Te c h n i c a l e x p l o d e d v i e w

BY ANGUS K. McCLELLAN, Assistant Editor Maiello

0 ArmaLite M-15 A2 Carbine he pursuit of a lightweight, shoot, Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay duced AR-15-style rifles in the late “small-caliber, high- found favor with the rifle and suc- 1980s, and in 1994 Mark Westrom T velocity”(SCHV) military cessfully pushed for its adoption bought the company, purchased rifle led to the creation of the in 1962. Orders from the Navy and the ArmaLite trademark in 1995 McClellan

0 selective-fire AR-15 by the Army soon followed. and continued production of AR- ArmaLite Division under the Fairch- Colt’s AR-15, designated the style firearms under the ArmaLite, ild Engine and Airplane Corp. in M16, became standard-issue by Inc., name. Today it offers a variety the late 1950s. The rifle was based 1969, and Colt’s went on to produce of AR-style semi-automatic rifles.

Carter on Eugene Stoner’s AR-10, intro- semi-automatic-only versions of the Although these AR-15 clones 0 duced by ArmaLite in 1956. AR-15 for police and civilians up look like military M16s, including Fairchild, facing financial trou- through today. the controls and M4-style buttstock ble and assuming the AR-15 was ArmaLite went through a series seen here, they generally do not unmarketable, sold the rights of of ownership and management fall under National Firearms Act Gilbert the design to Colt’s Manufacturing changes in the decades following regulations. They are incapable of 0 Co. in 1959, with Fairchild receiv- Colt’s acquisition. After the expi- full-automatic or “burst” fire, and ing a small royalty in future sales. ration of patents on Stoner’s gas most barrels are at least 16" long. Early AR-15s were thus marked system in 1977, other companies Fieldstrip and reassembly is “Colt Armalite AR15 Cal. .223.” started manufacturing AR-style the same for all gas-impingement Sheetz

0 In the famous July 4th watermelon semi-automatics. Eagle Arms pro- AR-15 clones. Fi e l d s t r i p Keefe Depress the magazine release but- Remove the charging handle by drop- (30) 90 degrees (Fig. 3) and pull it from 0 ton (70), remove the magazine, pull the ping it through the recesses in the the carrier. Extract the bolt (Fig. 4). charging handle (25) to the rear and upper receiver. Push the extractor pin (37) out of release it to visually inspect the cham- Depress the buffer retainer (81) to the bolt (Fig. 5), but be careful with the ber and ensure the rifle is unloaded. release the buffer (42) and buffer spring small extractor spring (35) and extractor Press the takedown pin (77) and (41). Pull the buffer and spring from the spring insert (34). Some easily fall from pivot pin (61) from left to right, then pull receiver extension tube (43). the extractor (36) and can be lost. Reas- them out as far as they go to separate Pull the firing pin retaining pin (29) sembly is in reverse order. the upper (106) and lower (62) receivers. from the bolt carrier (Fig. 2). Up-end the Note: The accompanying diagram is Pull the charging handle to the bolt carrier and let the firing pin (26) fall a representation of typical AR-15-style rear and pull the bolt carrier (31) from the bolt carrier. Push the bolt (33) rifle parts, as the shapes of some parts group from the upper receiver (Fig. 1). into the carrier, then rotate the cam pin may vary slightly from model to model.

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w w w .americanrifleman .o r g AR Proof File Name:______Number______4 1 3 5

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