History of the AR-15
The AR-15 is one of the most popular weapons among firearm owners in the United States. Let's learn a little bit more about them here today.
What is an AR-15:
The “AR” in AR-15 means Armalite rifle. The AR-15 is a type of semi automatic rifle that has become a favorite amongst Americans. The AR-15 is NOT an assault rifle or “assault weapon”. An assault rifle is a weapon that has a select fire feature to allow the user to switch between semi automatic and automatic fire. AR-15s are no different than a Glock when it comes to actual fire rate. When the trigger is pulled once, the gun shoots once.
Eugene Stoner:
Eugene Stoner and Mikhail Kalashnikov
Eugene Stoner was the father of the AR-15 and American modern military rifles. Born on November 22nd, 1922, Stoner graduated from high school right at the beginning of World War 2. Stoner would get experience in firearms from a job at the Vega Aircraft Company and later the Marine Corps after the war started. After the war he landed a job at the aviation company Armalite.
AR-15 Predecessors:
At Armalite, Stoner was tasked with creating a survival rifle for pilots in the US Air Force. He came up with the AR-5.
AR-5
In 1955, the US army announced that they were looking for a new service rifle that could fire 7.62×51mm NATO rounds. Stoner immediately got to work in his garage on the AR-10. In 1956, Armalite started manufacturing the AR-10. It was way more lightweight and resistant to weather, utilizing all aluminum over wood.
AR-10
Ultimately, Stoner’s design was too late and the US army opted for the M14.
M14
Creation of the AR-15:
As America soon realized in Vietnam, the M14 was way too heavy and uncontrollable under automatic fire. Right around this time the Soviet Union came out with the AK-47. Stoner took his AR-10 design and made it smaller for lighter rounds since the 7.62 NATO rounds were overkill. Armalite unfortunately did not have the resources to produce such weapons at scale so they sold their design to Colt. In 1961, Eugene Stoner leaves Armalite and starts to work for Colt as they try to get a contract with the US army.
M16
Colt’s AR-15, now rebranded as the M16 for military use and an added select fire feature for automatic fire, was adopted by the US Air Force. In 1965, the M16 is adopted as the service rifle for the rest of the US army. The M16 is still one of the most iconic weapons in American history.
Civilian Use and Modern Day:
In 1989, other companies started to manufacture AR-15s and their own variations after the patent expired. The AR-15 quickly became the rifle of choice amongst Americans. “Today, it is estimated that there are over 20 million AR-15 rifles in the U.S.” (Statista). Clearly the AR-15 is loved by Americans for its relatively low cost, and its effectiveness.
The AR-15 has been in the news in recent times because of its use in some deadly mass shootings. Unfortunately, people do not realize how uncommon it is for a AR-15 to be used in a mass shooting. Now, most Americans can’t even tell the difference between an AR-15 and an automatic rifle. The AR-15 may now be a topic of gun control fanatics, but the engineering and innovations that Eugene Stoner brought to the world cannot be downplayed. The world would not be the same without Eugene Stoner’s invention.
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