The AR-15, and it’s near-infinite clones, is one of the most recognizable, beloved, bemoaned, controversial rifles in the American firearms lexicon. But it’s universal proliferation and the malicious media campaign it continues to endure has left many “average” gun owners and would-be consumers with more questions than answers. This is as unsurprising as it is ironic – leave it to popular culture to divide people on half-truths, hearsay, and misinformation without ever educating anyone on either side about the issue—or object—in question.
WHAT’S IN THE NAME?
The “AR” in AR-15 does not stand for Assault Rifle, or Automatic Rifle. The original nomenclature was a reference to ArmaLite Rifle, model 15 – named for the ArmaLite corporation, where designer Eugene Stoner was employed at the time. True ArmaLite AR-15s first saw the light of day in 1959. Based on the larger AR-10, which was chambered in .308 Winchester, the AR-15 was intended to be a lightweight, handy rifle firing small-caliber, high-velocity ammunition in response to directives by the US military to scale down the infantry rifle from the larger, heavier .30 caliber battle rifles of the era. The design changed hands from ArmaLite to Colt in the 1960s. But, since then, dozens (if not hundreds) of companies have produced tens of millions of rifles based on the AR blueprint, with varying degrees of fidelity to Stoner’s original drawings. Either way, the name stuck and any rifle that follows the general form and function of the original AR-15 can be safely referred to as an AR or AR-style rifle. As stated above the AR15 is NOT an automatic rifle, that would be the M4 cousin that the military issues. The AR15 however is not unlike any other semi-automatic rifle that is commercially available to the general public. Think shotguns for duck hunting, .22’s for plinking or many deer rifles.
The other term that gets thrown around haphazardly, when talking about AR’s, is “mil-spec”. Short for military specification, the general feeling among consumers is that a product built to mil-spec ensures quality. While this isn’t untrue in the strict sense, there is some logical fallacy to it. What mil-spec actually denotes is that the rifle is built to the exact specifications of the military’s technical data package (TDP) – the US government’s official set of dimensions and tolerances for each individual component of the rifle. While these measurements and specs are indeed engineered to assure baseline performance and reliability, that baseline may not be a level you’re happy with. It will also not be the best performance your money can buy in terms of commercially produced AR-style rifles. The clearest example of this is the military’s accuracy requirement. In simplified terms, the military only requires it’s M4 service rifles (the military version of the AR-15) to hold a 4 MOA group. That’s a four-inch-wide circle at 100 yards, or a circle with a two-inch radius in any direction from your actual point of aim. If you fire 10 rounds at a target 100 yards away, and all of the rounds fall inside a four-inch circle, that rifle is up to spec for military use. For commercially-produced AR’s, a group half that size will raise concerned eyebrows among skilled shooters or informed consumers. A one-inch group at 100 yards with quality ammunition has been attainable and repeatable among dozens of AR-pattern rifles on the rack at your local store that aren’t “mil-spec”.
Finally, you may also see or hear the term MSR, or modern sporting rifle. This is an attempt by some manufacturers to overcome the often-controversial perception of civilian AR-15 rifles as “assault rifles” or “weapons of war” when being demonized by politicians and the press.
WHAT’S IN THE RIFLE?
At its core, the AR-15 design is a gas-driven, semi-automatic rifle fed from a magazine, with a weighted buffer and buffer spring inside the buttstock. But the commercial market has taken this operating system and grown it into an entire industry all it’s own. AR’s can be had in all kinds of calibers. There are plinking and rodent-popping versions in .22 LR and .17 HMR, all the way up to behemoth buffalo and engine block killing AR’s chambered in cartridges like .450 Bushmaster, .50 Beowulf, and .45-70 Auto. It should be noted that some of those larger calibers are not technically AR-15 style rifles, but AR-10 style rifles based on the original Eugene Stoner design of a .308 caliber semi-automatic with the same form factor and operating system. But nowadays, many folks simply refer to “small frame AR’s” and “large frame AR’s” to differentiate whether a particular rifle was based on AR-15 or AR-10 dimensions.
Barrel lengths range from 7 to 24 inches depending on make, model, and caliber. With this wide range of barrels come a variety of gas system lengths. The length of the gas system determines how much gas gets routed back into the chamber to operate the action, and how long the operating system is pressurized by that gas. This can effect practical metrics like felt recoil and service life of the moving parts. Several manufactures have even produced variations on the AR that use a piston-driven action instead of a gas-driven action. (The latter is sometimes referred to as a direct impingement system, or DI for short.) As the names imply, a piston-driven gun uses exhaust gas from the burnt gunpowder to push a metal piston, that drives the bolt carrier in order to cycle the action whereas a DI gun blows a jet of gas directly into the bolt carrier to cycle the action on gas pressure alone. Many folks have strong opinions on the pros and cons of each system but, at the end of the day, there is plenty of room in the market for both systems. Both systems have proven commercially successful from various manufacturers.
A blossoming aftermarket has made almost every individual component of the design swappable to the user’s content. Stocks, pistol grips, forends, optics, triggers, muzzle devices, buffer weights and springs – every single one of these can be changed to something other than what’s on the particular rifle you purchase, and many of them can be changed by the end user with simple hand tools while sitting on the couch. So don’t feel trapped by what’s on the rack at your local gun store. Talk to the staff who, in many places, either have an on-hand gunsmith to make parts swaps or can point you to someone they trust.
WHAT DO I DO?
Shop around on your own or tell the staff what you’re looking for and what your price range is. There is almost certainly an AR-15 that will do what you want at the budget you’ve set. The market is massive, and still getting bigger by the day. Figure out what your needs and wants are, then work backwards. But rest assured there is most definitely an AR out there for you, which might explain how it got it’s other nickname: America’s Rifle.
OTHER BLOGS YOU WILL FIND OF INTEREST:
CLASSES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN:
- The AR15 for Defense I, II, III & IV
