signalmankenneth
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The AR-15 is a military and civilian gas-operated rifle that has been produced in many different versions. The term "AR-15" was chosen by Colt for the civilian models it produced after selling the rifle to the US military as the M16 rifle, and many people and references use the term "AR-15" exclusively for civilian models. This article discusses the original design for military users and its major variants, however they are labeled. AR-15 rifles are lightweight, magazine-fed, air-cooled, fire an intermediate cartridge, and are manufactured with extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials.
The AR-15 was first built in 1959 by ArmaLite as a small arms rifle for the United States armed forces. Because of financial problems, ArmaLite sold the design to Colt. After some modifications, the redesigned rifle was adopted as the M16 rifle. In 1963, Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the rifle for civilians designated as the Colt SP1. Although the name "AR-15" remains a Colt registered trademark, variants of the firearm are made, modified, and sold under various names by multiple manufacturers.
From Wikipedia
The AR-15 was first built in 1959 by ArmaLite as a small arms rifle for the United States armed forces. Because of financial problems, ArmaLite sold the design to Colt. After some modifications, the redesigned rifle was adopted as the M16 rifle. In 1963, Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the rifle for civilians designated as the Colt SP1. Although the name "AR-15" remains a Colt registered trademark, variants of the firearm are made, modified, and sold under various names by multiple manufacturers.
From Wikipedia
