Sterling Arms International R18 Mk3 Part 1 Review - Specifications and Initial Impressions

I reckon the whole "Turkey" issue is a matter of personal perspective, with a dash of politics. Some folks just don't like the Turks for geopolitical reasons, cosying up to Moscow as a member of NATO, etc. Others have had poor experience with inexpensive Turkish shotguns, which are notorious for their wildly varying quality and performance, ranging from poor to excellent, depending on the manufacturer. Others have enjoyed largely positive experiences with established, higher-end Turkish brands such as Canik, MKE or Tisas. Those who chose to dabble in low-end Turkish shotguns and Benelli clones pretty much got what they paid for....

I have several Canik pistols, one of which is a joint project between Canik and Salient Arms International. That is an excellent pistol, regardless of its country of origin! For what it is worth, AKDAS appears to be one of the "good ones" when it comes to Turkish small arms companies, being a military contractor for grenade launchers as well as the SA-9 PCC and the new SAM rifle (based on the R18 Mk3). Judging solely by its design, fit and finish, I must say that the pre-production R18 Mk3 that I have in-hand is a VERY nice firearm, every bit the equal of a Colt USA, Daniel Defence, or BCM product. This is NOT a bottom-tier Turkish product like some of those cheap shotguns. The R18 Mk3 leaves the impression of being a proper, serious defence product, not some "fly-by-night" company's garage-factory abortion of a firearm.

Your mileage may obviously vary, but there are vastly different tiers of manufacturing capacity available in Turkey. It seems to me based on all accounts and the product that I have in-hand, that AKDAS is one of the good ones. SAI appears to have partnered with a winner in terms of a high-quality product with low labour costs.
 
n of 1 but I've had zero issues with Derya TM22 through about 1,500 rounds. All the research I poured into that tiny purchase (2nd gun) showed most users found it incredibly reliable.
 
firebat said:
What if the rifle fell in the mud and now there's a lot of dirt under the handguard that should be removed? And you are on your hunting trip in the middle of nowhere?
Click to expand...
I'm going to treat it like the milspec rifle it supposedly is and give it a few good whacks with my hand to knock most of it out and clean it when I get home.

If you aren't putting a small tool kit together with your cleaning kit, that's a you problem. I don't trust a tool-less system at the price point this rifle is coming in at. If you can't be bothered to put either a cheap multi bit driver and a couple bits or an allen key set with a screw driver in your cleaning/range kit, the problems that arise are on you. What happens when you drop the rifle and break your optic? All your mounts are QD? The tried and true recessed nut hole with a SHCS and a dab of blue loc-tite or lock washer is perfectly fine and makes things cheaper and easier to replace when you lose a nut, bolt, etc.

Ease of parts access > Cool ideas
 
Vewdu said:
I'm going to treat it like the milspec rifle it supposedly is and give it a few good whacks with my hand to knock most of it out and clean it when I get home.

If you aren't putting a small tool kit together with your cleaning kit, that's a you problem. I don't trust a tool-less system at the price point this rifle is coming in at. If you can't be bothered to put either a cheap multi bit driver and a couple bits or an allen key set with a screw driver in your cleaning/range kit, the problems that arise are on you. What happens when you drop the rifle and break your optic? All your mounts are QD? The tried and true recessed nut hole with a SHCS and a dab of blue loc-tite or lock washer is perfectly fine and makes things cheaper and easier to replace when you lose a nut, bolt, etc.

Ease of parts access > Cool ideas
Click to expand...
Let's agree to disagree here. I prefer the way how military firearms are designed and I don't need any extra tools to remove a handguard from my T81 or SKS. Or AK for that matter, if I had a chance to own one.
 
m1008 said:
^maybe do some reading about jr and his involvement with the Swiss arms ban
Click to expand...
Just like all the VW beetle owners who "did some reading", pretty sure all I'm gonna find on the subject is opinions and I already have enough of those
 
m1008 said:
maybe do some reading about jr and his involvement with the Swiss arms ban
Click to expand...
Kindly cease and desist with your ancient history muckraking in my Review thread. You've already polluted the other two SAI threads with your "holier than thou" bleating about the long ago Swissarms prohibition. JR Cox made a bad business decision with unforseen ramifications for those relative few who owned expensive Swissarms rifles at the time. He publicly "manned up" with a lengthy video apology that is probably still available with a Google search if you really want to watch it. That would be the natural end of things were in not for grudge-holders such as yourself, whose sh#t apparently doesn't stink and who have evidently never made a mistake that negatively impacted others. Lucky you. The rest of us apologize, lick our wounds and carry on. You should consider doing the same instead of spreading the same old, tired community poison wherever you go....
 
Last edited:
Woah! Really interesting look at the gun, cool to see whats changed to drop costs and improve reliability! Is this a pre production sample or are the guns getting ready for full release soon and do you have any info on the full release?

By far my most anticipated gun of the year and hopefully SAI can get these in stores across Canada, as $1800 CAD is a total steal compared to the other options coming out!

My only major feedback (other than distribution compared to the MK2), i know why they chose a Trigger Tech trigger, they're amazing and are Canadian made (and local to me!) but I feel like the cost could drop by $180 - $300 (depending on what one they have) if there was a generic milspec trigger version for a more value conscious option. Going from $1800 to $1500 or $1600 may not sound massive but when someone also needs an optic, trigger lock, case, ammo, mags, ammo can, ear and eye pro, etc. Thats slightly lower cost can make the gun more appealing to first time buyers.

Also if its okay with you, bc many don't use CGN, if i post some of these photos to the Canada Guns subreddit so more can get a look at the gun? I can link this thread and your full write up if you want, if not i understand as you clearly have put a lot of work into just this initial review, and i for one cant wait to see what the accuracy tests show.
 
ameliaONT said:
Woah! Really interesting look at the gun, cool to see whats changed to drop costs and improve reliability! Is this a pre production sample or are the guns getting ready for full release soon and do you have any info on the full release?

By far my most anticipated gun of the year and hopefully SAI can get these in stores across Canada, as $1800 CAD is a total steal compared to the other options coming out!

My only major feedback (other than distribution compared to the MK2), i know why they chose a Trigger Tech trigger, they're amazing and are Canadian made (and local to me!) but I feel like the cost could drop by $180 - $300 (depending on what one they have) if there was a generic milspec trigger version for a more value conscious option. Going from $1800 to $1500 or $1600 may not sound massive but when someone also needs an optic, trigger lock, case, ammo, mags, ammo can, ear and eye pro, etc. Thats slightly lower cost can make the gun more appealing to first time buyers.

Also if its okay with you, bc many don't use CGN, if i post some of these photos to the Canada Guns subreddit so more can get a look at the gun? I can link this thread and your full write up if you want, if not i understand as you clearly have put a lot of work into just this initial review, and i for one cant wait to see what the accuracy tests show.
Click to expand...
Go ahead and link it all you like to get the word out. The more the merrier! I just don't frequent those other site, so haven't been there to spread the word about the R18 Mk3.

To answer your question, the rifle in the photos is a pre-production sample, #9 of 25 that were built for testing. The Canadian manufactured Bolt was out of spec, so the rifles cannot be safely fired yet due to a headspacing issue. Once spec'ed proprietary Bolts are produced, testing to 10K rounds will commence.

The timeline for the R9 (PCC) release is late Oct/Nov. The PCC is getting close. The R18 Mk3 will release a little later, in Nov/Dec or possibly slipping to early in the New Year if there are any supply chain or QC issues arise from the overseas or domestic sub-contractors. The R18 Mk3 will be more widely available than the Mk2, with dealers across the country carrying the new SAI hybrid rifle.
 
Last edited:
Bartok5 said:
I reckon the whole "Turkey" issue is a matter of personal perspective, with a dash of politics. Some folks just don't like the Turks for geopolitical reasons, cosying up to Moscow as a member of NATO, etc. Others have had poor experience with inexpensive Turkish shotguns, which are notorious for their wildly varying quality and performance, ranging from poor to excellent, depending on the manufacturer. Others have enjoyed largely positive experiences with established, higher-end Turkish brands such as Canik, MKE or Tisas. Those who chose to dabble in low-end Turkish shotguns and Benelli clones pretty much got what they paid for....

I have several Canik pistols, one of which is a joint project between Canik and Salient Arms International. That is an excellent pistol, regardless of its country of origin! For what it is worth, AKDAS appears to be one of the "good ones" when it comes to Turkish small arms companies, being a military contractor for grenade launchers as well as the SA-9 PCC and the new SAM rifle (based on the R18 Mk3). Judging solely by its design, fit and finish, I must say that the pre-production R18 Mk3 that I have in-hand is a VERY nice firearm, every bit the equal of a Colt USA, Daniel Defence, or BCM product. This is NOT a bottom-tier Turkish product like some of those cheap shotguns. The R18 Mk3 leaves the impression of being a proper, serious defence product, not some "fly-by-night" company's garage-factory abortion of a firearm.

Your mileage may obviously vary, but there are vastly different tiers of manufacturing capacity available in Turkey. It seems to me based on all accounts and the product that I have in-hand, that AKDAS is one of the good ones. SAI appears to have partnered with a winner in terms of a high-quality product with low labour costs.
Click to expand...
I've seen plenty Turkish firearm fails but they've produced numerous bangers from their reputable brands like Canik as well. It's not about which country made it, it's all about if it was produced with proper oversight or not.
For example my Chinese T81 and SKS will outlast the end of time, but I would not go near a Norinco M334 with a 10ft pole as that thing is a pipe bomb.

I genuinely hope SAI's QC department is on it - and judging from their customer services on the Mk2, they can and will make it right for you when things go wrong.

Also I agree with ameliaONT above - dropping the triggertech would lower the price even further and undercut every single competitor on the market while providing a product that seems infinitely superior according to your sneak peek post. Hell, make a "barebones" model without the stock, grip, trigger, and maybe handguard (depending on compatibility) and drop the price to ~1300. It'd be the deal of the century.
 
BP4W said:
I've seen plenty Turkish firearm fails but they've produced numerous bangers from their reputable brands like Canik as well. It's not about which country made it, it's all about if it was produced with proper oversight or not.
For example my Chinese T81 and SKS will outlast the end of time, but I would not go near a Norinco M334 with a 10ft pole as that thing is a pipe bomb.

I genuinely hope SAI's QC department is on it - and judging from their customer services on the Mk2, they can and will make it right for you when things go wrong.

Also I agree with ameliaONT above - dropping the triggertech would lower the price even further and undercut every single competitor on the market while providing a product that seems infinitely superior according to your sneak peek post. Hell, make a "barebones" model without the stock, grip, trigger, and maybe handguard (depending on compatibility) and drop the price to ~1300. It'd be the deal of the century.
Click to expand...
I don't believe that Sterling is in the business of selling incomplete rifles, The Turkish Stock and Pistol Grip are worth a few dollars at most, and there deletion would not result in appreciable savings. So that idea is likely a non-starter.

The problem with providing a lower-cost Trigger Mechanism is the assembly of said mechanism. A Trigger Tech cassette-style Trigger takes a couple of minutes to install. A mil-spec Trigger Group on the other hand, takes quite a bit more time and technique to properly install, with balky Hammers constantly popping out of position all across the assembly line! Plus there is the space and expense associated with stocking an entire, second trigger mechanism worth of parts. whereas the TriggerTech units are all self-contained, single pieces. I am not making excuses as to why Sterling might not wish to offer a lesser Trigger option, simply pointing out the challenges associated with doing so.
 
Bartok5 said:
I don't believe that Sterling is in the business of selling incomplete rifles, The Turkish Stock and Pistol Grip are worth a few dollars at most, and there deletion would not result in appreciable savings. So that idea is likely a non-starter.

The problem with providing a lower-cost Trigger Mechanism is the assembly of said mechanism. A Trigger Tech cassette-style Trigger takes a couple of minutes to install. A mil-spec Trigger Group on the other hand, takes quite a bit more time and technique to properly install, with balky Hammers constantly popping out of position all across the assembly line! Plus there is the space and expense associated with stocking an entire, second trigger mechanism worth of parts. whereas the TriggerTech units are all self-contained, single pieces. I am not making excuses as to why Sterling might not wish to offer a lesser Trigger option, simply pointing out the challenges associated with doing so.
Click to expand...
You do have a good point about the cassette-type trigger design.
Not sure how much the furniture costs, but if it's cheap Turkish injection molding then yeah they are worth next to nothing.
 
BP4W said:
You do have a good point about the cassette-type trigger design.
Not sure how much the furniture costs, but if it's cheap Turkish injection molding then yeah they are worth next to nothing.
Click to expand...
They are indeed cheap Turkish injection-moulded parts. The Buttstock is extra long for some reason, meaning that when fully collapsed it is still longer than an alternative, normal-length Buttstock such as the B5 SOPMOD. The Pistol Grip isn't bad, behing a hybrid with some solid surface and some rubberized. The only issue with the Grip is that it is quite angled, whereas the modern trend is towards a more vertical Grip angle...

Combined, I'm willing to bet that both of those plastic parts are worth less than $25 CAD. So nominal cost savings to be realized from offering a furniture-less option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom