Rockwall Gun Club Presents Famous Guns Throughout History: AR-15 Rifle

This very popular rifle probably can be seen and heard often at the firing ranges at the Rockwall Gun Club located at 15950 State Hwy 205 in Terrell, Texas.  Its popularity isn't all that positive with many politicians and new media as they label it as “bad” to have and just mean looking.  Of course, we are talking about the AR-15 rifle. 

Many people believe “AR” stands for Assault Rifle and they are so wrong.  The AR in the AR-15 stands for Armalite, which was the company that invented this versatile and well-liked rifle.  Actually, there were seven through the years that used AR starting with AR-1, AR-5, AR-7, AR-10, AR-16 and the AR-15 rifle. 

 

Going back in time, the Armalite Company started up in 1954 and had the main goal of developing civilian guns using modern materials and manufacturing technologies.  It began with the AR-5 Survival Rifle that was developed for the U.S. Air force.  It was a modular rifle that chambered .22 caliber Hornets; this little rifle was not only waterproof, but floated.  The modern version of the AR-5 is the Henry U.S. Survival Rifle.  Then around 1955 the U.S. Army started the search to replace the M1 Garand as our soldiers desired a lighter rifle with more magazine capacities. 

Armalite came up with the AR-10 rifle with a radical new design that incorporated the use of aluminum and plastic and weighed less than seven pounds.  But Armalite entered the contest and testing too late and the Springfield Armory's T-44 was awarded the contract.  It was later adopted as the M-14 in 1959.  In need of cash, Armalite licensed both the AR-10 and AR-15 designs to Colt Fire Arms.  Armalite then developed the AR-7 Survival Rifle which was again a .22 caliber rifle that targeted the civilian market.  Then a couple of years later, the U.S. Air Force tested the AR-15 and ordered 8500 of them.  In 1977, after Colt's patent's expired other gun manufactures jumped at the chance to copy this rifle's design and really flooded the marketplace.

However, the term “AR-15” is a Colt registered trademark and uses a 5, 10, 20, or 30 round magazine and is still a semi-automatic rifle that has an effective firing range of 600 yards.  To the delight of AR-15 owners, there is a huge assortment of aftermarket parts and accessories that range from barrels to scopes.  This modern and some say “scary looking” sporting gun comes frequently to visit the ranges at Rockwall Gun Club and if you don't have one yet, the friendly folks there can assist you in finding one by calling (972) 551-0470.  Remember playing Army as a kid?  It will happen again when you bring your AR-15 up to your shoulder.  Stay tuned for another chapter in the guns that made America great.