Rifles issued to Canadian Rangers in the Arctic need replacements, don't work in the cold

Emma Tranter · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 2:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Rifles issued to the Canadian Rangers successful the Arctic don't enactment decently successful the acold — and it's going to outgo millions to fix. 

C-19 rifles were distributed to the Rangers, who service the Canadian Armed Forces successful the North, successful 2017.

The Department of National Defence (DND) told CBC News successful an email that utmost acold led to the stocks — a portion of a gun attached to the tube and firing mechanics that provides structural support — expanding and contracting. Something the section said Rangers noticed during investigating successful 2019. 

"Following reports from Canadian Rangers aft extended tract usage successful utmost climatic conditions starring to cycles of enlargement and contraction successful the stock," Alex Tétreault, a elder communications advisor with DND, wrote. 

"This was not observed during archetypal operational capableness training; it lone became evident successful the past 2 months earlier the extremity of deliveries."

Those stocks present request to beryllium replaced and the section estimates that volition outgo betwixt 8 to $10 million.

The section said the C-19 firearm "remains an effectual and close weapon" and that immoderate of the rifles are inactive moving decently and don't request replacements. 

The procurement process for the caller stocks is underway and the transportation of the caller stocks volition beryllium phased implicit 3 years.