colt ar15 rifle

The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. The “AR” stands for the first two letters of ArmaLite.^[1] It was designed with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials to reduce weight.^[2][3] Colt’s Manufacturing Company currently uses the AR-15 trademark for its line of semi-automatic AR-15 rifles.

colt ar15 rifle

Due to financial problems, and limitations in terms of manpower and production capacity, ArmaLite sold the AR-15 design and the AR-15 trademark along with the ArmaLite AR-10 to Colt’s Manufacturing Company in 1959.^[4] Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle as the Colt AR-15 in 1964.^[5][6][7] The first mass production version was the Colt AR-15 Sporter, in .223 Remington, with a 20-inch barrel and issued with 5-round magazines.^[6] Over the decades, Colt has made many different types of AR-15 rifle and carbine models, including the AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3, AR-15A4, and many other models.

ar15 rifle case

Although the sale of new AR-15s was banned by the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 to 2004, Colt and others continued to sell legally compliant versions during that period.^[8] On September 20, 2019, Colt announced that it would no longer produce the AR-15 for private use, due to market saturation. It would still produce the AR-15 for police and military units though.^[3] However, by May 2020, changed market conditions and a significant increase in demand allowed Colt to resume production for sales to private users.^[9]

U.S. Patent 2,951,424 describes the cycling mechanism used in the original AR-15. The bolt carrier acts as a movable cylinder and the bolt itself acts as a stationary piston.

The gas expands into the port and down a gas tube, located above the barrel that runs from the front. Here, the gas tube protrudes into a “gas key” (bolt carrier key), which accepts the gas and funnels it into the bolt carrier.^[11]

best ar15 rifle

At this point, the bolt is locked into the barrel extension by locking lugs, so the expanding gas forces the'[. As the bolt carrier moves toward the butt of the gun, the bolt cam pin, riding in a slot on. The bolt’s rearward motion extracts the empty cartridge case from the chamber. As soon as the neck of the case clears the barrel extension, the bolt’s spring-loaded ejector forces it out.

Behind the bolt carrier is a plastic or metal buffer, which rests in line with a return spring. A groove machined into the upper receiver guides the bolt cam pin and prevents it and the bolt from rotating. The bolt’s locking lugs push a fresh round from the magazine as the bolt moves forward. As the bolt’s locking lugs move past the barrel extension, the cam pin twists into a pocket milled into the. This twisting action follows the groove cut into the carrier and forces the bolt to twist and “lock” into the.

Smith & Wesson M&P15T 5.56 AR15 Rifle

AR15 Rifle Designed for a multitude of sport shooting conditions, personal defense, and professional applications the M&P15T 5.56 rifle from Smith and Wesson is not only reliable but versatile as well.

Smith and Wesson manufacture the S&W M&P series rifles with barrels cold hammer-forged from 4140 steel and are lightweight but rugged, providing the shooter a great combination of functionality and stylish form.