In the aftermath of World War II, the U.S. Military was desperately in search of a serviceman rifle that could put rounds on target at extreme distances, just as the M1 Garand did during the war. In 1958, Eugene Stoner, the head engineer at the small arms engineering company- ArmaLite, came up with the company’s fifteenth rifle project: the AR-15. (Ar15.com, 2014) Soon after the rifle’s birth, the U.S. Military adopted the AR-15 in a fully automatic version known as the M16. The M16 allowed soldiers to shoot at a rate of 900 rounds per minute with just one trigger pull, whereas the AR15 only discharged one round for every pull of the trigger. ArmaLite soon decided to designate the AR-15 available on the civilian market as a sporting rifle and
…show more content…
Many American citizens turn to the AR-15 for a wide variety of uses such as hunting, recreational shooting, and also home defense. (NSSF, 2014) The appeal of the AR-15 to gun owners is its ability to be easily and widely customized and modified without the need for a qualified gunsmith. Operators are able to change different types and sizes of butt-stocks, pistol grips, magazines, hand guards, rails, attachments, and optics to suit their needs under any circumstance. The design of the AR-15 was built around modularity and versatility to fulfill all scenarios and circumstances. (NSSF, 2014) With the invention of the AR-15, operators are able to change the caliber of bullet they shoot by simply swapping out the upper receiver and detachable magazine with the desire bullet caliber. Without the AR-15 platform the operator would have to acquire an entirely separate gun to shoot a different size bullet. Other rifles have their barrels and chambers attached to the lower receiver, which restricts this ability to change bullet calibers. (World Guns, …show more content…
(NSSF, 2014) Due to its popularity, most firearms manufacturers today have produced their own versions of the AR-15 in many different calibers such as .308, .300 Blackout, 7.62x51, 5.7, and .50 Grendel, to name a few. (Military Factory, 2014) The AR-15 is seen as a great entry-level rifle for beginning shooters because of its low recoil, but is just as well-known as a high-tech, top-performing, tactical firearm for avid shooters. The military-specific M16 has evolved since the Vietnam War Era into several variants with modifications to suit the military’s needs. The M16-A2 shot 3 rounds for every trigger pull instead of the sustained fire of full-automatic of the fully-automatic M16-A1 rifle. The 3 round burst of the M16-A2 proved the shots to be more accurate on the target because the recoil did not affect the shooter’s target acquisition until the 4th round was discharged. The newest variation of the M16 today is the M16-A4, which is currently the standard issued rifle for the United States Marine Corps. The design of the AR-15 has also evolved into several battlefield rifles used throughout the U.S. military. The most modern evolution of the AR-15 platform used in our military is the M4. (Ar15.com, 2014) The M4 is the standard issued rifle for the United States Army, and also has several variations that differentiate in selective fire, barrel lengths,
Many American citizens turn to the AR-15 for a wide variety of uses such as hunting, recreational shooting, and also home defense. (NSSF, 2014) The appeal of the AR-15 to gun owners is its ability to be easily and widely customized and modified without the need for a qualified gunsmith. Operators are able to change different types and sizes of butt-stocks, pistol grips, magazines, hand guards, rails, attachments, and optics to suit their needs under any circumstance. The design of the AR-15 was built around modularity and versatility to fulfill all scenarios and circumstances. (NSSF, 2014) With the invention of the AR-15, operators are able to change the caliber of bullet they shoot by simply swapping out the upper receiver and detachable magazine with the desire bullet caliber. Without the AR-15 platform the operator would have to acquire an entirely separate gun to shoot a different size bullet. Other rifles have their barrels and chambers attached to the lower receiver, which restricts this ability to change bullet calibers. (World Guns, …show more content…
(NSSF, 2014) Due to its popularity, most firearms manufacturers today have produced their own versions of the AR-15 in many different calibers such as .308, .300 Blackout, 7.62x51, 5.7, and .50 Grendel, to name a few. (Military Factory, 2014) The AR-15 is seen as a great entry-level rifle for beginning shooters because of its low recoil, but is just as well-known as a high-tech, top-performing, tactical firearm for avid shooters. The military-specific M16 has evolved since the Vietnam War Era into several variants with modifications to suit the military’s needs. The M16-A2 shot 3 rounds for every trigger pull instead of the sustained fire of full-automatic of the fully-automatic M16-A1 rifle. The 3 round burst of the M16-A2 proved the shots to be more accurate on the target because the recoil did not affect the shooter’s target acquisition until the 4th round was discharged. The newest variation of the M16 today is the M16-A4, which is currently the standard issued rifle for the United States Marine Corps. The design of the AR-15 has also evolved into several battlefield rifles used throughout the U.S. military. The most modern evolution of the AR-15 platform used in our military is the M4. (Ar15.com, 2014) The M4 is the standard issued rifle for the United States Army, and also has several variations that differentiate in selective fire, barrel lengths,