ArmaLite AR-10
| ArmaLite AR-10 | |
|---|---|
An ArmaLite AR-10 (Portuguese model) | |
| Type | Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1960–1976 (Portugal) 1958–1985 (Sudan) |
| Used by | See AR-10 purchasers by country |
| Wars | Portuguese Colonial War First Sudanese Civil War Operation Seroja Second Sudanese Civil War Militias-Comando Vermelho conflict |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Eugene Stoner |
| Manufacturer | ArmaLite Artillerie-Inrichtingen (AI) Colt's Manufacturing Company |
| Produced | 1956–present |
| No. built | 9,900 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.29–4.05 kg (7.25–8.9 lb) w/o magazine |
| Length | 1,050 mm (41.3 in) |
| Barrel length | 528 mm (20.8 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO .308 Winchester 6.5mm Creedmoor |
| Action | Gas-operated, closed rotating bolt, Stoner bolt and carrier piston |
| Rate of fire | 700 rounds/min (fully automatic), variable (semi-automatic) |
| Muzzle velocity | 820 m/s (2,690 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 600 m (660 yd) (700 m (770 yd) with A.I. 3.6× telescopic sight) |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable aperture rear sight, fixed post front sight |
The ArmaLite AR-10 is a 7.62×51mm NATO battle rifle designed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s and manufactured by ArmaLite (then a division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation). When first introduced in 1956, the AR-10 used an innovative combination of a straight-line barrel/stock design with phenolic composite, a new patent-filed gas-operated bolt and carrier system and forged alloy parts resulting in a small arm significantly easier to control in automatic fire and over 1 lb (0.45 kg) lighter than other infantry rifles of the day. Over its production life, the original AR-10 was built in relatively small numbers, with fewer than 10,000 rifles assembled. However, the ArmaLite AR-10 would become the progenitor for a wide range of firearms.
In 1957, the basic AR-10 design was rescaled and substantially modified by ArmaLite to accommodate the .223 Remington cartridge, and given the designation ArmaLite AR-15.
In 1959, ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt's Manufacturing Company due to financial difficulties, and limitations in terms of manpower and production capacity. After modifications (most notably, the charging handle was re-located from under the carrying handle like AR-10 to the rear of the receiver), the new redesigned rifle (the AR-15), and a change of the caliber to 5.56x45mm NATO, was subsequently adopted by the U.S. military as the M16 rifle. Colt continued to use the AR-15 trademark for its line of semi-automatic-only rifles, which it marketed to civilian and law-enforcement customers as the Colt AR-15.