AR-15 variant
| AR-15 variant | |
|---|---|
AR-15 variants come in many sizes and have many options, depending on the manufacturer. The part shown bottom center is the lower receiver with pistol grip and trigger assembly.
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| Type | Semi-automatic rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958–present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Eugene Stoner, Jim Sullivan, Bob Fremont |
| Designed | 1957 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.27 kg–3.9 kg (5.5–8.5 lb) |
| Barrel length |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO and others; see list of AR platform calibers |
| Action |
Direct impingement or Gas Piston / Via a Rotating bolt Blowback on pistol-caliber variants |
| Effective firing range | ~550 metres (600 yd) |
| Feed system | Detachable or integral magazine, 5.56mm / .223 Remington versions use STANAG magazines |
| Sights | Adjustable front and rear iron sights |
AR-15 variants are a general category of semi-automatic firearms based on the Colt AR-15 design and now made by many different manufactures. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, an active marketplace emerged around the Colt AR-15 rifle's design, all sharing the same basic characteristics of the AR-15.
The original ArmaLite AR-15 rifle was designed as a selective fire weapon for military purposes. ArmaLite was forced to sell the design to Colt due to financial difficulties. After some modifications, the rifle eventually became the US Army's M16 rifle, with a semi-automatic version marketed as the Colt AR-15 rifle.
The term "AR-15" originally signified "Armalite rifle, design 15". However, today the term "AR15" or "AR-15" is a Colt registered trademark and Colt only uses the term to refer to its line of semi-automatic civilian rifles. Other manufacturers now make AR-15 clones and variants marketed under separate designations, although these are all frequently referred to as AR-15s.
The Colt AR-15 is based on the 5.56 mm ArmaLite AR-15 rifle, which is a smaller lighter version of the 7.62 mm ArmaLite AR-10, designed by Eugene Stoner, Robert Fremont and L. James Sullivan of the Fairchild Armalite corporation. The "AR" in all ArmaLite pattern firearms simply stands for "ArmaLite Rifle" and can be found on most of the company's firearms: AR-5, a .22 caliber rifle; the AR-7, another .22 caliber; the AR-17 shotgun; the AR-10 rifle; and the AR-24 pistol.
In 1959, ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt. After a tour by Colt of the Far East, the first sale of Colt made Armalite AR-15s was made to Malaya on September 30, 1959. Colt manufactured their first 300 ArmaLite AR-15s in December 1959. Colt marketed the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle to various military services around the world. After modifications (most notably the relocation of the charging handle from under the carrying handle to the rear of the receiver), the redesigned rifle was adopted by the United States military as the M16 rifle.
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Wikipedia