Everyone has heard of the famous AR-15 rifle, first used by the U.S. Military in Vietnam and later becoming one of the best-selling semi-automatic rifles in the consumer marketplace of all time.
Armalite, in business for over 60 years, was the company that first held the patent for the AR15. The letters “AR” stand for Armalite Rifle.
Here we highlight three of these iconic brand rifles, but first, it might be useful to know a bit more about the history of the Armalite brand.
History
Fairchild Engine and Airplane company established a division called Armalite in 1954 to develop weapons as part of the company’s military contract work. The AR1 Parasniper rifle was the first to use a foam-filled fiberglass stock.
Two years later, in 1956, the U.S. Army asked Armalite to work on a replacement weapon for the M1 Garand. Armalite developed and patented the AR-15 rifle. Using aircraft-grade aluminum receivers, it was an extremely light rifle compared to anything in the market at the time.
Armalite eventually licensed the patent to the Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company. Colt eventually developed and sold the gun to the U.S. Army. Armalite stayed in business developing and manufacturing other weapons, including tactical rifles.
Armalite Tactical Weapons
In general, tactical firearms have several characteristics that place them in the tactical firearms category. They are built for a high level of performance and, for legal sale to the public, are semi-automatic. Tactical gun magazines generally have a higher capacity than other types of semi-automatic, magazine-fed weapons.
Many tactical firearms have adjustable stocks to fit any size shooter, custom grips to enhance the ease of use and security of the shooter’s hold of the firearm. Many have custom optics mounted as well, either a scope, laser, or fiber optic sights. Unlike many rifles, tactical guns may not come with traditional iron sights as they interfere with optics that maybe later installed on the gun.
AR-10
The military adopted this popular gun as part of their self-defense inventory. The features an adjustable gas block, flip-up sights, flash suppressing compensator, two-stage precision trigger, and a 25-round Magpul. It is a .308 caliber with a double lapped, chrome-lined barrel. The barrel is 20 inches in length with a twist rate of 1:11.25 RH.
M-15
This gun features an 18-inch barrel and has a reputation as being an extremely rugged tactical rifle. Using .223 ammunition, the barrel is made out of match-grade, stainless steel. The gas system is comprised of an adjustable gas block throughout the rifle length.
The M-15 features a full-length MIL-STD 1913 rail for the front sight base and a 15-inch tactical handguard with an adjustable stock. The trigger is two-stage precision, and the safety is ambidextrous. The magazine is a 30-round Magpul.
M-15 16” Light Tactical Carbine
This is an affordable gun that comes in a .223 caliber. This is a light tactical carbine that has a barrel length of 16-inches and is made out of chrome lined/chrome moly vanadium. The gas system is a low-profile gas block with a twist rate of 1:7 RH. The stock is adjustable with 6-position collapsible.
Armalite’s light tactical carbine features a standard safety with a single-stage trigger. The finish is made of hard-anodized aluminum and manganese phosphate steel.
Variety of Tactical Firearms
Armalite offers a variety of tactical weapons to fit every shooter. They pride themselves on quality, style, and performance. Visit IFA’s online or brick and mortar tactical gun store and check out Armalite tactical rifles for yourself.
