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The AR-15 is a lightweight, air-cooled, magazine fed, autoloading, centerfire rifle. more...

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The original ArmaLite/Colt AR-15 was a selective-fire prototype submitted for consideration as a military infantry rifle, and is distinguished from later civilian-model AR-15 and AR-15A2 rifles marketed by Colt Firearms.

History

The AR-15 is based on the 7.62mm AR-10, designed by Eugene Stoner of the Fairchild ArmaLite corporation. The AR-15 was developed as a lighter, 5.56mm version of the AR-10. The "AR" in AR-15 comes from the ArmaLite name, not "assault rifle" as is commonly believed; ArmaLite's AR-1, AR-5, and some subsequent models were bolt action rifles, and there are shotguns and pistols whose model numbers also include the "AR" prefix. ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt in 1959. Colt marketed the AR-15 rifle to various military services around the world, including the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps. The AR-15 was eventually adopted by the United States military under the designation M16. However, Colt continued to use the AR-15 trademark for its semi-automatic variants (AR-15, AR-15A2) marketed to civilian and law-enforcement customers. The original AR-15 was a very lightweight weapon, weighing less than 6 pounds with empty magazine, though later heavy-barrel versions of the civilian AR-15 can weigh upwards of 8.5 lbs.

Today the civilian-model AR-15 and its variations are manufactured by many companies and have captured the affection of sport shooters and police forces around the world due to their accuracy and modularity. (Please refer to the M16 for a more complete history of the development and evolution of the AR-15 and derivatives.)

The trademark "AR15" or "AR-15" is registered to Colt Industries, which maintains that the term should only be used to refer to their products. Other manufacturers make AR-15 clones marketed under separate designations, although colloquially, these are sometimes also referred to by the term "AR-15".

Some revolutionary or otherwise notable features of the AR-15:

Aircraft grade aluminum receiver; Modular design allows for a variety of accessories and makes repair easier; Small caliber, accurate, high velocity round; Synthetic stock and grips do not warp or splinter; Front sight adjustable for elevation; Rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation; Wide array of optical devices available in addition to or as replacements of ironsights; A direct impingement gas system;

Semi-automatic and automatic variants of the AR-15 are effectively identical in appearance. Automatic variants have a rotating selective fire switch, allowing the operator to select between three modes: safe, semi-automatic, and either automatic or three round burst, depending on model. Civilian AR-15 models usually do not have three-round burst or automatic settings on the fire selector (e.g., Bushmaster Firearms. In semi-automatic only variants, the selector only rotates between safe and semi-automatic.

Read more at Wikipedia.org