In a global firearms market often dominated by legacy manufacturers and mass-production players; Spartan Arms is taking a different path. Founded in 2013 by competitive shooter Demis and co-founder Terry, the South African-based firm has grown from a modest retail shop into a serious contender in firearm manufacturing, one that now supplies police forces, exports internationally, and prides itself on doing things differently. ProtectionWeb sat down with Keagan Salt to discuss the company’s operations and flag ship product, the SAI AR’s.
A Pandemic Pivot Becomes a Strategic Leap
Spartan Arms began life in Johannesburg’s Stoneridge Shopping Centre, operating as a gun shop with an indoor shooting range and a café. Initially, the company focused on importing and exporting firearms. But COVID-era supply chain challenges exposed the limitations of that model.
“We realised we wanted to start with locally manufactured firearms,” explains Keagan Salt. That realisation triggered a strategic transformation. The firm secured a full manufacturing licence, scaled up in-house production, and shifted focus toward high-precision, customisable firearms engineered on-site.
Engineering Edge, The Spartan SAI Line
The crown jewel of Spartan’s product line is the SAI AR15 (Spartan Arms International), a semi-automatic rifle designed to user specifications. Built from forged T7075 upper and lower receivers, it features a QPQ (Quench Polish Quench) Black Bolt-Carrier Group, free-floating rail systems, mil-spec triggers, buffer tubes and stocks. Each rifle is chambered in .223 Wylde, making it safe for both .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO ammunition.
That chamber choice is deliberate. Salt explains, “The .223 Remington was designed for bolt action, manually operated rifles. With an AR, one mag and the chamber’s filthy. The .223 Wylde is the most forgiving, accurate, versatile, and reliable, even when dirty.” Combined with a 1:8 twist rate barrel; Spartan’s rifles can stabilise heavier projectiles while remaining compatible with standard 55-grain NATO ammo. “It’s a combination that really worked for us,” Salt says.
Earlier versions, like the SAI Mark I, featured more basic elements like A-frame sights and drop-in handguards, however the company quickly transitioned to free-floating handguards, which enhance barrel cooling and accuracy, while offering a competitive edge in a modernised platform.
Precision, Not Production Lines
Everything but one minor process (due to space limitations) is now done in-house at Spartan’s Edenvale facility. The company’s design ethos is defined by obsessive iteration. “If there’s something we can improve, such as polishing a chamber, refining a cut, we do it,” Salt says. “We never stop looking for better ways to refine the process.”
That engineering philosophy has paid off. In range tests, Spartan’s rifles regularly fire hundreds of rounds without a single jam, even when the chamber is fouled. “Not one failure,” Salt reports. “We stand by our product. We wouldn’t be in business if we were constantly replacing parts.”
The rifles also come with a lifetime warranty, excluding only the barrel, which is considered a wear-and-tear item.
Expanding the Line, 9mm, .300 Blackout and Beyond
Not content with just the .223 platform, Spartan Arms has developed a 9mm AR-style carbine, feeding from Glock magazines and designed for close-quarters use. This was followed by the launch of a .300 Blackout variant, purpose-built for subsonic ammunition, with modified gas-port sizing to ensure cycling even with suppressors and subsonic ammunition.
“A lot of manufacturers adapt their .300 Blackout rifles from supersonic ammunition, however that defeats the purpose,” Salt says. “Ours was built ground-up for subsonic.”
Currently, the company is in development on an AR-10 platform but refuses to release it until it’s proven. “We won’t go to market unless the rifle meets our standards,” Salt states. “Too many manufacturers rush just to make money. That’s not what we’re about.”
Real-World Adoption and Repeat Business
Spartan Arms is already supplying rifles to the Botswana Police Service, Malawian Correctional Services, and multiple South African Metro police departments, with further international expansion underway. The response, Salt says, has been overwhelmingly positive, “The feedback’s been fantastic, and we’re getting follow-up orders. That’s how you know your product’s working.”
In a market where word-of-mouth and operational performance matter more than flashy marketing, repeat institutional business is a strong indicator of success.
But Salt is clear-eyed about the road ahead. “We’re not trying to flood the market. We’re building rifles the way we think they should be built. Durable, reliable, accurate, and backed by real support.”
In a crowded firearms industry filled with shortcuts and compromises, Spartan Arms is choosing a harder but more sustainable path, built on precision, local manufacturing, and relentless testing. Led by Keagan Salt, Guided by Paul Kosta and assisted by Ryno Gericke, this is one company that’s not trying to be the biggest, but might just be one of the best.
