Canadian Rangers’ rifles to be upgraded next year
Contract coming to replace defective wooden stocks
Kevin Kullualik, a patrol sergeant with Iqaluit’s Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, fires a C19 rifle in 2019. (File photo by Emma Tranter)
A contract to replace the Canadian Rangers’ C19 rifle stocks will be awarded “later this year,” says Alex Tétreault, senior communications adviser with the Department of National Defence.
“The procurement process is currently in progress,” he said.
The stocks will begin to be replaced through a three-year process starting in 2026.
The department launched the upgrade process to address problems with the rifles’ red-dyed wooden stocks, first identified in spring 2018.
“It was noticed that the wood dye from the stocks was leaching and staining the hands of users,” Tétreault said. “This was a result of extended periods of time in a wet environment.”
Rangers were directed to treat the stocks with tung oil to seal the wood and protect against moisture.
“This has proven to be an effective solution,” Tétreault said.
Further issues involving cracking in the stocks was identified as a pattern during a 2019 Canadian Armed Forces Skill and Arms Competition.
The Canadian Rangers’ new rifles (bottom) were distributed in 2017 to replace the old Lee-Enfield MK4 .303 rifles (top), a model that had not been updated since the 1950s. (Photo courtesy of MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Canadian Forces Combat Camera IS09-2016-0034-016 ©2016 DND-MND Canada)
The C19 rifles were distributed to the rangers in 2017 to replace the old Second World War-era Lee-Enfield MK4 .303 rifles, a model that had not been updated since the 1950s.
The weapons replacement was part of a $32.8-million contract with Colt Canada to provide the Finnish-designed, bolt action .308 rifles for the rangers.
The cost to replace the rifle stocks for the entire C19 fleet, including spares, is estimated at $8 million to $10 million.
The defective stocks do not otherwise compromise the effectiveness of the rifles, Tétreault said.
“The functional and operational viability of the C19 Ranger Rifle has not been in question,” he said.
The C19 rifle features a custom-designed, red-stained wood stock with a Canadian Ranger crest inlay. The trigger guard is extra large, to accommodate gloved hands.
The new stocks will match the look of the original design, including the red/grey laminate wood colour scheme, Tétreault said.
There are approximately 5000 Canadian Rangers in Canada At $8 -10 Million that is $1600 – $2000 per unit. The cost of a new firearm.
Stocks usually cost $150-350 for a Polymer per unit,
Harwood (Birch or Walnut) $300-$500 per unit
Shipping a stock though Canada will cost under $100 per unit
As the Canadian Rangers are trained to disassemble and reassemble their rifles to clean them they all should have the skills and knowledge how to replace the stock.
Cut out all the middle men, just order stocks and ship them directly though Canada Post to the individual ranger, pay the ranger a days wages to replace the stock.
Boom I just save the Canadian tax apyers $4-5 million even at the upper cost limit of a hardwood stock.
$500 for the stock, per unit (but as buying bulk should be able to get a reduce price by 15-20%
$100 for shipping
$250 (days wage)
Total $850 per unit or $4.25 Million, add in 20% admin fee (contracting fee) still only $5.1 million.
If the Rangers do this as part of their annual firearms exercises, target shooting, the days wages will be eaten up by the general operating fund.
I smell another scam brewing at the costs they are estimating. Who is making $3-5 million off this deal? Are Military personnel getting kick backs? Getting wined and dinned for inflated costs?
Totally true. What waste of taxpayer money. Very simple fix at nowhere near the government estimate. I have the same brand rifle- it’s a Tikka- only varmint stainless- with very good synthetic factory stock., which if the government had any brains should have requested on these ranger rifles- considering the environment they will be used in. Also very embarrassing using 75yr. Old weapons in this day & age, a perfect example of Canada’s lackluster interest in defending our nation. We would be in serious poop, if we were ever attacked by evil nations, disgraceful, having to rely on our, arrogant neighbor to the south.
True in everyway. Liberals no nothing about firearms to begin with is anyone surprised. Totally joke that amount of$$ to replace the stocks on those rifles. Our defense, of this country is, almost a cartoon if we were ever seriously attacked ,without the help of our southern neighbors we would be, destroyed.
Good point, but what about bedding the stocks? As you know that is not part of the general maintenance. So can you add that part into your math.
Only in Canada… We over paid for broken down Brit subs…What other country would be that stupid… Then paid even more to fix them… Kind of sounds similar… How about warranty if the stocks are faulty.. And why not synthetic at 1/2 the price ???
“At $8 -10 Million that is $1600 – $2000 per unit. The cost of a new firearm.”
Right? The same(ish) rifle straight from Tikka is a $2000 unit. How on earth did the initial procurement cost 32 million? Let’s say they purchased an extra 1000 rifles, or the spare parts to make them. That’s still over $5600 per rifle!!
I realize that there may be requirements to source them from a domestic supplier and of course license manufacturering has added costs as Colt Canada would have to tool up an assembly line (for 5K rifles of app things… that’s a very small production run even by Canadian standards) but surely the actual manufacturer Sako could have made them significantly cheaper? There’s a reason we aren’t building our own fighter jets and armoured mobile infantry vehicles, because it would be bananas expensive to do so.
32 million dollars for 5-6K rifles is insanity, especially when there was apparently no warranty on them as we are also stuck with the bill to fix the manufacturer’s defect of non weatherproof stocks (in Canada, nonetheless lol)
There goes my tax money again.
we appreciate your scarifies of your tax dollars!
Yeah….
Going to Nunavut.🤑 money pit.
Remember the military blew a few million in useless sleeping bags?
Good for southern Canada at fall time.
Finance minister said that they should’ve gone to Canadian Tire.😂😂
Just blows my mind how Mickey mouse this Canadian government is they know nothing about firearms but they think they do they know nothing about running the country which they supposedly do if they ever come back from holiday disgusting how they waste taxpayers money and they don’t have the balls to us the experts the best way to do things the pathetic the Liberals always will be
This is the major problem with canadas defense procurement, no wonder our whole armed forces is a mess, the people involved in procurement are totally useless, and they cannot even order a few rifles for our Canadian Rangers, and to fix the mess they caused is going to cost the Taxpayers 8-10 million, get rid of these idiots.
Expect a call from the government to hear your expertise on how to teach the procurement process and greatly improve it!
OK ima, your saying nobody but those highly educated, dedicated, Federal civil service are doing things right, with no accountability with our tax dollars we pay every year, what rock are you living under, or maybe you are one of them that sits home working for them maybe 2 days a week, and refuses to go back to work in a plush office, and refuses to shut off Netflix on the taxpayers dime,I really see the point your making, I am sorry.
It’s in the budget, of course there’s accountability, I am pretty you worked for procurement department if you see no accountability and how do you know that are an auditor?
Consider that they haven’t replaced the rifles in 70 yrs. How are they even supposed to know what they need? Guaranteed cluster fluf and mega money for nothing.
Fun fact. There are more tax collectors than army reservists lol
One shot will take down a Russian missile!
A bolt action rifle to a bolt action rifle, what was wrong with the Lee Endfield #4 rifles we had, answer nothing, if you are going to up grade, we have thousands of FN C1 7.62 x 51 nato cal. (308) rifles in storage, the FN is built like a tank, easy to take down & clean, self loading 20 round box magazine, no cost involved, just hand them out, typical Canada..
They couldn’t get issued the FN. It is currently prohibited and has been since the 90’s.
The FN has been banned since the 90’s.
It’s a great rifle, it’s semi automatic and not a bolt action.
Where’s the payola in that? Bolt actions don’t rely on blowback gas for ejection. Might matter in arctic conditions? Not sure.
Ammo…. 308 / 7.62 is available.. 303 ammo is so old. Who would trust it… The Rangers trust the ” bolt” and it does work better in the artic.. As far as the C1 being banned , the Rangers woouldn’t follow civilian gun laws…
Bolt action antique weapon surprised we aren’t supplying updated bows and arrows. At a time of armed drones and missiles 🇨🇦 is procuring 19th century armaments to supply our territorial defense forces.
They stopped using the Lee Enfield because parts are not available
My Father was with the Rangers up north.. Tumbler Ridge. Then helped out with the JR Rangers.
I haven’t spoke to him in awhile.
But he had told me stories that the military would pay extra for folks using their own snowmobiles or ATVs. By the sound of it.
Just another group milking the taxpayer.
I would take the .303 Enfield any day over that tika
The Enfields are battle proven.
And for what these guy are doing..
More than enough.
The rifles are predominantly used as private arms anyway.
Hunting rifles.
This is how they lure in recruits up there.
You get a free rifle.
A little bit of free ammo once a year
And government handouts.
Just another area where our tax dollars are wasted
The enfields were primarily no4mk1* model, not a mk4 rifle. And to those who think there are still FN C1A1s in the supply system, they were all sent to the smelter more than a decade ago, with just 300 retained for research and museum use. The majority of those have been distributed now.
The Rangers are not intended to be a fighting force. They needed a survival rifle that is reliable. They do not require a semi-automatic.
Since the rangers are a segment of our reserve armed forces, there is NO restriction on them being armred with an FN . They are not civilians whom are restricted.
So if all the commenting “experts” can’t agree how do you expect purchasing professionals to do better.