Prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers

USMCSGT0331

🔫
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Mar 23, 2013
    1,172
    3,895
    Minnesota
    www.snipershide.com
    Here's something that's never been discussed on the forums, and I thought that it's a topic that warrants it's own thread (as opposed to being posted in the big Mk13 thread). Recently, a small group of 8 or 9 original prototype/sample Stiller Mk13 receivers popped up in the collector market and were sold. I have 2 of them in my possession, but only one of them is mine (serial number 3), the other receiver belongs to my brother (serial number 12). Collectors were limited to purchasing just 1 receiver, not multiples, in order to keep things fair.

    When Crane put out a solicitation for the Mk13 receivers, Stiller made 25 of them according to Crane's specifications. The 8 or 9 receivers that recently hit the collectors market were from this original batch of 25 receivers. These Stiller Mk13 receivers are considered to be prototypes and/or sample pieces for Crane, and were never issued.

    Stiller based these prototype Mk13 receivers off their Tac 300 receivers, but the 2 types of receivers have some differences. The biggest difference between a Mk13 receiver and Tac 300 receiver is the lack of the flat left side on the Mk13 receiver. This is because Crane specifically requested round receivers for their Mk13 program. Stiller assumed that the entire receiver should be round, even though Crane was only referring to the bottom of the receiver (such as a round bottom Remington 700 receiver compared to a flat bottom Winchester Model 70 receiver), so Stiller didn't cut the flat into the left side of the receiver like the Tac 300 has.

    The armorers from Crane inspected these 25 prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers and liked what they saw, but they did request a few changes to the receivers. Here's a list of changes that Crane requested Stiller to make:

    ● Remove the "C" serial number suffix (the "C" suffix stood for "Crane")
    ● Remove the space between the "MKA" serial number prefix and the rest of the serial number
    ● Add one more digit to the number portion of the serial number (4 digits to 5 digits)
    ● Move the engraved serial number from the left side of the receiver to the right side of the receiver
    ● Remove the gas vent hole from the receiver
    ● Add an RFID tag to the left side of the receiver that has a 2D barcode, Stiller manufacturer cage code, Mk13 receiver part number, and Mk13 receiver serial number

    There's also another for differences between the 25 Mk13 prototype receivers and the issued Mk13 receivers, but I highly doubt that these were changes that were requested by Crane. I think that these are just things that Stiller did on their own, for whatever reason. These are just some things I've noticed when comparing the prototype Stiler Mk13 receivers to the issued Stiller Mk13 receivers:

    ● The prototype receivers don't have commas in the FFL markings, the issued receivers do have the commas in the FFL markings
    ● The prototype receivers have a slightly thicker outline to the "MK13 300WM" markings than the issued receivers (bold text vs regular text)
    ● The prototype receivers have a slightly different letter font and size to the "MK13 300WM" markings than the issued receivers (this can really be seen when comparing the "W" and "M" letters on the receivers)
    ● The prototype receivers have a slightly different letter font and size to the "SPF LLC WYLIE TX" markings than the issued receivers (this can really be seen when comparing the "W" letters on the receivers)
    ● The prototype receivers have a shiny finish bolt shroud and bolt knob, the issued receivers have a matte finish bolt shroud and bolt knob

    The 25 prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers were never built by Crane or issued to any military unit. The owner of Stiller might have kept some of these 25 prototype Mk13 receivers for his personal collection or for the company's records, and he might have sold and/or given away some of these prototype Mk13 receivers to employees and friends. I have no idea who had these 8 or 9 prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers that were just sold to collectors, or if there's any other prototype Mk13 receivers out there. I assume that none of the 25 original prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers were destroyed, so they have to be somewhere. However, myself and other big Mk13 collectors had absolutely no idea that these prototype receivers even existed before these receivers popped up for sale. I assume that these receivers are also unknown to just about everyone on this forum, so this thread should have some interesting information for the collector community.

    Well, that's enough typing, here's a bunch of photos of the prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers for you all to enjoy. I also took a few photos of my other 2 Stiller Wylie Mk13 receivers (build into Mk13 Mod 5 and Mod 7 rifles) so that the differences between the prototype receivers and the issued receivers can easily be seen:

    1000015172.jpg

    1000015170.jpg

    1000015161.jpg

    1000015162.jpg

    1000015173.jpg

    1000015176.jpg

    1000015174.jpg

    1000015177.jpg

    1000015185.jpg

    1000015179.jpg

    1000015183.jpg
     
    Last edited:
    Here's something that's never been discussed on the forums, and I thought that it's a topic that warrants it's own thread (as opposed to being posted in the big Mk13 thread). Recently, a small group of 8 or 9 original prototype/sample Stiller Mk13 receivers popped up in the collector market and were sold. I have 2 of them in my possession, but only one of them is mine (serial number 3), the other receiver belongs to my brother (serial number 12). Collectors were limited to purchasing just 1 receiver, not multiples, in order to keep things fair.

    When Crane put out a solicitation for the Mk13 receivers, Stiller made 25 of them according to Crane's specifications. The 8 or 9 receivers that recently hit the collectors market were from this original batch of 25 receivers. These Stiller Mk13 receivers are considered to be prototypes and/or sample pieces for Crane, and were never issued.

    Stiller based these prototype Mk13 receivers off their Tac 300 receivers, but the 2 types of receivers have some differences. The biggest difference between a Mk13 receiver and Tac 300 receiver is the lack of the flat left side on the Mk13 receiver. This is because Crane specifically requested round receivers for their Mk13 program. Stiller assumed that the entire receiver should be round, even though Crane was only referring to the bottom of the receiver (such as a round bottom Remington 700 receiver compared to a flat bottom Winchester Model 70 receiver), so Stiller didn't cut the flat into the left side of the receiver like the Tac 300 has.

    The armorers from Crane inspected these 25 prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers and liked what they saw, but they did request a few changes to the receivers. Here's a list of changes that Crane requested Stiller to make:

    ● Remove the "C" serial number suffix (the "C" suffix stood for "Crane")
    ● Remove the space between the "MKA" serial number prefix and the rest of the serial number
    ● Add one more digit to the number portion of the serial number (4 digits to 5 digits)
    ● Move the engraved serial number from the left side of the receiver to the right side of the receiver
    ● Remove the gas vent hole from the receiver
    ● Add an RFID tag to the left side of the receiver that has a 2D barcode, Stiller manufacturer cage code, Mk13 receiver part number, and Mk13 receiver serial number

    There's also another for differences between the 25 Mk13 prototype receivers and the issued Mk13 receivers, but I highly doubt that these were changes that were requested by Crane. I think that these are just things that Stiller did on their own, for whatever reason. These are just some things I've noticed when comparing the prototype Stiler Mk13 receivers to the issued Stiller Mk13 receivers:

    ● The prototype receivers don't have commas in the FFL markings, the issued receivers do have the commas in the FFL markings
    ● The prototype receivers have a slightly thicker outline to the "MK13 300WM" markings than the issued receivers (bold text vs regular text)
    ● The prototype receivers have a slightly different letter font and size to the "MK13 300WM" markings than the issued receivers (this can really be seen when comparing the "W" and "M" letters on the receivers)
    ● The prototype receivers have a slightly different letter font and size to the "SPF LLC WYLIE TX" markings than the issued receivers (this can really be seen when comparing the "W" letters on the receivers)
    ● The prototype receivers have a shiny finish bolt shroud and bolt knob, the issued receivers have a matte finish bolt shroud and bolt knob

    The 25 prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers were never built by Crane or issued to any military unit. The owner of Stiller might have kept some of these 25 prototype Mk13 receivers for his personal collection or for the company's records, and he might have sold and/or given away some of these prototype Mk13 receivers to employees and friends. I have no idea who had these 8 or 9 prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers that were just sold to collectors, or if there's any other prototype Mk13 receivers out there. I assume that none of the 25 original prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers were destroyed, so they have to be somewhere. However, myself and other big Mk13 collectors had absolutely no idea that these prototype receivers even existed before these receivers popped up for sale. I assume that these receivers are also unknown to just about everyone on this forum, so this thread should have some interesting information for the collector community.

    Well, that's enough typing, here's a bunch of photos of the prototype Stiller Mk13 receivers for you all to enjoy. I also took a few photos of my other 2 Stiller Wylie Mk13 receivers (build into Mk13 Mod 5 and Mod 7 rifles) so that the differences between the prototype receivers and the issued receivers can easily be seen:

    View attachment 8518509
    View attachment 8518508
    View attachment 8518499
    View attachment 8518500
    View attachment 8518501
    View attachment 8518502
    View attachment 8518503
    View attachment 8518504
    View attachment 8518505
    View attachment 8518506
    View attachment 8518507
    I think I have the contour prints for those still.

    One of them we did make 2 barrels for R&D along with some other barrel makers. I/they called it the NavSurf contour #2. The request was for 30cal, 5R and 1-9 twist barrels. The two we made if it was for the same thing here... were s/n's Y3130 and Y3131.

    1.200 x 4.266 taper for 2.679" down to 1.020 str. x 15.561"
    then taper from 1.020 down to .794 @ 28" finish length send 29" blanks

    Those dimensions look like the rifle in the bottom pic where you can see the whole barrel contour.

    Later, Frank
    Bartlein Barrels
     
    Last edited:
    Great information (and pics) on these actions. The Mk13 Mod 7 is a joy to shoot; recoil is relatively mild compared to the mod 5, IMO (comparing them when both are shot suppressed).

    thats interesting. i feel my Mod 5 has almost no recoil because of its heft. could also be im using a different suppressor than the KAC 11 but still... recoil is a non factor in the mod 5.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: nn8734
    thats interesting. i feel my Mod 5 has almost no recoil because of its heft. could also be im using a different suppressor than the KAC 11 but still... recoil is a non factor in the mod 5.
    Just goes to show how subjective this stuff is...I also happen to like the Mod 7's chassis a lot more than the Mod 5's...They're both visually appealing but I like the more vertical grip of the Mod 7.

    As an aside, I may have received one of the last Garland-marked actions that Stiller made...I'd be curious to see what the serial range is for those actions as they were just starting to ship Shiner-stamped receivers at around the time mine came in...

    What suppressor are you using for yours and how did you get it to mate with the barrel given it's contour?
     
    Just goes to show how subjective this stuff is...I also happen to like the Mod 7's chassis a lot more than the Mod 5's...They're both visually appealing but I like the more vertical grip of the Mod 7.

    As an aside, I may have received one of the last Garland-marked actions that Stiller made...I'd be curious to see what the serial range is for those actions as they were just starting to ship Shiner-stamped receivers at around the time mine came in...

    What suppressor are you using for yours and how did you get it to mate with the barrel given it's contour?

    im using a Tac Ops and i made my barrel to fit it, no notches or barrel insert for the reflex cans. its not clone perfect but good enough and i shoot it. im not spending $10k on a kac mark 11
     
    im using a Tac Ops and i made my barrel to fit it, no notches or barrel insert for the reflex cans. its not clone perfect but good enough and i shoot it. im not spending $10k on a kac mark 11
    Crazy those cans going for over 10k. I paid just under 2k for mine in 2018...Perhaps the Tac Ops can is simply much more efficient/effective at recoil abatement...My Socom RC on the mod 7 tames the recoil nicely compared to the Mk11 on my mod 5...It's honestly not much more stout than my A5 w/ the legacy FA762SS...
     
    I have to shoot my Mod 7's without the correct SureFire silencer. I shoot clover leaf groups at 100 yards using Federal Gold Medal Match without the silencer, and when I attach the silencer the groups open up to about 4 MOA at 100 yards. It's absolutely ridiculous. It doesn't matter which Mod 7 (I have 2 of them currently, have 1 more being built) and silencer combination (I have 3 of the correct SureFire silencers), any Mod 7 I have with a silencer on it shoots like dog shit. The Mod 7 is pretty heavy, so it's not bad shooting it without a brake or a silencer on it (obviously the flash hider doesn't do anything to mitigate recoil).
     
    I have to shoot my Mod 7's without the correct SureFire silencer. I shoot clover leaf groups at 100 yards using Federal Gold Medal Match without the silencer, and when I attach the silencer the groups open up to about 4 MOA at 100 yards. It's absolutely ridiculous. It doesn't matter which Mod 7 (I have 2 of them currently, have 1 more being built) and silencer combination (I have 3 of the correct SureFire silencers), any Mod 7 I have with a silencer on it shoots like dog shit. The Mod 7 is pretty heavy, so it's not bad shooting it without a brake or a silencer on it (obviously the flash hider doesn't do anything to mitigate recoil).
    Is just one SF socom RC opening those groups or are you using multuple different SF socom RC cans? I only shoot mine with the SF Socom RC and im able to cloverleaf or one-hole with FGMM or the Mil equivalent mk248 mod 0 stuff. Ive never actually shot my Mod 7 without the can on.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: HarryBC