ArmaLite AR-15
| ArmaLite AR-15 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1959–1990s |
| Wars | Vietnam War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Eugene Stoner and L. James Sullivan |
| Designed | 1956 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Produced | 1959-1964 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.55 lb (2.97 kg) with 20 round magazine |
| Length | 39 in (991 mm) |
| Barrel length | 20 in (508 mm) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt (direct impingement) |
| Rate of fire | full-auto 750 rounds/min cyclic |
| Muzzle velocity | 3,300 ft/s (1,006 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 500 yd (457 m) |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The ArmaLite AR-15 is a selective-fire, 5.56×45mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle, with a rotating bolt and straight-line recoil design. It was designed above all else to be a lightweight assault rifle, and to fire a new lightweight, high velocity small caliber cartridge to allow the soldier to carry more ammunition. It was based on the Armalite AR-10 rifle. After modifications (most notably, the charging handle was re-located from under the carrying handle like AR-10 to the rear of the receiver), the new redesigned rifle was subsequently adopted by the United States military as the M16 Rifle, which went into production in March 1964. The Armalite AR-15 is the parent of a variety of AR-15 variants.
After World War II, the United States military started looking for a single automatic rifle to replace the M1 Garand, M1/M2 Carbines, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, M3 "Grease Gun" and Thompson submachine gun. However, early experiments with select-fire versions of the M1 Garand proved disappointing. During the Korean War, the select-fire M2 Carbine largely replaced the submachine gun in US service and became the most widely used Carbine variant. However, combat experience suggested that the .30 Carbine round was under-powered. American weapons designers concluded that an intermediate round was necessary, and recommended a small-caliber, high-velocity cartridge.
However, senior American commanders having faced fanatical enemies and experienced major logistical problems during WWII and the Korean War, insisted that a single powerful .30 caliber cartridge be developed, that could not only be used by the new automatic rifle, but by the new general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concurrent development. This culminated in the development of the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge and the M14 rifle which was an improved M1 Garand with a 20-round magazine and automatic fire capability. The U.S. also adopted the M60 general purpose machine gun (GPMG). Its NATO partners adopted the FN FAL and HK G3 rifles, as well as the FN MAG and Rheinmetall MG3 GPMGs.
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