SAR 56 Rifle: Specifications, Barrel Variants and Users

Quick answer: The SAR 56 is a 5.56×45 mm gas-piston infantry rifle made by Sarsılmaz in Türkiye. The company sells it with three barrel lengths: 7.5 inches (190 mm), 11 inches (280 mm) and 14.5 inches (369 mm). Its data sheets list 10-, 20- and 30-round magazines, safe, semi-automatic and fully automatic fire, a stated rate of 750–950 rounds per minute and weights of 3,050 g to 3,490 g with an empty magazine. Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence (MSB) said several times in 2025 that the Land Forces Command had accepted “various quantities” of SAR-56 rifles into its inventory. No quantity has been published.

The SAR 56 is Sarsılmaz’s main 5.56 mm rifle and the base of a small family that includes the SAR 56C SA, the SAR 56 HMT light machine gun and the 7.62×39 mm SAR 39. This guide sets out the manufacturer’s figures for each barrel length, what the Turkish government has said about deliveries, and the points that remain unconfirmed. For the company’s full military range, see our guide to Sarsılmaz military weapons.

Defense and Tech graphic comparing the official barrel length, overall length, weight, effective range and muzzle velocity of the Sarsılmaz SAR 56 7.5, 11 and 14.5-inch rifles — SAR 56 7.5-, 11- and 14.5-inch versions: official Sarsılmaz figures compared. Graphic: Defense and Tech; data: Sarsılmaz.

Development and background

Sarsılmaz says the SAR 56 series combines experience from two earlier rifle programmes: its own SAR 223 series and its mass production of the MPT 76, Türkiye’s 7.62×51 mm national infantry rifle, which was designed by the state-owned MKE. Sarsılmaz produces and markets its version of that rifle as the MPT 76 SH. The company also says the SAR 56 was shaped by feedback from personnel in the field.

The rifle has been a regular part of Sarsılmaz’s trade-show displays. The company showed it at MSPO 2022 in Kielce, Poland, at DSEI 2023 in London, where it said the SAR 56 drew particular interest, and at Milipol Paris 2025. In February 2026 it said it would present the rifle at Enforce Tac 2026 in Nuremberg. These are exhibition appearances, not sales. Sarsılmaz has not named any foreign customer for the SAR 56.

Design and features

The figures below are from Sarsılmaz’s three SAR 56 technical data sheets (revision 1, 21 January 2025). They match the company’s English product pages, checked on 2 November 2026.

Specification (manufacturer data)	SAR 56 7.5″	SAR 56 11″	SAR 56 14.5″
Calibre	5.56×45 mm	5.56×45 mm	5.56×45 mm
Operating principle	Gas piston	Gas piston	Gas piston
Barrel length	190 mm (7.5″)	280 mm (11.0″)	369 mm (14.5″)
Length, stock extended / collapsed	670 / 615 mm	805 / 745 mm	880 / 815 mm
Height (30-round magazine) / width	275 / 70 mm	275 / 70 mm	275 / 70 mm
Weight with empty magazine	3,050 g	3,310 g	3,490 g
Magazine capacity	30 / 20 / 10	30 / 20 / 10	30 / 20 / 10
Modes of fire	Safe, semi, full auto	Safe, semi, full auto	Safe, semi, full auto
Stated rate of fire	750–950 rds/min	750–950 rds/min	750–950 rds/min
Stated effective range	300 m	400 m	500 m
Stated muzzle velocity	730 m/s	815 m/s	875 m/s
Stated accuracy	4 MOA	4 MOA	4 MOA
Trigger pull	25–40 N	25–40 N	25–40 N
Rifling	6 right, 1:7″	6 right, 1:7″	6 right, 1:7″

All three sheets list an easy-to-remove gas valve, a polymer magazine with a round-count indicator, ambidextrous controls, an ergonomic grip and stock, and a five-position adjustable stock. The 14.5-inch sheet gives the empty magazine as 150 g and a full one as about 515 g. The weight, range, velocity and accuracy values are the company’s own figures; we found no independent test data.

Sarsılmaz’s Turkish product page adds more detail. It describes a short-stroke gas-piston system, a stock with a cheek rest, a long detachable handguard, an angled foregrip, a polymer dust cover and a safety that can be applied when the rifle is not cocked.

Only the barrel length changes between the three versions, so weight, length, stated range and stated muzzle velocity rise together from the 7.5-inch to the 14.5-inch model. The company says the three lengths let the rifle cover tasks “from close range to long range”. The shortest version is 210 mm shorter overall than the longest and 440 g lighter.

Some secondary sites publish SAR 56 figures that do not appear in Sarsılmaz’s material, such as a three-round burst mode or an 11.5-inch barrel. We follow the official data sheets.

SAR 56C SA

Sarsılmaz also lists a SAR 56C SA among its infantry rifles. Its product page gives the same barrel (369 mm), length (880 mm), weight (3,490 g), magazine options and rate of fire as the 14.5-inch SAR 56, but lists its modes of fire as “Semi / Full Auto” only. The company publishes no separate data sheet for it and does not explain what the “C SA” suffix stands for, so we do not speculate about how it differs.

Related models: SAR 56 HMT and SAR 39

The SAR 56 HMT is a light machine gun listed separately under Sarsılmaz’s machine guns. Its data sheet (revision 2, 28 January 2025) lists a 368.3 mm barrel, a maximum weight of 4,500 g, feed from a 30-round magazine or an M27-link belt, full-automatic fire only and a quick-change barrel. Turkish trade publication SSBülten describes it as part of the SAR 56 family. We will cover it in its own article.

At IDEF 2025 in Istanbul, Sarsılmaz presented the SAR 39, which it said was developed from the SAR 56 platform. It is chambered for 7.62×39 mm and was shown with 11-inch and 14.5-inch barrels. The company has not published a SAR 39 data sheet or product page.

International context

The SAR 56 belongs to the crowded class of 5.56 mm gas-piston rifles. Within Türkiye, its closest same-class alternative is MKE’s MPT-55. Abroad, a common reference point is Heckler & Koch’s HK416. The table uses each manufacturer’s own published figures. Where a figure is not published, it is marked “—”.

Manufacturer data	SAR 56 14.5″ (Sarsılmaz)	MPT-55 (MKE)	HK416 (Heckler & Koch)
Calibre	5.56×45 mm	5.56×45 mm NATO	5.56×45 mm NATO
Operating principle	Gas piston	Short-stroke gas piston, rotating bolt	Indirect gas operation, rotating bolt
Barrel length	369 mm	368.5 mm	— (varies by configuration)
Weight (as stated)	3,490 g (with empty magazine)	3,300 g (without magazine)	—
Magazine	30 / 20 / 10	30	30 / 20 / 10
Rate of fire	750–950 rds/min	800 ± 100 rds/min	850 rds/min
Stated effective range	500 m	400 m	450 m (main combat range)
Trigger pull	25–40 N	20–30 N	20–35 N

These numbers are not directly comparable. Weights are measured differently, the makers define effective range in their own ways, and none of the three figures has been independently tested side by side. Heckler & Koch also has a much longer public record with NATO armed forces. The US Marine Corps, for example, selected H&K in 2008 for its M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, a 5.56 mm gas-piston weapon, and has since ordered more. Heckler & Koch also lists features the SAR 56 sheets do not mention, such as tool-free gas adjustment and the ability to fire after being taken out of water. Our HK416 guide covers that rifle, and our MKE profile covers the MPT family. A full SAR 56 vs HK416 comparison is scheduled later in this series.

The SAR 56 shows that Türkiye now has more than one domestic source of 5.56 mm rifles. The state-owned MKE makes the MPT-55, and the privately owned Sarsılmaz makes the SAR 56. For an armed force, a second domestic supplier means more choice in procurement and less dependence on imports. Whether it brings lower cost or faster delivery is not shown by any public data.

Confirmed users and markets

User	What was announced	Source	Status
Turkish Land Forces Command	“Various quantities” of 5.56 mm SAR-56 rifles accepted into inventory after inspection and acceptance	MSB weekly press briefings, reported by Anadolu Agency (21 Aug 2025), Defence Turk (17 Apr 2025) and C Savunma (20 Mar 2025)	Delivered; quantity not disclosed
Gendarmerie General Command and Naval Forces Command	Earlier SAR 56 deliveries	SSBülten (13 Jun 2025)	Reported by trade press; no MSB or company statement found
Export customers	None named	Sarsılmaz exhibition releases (MSPO 2022, DSEI 2023, Milipol 2025, Enforce Tac 2026)	Marketed abroad; no confirmed foreign user

The strongest evidence is the MSB’s own wording, repeated in several weekly briefings in 2025. In the briefing reported by Anadolu Agency on 21 August 2025, ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk said the Land Forces Command had completed inspection and acceptance of “various quantities” of the 5.56 mm SAR-56 rifle and taken them into inventory. The ministry did not say which barrel length was delivered, how many rifles were involved or what contract they came under. We found no public SSB project announcement for the SAR 56.

Other users are less well documented. SSBülten reported that earlier deliveries had gone to the Gendarmerie and Naval Forces commands. Envanter Medya, citing Sarsılmaz statements, also lists the national police (EGM). We could not find a company or official statement confirming either claim, so we do not treat them as confirmed.

What makes it notable?

The SAR 56 is a privately developed Turkish 5.56 mm rifle whose acceptance into Turkish Army service the defence ministry announced several times in 2025. It also gives Sarsılmaz a family base: the same platform has produced a light machine gun (the SAR 56 HMT) and a 7.62×39 mm derivative (the SAR 39). Three points remain open: how many rifles the Turkish forces have received, whether any foreign customer has bought the SAR 56, and what the SAR 56C SA designation means.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAR 56?

A 5.56×45 mm gas-piston infantry rifle made by Sarsılmaz in Türkiye. It is sold with 7.5-, 11- and 14.5-inch barrels and 10-, 20- and 30-round magazines.

Does the Turkish Army use the SAR 56?

Yes. Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence said in several 2025 briefings that the Land Forces Command had accepted various quantities of SAR-56 rifles into its inventory. It did not give a number.

How much does the SAR 56 weigh?

According to Sarsılmaz, 3,050 g for the 7.5-inch version, 3,310 g for the 11-inch and 3,490 g for the 14.5-inch, each with an empty magazine.

What is the effective range of the SAR 56?

Sarsılmaz states 300 m for the 7.5-inch version, 400 m for the 11-inch and 500 m for the 14.5-inch. These are manufacturer figures.

Is the SAR 56 the same as the MPT-55?

No. The MPT-55 is a 5.56 mm rifle made by the state-owned MKE. The SAR 56 is Sarsılmaz’s own design. Sarsılmaz says it builds on its SAR 223 rifles and its MPT 76 production experience.