TACCOM24 Sterling arms R18 mk3 .223
- Thread starter greentips
- Start date
As someone who helped to write the final version of the Mk3's FRT Application, I am very pleased to see that the new R18 variant has been granted a NR FRT entry. Although I have a bit of an inside scoop on this rifle, I am nonetheless excited to see it come to market. This rifle not only rectifies all of the problematic design decisions of the Mk2 (adjustable Gas Block, heavy unit weight, Rifle-length piston, etc), it also adds new features which further enhance the end-user's ownership experience (monolithic and ambidextrous Bolt Catch/Release, self-contained Bolt Carrier, Guide Rods and Springs assembly, revised Cocking Handle, etc). The R18 Mk3 is a fully-evolved, feature-rich and affordable rifle that is capable of exceptional reliability and reasonable accuracy over the course of a high round count. I expect it to do very well in the Canadian market, where its principal competition will be the LTAC Raven's "Silver Edition" Internal Piston design.
Factory production of new R18 Mk2's ceased approximately 6 months ago. Any Mk2's remaining on dealer shelves are therefore New, Old Stock. As such, it is entirely up to the individual dealers to decide if they wish to cut their Mk2 price in order to move the old stock in preparation for the arrival of new Mk3s.
I would suggest that if anyone is in the market for a new Mk2, now would be the time to press your favourite dealer (with stock) to drop their asking price below the current MSRP. The forthcoming arrival of new Mk3s ought to motivate stocking dealers to drop their prices. That said, with Mk2s priced at $2700, no dealer in his or her right mind will be able to match the new Mk3 price of $1800 without losing their shirt....
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Can you share how long it took from submission to approval?
Was this marketed as a mildly upgraded version of the existing rifle versus a new rifle? Because I didn’t think new rifles would be accepted. Ie I’m still curious if they will let the Bren 3 in. Or declare it a whole new non allowed rifle due to the new 5rd limit.
Thr R18 Mk3 was correctly declared an incremental development of the Mk2's AR180B-derived design. Although an entirely new rifle could have been submitted to the RCMP Firearms Lab, there would be no guarantee of a NR classification. The best way to ensure a NR classification was to submit a design-enhanced Mk2 for classification by the Lab. The Mk3 design still retains two Guide Rods and Operating Springs just like the original AR180B. It is just that the Rods and Springs are now bundled with the Bolt Carrier as an assembly. Same with the short-stroke Piston design. The Mk3 simply uses a Carbine-length Gas System for accuracy enhancement purposes. The Mk3 retains the same multi-lug rotating lock-up as the original AR180B. And so on and so forth....
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There's nothing to be worried about, because there's no civilian version of Bren 3 even to submit. Forget about Bren 3 for at least 2 years.
Any chance you can shed some light on how it was possible to slash the price by that large of a number while also being a "better" rifle? Just trying to figure out what was cut to allow for such a dramatic price drop or what was sacrificed to make it.
I suspect they are manufactured overseas IE Turkey
Correct. It is simply not possible to domestically manufacture the R18 Mk3 to sell for $1800. Trades wages are simply too high to allow for it. So, offshore manufacture of the component parts of the rifle was required in order to bring the costs down. It is unheard of to slash the price of an improved product by 1/3, but that is precisely what Sterling Arms International has managed to do. Not only has off-shore manufacture allowed Sterling to bring the MSRP down, it has also permitted the upgrade to T7075 aluminum alloy instead of the much softer 6061 grade metal. The parts are manufactured on state-of-the-art, robotic CNC machinery to ISO standards. The Receivers are Type 5 Hard-Coat Anodized for protection and corrosion resistance. This is a signficant upgrade over the Lockhart Tactical Raven, which is simply Cerakoted over the raw alloy. Not cool. But I digress. Yes, Turkey is one of the manufacturing countries, but not the only one. The parts are multi-national, with Canadian assembly, test-firing and overall QC.
ATRS Shaun
Business Member Rep.
- Location
- Calgary, AB
I was a little apprehensive when I first heard they were having a lot of parts manufactured out of country.
Let's not mince words, I'm a pretty big gun-snob. Having had the good fortune to handle one a week ago, I'm quite impressed.
I was not able to fire it, but I really look forward to doing so.
The highlights to me were:
The bolt catch/release on the right side is very intuitive and ergonomic.
The whole gun just 'feels' solid and high quality, the hand guard is a nice size/shape.
The charging handle is simple yet elegant, and more than anything it functions without being over complicated.
The retained springs on the carrier is an absolute must, and it really changes the AR180b game.
The balance felt really good.
I think I will very likely be purchasing one before the end of the year, and then I'll have the opportunity to play around with putting a folding stock on it...
As someone who had a hand in writing the final FRT Submission, it is good to hear your positive initial impressions of the Mk3. I too, was somewhat apprehensive about off-shore manufacture of crticical components (eg. Receivers, Gas Blocks), however having viewed the finished parts my fears have abated somewhat. My primary concern now with the offshore manufacturing is the avoidance of supply chain issues which could slow or even halt production if key components go "missing in action", so to speak. A production rate of 200 rifles per month is pretty aggressive compared to what the resurrected Sterling Arms International (SAI) has managed to accomplish to date with their R18 Mk2. Watch and shoot.....
As you of all people can appreciate, there was simply no way for SAI to reduce the unit cost such that the MSRP could be reduced by an impressive 1/3 of the Mk2's cost while continuing domestic manufacture. The move to off-shore manufacture of the critical components was a somewhat risky business proposition that appears to have worked out nicely, with robotic CNC machinery producing finished parts to ISO standards which are then finished in either Type 5 Hardcoat Anodizing (T7075 Aluminum Alloy) or Glock-style Melonite (High-Carbon Steel). The ability of SAI to reduce the unit MSRP by $900 is simply incredible and really illustrates the difference in what can be accomplished by companies with state-of-the-art equipment, but low wages and (perhaps) compromised environmental and/or safety standards. It is difficult for Canadian manufacturers to compete in that business environment.
The Picatinny Buttstock attachment system makes adding a folding stock such as the Lage Manufacturing Side-folder a simple process. The Lage Hinged Mounting Block is readily adaptable to fold to either side. There are many other options for Picatinny Buttstocks, including the ACE line of folding Stocks. Lage Manufacturing products are available through A Z T E C H Armoury.
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