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Modern sporting rifle or MSR (also known as AR-15 style rifle or black rifle) is a general category of modular semi-automatic rifles based on the Colt AR-15 design and now made by many different manufacturers. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, an active marketplace emerged around the Colt AR-15 rifle's design, all sharing the same basic characteristics of the AR-15. The NRA estimates that Americans currently own over 8 million AR-15 style rifles.

The term was coined by the National Shooting Sports Foundation around 2009 in response to the misidentification of the "AR" in AR-15 as "assault rifle" (in fact it is a contraction of Armalite, the original manufacturer; the AR-15 design was sold to Colt in 1959 and remains a Colt registered trademark).

Background

Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle as the Colt AR-15 in 1964. Colt continues to use the AR-15 trademark for its line of semi-automatic rifles (AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3 and AR-15A4) that are marketed to both civilian and law-enforcement customers.

The first version was the Colt AR-15 Sporter, in .223 Remington, with a 20 inch barrel and issued with 5-round magazines. Initial sales of the Colt AR-15 were slow, primarily due to its fixed sights and carry handle that made mounting a scope difficult and awkward to use. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, an active marketplace emerged around the Colt AR-15 rifle's design, all sharing the same basic characteristics of the AR-15.

In the 1990s AR-15 sales increased dramatically. Partly as a result of the introduction of the flat top upper receiver allowing scopes and sighting devices to be easily mounted and new features such as free floating hand guards that increased accuracy. In 1994, only a handful of companies were manufacturing AR-15 type rifles. However, by the twenty first century the number of generic AR-15s had more than doubled. By 2016, every major gun manufacturer produced a generic AR-15s. All of these manufacturers market their generic AR-15s under separate designations, although these are all frequently referred to as AR-15s. In an effort avoid confusion, the firearms industry began to call these generic AR-15s modern sporting rifles or MSRs.

Modern sporting rifles are available in a wide range of configurations and calibers from a large number of manufacturers. These configurations range from standard full-sizes rifles with 20 inch barrels, to short carbine-length models with 16 inch barrels, adjustable length stocks and optical sights, to long range target models with 24 inch barrels, bipods and high-powered scopes. These rifles may also have short-stroke gas piston system, forgoing the direct gas system standard in AR-15 rifles. These calibers include the 5.56×45mm NATO, 5.7×28mm, 6.8mm Remington SPC,.300 Blackout, 9×19mm Parabellum and .458 SOCOM to name a few.

There is also a vast assortment of aftermarket parts and accessories available for these rifles. Including: Upper & Lower Receivers, Barrels, Magazines, Bolt Carrier Groups, Charging Handles, Furniture & Stock Kits, Picatinny Rails, Muzzle Devices, Trigger Groups, Bi-Pods, Lasers, Tactical Lights, Carry Handles, Sights, Scopes and Optics, to name a few. Due to the myriad options, AR-15s have been referred to as "the Swiss Army knife of rifles", "Barbie Dolls for Guys" or "LEGOs" for adults.

List of modern sporting rifles

• ArmaLite M-15
• Barrett REC7
• Bravo Company Manufacturing BCM Carbines and Rifles
• Bushmaster XM-15
• Colt AR-15
• Carbon 15
• Daniel Defense DDM4
• DPMS Panther Arms Tactical Rifle
• Haenel CR 223
• Heckler & Koch MR556
• Lewis Machine & Tool Company CQB16
• LWRC International IC series
• Midwest Industries MI series
• Mossberg Tactical Semi-Automatic Rifles
• Olympic Arms K series
• Patriot Ordnance Factory rifles and carbines
• Quality Arms Tactical series
• Remington GPC
• Rock River Arms LAR-15
• Ruger SR-556
• Savage Arms MSR-15
• SIG MCX
• SIG Sauer SIG516
• SIG Sauer SIGM400
• Smith & Wesson M&P15
• Stag Arms STAG-15
• Wilson Combat Tactical Rifle
• Windham Weaponry R series
• Yankee Hill Machine 8000 series
• Others

See also

• List of Colt AR-15 & M16 rifle variants, a list of Colt-made firearms based on the ArmaLite AR-15 design
• List of AR platform calibers, a list of calibers that AR-15 type firearms are chambered for
• Assault weapon
• Assault weapons legislation in the United States

References

1. http://www.colt.com/Portals/0/Specs/2016/AR15A4.pdf This Semi-Automatic Colt Rifle is a throwback to the full size AR-15 which gave birth to the Modern Sporting Rifle
2. ^ "DPMS Founder and President Retires". The Outdoor Wire Digital Network. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2013. Luth's quest to introduce the hunting market to the AR platform was recognized in January 2009 when he was named to the Outdoor Life's OL-25, and later chosen by online voters as the OL-25 "Reader's Choice" recipient. The recent campaign by the NSSF to educate hunters everywhere about the "modern sporting rifle" can be directly attributed to Luth's push to make AR rifles acceptable firearms in the field, the woods and on the range.
3. ^ Gross, W. H. "Chip" (January 2, 2018). "7 Things You Didn't Know About the AR-15". NRA FAMILY. To counter that sentiment, the National Shooting Sports Foundation coined the term Modern Sporting Rifle, pointing out that these new semi-autos were no different in function than previous semi-automatic rifles. It took a while for the AR-15 concept to catch on and become fully accepted by sportsmen—especially with older hunters and shooters—but the floodgates gradually swung open and today AR-15s are the most popular sporting rifle platform. So if you own an AR-15 you also own a Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR), and vice versa.
4. "Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) Comprehensive Consumer Report 2010" (PDF). National Shooting Sports Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
5. ^ "Modern Sporting Rifle Facts". National Shooting Sports Foundation. 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013. Chamberings include .22, .223 (5.56 x 45mm), 6.8 SPC, .308, .450 Bushmaster and about a dozen others. Upper receivers for pistol calibers such as 9 mm, .40, and .45 are available. There are even .410 shotgun versions.
6. ^ Jeff Zimba. The Evolution of the Black Rifle: 20 Years of Upgrades, Options, and Accessories.
7. "Why mass shooters are increasingly using AR-15s". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
8. Bartocci, Christopher R. (July 16, 2012). "AR-15/M16: The Rifle That Was Never Supposed to Be". Gun Digest. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
9. "Modern Sporting Rifle - AR-15 platform-based rifles". NSSF. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
10. Peters, Justin (2016-06-14). "Omar Mateen Had a "Modern Sporting Rifle"". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
11. "News Releases". 2010-04-25. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
12. ^ Bob Hutton & Bob Forker (October 1964). "A Beautiful Marriage: .223 Remington and Colt's AR-15 'Sporter'". Guns & Ammo.
13. ^ Mann, Richard A. (30 April 2014). GunDigest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-1-4402-3847-5.
14. Sweeney, Patrick (30 August 2016). Gunsmithing the AR-15, the Bench Manual. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media, Inc. pp. 7–9. ISBN 978-1-4402-4660-9.
15. Richardson, Reed (July 12, 2016). "American Rifle: A Biography of the AR-15". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved March 28, 2017. Fueled by this "Obama effect" — his reelection in 2012 coincided with the best month for gun sales in decades — every mainline gun manufacturer now sells an AR-15 model.
16. U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition Failures and Solutions, GK Roberts, NDIA Dallas, TX, May 21, 2008 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-02-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
17. Evolution of an AR | Gear | Guns & Ammo Archived September 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Archives.gunsandammo.com (August 29, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-09-27.
18. Patrick Sweeney ARS Across the Board Archived 2011-08-19 at the Wayback Machine. GUNS&AMMO November 2010
19. "Chicago Tribune: Why Assault Rifle Sales are Booming - The Truth About Guns". June 17, 2015.
20. Levings, Darryl (February 2, 2013). "AR-15 rifle more loved — and hated — than ever - Amid the rising call for the rifle to be banned, sales of the "Barbie doll for guys" have soared". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
21. Kyle, Chris (2014). American Gun. William Morrow Paperbacks. p. 252. ISBN 0062242725.
22. Stokes, Jon. "The AR-15 Is More Than a Gun. It's a Gadget". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
23. "Fifteen of the Best Cheap AR Accessories". The Shooter's Log. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
24. "Lego Kits for Adults". AR Blog. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
25. HAENEL CR223 Flyer (PDF)
26. http://www.gunquester.com/manufacturer-list

Bibliography

• Stevens, R. Blake and Edward C. Ezell. The Black Rifle M16 Retrospective. Enhanced second printing. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada: Collector Grade Publications Incorporated, 1994. ISBN 0-88935-115-5.
• Bartocci, Christopher R. Black Rifle II The M16 Into the 21st Century. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada: Collector Grade Publications Incorporated, 2004. ISBN 0-88935-348-4.

• ArmaLite AR-10 derivatives
• 5.56 mm firearms
• Semi-automatic rifles
• Semi-automatic pistols
• Semi-automatic shotguns
• AR Rifle Components