Made in Canada: Crusader 9

For a while now, there's been industry-fueled rumours of a new made-in-Canada 9mm semi-auto rifle. Now, we see the firearm behind those rumours: The Crusader 9.

The Crusader 9 comes from Crusader Arms. It's a combination of ideas from the AR-180B rifle along with a blowback action, all mixed in with high-end parts. You could almost say it's a pistol calibre carbine jammed into an AR-180B action.

Crusader's website currently offers two versions of the rifle. You can buy a complete Crusader 9 rifle, or the bare-bones "Freedom Package" that allows you to build a rifle to your own specs and re-use existing tactical rifle parts you may already own.

If you buy the pre-assembled rifle, you get an adjustable TriggerTech trigger (adjustable from 2.5 pounds to 5 pounds). There are 13 M-LOK slots on each side of the forend, and another five M-LOK slots on the bottom of the forend. There's a full-length Picatinny rail on top of the receiver upper (1913 Milspec), allowing the owner to attach whatever aiming system they want. The fully-assembled rifle comes complete with buttstock and grip from Magpul, and a single 10-round Glock-branded magazine (supposedly, PMAGS work as well, and other aftermarket Glock mags may also work).

The fully-assembled rifle is priced at $1,649 plus tax and shipping. The Freedom Package rifle is priced at $1,349 plus tax and shipping. You save a few hundred bucks because you're buying a package with no buffer tube, no stock, no grip and no trigger. As the Crusader website says, "The Crusader 9 'Freedom Package' allows customers to use their existing parts from their banned AR15's and save money ... This package is not only great for existing AR15 owners, but also for anyone that has intentions of replacing the existing parts for user preferred options. Many people enjoy customizing their guns, whether its colour or style this packages gives you the ability to choose your. own and Save Money!"

We'd expect more photos on the Crusader Arms website soon.