r/canadaguns Jun 05 '26

Misc Would a AR-16 clone be legal in Canada?

Post image

It's distinct enough from an AR-180 already, but could do with a few extra design changes just in case. Even though there's no companies actually making AR-16 clones I've still had this question floating in my mind for a bit. What do you guys think?

160 Upvotes

69 comments sorted by

164

u/Sticky_3pk Jun 05 '26

Being different enough mechanically doesn't mean shit to the bans.

Remember the Blaze47 is considered an AK variant.

110

u/MBGLK Jun 05 '26

it's clearly the same gun, it has 47 in the name, jeez how hard is it to understand

136

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

You joke... but that was actually part of the reason.

20

u/Vahuo89 Jun 05 '26

the other part was because of how it looks.

35

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

How it was advertised was mostly it. Marketing for the gun said it was an AK which is enough to classify it as a variant.

18

u/Vahuo89 Jun 05 '26

And the fact that they didnt know better is part of the problem

27

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

Who didn't know better? It was the manufacturer that advertised it that way. If you tell the RCMP that a gun is an AK they will classify it prohib.

How the manufacturer markets the gun matters. It's dumb, but it is consistent.

20

u/PaveHammer Jun 05 '26

Holding a featherless chicken: behold, a man!

7

u/Barbarian_818 Jun 06 '26

They have experts advising them. Whoever decides the FRT entries was obviously consulted in a lot of cases.

Thing is? This is an attempt at stamping out gun culture as well as the guns themselves. Anything that looks tactical will get banned, regardless of function, because the tactical crowd scares the shit out of them.

There is a certain demographic that considers tactical shooting to be "murder practice" and that recreational (anything other than subsistence hunting) shooting of any kind is a indoctrination pipeline into radicalism and spree shooting.

That demographic is the one calling the shots (pun intended) in Ottawa right now.

3

u/Nilotaus Jun 07 '26

There is a certain demographic that considers tactical shooting to be "murder practice"

What the fuck are the military & especially the police doing then

3

u/monsterbator89 Jun 08 '26

legal murder practice

3

u/layzorbeemz Custom Flair (Be appropriate or else we'll take it away again) Jun 09 '26

Government sanctioned murder practice.

2

u/backrollerpapertowel Jun 09 '26

It's fine when the state does it, because my preferred team is in power and surely they will always remain in power and will always represent my interest..... right (/s before I get hatemail)

31

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

That one was classified as an AK variant because it was advertised as an AK variant even if mechanically it isn't.

16

u/Kid-On-Reddit- Jun 05 '26

Just like how the sterling r9 was deemed a ar180 variant despite being straight blowback 9mm

8

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

In part. The rear of the lower was essentially identical. Being blowback and not gas operated wouldn't make it not a variant.

3

u/Brandon_awarea Jun 05 '26

Similar to how some 9mm AKs are still AKs even though they are blowback?

6

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

Yes, or how the AR-9 is an AR-15 variant.

1

u/HappyCan7250 Jun 05 '26

Could Stirling technically revise the lower somewhat and put it back onto the market? 

3

u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) Jun 05 '26

It would need to be a net new design, including a new proprietary mag.

13

u/Content_Sky_2676 Jun 05 '26

I wonder what happens if we make an ad that calls Gary and Natalie ak variants? Will the rcmp ban them from Canada as well?

7

u/murd3rsaurus Jun 05 '26

I got a promo shirt from Mossberg for that thing and it makes me laugh/cry when I wear it because of how stupid the whole thing is. It was one of the best examples of The Emperor's New Clothes I can recall, except the crowds didn't notice when it got called out

3

u/rangedehinc Jun 06 '26

Svd is somehow an ak variant here...

2

u/NIBLZ_HAMSTR Jun 06 '26

Its scary.... I just saw a picture and peed a little.

4

u/AcanthisittaNo7338 Jun 06 '26

But the valmet, and actual aka varient, is still legal 🤷 its made up bullshit.

1

u/Acceptable_Visit_115 Jun 08 '26

Because it was explicitly pointed out by the law to be legal. The story goes that many years ago the government gave the indigenous population a bunch of these and they didn't want to piss them off, so when the 1992 OIC was drafted, they were exempted. Then that OIC got turned into law and nobody ever went back to amend it.

32

u/Schrodinger_cube Jun 05 '26

The problem is that it looks scary. It may be possible to design and make one that passes the rcmps process but then someone who is not accountable just names it individually and ~(south park bank teller meme)~ is gone.

18

u/jinguslovesmeth Jun 05 '26

The liberal government classifies cutlery as nuclear weapons so no I don’t think so lol

32

u/rastamasta45 Jun 05 '26

Problem is a clone now would be designed today, so it would have to be made with a proprietary magazine to be C21 compliant

14

u/Benefit_Waste Jun 05 '26

Honestly I wouldn't be mad if all we got were proprietary. Would be cool

13

u/XyDarkSonic Jun 05 '26

I agree with the other guy, even if it's a proprietary magazine I'd still take it.

4

u/Relevant_Diver_3228 Jun 05 '26

I would be even happier with proprietary if it was like the Crypto magwell and you could just file some ridges and then put in 10 round LAR mags

11

u/FacetiousSpaceman Jun 05 '26

Shhh, we don't need the RCMP catching on to this fun little work-around lol

3

u/Relevant_Diver_3228 Jun 05 '26

Is the chipmunk on here if you are say hi

3

u/No-Inspector6242 Jun 05 '26

shut yo big mouth big boi.... shhhh

8

u/CringelordCameron Jun 05 '26

If it's built off the exact operating system with modifications to prevent full auto fire, it can be classified as a variant of the ar16 design and use normal magazines.

2

u/XyDarkSonic Jun 05 '26

Would it even be considered a variant? As far as I know, there's only two AR16s that still exist.

34

u/Banana_war Jun 05 '26

I’d recommend not putting “AR” in the name to increase chances of not being banned.

That being said, I like the idea.

18

u/XyDarkSonic Jun 05 '26

A clone would probably need to be called something safe as a precaution. Anti-gunners already think "AR" stands for "Assault Rifle" so just call it some shit like "CA" for "Canadian Rifle" and they might just ignore it.

10

u/Banana_war Jun 05 '26

As someone in the comments said call it NB16 (for non binary) and we should be fine.

13

u/MourningWood1942 Jun 05 '26

MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+15

8

u/TheSockington Jun 05 '26

Someone just needs to make this furniture kit for the Makasi MK15 please ❤️

3

u/LordRaizer Jun 05 '26

Honestly, wooden handguard and stock would be pretty sick on the MK15

5

u/Not-you_but-Me Greater Nova Scotian Empire Jun 05 '26

For a few months. Any semi auto with a detachable magazine and military-ish furniture is going to get hit with a ban.

I’d really like to see someone come up with a top loading 5-round semi with a fixed, internal magazine and a 1 piece wooden stock marketed as a hunting rifle.

2

u/DryF1re Jun 06 '26

you really want an internal magazine?

3

u/Not-you_but-Me Greater Nova Scotian Empire Jun 06 '26

Not particularly, but I’d rather have the option vs a manual action and a DBM. You can find all the not-ARs you want; it’s not going to stop the Provost lobby from going after them. It’s a lot harder to argue an internal magazine is at odds with the spirit of the bans while still maintaining most of the functionality of a semi-auto.

I’d basically like someone to make a top-loading BAR.

11

u/Armedfist Jun 05 '26

It just need name like non-binary 16 and it might get approved.

9

u/BrilliantSundae7545 Jun 05 '26

Long Barreled Gun Type 16.

2

u/JumpinJacker081 Jun 06 '26

As long as you dont make a “no russian” variant we will be good!

4

u/OrbitalDrop7 Jun 05 '26

Does it look cool? Probably not legal here

4

u/pukalo_ Jun 05 '26

As long as it is redesigned to only be able to use its own 5-round magazine it should be legal by the letter of the law, but the RCMP loves to make some very interesting "interpretations" to ban whatever they/the liberals want.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Banana_war Jun 05 '26

New Vegas?

3

u/icebalm on Jun 05 '26

If you go by how the laws are written? Yeah sure.
If you go by the arbitrary bullshit the RCMP and the government are doing? Who the hell knows.

3

u/AresV92 Jun 06 '26

Did the Henry Homesteader get banned yet? If not I vote we name this AR-16 clone the Henry Homesteader Muskoka Extraordinaire. Folks love Muskoka and Homesteads. Keep it wood furniture and try to make it look as much like grand papy's ol' huntin' rifle as possible and we may get to shoot it for a while.

3

u/noobwelds Jun 07 '26

2nd amendmant should be in canada, criminals kill people nothe guns. If a dirtbag wants to kill they will.

6

u/black_covfefe_please Jun 05 '26

Keep in mind that AR-180 hasn't been banned. Just all the currently available AR-180 models were banned.

3

u/XyDarkSonic Jun 05 '26

Gotta wonder why they banned the AR-180B but not the AR-180 itself.

6

u/chillyrabbit Jun 05 '26

AR18/AR180 was banned in the 90's

65 The firearm of the design commonly known as the Armalite AR-180 Sporter carbine, and any variant or modified version of it.

2

u/XyDarkSonic Jun 05 '26

Damn it

2

u/black_covfefe_please Jun 06 '26

To correct my earlyer post, AR-180b hasn't been banned, just all the currently available AR-180b models that are currently available.

1

u/Acceptable_Visit_115 Jun 08 '26

This is false. The AR-180 was banned by the 1992 OIC.

2

u/xgamerdaddyx Jun 05 '26

That's so scawy ban it

In reality would buy though if a Variant was made in an ammo type that's worth it. 5.56 ideally, but getting that authorized currently would be a struggle.

2

u/DEADxDAWN Jun 06 '26

Lol no. They made the ruger 9mm pc prohibited ffs. Cause scurry lookin.

1

u/SniperTeamTango Jun 05 '26

Stamp steel scary

1

u/DonJuanPrawns Jun 06 '26

Weirdly what I've noticed with the new guns if the barrel is over 16 inches it's legal idk why or if that's just a weird thing that's happening with what is happening but something to pay attention too

1

u/RtothemfO Jun 09 '26

I mean, it’s possible but anything could happen due to the ban. The PPS-50 is a “clone” of the PPSH-41 yet it slipped through and it’s still legal and same with the Valmet M78 which is an AK/RPK “clone” but it’s kinda rare so it makes sense why they wouldn’t ban it