• Source: Armalite AR-16

The AR-16 was an American battle rifle produced by ArmaLite.




History


The AR-16 was developed shortly after ArmaLite's previous rifle, the AR-15. It was designed by Eugene Stoner in 1959 and unlike the AR-15, it was not intended for domestic use by the US Army; it was instead marketed towards emerging nations with a limited industrial base. The 7.62×51mm cartridge was selected for the AR-16, rather than the 5.56×45mm cartridge which had recently been standardized by NATO, because it was perceived that the AR-16's intended customers would be still reliant on 7.62mm and unwilling to buy 5.56mm rifles. In a marketing ploy, ArmaLite also emphasized that the machine tools used to produce the gun could be re-purposed for agricultural and office purposes. The AR-16 was briefly marketed in the early 1960s but never entered full production due to a lack of sales. There was very little interest in the design, as most NATO member states were in the process of adopting the 5.56×45mm cartridge, and countries that were still using 7.62×51mm were largely satisfied with the FN FAL. In order to adapt to the changing market, ArmaLite redesigned the weapon in 5.56mm; this evolved into the ArmaLite AR-18. Plans were made for several variants of the standard AR-16, including a 9mm submachine gun and a civilian sporting rifle. Ultimately, only a carbine variant was ever made.




Design


The AR-16 was a gas-operated, selective-fire rifle that utilized a rotating bolt. In order to facilitate for ease of production, the design of the rifle was kept relatively simple and it was made from inexpensive sheet metal pressings. The only machined components were the barrel, bolt carrier, and a pair of brackets. The bolt, extractor, and flash hider could be machined but this was inessential. The carbine model of the AR-16 featured a folding stock.




Variants






= 9x19mm submachine gun

=
This variant of the AR-16 was planned to run on 9×19mm Parabellum, and to be a submachine gun. However, this variant was never made.




= Civilian sporting rifle

=
This variant of the AR-16 was planned to be a civilian sporting rifle. However, this version was never made.




= Carbine variant

=
This variant was the only one constructed out of the three variants. This variant had a folding stock, but no other major differences.




See also


List of battle rifles
List of 7.62×51mm NATO firearms
L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle
T48 rifle
CETME rifle
Heckler & Koch G3




References

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