You know an AR -15 is a simple gun to take down and put back together, trust me I’ve done it a time or two.
But as simple as it is there are still a few aspects of it that can throw you a few curves, especially if you were never military or you have one of the other versions of the AR-15.
The fine folks over at Brownells have come up with tools and dvds to help you with your AR -15
The AR-15 is based on the 7.62 mm AR-10, designed by Eugene Stoner of the Fairchild ArmaLite corporation.
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 andpistols whose model numbers also include the “AR” prefix.
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 to Malaysia on 30 September 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-automatic variants (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.
Today the AR-15 and its variations are manufactured by many companies and have captured the affection of sport shooters and police forces around the world due to their accuracy and modularity.
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 colloquiallythese are sometimes also referred to by the term AR-15.
Some notable features of the AR-15 include:
- Aircraft grade aluminium receiver is lightweight and highly corrosion-resistant
- Modular design allows for a variety of accessories and makes repair easier
- Straight-line stock design eliminates the fulcrum created by traditional bent stocks, reducing muzzle climb.
- Small caliber, accurate, high velocity round
- Synthetic stock and grips do not warp or splinter
- Front sight adjustable for elevation
- Rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation
- Wide array of optical devices available in addition to or as replacements of iron sights
- A direct impingement gas system
- Synthetic pistol grip (regulated in some states)
Such modifications, unless using registered and transferable parts made prior to May 19, 1986, are illegal. (The Firearm Owners Protection Act in 1986 has redefined a machinegun to include individual components where a semiautomatic firearm can be converted to full-automatic based on a 1981 BATF ruling on machinegun parts.)
Automatic variants have a three-position rotating selective fire switch, allowing the operator to select between three modes: safe, semi-automatic, and either automatic or three round burst, depending on model. Civilian AR-15 models do not have three-round burst or automatic settings on the fire selector. In semi-automatic only variants, the selector only rotates between safe and semi-automatic. Due to this, weapons modified to full automatic using a lightning-link are capable of full automatic fire only—unless a special full automatic fire select mechanism and modified selector-switch is substituted.
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