AR-15

AR-15
The AR-15 comes in many sizes and has many options, depending on the manufacturer. The part shown bottom center is the lower receiver with pistol grip and trigger assembly. Under US law the lower alone is the component legally considered the "firearm".
Type	Semi-automatic rifle / Service rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1958–present
Production history
Designer	Eugene Stoner
Designed	1957
Manufacturer	ArmaLite, Colt, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, Stag Arms, DPMS Panther Arms, Olympic Arms, and others.
Specifications
Weight	2.27 kg–3.9 kg (5.5–8.5 lb)
Barrel length	24 in (610mm) 20 in (508 mm) standard 18 in (457 mm) 16 in (406 mm) 14.5 in (368 mm) 11.5 in (292 mm) 7 in (178 mm) 6.5 in (165mm)
Cartridge	.223 Remington, 5.56 NATO
Action	Direct impingement / Rotating bolt
Rate of fire	800 rounds/min (fully automatic versions only)
Muzzle velocity	975 m/s (3,200 ft/s)
Effective range	400–600 m (avg 547 yd)
Feed system	Various STANAG magazines.
Sights	Adjustable front and rear iron sights

The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, magazine-fed, semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation or long/short stroke piston operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials.

The AR-15 was first built by ArmaLite as a selective fire assault rifle for the United States armed forces. Because of financial problems, ArmaLite sold the AR-15 design to Colt. The select-fire AR-15 entered the US military system as the M16 rifle. Colt then marketed the Colt AR-15 as a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle for civilian sales in 1963.The name "AR-15" is a Colt registered trademark, which refers only to the semi-automatic rifle.

                         HISTORY

The AR-15 is based on the 7.62 mm AR-10, designed by Eugene Stoner, Robert Fremont, and L. James Sullivan of the Fairchild ArmaLitecorporation.The AR-15 was developed as a lighter, 5.56 mm version of the AR-10. The "AR" in AR-15 comes from the ArmaLite name. ArmaLite's AR-1, AR-5, and some subsequent models were bolt action rifles, the AR-7 a semiautomatic survival rifle and there are shotguns and pistols whose model numbers include the "AR" prefix.

Today the AR-15 and its variations are manufactured by many companies and have captured the affection of civilian shooters and police forces around the world due to their accuracy and modularity. (Please refer to the M16 for more history on the development and evolution of the AR-15 and derivatives.)ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt in 1959. After a tour by Colt of the Far East, the first sale of AR-15s were made toMalaysia on September 30th 1959 with Colt's manufacture of their first 300 AR-15s in December 1959.Colt marketed the AR-15 rifle to various military services around the world, including the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps. The AR-15 was eventually adopted by the United States military under the designation M16. However, Colt continued to use the AR-15 trademark for its semi-automaticvariants (AR-15, AR-15A2) which were marketed to civilian and law-enforcement customers. The original AR-15 was a very lightweight weapon, weighing less than 6 pounds with empty magazine, though later heavy-barrel versions of the civilian AR-15 can weigh upwards of 8.5 lbs.

The trademark "AR15" or "AR-15" is registered to Colt Industries, which maintains that the term should only be used to refer to their products. Other AR-15 manufacturers make AR-15 clones marketed under separate designations, although colloquially these are sometimes referred to by the term AR-15.