Rifles issued to Canadian Rangers can’t stand up to the Arctic cold
Firearms to be fitted with new stocks
Kevin Kullualik, a patrol sergeant with Iqaluit’s Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, fires a C19 rifle in 2019. (File photo by Emma Tranter)
It was supposed to be a firearms upgrade specially designed for Arctic conditions — but cracks in the wooden stocks of the Canadian Rangers’ C19 service rifles now require a costly fix.
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 C19 rifle is and remains an effective and accurate weapon for the Canadian Rangers,” said Alex Tétreault, senior communications adviser with the Department of National Defence, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
“All of the in-service rifle stocks experience some absorption of moisture, some degree of swelling and cracking. However, not all have been removed from service as they are still able to operate safely and effectively.”
The Canadian Rangers’ new C19 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 Master Cpl. Mathieu Gaudreault, Canadian Forces Combat Camera IS09-2016-0034-016 ©2016 DND-MND Canada)
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.
Less than two years after the guns were issued, reports started coming in of cracks in the stocks with anecdotal accounts of them cracking “when exposed to excessive moisture,” Tétreault said.
Isolated cases of peeling laminate and cracked stocks became a pattern after more reports of cracking stocks were received during a 2019 Canadian Armed Forces Skill and Arms Competition.
In response, Colt Canada conducted extreme-weather testing on C19 stocks. Results showed the wood lacked sufficient protective finish to properly seal it from extreme environmental exposure.
“The test also indicated that the glue used in some of the C19 stock exhibited early and unexpected laminate separation,” Tétreault said.
The Department of National Defence worked with Colt Canada to develop a new, improved stock.
A contract for a company to install the new stocks over three years is expected to be awarded this year. The procurement process is underway, Tétreault said, and the upgrade is expected to begin within a year after the contract is awarded.
Tétreault did not say how many guns will receive the upgrade. Last week, the Ottawa Citizen reported the cost to replace the stocks as $10 million.
Canadian Rangers are members of the Canadian Armed Forces who live in and patrol various remote, isolated and coastal communities across Canada, including in Nunavut and northern Quebec. With approximately 5,000 members spread throughout 220 communities across Canada, the Rangers serve as part-time reservists.
The 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, numbering approximately 2,000 members, is responsible for Nunavut, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Atlin, B.C., all of which accounts for about 40 per cent of Canada’s land mass.
Whatever happenrd to the 7.62 mm FN rifles we used to have
Is/was the c19 a newer model?
Or am I aging myself?
Our Canadian government, in our infinite wisdom, had all of our FN rifles destroyed because they were apparently too dangerous to be stored in case of future conflicts
Was the same as the FN FAL that still in use by Brazilian Army and police?
Yes, they’re nearly the same rifle, w/ some individualized modifications, depending on what country you served w/ & which issued you w/ one. Basically, the following are individual, nationalized designations for what is essentially the exact same battle rifle:
FN-FAL (Belgian)
L1A1 (English)
SLR (Australian)
FN-C1 (Canadian)
IMI ROMAT (Israel)
R1/R2/R3 (South Africa)
T48 (United States)
FM-FAL (Argentina)
IMBEL FAL (Brazil)
That’s a total shame. Why didn’t the government simply dispose of them like every other surplus. Crown Assets disposal. Dealers could have bought them or sell them in USA or other countries rather than destroy something which then has to be reduplicated somewhere else at top cost?
When still army affiliated, I did lots of shooting with the FN as well as some gunsmithing to improve the trigger, etc. great concept. Great rifle. What a waste!
Likely the liberal mindset will be to reissue some muzzle loaders they kept. You know, cuz they’re way safer.
Was thinking more of a blunderbus of mideaval times. Cheaper and can be fired every 3-5 minutes.
These rangers deserve the best firearms designed for their artctic weather….no brainer here…..but…..perhaps buy Russian or Chinese made weapons…….probably safer.No conflict of interest meant.
The reason to choose this rifle is that it is a bolt action. Simple familiar and easier to maintain and reliable. The less moving parts in cold weather the better less things to go wrong. Supply chain in the Arctic sucks. It’s a shame the wood was the failure,guess good wood is hard to find or too expensive.
They can get replacement MDT Oryx stocks at Cabela’s for $529 Cdn.
The C7 took over for the FN C1A1, something about 5.56mm being a “humane” round. The C19 is a replacement for the old Lee-Enfield .303. Personally, I would have gone with Beechwood for the stock, it’s already proven itself in the cold.
They weren’t changed for humanity reasons. It was to carry more ammo and standardized with other NATO members
Agreed! The FNC1 with trigger guard removed worked great in extreme cold. Way better than I did!
The C19 is simply a fancy tika rifle.
Bolt action.
The FN was semi and fully automatic.
This would’ve been a no brainer for a firearms linguistic person.
Makes one wonder who’s calling the shots and spending the money
I don’t exactly know what kind of laminated wood they used but at a glance it looks like they used cheap kiln dried wood that had not been naturally aged so it has no kind of resistance to any kind of weather never mind Arctic temperatures
The C19 is a Canadian military version of the Tikka T3 CTR Arctic, which honestly is a phenomenal rifle, and it’s not like the Finns don’t know a thing or two about fighting in the Arctic. It’s designed for use in the Arctic, but I guess not every day.
The _design_ of the rifle is Finnish. None of the components on the issued rifles are made in Finland.
(Encyclopedia : Moderate success)
Breechloader rifles were banned from use after coalition forces took control of Revachol from the Communard revolution. Many residents in Martinaise acknowledged that Breechloaders posed significant human right abuses, based on how many shots could be fired from a single barrel fusiliard.
This is why the RCM carry pistols with multiple barrels on them.
I guess “modernation is the new word for censorship
After posting my previous comment I tried to get more info and it looks like 6,820 C19 were issued to replace the older Lee-Enfield rifles, since they spent 32.8 million dollars that puts the price of those new rifles at over 4,800 dollars each.
WOW with that kind of money they could have got rifles with very fancy custom made walnut stocks that would have never cracked under any kind of weather.
But what do I know !!!
Apparently you know more than they do.
Having grown up in Ottawa
Fired an fn c2 as an army cadet
But having absorbed the the whole Civil service vibe I know exactly how this came about
It is national disgrace
1466$ to replace each stock. Wow. In what world is a rifle worth that amount of money.. only in Canada
4800+1466= 6266 dollars per rifle. What a joke
I Just bought a Tikka T3 .308, stainless steel barrel, with composite stock, with scope, scope mount, 3 x 3 round magazines.
Few years ago I spent $1800 buying a .Tikka T3 .223 Stainless steel composite stock, with scope, scope mounts, 2 x 6 round magazines.
Someone is making a killing off these contracts.
What a same and embarrassment to the folks that protect our north. At least give them a semi auto.
POOR CANADA 😔
No, semi auto won’t be reliable in extreme weather. When you are face to face with a polar bear you don’t mess around.
A single shot bolt action is much more reliable in cold weather warfare. Semi and automatic weapons tend to freeze up after several rounds. I’ve experienced it during winter warfare exercises.
Colt Canada should cover the cost of these repaired. They were asked to supply a firearm with certain specifications and safety which they did not and got paid for those requirements. It’s on them to make it right.
As a former ranger for 10 years, I would say the top military leaders of the Rangers let the Rangers down with this rifle. Thankfully I left before this change happen, but I got to have a look and try out my brother’s. Anyone from the north could have told them that laminated stock would not work no matter how good they were made. Just about everything made like that starts to come apart in this kind of weather and the rough treatment traveling on snow machines and boats thing get bang around. the 303 can take a lot a still worked it never let me down.
Former 4th Patrol Ranger here. Yeah, the Lee Enfields were an old design. You know why we were using these old designs? BECAUSE THEY WORKED. They could stand up to every weather condition we have in Canada. Plus we’ve still got .303 rounds coming out of our ears, so they’re cheap to operate.
Also the trigger guard, as you can see from the pic, is even larger than on the Colt. No problem with gloves!!
My husband is military; during overnight training in the winter his not-an-Enfield damned bolt froze open one time. Thought he’d somehow lost it.
Newer isn’t always better!
All Canadian gov cotracts seem to leave the mess with the taxpayer as the companies just move on to the next scam
Good luck on getting Colt (USA) to honour a warranty.
I’m wondering how it’s going to cost 10 million dollars to replace 5000 rifle stocks ? It seems like it should cost the Canadian Government nothing. This is a manufacturers defect. Is there no redress for the error in design or construction of the weapons.?
When purchasing them individually, a good composite stock should cost well under $1000. If you are looking to buy 5000 of them they would be substantially cheaper. If they purchase stocks that don’t require bedding, swapping stocks should only take 30 minutes. The idiot who decided not to go with a synthetic stock in the first place should be canned.
Gads man ,the FN i was issued in 1981 was 5 years older than I was at the time. That was 44 years ago. Lol. They were well worn out by the adoption of the C7s. Besides you do need to own a battle rifle. Nobody does as a civi.
We did a lot of shooting with the FN C1 one in target competition. However the average Ranger seldom fired them aside from a bit of practice.
They were not ‘at war’ so why would they be “worn out”.?
Also barrels, breech blocks, magazines, sears, triggers and stocks were all replaceable if damaged by use or accident. etc.
44 years alone ..while sitting locked in an armory somewhere would not wear out any firearm.
Obviously falling off a dog sled or ski-doo might do damage. but…change ALL of them?
.I am older, …but don’t feel “worn-out” … yet.
😉
PS. Something stinks about that price. $10 million ÷ 5000 rifles = $2000. …PER RIFLE !!
to change some …wood stocks??
Mail a new stock to each Ranger. I’m certain they are MORE THAN COMPETENT to change it themselves. The company “armourer” (gunsmith) can help with problems fitting them.
Otherwise , they aren’t trained!!
It is more likely closer to 10,000 rifles with 5,000 being issued and 5,000 in reserve for future force expansion and attrition over the projected service life of rifles. STILL TOO MUCH TO REPLACE COLTS CHEAPING OUT ON THE WOOD, I bet if they had been Finish built they would have used the right wood.
They probably could have got a decent, all weather composite stock for less, too
No one needs dumb opinions either, yet here we are.
Sorry to inform you I do own one, I am a civy and spent a good part of my life in cadets, reserves and regular force, where I competed with the FN C1 A1 rifle twice at CFSAC in the 70’s and many battalion and brigade shoots. I treasure my FN , what a sad comment as an ex military man to make that statement, you of all people should see how Canada is slowly becoming the Venezuela of the North. I know at least a dozen former CF and ex PPCLI that still own them in AB. and they are treasured as a memory of our youth and a tribute to our Canadian military heritage back before the CF became woke. We are no longer allowed to shoot them but they are great historical keep sakes. Are you one of the bureaucrats that will be involved in Trudeau’s Liberal gun confiscations ? Just curious.
Yes you are. They were procured (FN) in the mid to late 1950s. We replaced them in the 1980s. The CRs had 1940s SMLEs until the C19s came out a few years back. Totally different rifles.
Typical of liberal government to squander taxpayers money. I’m sure palms were greased to accept a substandard rifle. Canada is a joke in the eyes of the world. Huge land mass unprotected from Russian invasion except for a handful of Eskimos with crappy equipment. Hmmm, sounds like our army.
It’s a screwed up World after all…
It’s a Whiteman world after all…
It’s a Coward system after all….
You voted for stupidity… lol
Could.have.brought.remingtons..in.306.for.less.than.a.gramd.each.gov.kick.backs.and.wast
Nothing wrong with the Tikka T3/T3x rifle. A superbly accurate and durable rifle designed for the cold. And the laminate stocks should be able to hold up to these conditions better than a plain solid wood.
Clearly a manufacturing flaw that should be paid for by the manufacturer.
And 10 million for replacements?? These stocks retail in Canada for less than $700 each last time I checked. Complete rifle is $3000
Tj
They could’ve bought directly from Tikka, & paid retail (about $2800 ea.). The Finns seem to understand the effects of extreme cold better than the Ottawa brain trust.
To clarify: the .303″ Lee-Enfield rifles were the ‘Rifle No.4 Mark 1’ (or, Mark 2). The last army to receive new No.4s was the Irish Self-defence Force, in 1955.
The DND needs to eliminate the majority of its many redundant money sucking desk sitters. Complete removal of all wasteful hinderance of duty.
Typical of the liberal government and their waste of tax dollars. You could go to Cabela’s Canada and buy a decernt rifle for under 1000 dollars but ywe know how governments operate with tax dollars! It it isn’t an expensive piece of junk they don’t want it.
These rifles may have been put into service in 2017, but fact is the contract was awarded to Colt Canada before the 2015 election. Which means the Conservative government ordered them. Blaming the Liberals when they didn’t actually commit the screw up makes the job harder for the people who are trying to oppose them. Lesson: get the facts straight before you look like an idiot and accidentally bring up a Conservative screw up that should have been left under the rug.
Right liberals didn’t fix the problem either
Don Adamson.
Bravo for that correction!
I was about to make the sameone. !
Journalists so often screw up technical information. To add to the info, how many know that Lee Enfield #4 rifles were made not only in England, Long Branch Ontario (Etobicoke), but also by Savage Arms and USA and. I think Australia. Butt stocks were matched to the soldier in 4 different lengths.
Isn’t this the same Government that bought winter sleeping bags for the Forces then found out they were only good for +0?
The always, ongoing, purchasing of military equipment is slug slow, usually overpriced and often a flop. Methinks the purchasers have never been in a military situation and don’t really understand requirements. The group that is responsible for purchasing military equipment should be ground pounders that understand what they need. Not higher rankers and/or civilians that read and/or Google equipment that they have never used. The subject weapons should have been manufactured and purchased in country that has similar weather conditions.
We should’ve just procured from China. They’re light years ahead and probably cost at least one third the price of this disgraceful rubbish! It would seem that all of our procurements have been disgraceful! We were going to buy $30 billion worth of that F35 trash that would not survive in our cold winters. Not to mention that they’re also engineering disasters.
Now, this is only a question…so don’t go crazy on me… but, I’ve always believed Tikka rifles to be of excellent quality. I’m wondering why anyone would think a laminate stock could absorb the harsh arctic climate. Wouldn’t a composite stock be a better option?
I’m pretty sure the rifles would be fine if looked after properly. It’s not like they are in a rice patty in Vietnam. Maybe if they had to supply their own rifle they would last.
Why are we issuing them bolt action consumer rifles? No wonder people think our military is a joke. Tikka are nice hunting rifles if you like long walks through the forest coming home empty handed but if you want to defend your border nothing beats a Springfield M1A
why dont we use AK47 ? and avoid trumps tarrif
My question is why buy a big contract from a foreign market (sako is from finland) when we can a civilian model of the C14 Timberwolf rifle chambered in .308 made and designed here in Canada? That rifle has a synthetic stock as well.
The new bow and Arrow will have a range of 165 yards.
Does not freeze up, and will have made in Canada stamped on it.
This is top secret so please keep it to yourself..