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An AR-15 style rifle is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, an expanded marketplace emerged with many manufacturers producing their own version of the AR-15 design for commercial sale. They are referred to as modern sporting rifles by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade association, and by some manufacturers.

Since 2010, AR-15 style rifles have become one of the "most beloved and most vilified rifles" in the United States, according to the New York Times. It has been promoted as "America's rifle" by the National Rifle Association. It has also been the weapon used in many of the largest mass shootings in the United States, and is often legally classified as an assault weapon. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban restricted the Colt AR-15 and derivatives from 1994-2004, although it did not affect rifles with fewer features. There are an estimated 10-12 million in circulation in the United States.

Terminology

In 1956, a lightweight assault rifle was designed for military use by ArmaLite and designated the ArmaLite Rifle-15, or AR-15. Due to financial problems, ArmaLite sold the design and the AR-15 trademark to Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1959. In 1964, Colt began selling its own version with an improved semi-automatic design known as the Colt AR-15. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, an active marketplace emerged for other manufacturers to produce and sell their own AR-15 style rifles.

In 2009, the term "modern sporting rifle" was coined by the National Shooting Sports Foundation for its survey that year as a marketing term used by the firearms industry to describe modular semi-automatic rifles including AR-15s. Today, nearly every major firearm manufacturer produces its own generic AR-15 style rifle. As Colt continues to own and use the AR-15 trademark for its line of AR-15 variants, other manufacturers must use their own model numbers and names to market their AR-15 style rifles for commercial sale.

Modules

While most earlier breech-loading rifles had a single receiver housing both the trigger and reloading mechanism, an innovative feature of the AR-15 was modular construction to simplify substitution of parts and avoid need for arsenal facilities for most repairs of malfunctioning military rifles. A distinctive two-part receiver is used by both military and sporting AR-15 style rifles. As civilian ownership of AR-15 style rifles became sufficient to create a market for improvements, numerous manufacturers began producing one or more "improved" modules, assemblies, or parts with features not found on factory rifles; and individuals with average mechanical aptitude can often substitute these pieces for original equipment. Due to the vast assortment of aftermarket parts and accessories available, AR-15 style rifles have also been referred to as "the Swiss Army knife of rifles", "Barbie Dolls for Guys" or "LEGOs" for adults. These more or less interchangeable modules are a defining characteristic of AR-15 style modern sporting rifles.

The lower receiver is the serial-numbered part legally defined as the firearm under United States law. The lower receiver is visually distinguished by the trigger guard ahead of the detachable pistol grip, and behind the magazine well capable of holding detachable magazines. The lower receiver holds the trigger assembly including the hammer, and is the attachment point for the buttstock. The lower receiver is attached to the upper receiver by two removable pins. Disassembly for cleaning or repair of malfunctions often requires removal of these pins. Removal of the rear take-down pin allows the receiver to be opened by rotation around the forward pivot pin as a hinge.

The upper receiver contains the bolt carrier assembly, and is attached to the barrel assembly. Sights will be attached to the upper receiver or to the barrel assembly. A handguard usually encloses the barrel and a gas-operated reloading device using burnt powder gas vented from a hole (or port) in the barrel near the forward end of the handguard. The handguard is attached to the upper receiver and may also be attached to the barrel.

The initial design included a tube to vent burnt powder gas back into the bolt carrier assembly where it expands in a variable volume chamber forcing the bolt open to eject the spent cartridge case. A buffer spring in the buttstock then pushes the bolt closed picking up a new cartridge from the magazine. This direct gas impingement (DGI) system has the disadvantage of venting unburned smokeless powder residue into the receiver where it may ultimately accumulate in quantities causing malfunctions. A more recent alternative design has a metal operating rod pushing against the bolt carrier from a gas piston under the handguard near the barrel port. This piston keeps the receiver cleaner by exhausting under the handguard. While both the DGI and piston systems produce semi-automatic fire, an alternative unported barrel assembly includes a sliding handguard connected to a rod moving the bolt by a pump action and eliminating semi-automatic fire.

Differences from military rifles

Military versions of the AR-15 such as the M4 and M16 include features typical of military rifles of the late 20th century to assist soldiers firing many bullets in a short period of time as might be required in situations encountering large numbers of enemy targets:

• Automatic fire: The rifle continues to fire as long as the trigger is depressed until the magazine is empty.
• Burst fire: The rifle fires three rounds each time the trigger is depressed until the magazine is empty.
• Semi-automatic fire: The rifle fires one round each time the trigger is depressed until the magazine is empty. Civilian AR-15 style rifles are semi-automatic.
• High-capacity magazine: Within size and weight limitations consistent with firearm handling, the magazine holds as many cartridges as will reliably load.
• Detachable magazines: Firing delay required to reload the magazine may be avoided by removing the empty magazine and inserting a pre-loaded magazine.

Some AR-15-style rifles are fitted with reduced-capacity magazines, and some have features limiting use of detachable magazines to comply with state regulations. A few versions are incapable of semi-automatic fire.

Sales

The first version produced for commercial sale by Colt was the 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.

In the 1990s, sales of AR-15 style rifles 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. While only a handful of companies were manufacturing these rifles in 1994, by the 21st century the number of AR-15 style rifles had more than doubled. From 2000 to 2015, the number of manufacturers of AR-15 style variants and knock-offs increased from 29 to about 500. Today, AR-15 style 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.

Cartridge variations

Since the upper and lower receivers may be swapped between rifles, forensic firearm examination of bullets and spent cartridges may reveal distinguishing marks from the barrel and upper receiver group without identifying the lower receiver for which legal records may be available. An individual may use several upper receiver groups with the same lower receiver. These upper receiver groups may have differing barrel lengths and sights, and may fire different cartridges. A hunter with a single lower receiver might have one upper receiver with a .223 Remington barrel and telescopic sight for varmint hunting in open country and another upper receiver with a .458 SOCOM barrel and iron sights for big-game hunting in brushy woodland. The dimensions of upper and lower receivers originally designed for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge impose an overall length limit and diameter limits when adapting modules for other cartridges included in this list of AR platform calibers. The same magazine in the lower receiver group may hold differing numbers of different cartridges.

Use in mass shootings

Following the use of a Colt AR-15 rifle in the Port Arthur massacre, the worst single-person shooting incident in Australian history, the country enacted the National Firearms Programme Implementation Act 1996, restricting the private ownership of semi-automatic rifles with a capacity of more than 5 rounds (Category D) in that country.

AR-15 variants have been used in mass shootings in the United States, including the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, 2012 Aurora shooting, 2015 San Bernardino attack, the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting, the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, and the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Although, according to CBS News, "the AR plays an oversized role in many of the most high-profile shootings", most killings by guns in the U.S. involve handguns rather than rifles.

Religion

The AR-15 style rifle has been identified by Hyung Jin Moon with the "rod of iron" in Revelation 2:27, and has been used in his splinter group's version of the Unification Church mass wedding ceremony.

List of models

• ArmaLite M-15
• Barrett REC7
• Bushmaster XM-15
• Carbon 15
• Colt AR-15
• Daniel Defense DDM4
• DPMS Panther Arms Tactical Rifle
• Heckler & Koch MR556
• Lewis Machine & Tool Company CQB16
• LWRC International IC series
• Mossberg Tactical Semi-Automatic Rifles
• Olympic Arms K series
• Patriot Ordnance Factory rifles and carbines
• Remington R5 RGP
• Rock River Arms LAR-15
• Ruger SR-556
• Savage Arms MSR-15
• SIG Sauer SIG516
• SIG Sauer SIGM400
• Smith & Wesson M&P15
• Stag Arms STAG-15
• Wilson Combat Tactical Rifle

Examples of AR-15 style rifles and carbines

See also

• Assault weapons legislation in the United States
• List of Colt AR-15 & M16 rifle variants, a list of Colt-made firearms based on the ArmaLite AR-15 design

References

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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.

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