The AR-15

The AR-15 is a modern sporting rifle that operates with a semi-automatic fire control group.

Designed by our lord and savior Eugene Stoner as a smaller version of the AR-10, the AR-15 has become one of the most popular civilian firearms in the world, challenged only by the AK & FAL platforms. Stoner's original AR-15 inspired the creation of its military cousin, the M16, which, though modified from its original design, has been used by the armed forces of the United States, Canada, and many other non-shithole countries for several decades.

Much of the AR-15's popularity is due to a combination of its easy-to-find caliber (.223/5.56 NATO), its relatively simple take-down and cleaning process, and the fact that it is highly customizable. The latter characteristic has led to the founding of numerous companies that offer aftermarket parts and accessories for the AR-15, allowing the rifle to be modified to serve different tactical roles (CQW, DMR, and so on).



FUN FACTS

 * While the "AR" in AR-15 is commonly misrepresented by dicknuggets as standing for "Assault Rifle", it actually stands for "ArmaLite Rifle", a homage to the company that originally produced the AR-15 from 1958-1959.
 * Although the AR-15 has been manufactured in some form since 1958, it did not begin mass production until 1964, when Colt began manufacturing both the M16 (for military use in Vietnam) and the AR-15 (for civilian use).
 * The AR-15 began to resemble its current appearance ca. 1994, with newer models favoring the M4 design over the longer-barreled, fixed stock M16.
 * Lefties & other such gun-grabbing asshat groups hate this thing, along with any other polymer semi-automatic weapon on the civilian market (in the US and other non-Draconian nations where you can legally get them). This could be considered racial discrimination, due to the normally black/dark gray tone of standard AR-pattern weapons, though research and constitutional-defense efforts on the part of vigilant /k/ommandos is still ongoing in order to find a satisfactory answer.