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Daniel Defense Mk18 RIII Upper Receiver Factory - 10.3" - FDE

MSRP: $1,468.00
Was: $1,269.00
Now: $1,239.00
(You save $229.00 )
SKU:
DD0817212
Availability:
when in stock, ships from our shop in 3 to 5 days (+/-)
Daniel Defense Mk18 RIII Upper Receiver Factory - FDE

Daniel Defense Mk18 RIII 10.3" Upper Receiver Factory - FDE

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and you thought you loved the mil-spec Mk18, but DD built a better mousetrap

Nobody will deny:  If you want a military clone-correct Mk18 Mod 1 upper receiver, this is not for you.  But, at Charlie's, we constantly hear from customer who tell us:  "I really like the Mk18, but I am more concerned about getting a quality rifle, and it does not need to be clone correct."  Okay, maybe that is you, or maybe you are like, Dude, get a Noveske or get a real military clone-correct Mk18.  Either is fine, but this new RIII setup from DD is nice.

After years of making a commercial variant of the Mk18, DD has evolved to the RIS-III in M-LOK, and it is a really cool rifle and a great upper receiver group.  And, yup, DD still has a 10.3" CHF barrel.  Daniel Defense's 10.3" barrel is a classic, and one that is asked for by customer over and over again.  There are three very good barrel makers for short barreled rifles with a chrome lining:  Colt, FN and DD.  You will not be disappointed.  In fact, you might just fall in love with the updated M-LOK and the familiar RIS bolt-on connection.  It is slick.

Highlights

  • built upon the heritage of the Mk18 Mod 1
  • improved based upon shooter feedback
  • standard Mk18 DD barrel
  • new M-LOK RIS-III:  Familiar, but matured
  • DD CHF 10.3" barrel, 1:7, 5.56 NATO with DD flash hider
  • Grip and Rip oversized ambi charging handle
  • DD Bolt Carrier Group from Microbest

The heritage of the DD RIS rail goes back to 2005, when SOCOM saw the need to get the handguards and all the accessories that had been piled onto the quad RAS rails off the barrel for better accuracy.  The M4A1 Block 2 rifle with the Daniel Defense RIS-II rail become the first general use rifle with a free float handguard and a large platform for lights and lasers and whatever else could be thrown on a Picatinny rail.  The Block 2 CQBR was then adopted by the Navy and Marines as the Mk18 Mod 1.  And, Lord knows, that the team at Charlie's makes a number of Block 2 uppers as well as the CQBR version and the Mk18 Mod 1, all based upon DD RIS-II rails.

So, fast-forward from 2005 to 2023, and the new RIS-III is the improved DD variant of a Mk18 rile and upper receiver group.  The M-LOK platform allows for more modern and lighter weight rail with the ability to add accessories.

The Mk18 AR15 style Upper Receiver Group is built around a 10.3 inch Cold Hammer Forged M4 Profile barrel with a Daniel Defense Flash Suppressor, a GRIP-N-RIP Charging Handle and a solid DD BCG.  It features a 9.5 inch lightweight RIS III rail—modeled after the revolutionary RIS II two-piece handguard developed for SOCOM—features M-LOK attachment for lighter weight.

MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION

  • UPPER RECEIVER: Mil-Spec with Indexing Marks and M4 Feed Ramps. CNC Machined of 7075-T6 Aluminum, Type III Hard Coat Anodized
  • BARREL: Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel, Cold Hammer Forged, 1:7 Twist, 10.3" Government Profile, Chrome Lined, Mil-Spec Heavy Phosphate Coated, and HP/MPI Tested
  • GAS SYSTEM: Pinned Low Profile Gas Block CNC Machined of 4140 Hardened Steel with Mil-Spec Heavy Phosphate Coating, Mid-length, Direct Impingement
  • MUZZLE DEVICE: Daniel Defense Flash Suppressor, 17-4 PH Stainless Steel, Salt Bath Nitride Finished
  • SIGHTS: Sold Separately
  • HAND GUARD: Daniel Defense RIS III 9.5", M-LOK rail, 6-Bolt Bolt-Up System, Flat Dark Earth CNC Machined of 6061-T6 Aluminum
  • CHARGING HANDLE: GRIP-N-RIP Charging Handle, Body CNC Machined of 7075-T6 Aluminum, Handles & Latch CNC Machined of 6061-T6 Aluminum, Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Roll Pins, Type III Hard Coat Anodized
  • Made in the USA!

Manufacturer's Part Number:  23-004-81721-011

Note:  Charlie's receives these as factory new, either as a rifle or as an upper receiver.  May or may not ship in a factory box.  The uppers from rifles are called new take-off and are 100% the same, but have been test fired, which is a good thing.  New factory rifles are received by Charlies and often separated between upper and lower, and immediately re-packaged.  We do not add to, nor take away anything from the factory, other than popping two pins and separating.  The only reason we would do this is we often get requests for DD lowers.  Currently, as the volume of DD uppers sold is not significant, like our Colt uppers, we are not giving the take-offs and the new in box a different part number or price, as they are identical.  In the future, if customers tell us they would like to pay more for one or the other, we might do that.

pictures courtesy of Tactical Life and Daniel Defense