreciate the info etc. my friend ,looks pretty decent for a PCC . I likey :)
 
infidel29 said:
What's the point of the quick detach buttstock? And how was the disassembly for cleaning?
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By using a 1913 stock interface it allows for more stock options including folding stocks that wouldn't be possible with a standard buffer tube system. Also by being able to easily detach the stock, it makes the shipping box shorter by at least 19cm's by not having the stock attached and saving any oversized item shipping fees charged by shipping couriers

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