Sarsılmaz, Turkey’s armament manufacturer, expands its product range by presenting news models to the market. The latest product, added to the product family by the company, has been SAR 9 SC. Sarsılmaz has stepped into the sub-compact semi-automatic pistol market with this pistol that can be carried hidden. Designing a pistol able to be used by security forces during secret missions, Sarsılmaz also meets the needs of those fighting on the front by machine guns and assault rifles with different calibres. Among company’s such weapons are SAR 762 MT machine gun and SAR 56 assault rifle.
Sarsılmaz developed SAR 9 SC model for the security forces who will perform secret missions. Besides, as the pistol is in the sub-compact class it has a potential to gain important successes in markets such as USA in which civilians also use pistols commonly.
The Smallest Member of SAR 9 Family
The smallest member of SAR 9 pistol family, SAR 9 SC has a capacity of 12 rounds and a barrel length of 85 mm. SAR 9 SC also includes all hereditary properties of SAR 9 series.
SAR 9 series is a comprehensive product family meeting the needs in a wide range. This family consists of pistols developed for various purposes and each pistol have different properties. The body of these striker fired pistols are manufactured from polymeric materials while their barrels and slides are manufactured from forged alloy steel. All models are in 9×19 mm calibre and work with a single action mechanism. Grips of pistols have side and back plates with 3 different sizes. These plates could be changed easily by the user. All models also have striker and trigger safety. Another common property of these pistols is the picatinny rail. The standard accessories can be installed on all the members of SAR 9 family thanks to this rail.
Table 1. Technical Specifications of SAR 9 SC
| Model | SAR 9 SC |
| Action | Single action |
| Body material | Polymer |
| Barrel and slide material | Forged Alloy Steel |
| Barrel length (mm) | 85 |
| Overall length (mm) | 165 |
| Overall height (mm) | 122 |
| Overall width (mm) | 27 |
| Weight (g) | 500 |
| Magazine capacity | 12 |
Sarsılmaz’s New Assault Rifle: SAR 56
SAR 56 assault rifle with a barrel diameter of 5.56×45 mm is one of the weapons developed recently by Sarsılmaz for those fighting on the front. Sarsılmaz developed SAR 56 by blending all its know-how in assault rifles with the feedback received from the users in the field. Thereby a user-friendly and ergonomic weapon is created.
The outstanding ergonomic features of SAR 56, operating with a short stroke gas piston system are as follows:
- 5 position, cheek rest butt stock
- Long and detachable handguard
- Ergonomic and support-type grip
- Trigger group with a safety catch that can be engaged even when not set up
- Double sided latch group, suitable for tactical use
- Polymer ejection port dust cover
- Ergonomic strap link ring
- Magazine with indicator
Another significant feature of SAR56 is different barrel length options. SAR 56 comes with 7.5”, 11” and 14.5” barrel length options whereby it stands out as a suitable solution to all missions requiring varying ranges from close to long range. Sarsılmaz has now launched the mass production of SAR 56.
Sarsılmaz operates in a wide range in terms of infantry rifles along with SAR 56. The company takes part in the mass production of Turkey’s authentic assault rifle while it continues to produce another authentic assault rifle, SAR 223.
Table 2. Technical Specifications of SAR 56
SAR 762 MT Machine Gun Can Be Used Both on a Vehicle and on Foot
Another product developed recently by Sarsılmaz for the fighters on the front is SAR 762 MT machine gun family, which it has brought to the mass production process. Sarsılmaz developed this gun to meet domestic users’ need for an indigenous machine gun chambered in 7.62×51 mm and successfully qualified it. The company aims to meet the security forces’ any kind of need with A, B, C and D models having different properties.
Sarsılmaz started to develop the SAR 762 MT within the scope of the PMT 7.62×51 project signed with the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) in 2018. Starting the project with the aim of meeting the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, Gendarmerie General Command and the Turkish National Police, the company successfully completed the tests of the SAR 762 MT and made the gun ready for mass production.
It Will Be Used as a Co-axial Gun in ALTAY Tank
SAR 762 MT has 4 different models. Of these, SAR 762 MT-A can be used in remote controlled weapon systems (RCWS). Developed for infantry use, the SAR 762 MT-B model, on the other hand, can be fired from both a bipod and a tripod. SAR 762 MT-C is aimed to be used in ALTAY main battle tank as a co-axial machine gun. Having very similar features to the SAR 762 MT-B, the SAR 762 MT-D’s rate of fire can be changed thanks to its 3-position gas valve.
The body of all SAR 762 MT’s models are durable for at least 50,000 rounds. And all the models have barrel-life of at least 25,000 rounds. The gun can operate between -52 and +72 C. The machine gun has an effective range of 1,200 meters for area targets, and a maximum range of 3,725 meters. The average weight of the gun’s different models is 12 kg.
Non-stop Fire with Quick Change Barrel (QCB)
SAR 762 MT is a belt-fed and fully automatic machine gun. The gun can easily adapt to the design of the RCWS to which it will be integrated or the firing position where it will be placed since the belt feed can be done from both the right and the left. The air cooled gun has also a quick change barrel (QCB) feature. Thus, in situations where the weapon needs to be fired continuously, such as in battles requiring intense suppressive fire, the machine gunner can quickly and safely replace the heated barrel with a spare one. And the gun can continue to the battle without losing its firepower.
Table 3. Technical Specifications of SAR 762 MT
| Model | SAR 762 MT |
| Type | Machine gun |
| Calibre (mm) | 7.62×51 |
| Firing mode | Fully automatic |
| Length (mm) | 1,200 |
| Barrel length (mm) | 547 |
| Height (mm) | 250 |
| Operating system | Open mechanism / gas piston |
| Feed type | Belt-fed |
| Feed direction | From right or left |
| Empty case discharge | From the bottom |
| Weapon weight (without accessories, g) | 12,000 |
| Barrel weight | – |
| Muzzle velocity (m/s) | 850 |
| Rate of fire | 650 – 950 |
| Maximum length (m) | 3,725 |
| Effective Range (zone targets, m) | 800 (with a bipod)1.100 (with a tripod) |
| Effective range (point target, m) | 600 (with a bipod)800 ( with a tripod) |
Expanding Product Range
Commenting on the ongoing projects of the company about handgun, automatic handgun, assault rifle and machine gun, Latif Aral Aliş, Chairman of the Board of Sarsılmaz, said: “Sarsılmaz has been addressing the needs of military forces and law enforcement officers around the globe for many years. The SAR 9 pistol family that we have developed in recent years attracts great attention both domestically and abroad. The SAR 9 METE in this handgun family is the service pistol of both the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Turkish National Police (TNP). The SAR 9X, from the same family, is the recipient of an Editor’s’ Choice Award from ‘On Target’ magazine, while the SAR 9 family was granted the Readers’ Choice Gold Award by ‘Tactical Retailer’ magazine in the United States. Our SAR 109T submachine gun is designed for residential areas, making it the weapon of choice particularly of the TAF, TNP and the Gendarmerie General Command. In addition to the SAR 56, we have produced and successfully delivered three different assault rifles: the SAR 223P (5.56x45mm), the SAR 308 (7.62x39mm) and the MPT-76 (7.62x51mm). Within the scope of our new task, we have developed 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns that can compete with, and even surpass, their counterparts around the world. With this in mind, regardless of the complexity, we are ready to undertake any task assigned to us and to address the needs of international end users.”