AR-15 - Eugene Stoner (Father Of The AR-15)

Eugene Stoner (Father Of The AR-15)

Saturday, August 29, 2009 12:13:23 PM

The Model 601 was the first "AR15 Model" produced by Colt . Manufacturing started in December of 1959, with the first 300 rifles being produced, and continued until the summer of 1963. Changes made by Colt in the production process would include; painting the furniture green (after approx 100 were made), different roll markings, and changing the aluminum alloy from 7075 to 6061. Less then 14,500 were produced, with serial numbers in the 101-14,484 range. The bulk of the rifles went to the US Military with 8,500 going to the Air Force, 1,000 going to the Army for evaluation in project AGILE, and a handful going to the Navy SEALs. The rest went in very small numbers to police departments, and to foreign militaries such as Australia, Burma, India, Malaya, and Singapore. Many of the components found on the 601 were "Prototypes", and were unique to that only that model.

Eugene Morrison Stoner (Born November 22, 1922 in Gosport, Indiana; died April 24, 1997 (aged 74) in Palm City, Florida) is the man most associated with the design of the AR-15, which was adopted by the military as the M16. He is regarded by most historians, along with John Browning and John Garand, as one of the United States’ most successful military firearms designers of the 20th century. Eugene Stoner attended high school in Long Beach and afterwards worked for the Vega Aircraft Company installing armament. During World War II, he enlisted for Aviation Ordnance in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the South Pacific and northern China. In late 1945 he began working in the machine shop for Whittaker, an aircraft equipment company, and ultimately became a Design Engineer. In 1954 he came to work as chief engineer for ArmaLite, a division of Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corporation. While at ArmaLite, he designed a series of prototype small arms, including the AR-3, AR-9, AR-11, AR-12, none of which saw significant production. Their only real success during this period was the AR-7 survival rifle, which was adopted by the United States Air Force. In 1955, Stoner completed initial design work on the revolutionary AR-10, a lightweight (7.25 lbs.) selective-fire infantry rifle in 7.62 x 51 mm NATO caliber. The AR-10 was submitted for rifle evaluation trials to the US Army’s Springfield Armory late in 1956. In comparison with competing rifle designs previously submitted for evaluation, the AR-10 was smaller, easier to fire in automatic, and much lighter. However it arrived very late in the testing cycle, and the army rejected the AR-10 in favor of the more conventional T44, which would become the M14. The AR-10's design was later licensed to the Dutch firm of Artillerie Inrichtingen, who produced the AR-10 until 1960 for sale to various foreign military forces. At the request of the U.S. military, Stoner's chief assistant, Robert Fremont and Jim Sullivan designed the AR-15 from the basic AR-10 design, scaling it down to fire the small-caliber .223 Remington cartridge. The AR-15 was later adopted by United States military forces as the M16 rifle. After Armalite sold the rights to the AR-15 to Colt, Stoner turned his attention to the AR-16 design. This was another advanced 7.62 mm rifle but used a more conventional piston and a number of stamped parts to reduce cost. This weapon saw only prototype development but adaptation to .223 resulted in the somewhat successful and often imitated Armalite AR-18. Stoner left ArmaLite in 1961 to serve as a consultant for Colt. He eventually accepted a position with Cadillac Gage where he designed the Stoner 62 Weapons System. This was a modular weapons system that could be reconfigured to be a standard automatic rifle, a light machine gun, a medium machine gun, or a solenoid-fired fixed machine gun. The Stoner Weapons System used a piston-operated gas impingement system, though Stoner himself believed direct gas operation was the ideal method for firearms. Once again, Robert Fremont and Jim Sullivan would take a Stoner design and redesign it for the .223 Remington cartridge, to create the Stoner 63 Weapons System. Stoner also did work for TRW by designing the TRW 6425 25 mm Bushmaster auto cannon, which was later manufactured by Oerlikon as the KBA. He co-founded ARES Incorporated of Port Clinton, Ohio, in 1972, but left the company in 1989, after designing the Ares Light Machine Gun, sometimes known as the Stoner 86. It was an evolved version of the Stoner 63. At Ares, he also designed the Future Assault Rifle Concept (FARC). In 1990, he joined Knight's Armament Company (KAC) to create the Stoner Rifle-25 (SR-25), which currently sees military service as the United States Navy Mark 11 Mod 0 Sniper Weapon System. While at KAC, he also worked on yet another version of the Stoner Weapons System, called the Stoner 96. Among his last designs was the SR-50 rifle.

ON SHOT 5 AND 6, NOTICE THE GREEN DOT ON THE BARREL...

AR-15 (for Armalite model 15, often mistaken for Assault Rifle) is the common name for the widely-owned[9] semi-automatic rifle which soon afterwards became the fully automatic M16 and M4 carbine assault rifles, which are currently in use by the United States military. AR-15 was the original name for what became the militarily designated M16, the assault rifle first used by the U.S. in the Vietnam War. The name AR-15 is now used almost exclusively to refer to the semi-automatic (commercially available) civilian version(s) of the M16 and M4 assault rifles.

All standard AR-15 rifles accept detachable magazines of widely varying capacities, and have a pistol grip that protrudes beneath the stock. AR-15 rifles are highly configurable and customizable, and are commonly fitted with several accessories, including bipods, bayonet lugs, folding or collapsing butt stocks, threaded barrels for the attachment of a flash suppressor or other accessories, and a Picatinny rail in place of the fore grip for the attachment of vertical grips, flashlights, laser sights, telescopic sights, and other accessories.

The AR-15 consists of separate upper and lower receiver assemblies, which are attached with two through-pins and can be quickly interchanged with no tools. Under U.S. firearms laws, only the lower receiver is considered a weapon and subject to purchasing restrictions. The upper receiver assembly is simply considered a part, and may be freely purchased and mail-ordered in most locations. This is a very attractive feature for enthusiasts, who often purchase a number of upper receivers (often in different calibers) and interchange them with the same lower receiver. However, one must be thoroughly familiar with firearms laws before doing this as it is possible to make an illegal configuration. For example, an 11" barrel with only a pistol grip is a legal handgun in most locations. It should be noted that the ATF enforces the doctrine of "once a rifle, always a rifle"; as such, an AR-15 pistol must be constructed using a lower receiver that has never been constructed as a rifle or described on an ATF form 4473 as a rifle. Adding a shoulder stock to an AR-15 with a barrel shorter than 16" would constitute constructing a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR) under NFA rules. Constructing an AR-15 pistol using a lower receiver which had already been constructed as a rifle or described as such on an ATF form 4473 would also constitute the construction of an SBR. It is a felony to assemble, possess, or transfer such a weapon without obtaining ATF approval and the corresponding $200 tax stamp.

History
The AR-15 is based on the 7.62 mm AR-10, designed by Eugene Stoner of the Fairchild ArmaLite corporation.[10] 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, and there are shotguns and pistols whose model numbers also include the "AR" prefix.[10]

Colt AR-15 Sporter SP1 CarbineArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt in 1959. Colt marketed the AR-15 rifle to various military services around the world, including the U.S. 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.[11][12]

Today the civilian-model 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. (Please refer to the M16 for a more complete history of the development and evolution of the AR-15 and derivatives.)

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 manufacturers make AR-15 clones marketed under separate designations, although colloquially these are sometimes also referred to by the term AR-15.

Some notable features of the AR-15 include:

An AR-15 clone receiver manufactured by DPMS.Aircraft grade aluminium receiver
Modular design allows for a variety of accessories and makes repair easier
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 jurisdictions)

AR-15 sight pictureSemi-automatic AR-15 for sale to civilians and fully automatic versions for sale to law enforcement and military customers, though nearly identical in appearance, are quite different internally. The hammer and trigger mechanisms are of a slightly different design. The bolt carrier and internal lower receiver of semi-automatic versions are milled differently, so that the firing mechanisms are not interchangeable. This was done specifically to satisfy BATF requirements that civilian weapons may not be easily convertible to fully-automatic. Despite this, through use of a "Drop In Auto Sear" or "lightning-link," conversion to full automatic is very straightforward (sometimes requiring slight modification to the bolt carrier).[13][14] Such modifications, unless using parts made prior to 1986, are illegal. An illegally converted fully-automatic AR-15 was used in the North Hollywood shootout.

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 fully automatic using a lightning-link are capable of fully automatic fire only unless a fully-automatic fire select switch is substituted.

Operating mechanism

Diagram of M16 rifle firingThe mechanism of operation for the rifle is known as direct gas impingement. Gas is tapped from the barrel as the bullet moves past a gas port located above the rifle's front sight base. The gas rushes into the port and down a gas tube, located above the barrel, which runs from the front sight base into the AR-15's upper receiver. Here, the gas tube protrudes into a “gas key” (bolt carrier key) which accepts the gas and funnels it into the bolt carrier. This movement of gas into the bolt carrier forces the bolt and carrier backward in line with the stock of the rifle. As the bolt carrier moves toward the butt of the gun, the bolt begins to turn and unlock from the barrel extension. Once the bolt is fully unlocked it begins its rearward movement along with the bolt carrier. The cam pin is responsible for the bolt's rotation as it follows a groove cut into the carrier that twists and forces the bolt to unlock. Once the bolt is unlocked, the bolt carrier and bolt continue to move toward the butt of the gun and the empty case is extracted and ejected out the ejection port on side of the upper receiver.

Behind the bolt carrier is a plastic or metal buffer which rests in line with a return spring that pushes the bolt carrier back toward the chamber. A groove machined into the upper receiver traps the cam pin and prevents it and the bolt from rotating into a closed position. The bolt's locking lugs then push a fresh round from the magazine which is guided by feed ramps into the chamber. As the bolt's locking lugs move past the barrel extension, the cam pin is allowed to twist into a pocket milled into the upper receiver. This twisting action follows the groove cut into the carrier and forces the bolt to twist and “lock” into the barrel’s extension.

Variants

Colt AR-15 A3 Tactical Carbine. Rifle is shown with a CQB Tactical Sling and a Colt 4x20 scope.The AR-15 rifle is available in a wide range of configurations from a large number of manufacturers. These configurations range from short carbine-length models with features such as adjustable length stocks and optical sights, to heavy barrel models. Some of the most popular manufacturers are ArmaLite, Bushmaster, and DPMS.

There are many aftermarket upper receivers that incorporate barrels of different weights, lengths and ammunition calibers available for the AR-15. Due to the rifle's modular design, one upper receiver can quickly and easily be substituted for another. There are many different calibers available for the AR-15 platform, far too many to list, but some of the most popular are .223 Remington/5.56x45mm and 6.8 mm Remington SPC. In addition, the AR-15 can also be found in many obscure wildcat cartridges.

When installing a new complete upper receiver, particularly one designed to handle a different caliber of ammunition (i.e. other than .223 Remington or 5.56 x 45 mm NATO), some modification to the contents of the lower receiver may also be required, depending on the particular conversion. For example, a conversion to 9 mm typically would involve the installation of a magazine well block (to accommodate a typical 9 mm magazine, such as Uzi or Colt SMG), replacing the .223 hammer with one designed for 9 mm ammunition, and depending on the original stock, replacing the buffer, action spring and stock spacer with those designed for the new 9 mm AR-15 configuration.

Early models had a 1:14 rate of twist, which was changed to 1:12 for original 55 grain (3.6 g) bullets. The 1:14 rate of twist was shown to be unstable at lower temperatures. Most newer configurations use 1:9 and 1:7 twist rates. There is much controversy and speculation as to how differing twist rates affect ballistics and terminal performance with varying loads, but heavier projectiles tend to perform better with faster rifling rates. Additionally, the various non .223 / 5.56 calibers have their own particular twist rate, such as 1:10 for 6.8x43mm SPC and 7.62x39mm, and 1:12 for .308 Winchester.

STANAG magazine compatible with the AR-15. Can be used in several other firearms such as the FN F2000 and the M16Standard issue magazines are 20 or 30 round staggered-column magazines, traditional box magazines also exist in 40 and 45 round capacities, and usable magazines have been constructed from a variety of materials including steel, aluminum, and high-impact plastics. Drum magazines with 90 and 100 round capacities also exist, such as Beta C-Mags. Low-capacity magazines, usually of a 5 or 10 round capacity, are available to comply with some areas' legal restrictions, hunting and because larger magazines can inhibit shooting from a benchrest.

PMC Bronze Line Rifle Ammunition 223A, 223 Remington, Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail, 55 GR, 3200 fps, 20 Rd/Bx FULL METAL JACKET BOAT TAIL BULLET (FMJ-BT) Designed primarily for target shooting applications, this bullet offers excellent ballistic performance and superior down-range accuracy due to its rear-taper, boat tail construction. Its solid lead core is fully enclosed by a full metal jacket. SPECIFICATIONS: Mfg Item Num: 223A Category: AMMO CENTERFIRE Caliber :223 Remington Bullet Type :Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail Bullet Weight :55 GR Muzzle Energy :1250 ft lbs Muzzle Velocity :3200 fps Rounds/box :20 Rounds Per Box

My opinion, the AK-47 is a piece of SHIT!, the AK-47 has one purpose and thats for killing, people that own a AK-47 or the AK-74 couldn't afford the AR-15/M16, and if you do not like my opinion, get fucked again!

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BUNCH OF RETARDS HAND-LOAD AMMO!...

DOOMSDAY