AR-15[]
| AR-15 | |
|---|---|
 An AR-15 rifle. | |
|
Years |
1958 - Present |
|
Country |
USA |
|
Manufacturers |
ArmaLite (originally), Colt Firearms, Remington Arms and many others. |
|
RPM |
800 |
|
Calibre |
Predominantly 5.56mm, .223 Remington, 5.7mm and many others |
|
Magazine size |
Varies |
The ArmaLite AR-15 is an assualt rifle originally manufactured by ArmaLite and designed by Eugene Stoner.
History[]
The AR-15 was desinged by Eugene Stoner, who previously designed and developed the AR-10 rifle. It was originally produced by ArmaLite (hence the 'AR' designation), but ArmaLite sold the rights to manufacturing the AR-15 to Colt Firearms in 1959.
M16[]
The AR-15 has been manufactured as both a military and civilian rifle since then, and, like the Kalashnikov design, the AR-15 has a large number of variants. The most famous AR-15 variant is the M16 rifle, first used in mass numbers during the Vietnam War. Early models performed poorly in the harsh jungle environments, but since then it has been modified and improved as the M16A2. The M16A3 and the M16A4 followed in years to come.
Variants[]
- M16 (A1/2/3/4)
- XM16E1
- XM177E2 / CAR-15
- Colt SMG
- CAR-16
- M4A1 / M4 Carbine
- Diemaco C7/A1
- M4E
- AR-57
- AR-47
- Ares Shrike
- VLTOR
