Colt AR-15
| Colt AR-15 | |
|---|---|
The Colt AR-15
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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 |
| Manufacturer | Colt |
| Variants | Carbine |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.27 kg–3.9 kg (5.5–8.5 lb) |
| Barrel length |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×39mm, 9mm Parabellum |
| Action | Direct impingement |
| Effective firing range | ~550 metres (600 yd) |
| Feed system | Detachable magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable front and rear iron sights |
The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56×45mm, magazine-fed, air-cooled semi-automatic, gas-operated rifle with a rotating bolt. It was designed to be manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials. Introduced in 1964, Colt has made many different types of AR-15 rifle and carbine models: including the AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3, Sporter, HBAR, Government, Target, Match and many other models.
It is based on the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle, a select-fire weapon intended for military sales. In 1959, ArmaLite sold the design to Colt due to financial difficulties. After some modifications, the rifle eventually became the United States military M16 rifle. Shortly thereafter, Colt began to make semi-automatic versions for civilian sales. The term "AR-15" is a Colt registered trademark, which they use to denote only the semi-automatic rifle versions available for civilian and law enforcement sales.
The term "AR-15" signifies "Armalite rifle, design 15". Other manufacturers make AR-15 clones and variants marketed under separate designations, although these are frequently referred to as AR-15s. This article discusses the semiautomatic version manufactured by Colt.
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. Both of these rifles were 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 Far East tour, Colt made its first sale of Colt made ArmaLite AR-15 rifles to Malaya on September 30, 1959. Colt manufactured their first batch of 300 select-fire Colt ArmaLite AR-15 Model 01 rifles in December 1959. Colt marketed the Colt made 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 new redesigned rifle was adopted by the United States military as the M16 rifle. Most Colt ArmaLite AR-15 rifles in U.S. service have long ago been upgraded to M16 rifle configuration.
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