The AR-15 is a common assualt rifle. Very similar in looks to an M-16, but not exactly.
AR does NOT stand for Assault Rifle, as is commonly believed. AR stands for the original company that manufactured it, ArmaLite. ArmaLite sold their rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 designs in 1959 to
Colt.
With a simple barrel and receiver switch, this rifle can fire
14 different calibers and sizes of ammunition, ranging from .22LR to .50BMG.
Completely customizable, this rifle can also be a personal defense firearm at less than 36 inches long, to a sniper rifle over
50 inches.
Standard magazine (or
clip, if you prefer) is 30 rounds, but aftermarket 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 90, and 100 round magazines are available as
well, but only the 5 round, non-detachable
clip is legal in
California. These clips are breech loaded, and do NOT come off. The reason for this is because of the Assault Weapon Ban that The Clinton Administration put into affect, and this method of
semi-automatic action slows the loading process and is supposed to reduce murders. All it did was boost illegal weapon sales.
With the modular accessory
rail, hundreds of different aftermarket accessories are available. These range from simple, and relatively
cheap in price, tac-lights, vertical secondary pistol grips,to night-sights, to bipods, to thermal scopes, to night-vision scopes and infrared scopes beyond
normal mag-scopes with somewhere around 20+ compatible scopes. Other accessories are different stocks, from collapsibles to
solid body, to skeleton, to adjustables.
These rifles, when sighted in are accurate up to 500 yards, with a range
well beyond that.
The
semi-automatic feed uses a direct
gas impingement system. (If lost with this term, use wiki)
This rifle was designed by Eugene Stoner in 1958 as an updated, lighter version of the AR-10. The design was initially submitted as a new rifle for the US Armed Forces, and is what the M-16 was based off of.
Overall, this is a very effective weapon for home defense, hunting, sharpshooting, and just fun at the range.