Sarsılmaz expands its assault rifle line-up, and the company combined comfort and reliability with its indigenous platform, SAR 56. SAR 56 was developed with the needs of the personnel, especially those serving in tough conditions in mind, and comes equipped with various ergonomic features including a 5-position cheek rest buttstock, a long, detachable handguard, and an ergonomically angled forward grip. The weapon is also using a short-stroke gas piston system as it requires high reliability in tough environmental conditions. This feature gives the rifle a controllable recoil even in full-automatic fire along with low maintenance requirements.
When it comes to assault rifles, Sarsılmaz is operating in many fields. As the company continues with the production of its indigenous product, the SAR 223 assault rifle, it is also involved in the mass production of Turkey’s indigenous assault rifle – the MPT-76.
User Friendly and Comfortable
Sarsılmaz developed the SAR 56 by blending the experience it has gained in assault rifles with feedback received from users in the field, and this has led to the creation of a highly user-friendly and ergonomic weapon.
The outstanding ergonomic features of the SAR 56 are as follows:
- 5-position cheek rest buttstock
- Long and detachable handguard
- Ergonomically angled forward grip
- Trigger group with a safety catch that can be engaged at any time
- Double-sided latch group suitable for tactical use
- Ergonomic strap link ring
- Magazine with indicator
Reliable Operation with Low Maintenance Requirements
Another important feature of SAR 56 is its operating principle, a short-stroke gas piston system. In short, the gas expelled from the cartridge in the barrel operates a piston along the length of the weapon to carry some of the force to the bolt carrier. The piston transfers the energy created by firing the weapon within a relatively short distance. In addition, as the gas only operates the piston, the combustion gas does not seep into the internals of the weapon. This leads to a relatively clean weapon even after heavy use, and as such, the weapon is less prone to jams and gives its user an easier time with maintenance.
Another advantage of the mechanism is with a shorter recoil of the piston, the momentum change within the weapon itself stays low as the parts move back and forth to drive the bolt carrier. A longer piston stroke leads to a heavier recoil, since a heavy mass travels a long distance along the weapon. SAR 56, with its short-stroke operation, presents itself as a balanced weapon, and its users can easily control the recoil when they are firing in full auto.
Various Barrel Lengths for Various Missions
Another important feature of the SAR 56 is the three different barrel length options of 7.5 inches, 11 inches and 14.5 inches, making the SAR 56 stand out as the ideal solution for missions requiring varying ranges.
Table 1. Technical Specifications of SAR 56
Solutions That Focus on User’s Needs
Sarsılmaz commenced the mass production of SAR 56. Latif Aral Aliş, Chairman of the Board of Sarsılmaz commented the following regarding SAR 56 and their other assault rifle projects: “As Turkey’s weapons producer, we have overcome many difficulties so far. One of them was the development of Turkey’s national assault rifle. We developed our SAR 223, chambered for 5.56×45 mm, in this regard, with our collaboration with TÜBİTAK, Kocaeli University and Middle East Technical University. We then designed a gas piston version of SAR 223, SAR 223P and introduced it to the market. We were a part of the production of our national rifle chambered for 7.62×51 mm, MPT-76, and we developed SAR 308, chambered for 7.62x39mm, for our national security forces. We delivered plenty of all these models to end-users both domestic and foreign, and we continue to deliver as well. We added the feedback from end-users to our experience in assault rifles and we launched SAR 56, with its completely indigenous design. As such, we made an effective weapon that almost becomes a part of the user with its ergonomic design rather than just a piece of burden in long missions. As such, we are ready to undertake any task assigned to us and to address the needs of our country.”
