The history of AR-15 rifles is a strange history of the rifle that almost never was. It was one of the prototypes of Eugene Stoner, who was developing the AR-10 rifles with the hope it would be the new US military firearm. The military loved the initial test of the AR-10 rifle chambered in 308. Unfortunately for the AR-10, the Japanese government did not allow further testing of this remarkable firearm on Japanese soil. Due to the anti-aggression treaty signed after World War II, Japan forbid the rights of military testing in Japan for purposes of developing a rifle for the Vietnam War.
Due to this fluke, Colt Arms had already developed and manufactured the M16 rifles, which were considered sub-par at the time, with the blow back operation compared to the pistol-operated design of the AR-10 rifle. Most military service personnel didn’t much care for the smaller cartridge on top of the “space age design”. Using alloys and polymer, the M16 firearm was the first of its kind, especially to be adopted by the US military.
Initially Eugene Stoner had suggestions to make the M16 rifles fit more seamlessly into a military role, but those additions fell on deaf ears. Unfortunately, a lot of veterans can tell you horror stories about the first wave of productions of Colt M16 rifles. After the Vietnam War, the military began to take a new look at the M16 rifle, and compared it to civilian AR-15 rifles. During the upgrade process, military developers looked to companies like Bushmaster, who is well known for the Bushmaster AR-15 rifles, to help improve reliability.
The A2 was born. It was used for training in military applications; the A2 was the fit of form and function. The civilian AR-15 rifles have never been the same. Now AR-15 firearms are used for everything from varmint hunting to tactical competitive shooting. The AR-15 rifle is produced by more then a dozen companies now; even personalized AR-15 lower receivers are now available, produced to standard specifications.
AR-15 rifles are now available from numerous brands like Alexander Arms, Bushmaster, Cobb Arms, Colt Arms, DPMS Arms, Olympic Arms, Smith & Wesson, Stag Arms, Wilson Combat, and many more. You can get an AR-15 rifle with extras such as the M4 feed cuts or flattop configurations for easy sight removal or assembly. After over fifty years of development, these AR-15 rifles are well on their way to being the top selling firearms on the market. Not too bad for a fluke design, which the developer had almost given up on.
The AR-15 rifles have gained popularity and credit over the years, with shooters willing to forgive mistakes of the past. Since development is an ongoing process of these remarkable AR-15 firearms, shooters have learned to accept a few years of gray area to get to the golden age of AR-15 firearms. Now produced are AR-15 pistols, as well as many other AR-15 style firearms. There is sure to be an AR-15 for whatever your needs. Ranging from $600 to well over $2,000, these rifles are well-built and developed for every kind of shooter.