The AR-15/M16/M4 series rifle is undoubtedly the most popular rifle in the United States for all military, law enforcement and commercial markets. It is the most versatile platform of rifle on the face of the planet. Another rifle has crept up into that popularity, one that was on the scrap heap of the US Army for nearly 40 years; it would be the one that started it all, the AR-10. “Tomorrows Rifle Today” in the late 1950’s has turned out to be today’s rifle today! The rifle that Ordnance Corp would dismiss in the late 1950’s would have its day in the late 1990’s. And in the new millennium it would serve as the primary sniper rifle for the US Special Operations Command, as well as, the US Army replacing M24 bolt action rifles. But where did it all begin?
In 1953, George Sullivan gained interest by Richard Boutelle of Fairchild Engine and Aircraft for his idea of developing a small arms design firm. Boutelle, a gun enthusiast, invested capital to start up this new company on October 1, 1954. The money came from the research and development budget of Fairchild. This company would have an impact on the history and direction of the modern battle rifle in the US, beyond Sullivan’s and Boutelle’s expectations. The ArmaLite, Corporation was born. The Fairchild winged Pegasus would have a circle and cross hairs super imposed as the symbol of the new corporation. ArmaLite was envisioned to be a “think tank”, not a small arms manufacturer. The new designs were to be made but manufactured by a dedicated manufacturing facility.
In 1953, George Sullivan gained interest by Richard Boutelle of Fairchild Engine and Aircraft for his idea of developing a small arms design firm. Boutelle, a gun enthusiast, invested capital to start up this new company on October 1, 1954. The money came from the research and development budget of Fairchild. This company would have an impact on the history and direction of the modern battle rifle in the US, beyond Sullivan’s and Boutelle’s expectations. The ArmaLite, Corporation was born. The Fairchild winged Pegasus would have a circle and cross hairs super imposed as the symbol of the new corporation. ArmaLite was envisioned to be a “think tank”, not a small arms manufacturer. The new designs were to be made but manufactured by a dedicated manufacturing facility.
Success in life is all about timing, being in the right place at the right time, and even more so, having an individual that knows how to spot talent and grab it up. While working on a prototype rifle, George Sullivan was test firing his design at the Topanga Canyon Shooting Range outside of Los Angeles where he saw and met a young man who was doing the exact same thing. That young man was Eugene Morrison Stoner. Stoner was born in Gasport, Indiana on November 11, 1922. His family would later move to California. In 1939 Stoner worked for Vega Aircraft and with the US entering World War II, Stoner would serve in the Marine Corps as an Ordnance Specialist. At the time of his chance meeting with Sullivan, Stoner was making dental plates, and in his spare time he would design advanced rifles. Sullivan was very impressed with Stoners rifle he was testing, later known as the AR-3 and hired him as the Chief Design Engineer at ArmaLite. The AR-3 was granted US Patent Number 2,951,424.
Stoner was a genius. In fact, a "radical" would be the proper word. In a world of tradition, which required steel and wood, young Stoner would take his experience in the state of the art aircraft industry and apply that technology to firearms development. Using aircraft grade aluminum and synthetic materials in place of the traditional wood and steel, Stoner would create the lightest battle rifle in the world. But was the world, particularly the US Ordnance Corps, ready for it?
Stoner’s new concept, the AR-10 would deviate from tradition. First, the AR-10 would be completely in-line construction, meaning the barrel, bolt, bolt carrier, recoil spring and buffer were directly in line with the shooters shoulder. This reduces traditional muzzle rise and felt recoil compared to the traditional M1/M14 rifles. This also makes the rifle firing in fully automatic that much more controllable. Due to no drop in the stock, the sights had to be raised so the shooter could see through them; hence the carrying handle (third prototype) was born which would become an icon for Stoner designed weapons.
Stoner was a genius. In fact, a "radical" would be the proper word. In a world of tradition, which required steel and wood, young Stoner would take his experience in the state of the art aircraft industry and apply that technology to firearms development. Using aircraft grade aluminum and synthetic materials in place of the traditional wood and steel, Stoner would create the lightest battle rifle in the world. But was the world, particularly the US Ordnance Corps, ready for it?
Stoner’s new concept, the AR-10 would deviate from tradition. First, the AR-10 would be completely in-line construction, meaning the barrel, bolt, bolt carrier, recoil spring and buffer were directly in line with the shooters shoulder. This reduces traditional muzzle rise and felt recoil compared to the traditional M1/M14 rifles. This also makes the rifle firing in fully automatic that much more controllable. Due to no drop in the stock, the sights had to be raised so the shooter could see through them; hence the carrying handle (third prototype) was born which would become an icon for Stoner designed weapons.
The first prototype rifle had the needed raised front and rear sight and was chambered for the 7.62x63mm (30-06 Springfield) cartridge. The cartridges were fed from a standard BAR magazine. The stock had a tubular stock with a butt plate added to the rear. This rifle used the same direct gas system that was in Stoners AR-3 rifle, which we will later discuss in more detail.
The second prototype added a telescope sight which was raised up to allow the shooters eye to align. Stoner added a more conventional stock to the rifle. The pistol grip was made from the same material as the stock and handguards. There were no iron sights on this model. This model also differed in that it was chambered for the 7.62x51mm cartridge that was soon to be adopted as the standard cartridge for the U.S. military.
The third prototype was far closer to the finalized AR-10. Many new features were added and the gas system was altered. First thing you notice is the carrying handle on the upper receiver containing the rear sight, and the raised front sight. Also, you will notice the front sight is attached to a muzzle compensator. The bolt was designed after the Mel Johnson designed multi lug bolt. There are seven lugs and the extractor.
The fourth prototype is the “AR10” which is the basic design of the entire family of weapons - the building block, if you will. Notice the familiar carrying handle and aluminum receivers. This rifle used a unique new gas system. Although previously used on the Swedish AG42B and the French MAS44 and MAS49/56, the new part of the system was to be a gas cut off once enough gas was used to operate the action. This reduced recoil and increased the service life of the moving parts of the rifle.
When the rifle would fire, the bullet traveled down the barrel until it passed the gas port. Gas was tapped from the barrel into the gas port and traveled down a long gas tube (exhaust pipe like) on the left side of the barrel. The gas tube entered the side of the bolt carrier group. There a piston chamber was created between the back of the bolt carrier and bolt. The gas created a hammer like blow driving the bolt carrier to the rear. The cam is rotated by the notch in the receiver unlocking the bolt as it moves rearward. This also acted as the cut off for the gas once the bolt begins its rearward travel venting off the unused gas. As the bolt carrier moves rearward the fired cartridge case is extracted and ejected from the rifle once the mouth of the case clears the ejection port. Now the spring-loaded buffer returns the bolt carrier group forward with the bottom two lugs stripping off the top cartridge from the magazine feeding and chambering the round. Then final movement locks the bolt into the barrel extension.
This gas system eliminated several heavy parts of the traditional piston mechanism, including a heavy operating rod. The recoil was drastically eliminated due to not having the mass of an operating rod and piston slamming into the shooters shoulder. This decrease in weight of the carrier group increases accuracy as well. To further lesson recoil in this in-line constructed rifle, a muzzle compensator was added. This made recoil with the larger 7.62x51mm caliber round smooth and easy.
The 4th prototype took on more of what we see today in the design of the AR-10/AR-15. The rifle has two receivers, an upper and lower, held on by front pivot pin and a rear takedown pin. The receivers were manufactured from state of the art 7075 T6 aircraft aluminum forgings. The stock and pistol grip were manufactured from foam filled phenolic resin, which was lightweight, very strong and impervious to the elements unlike traditional wood. The rifle was fed from an aluminum 20 round magazine. For strength, reinforcing ridges were pressed into the sides of the magazine giving it the “waffle” appearance. These magazines were intended on being disposable in combat. Due to the magazine being lightweight, soldiers would be able to carry more ammunition in pre-loaded magazines compared to the previous rifles.
The 4th prototype took on more of what we see today in the design of the AR-10/AR-15. The rifle has two receivers, an upper and lower, held on by front pivot pin and a rear takedown pin. The receivers were manufactured from state of the art 7075 T6 aircraft aluminum forgings. The stock and pistol grip were manufactured from foam filled phenolic resin, which was lightweight, very strong and impervious to the elements unlike traditional wood. The rifle was fed from an aluminum 20 round magazine. For strength, reinforcing ridges were pressed into the sides of the magazine giving it the “waffle” appearance. These magazines were intended on being disposable in combat. Due to the magazine being lightweight, soldiers would be able to carry more ammunition in pre-loaded magazines compared to the previous rifles.
Another outstanding feature of the design and one that would certainly decrease weight was the design of a barrel extension for the multi lug bolt to lock into. Unlike previous designs, a large chunk of metal surrounds the chamber to contain the pressures of the chamber and afford a location for the bolt to lock into. The AR-10 barrel extension screwed onto the rear of the chamber and focused the pressure into a small area. US Patent Number 3,027,672 was granted for the barrel extension on April 3, 1962.
The rifle was very user friendly. With the shooting hand, the thumb actuated the selector lever and trigger finger actuated the trigger and magazine release button. The left hand actuated the bolt catch and cocking handle located inside the carrying handle on top of the rifle. The left hand also loaded and unloaded the magazine.
The rifle appeared futuristic and broke with traditions of what a military rifle was supposed to look and feel like. It was too new for some and those were often the influential people making the decisions on procurement. Many new designs were tried to make use of new materials, such as the use of aluminum barrels. That came to no avail, but it shows the type of research and development that went on at ArmaLite.
In late 1955, the US Army got their first look at the new AR-10. It was demonstrated to high ranking officials at the Infantry School at Fort Benning and Headquarters, Continental Army Command at Fort Monroe. It was ArmaLite’s hope to delay the selection of the new rifle to replace the M1. The T44 (M14) and the T48 (FAL) had been tested for quite some time and the decision was close. Using the 4th prototype as the base, 50 rifles were handmade. The barrels were a controversial issue within the walls of the ArmaLite shop. Stoner had highly recommended and fought to have standard military grade steel barrels used. Sullivan, however, overruled his recommendations, and they used aluminum barrels swagged around 416 SS rifled liners.
The rifle appeared futuristic and broke with traditions of what a military rifle was supposed to look and feel like. It was too new for some and those were often the influential people making the decisions on procurement. Many new designs were tried to make use of new materials, such as the use of aluminum barrels. That came to no avail, but it shows the type of research and development that went on at ArmaLite.
In late 1955, the US Army got their first look at the new AR-10. It was demonstrated to high ranking officials at the Infantry School at Fort Benning and Headquarters, Continental Army Command at Fort Monroe. It was ArmaLite’s hope to delay the selection of the new rifle to replace the M1. The T44 (M14) and the T48 (FAL) had been tested for quite some time and the decision was close. Using the 4th prototype as the base, 50 rifles were handmade. The barrels were a controversial issue within the walls of the ArmaLite shop. Stoner had highly recommended and fought to have standard military grade steel barrels used. Sullivan, however, overruled his recommendations, and they used aluminum barrels swagged around 416 SS rifled liners.
In early 1956, two rifles were submitted to Springfield Armory for testing. They were serial numbers 1002 and 1004. Almost immediately failures erupted. These would include broken extractors, failures to feed, bolt over base, failures of the muzzle compensator, bent gas tubes and pierced primers. The rifles were sent back to ArmaLite to have the problems corrected.
In 1957 the rifles were returned to continue the testing. ArmaLite corrected the issues the best they could given the time constraints. The muzzle compensator material was changed to titanium. However, if there was one single event in the history of the testing that doomed the AR-10 from being the next US service rifle it was the catastrophic failure of the barrel on serial number 1002. During a full auto test, on round 5,564 and 109th in the last portion of the test, an 8-inch-long rupture occurred on the left side of the barrel and the handguard, just missing the shooters hand. The bullet exited out the left side of the rupture. Metallurgical investigation showed the 416 SS liners could not handle the strain. The entire surface was covered with stress cracks. Stoner worked all weekend to produce standard steel barrels to complete the test. The finger pointed at Sullivan. He made a decision against his Chief Engineer when he had no gun design or metallurgical background to base the decision. It was a fateful one.
The Springfield report was issued stating it would take at least 5 years to properly develop the AR-10 and that it basically was nowhere near ready for prime time. Of course, ArmaLite disagreed. Charlie Dorchester stated that “One of the Springfield test staff fired the AR-10 and I was looking over his shoulder and he wrote on the report that this was the best lightweight automatic rifle ever tested at Springfield Arsenal. But a few minutes later his supervisor looked at the statement and erased every word.”
There was more to consider on the part of Springfield Armory. They had to protect their T44 right or wrong. Too many jobs and high-ranking careers were on the line if Springfield stopped producing rifles and shut down for a new home-grown rifle or a foreign made rifle. This would cloud their judgment and prevent the American soldier from having the finest weapon, but they felt that was a proper trade off in their minds. This same attitude would later be their final downfall when SOD McNamara closed OSD doors forever after the botch of the M16 program.
The AR-10 had suffered from several disadvantages through no fault of its own. First it entered the competition too late in the game. It was simply not ready. The rifles it was competing against had years of refinement in their favor. ArmaLite would continue to refine the AR-10 but not for the US Government. But they also needed somebody to sell and build it. Fairchild divided the world into four different sections. Sam Cummings would get Central and South America, Sub-Sahara Africa and Scandinavia minus Denmark. Cooper and McDonald would get Asia. SIDEM International would get Europe and North Africa and Fairchild would get the US.
The Springfield report was issued stating it would take at least 5 years to properly develop the AR-10 and that it basically was nowhere near ready for prime time. Of course, ArmaLite disagreed. Charlie Dorchester stated that “One of the Springfield test staff fired the AR-10 and I was looking over his shoulder and he wrote on the report that this was the best lightweight automatic rifle ever tested at Springfield Arsenal. But a few minutes later his supervisor looked at the statement and erased every word.”
There was more to consider on the part of Springfield Armory. They had to protect their T44 right or wrong. Too many jobs and high-ranking careers were on the line if Springfield stopped producing rifles and shut down for a new home-grown rifle or a foreign made rifle. This would cloud their judgment and prevent the American soldier from having the finest weapon, but they felt that was a proper trade off in their minds. This same attitude would later be their final downfall when SOD McNamara closed OSD doors forever after the botch of the M16 program.
The AR-10 had suffered from several disadvantages through no fault of its own. First it entered the competition too late in the game. It was simply not ready. The rifles it was competing against had years of refinement in their favor. ArmaLite would continue to refine the AR-10 but not for the US Government. But they also needed somebody to sell and build it. Fairchild divided the world into four different sections. Sam Cummings would get Central and South America, Sub-Sahara Africa and Scandinavia minus Denmark. Cooper and McDonald would get Asia. SIDEM International would get Europe and North Africa and Fairchild would get the US.
Finding a factory to build the AR-10 was handled by Boutelle. He had previous dealings with a Dutch company in Hembrug-Zanndam called A.I. or Artillerie-Inrichtingen. This company was jointly owned by the Dutch government and private industry. They had the capacity to build the rifle. Their director Fried Jungeling had first heard of the rifle in a Times Magazine article called “The Aluminum Rifle”. The contract was signed on July 4, 1957. The contract contained that A.I. would produce rifles licensed from ArmaLite and would sell through their agents. They would pay a royalty on each rifle produced and build 2000 rifles within a year of the signing of this agreement and then 10,000 per month after. At this time, L. James Sullivan and Art Miller came to work for ArmaLite. Miller became Stoners assistant and was sent to Holland to work with A.I. on rifle manufacturing. A.I. had many start-up issues and were slow by western standards. They wanted to take their time and do the job right.
There were several initial production changes to the AR-10 to get it ready for production. These would include moving the gas tube to the top of the rifle from the left side and a gas valve to be added in front of the front sight base. The muzzle compensator was removed and replaced with an open prong flash suppressor. Fluted steel barrels were used to decrease weight of the rifle and a steel butt plate was added. The handguards were brown and manufactured from fiberglass woven over a brass tube with several vent holes.
The first sale made of the AR-10 was 2500 rifles at $225 each to the Sudan. These rifles had a slight modification to the barrel. They had a stainless-steel barrel with a bayonet lug. The rifles were delivered in October of 1958 on schedule. An additional 200 to 600 rifles were sold to Guatemala. These numbers were far smaller than ArmaLite hoped for or needed to keep the company afloat. ArmaLite was in financial crisis.
A.I. was responsible for getting the rifle adopted by the Dutch Army. In the final downselect, the AR-10 was competing with the FAL rifle. The baseline rifle for comparison was the M1 Garand rifle. Again, the AR-10 was dealing with the fully developed FAL rifle, a similar situation played out with the US Army. The FAL was manufactured by a world-renowned rifle manufacturer. The UK and Canada had already selected the FAL. For all intents and purposes the AR-10 was still considered a prototype rifle. A.I. delivered 20 rifles to the Dutch Army for testing. The request was made to submit later, improved rifles for testing, but the Army refused the swap. The testing done by the Dutch Army found major parts breakage. The rifles shot very accurate but that was not enough, the FAL won in Holland.
The rifle was tested by South Africa where it competed against the FAL, Spanish CETME (G3) and the Swiss StG57. The stakes were extremely high; ArmaLite and A.I. were in serious financial crisis. This was not only a sale of rifles but a license to produce the rifles in South Africa. FAL again won but the AR-10 came out second. As the saying goes, second place is the first loser.
The last sale made was to Portugal. SIDEM sold 1200 rifles in 1960 which grew from 4 to 5000. The rifle had some changes, including a telescopic charging handle, which also worked as a forward assist and widening of the bolt locking lugs to strengthen the bolt. There was a provision to mount a bayonet at the 12:00 position and the chamber was chrome plated. The Portuguese liked the AR10 very much and used them in their colonies in Angola and Mozambique. The AR-10 was selected over both the FAL and the G3. Shortly after the sale, A.I stopped production of the AR-10 and the Portuguese were cut off and no longer able to procure any more of the rifle.
ArmaLite went on to work on the new high velocity caliber AR15. Many of the refinements made on the AR15 were carried over to a modified AR-10 and it was renamed the AR-10A. In 1959 the rights to both the AR15 and the AR10 were sold to Colt. In 1961 Stoner left ArmaLite to go to work for Cadillac Gauge and Art Miller became the Chief Designer. After Boutelle left, Fairchild sold ArmaLite to George Sullivan in 1962. With funding by Capital South West ArmaLite Corporations was now called ArmaLite, Inc. The Fairchild winged Pegasus was replaced by a lion. Then in 1971 Charlie Dorchester bought out Capital South West and became Chairman of the Board with Rick Klotzly as President. Then in 1980 ArmaLite was sold to John Ugante.
There were several initial production changes to the AR-10 to get it ready for production. These would include moving the gas tube to the top of the rifle from the left side and a gas valve to be added in front of the front sight base. The muzzle compensator was removed and replaced with an open prong flash suppressor. Fluted steel barrels were used to decrease weight of the rifle and a steel butt plate was added. The handguards were brown and manufactured from fiberglass woven over a brass tube with several vent holes.
The first sale made of the AR-10 was 2500 rifles at $225 each to the Sudan. These rifles had a slight modification to the barrel. They had a stainless-steel barrel with a bayonet lug. The rifles were delivered in October of 1958 on schedule. An additional 200 to 600 rifles were sold to Guatemala. These numbers were far smaller than ArmaLite hoped for or needed to keep the company afloat. ArmaLite was in financial crisis.
A.I. was responsible for getting the rifle adopted by the Dutch Army. In the final downselect, the AR-10 was competing with the FAL rifle. The baseline rifle for comparison was the M1 Garand rifle. Again, the AR-10 was dealing with the fully developed FAL rifle, a similar situation played out with the US Army. The FAL was manufactured by a world-renowned rifle manufacturer. The UK and Canada had already selected the FAL. For all intents and purposes the AR-10 was still considered a prototype rifle. A.I. delivered 20 rifles to the Dutch Army for testing. The request was made to submit later, improved rifles for testing, but the Army refused the swap. The testing done by the Dutch Army found major parts breakage. The rifles shot very accurate but that was not enough, the FAL won in Holland.
The rifle was tested by South Africa where it competed against the FAL, Spanish CETME (G3) and the Swiss StG57. The stakes were extremely high; ArmaLite and A.I. were in serious financial crisis. This was not only a sale of rifles but a license to produce the rifles in South Africa. FAL again won but the AR-10 came out second. As the saying goes, second place is the first loser.
The last sale made was to Portugal. SIDEM sold 1200 rifles in 1960 which grew from 4 to 5000. The rifle had some changes, including a telescopic charging handle, which also worked as a forward assist and widening of the bolt locking lugs to strengthen the bolt. There was a provision to mount a bayonet at the 12:00 position and the chamber was chrome plated. The Portuguese liked the AR10 very much and used them in their colonies in Angola and Mozambique. The AR-10 was selected over both the FAL and the G3. Shortly after the sale, A.I stopped production of the AR-10 and the Portuguese were cut off and no longer able to procure any more of the rifle.
ArmaLite went on to work on the new high velocity caliber AR15. Many of the refinements made on the AR15 were carried over to a modified AR-10 and it was renamed the AR-10A. In 1959 the rights to both the AR15 and the AR10 were sold to Colt. In 1961 Stoner left ArmaLite to go to work for Cadillac Gauge and Art Miller became the Chief Designer. After Boutelle left, Fairchild sold ArmaLite to George Sullivan in 1962. With funding by Capital South West ArmaLite Corporations was now called ArmaLite, Inc. The Fairchild winged Pegasus was replaced by a lion. Then in 1971 Charlie Dorchester bought out Capital South West and became Chairman of the Board with Rick Klotzly as President. Then in 1980 ArmaLite was sold to John Ugante.
The AR10 was in complete obscurity from 1959 until its reappearance in 1993. Stoner never forgot his AR-10 design and always preferred to design 7.62 weapons. He teamed up with C. Reed Knight II at Knight’s Armament Company in Vero Beach, Florida. There, he took the refinements of the M16A2 rifle and built a new AR-10 called the SR-25. SR stood for Stoner Rifle and the 25 came from adding the 10 in AR-10 and the 15 from AR-15. The new SR25 used a M24 barrel blank and was guaranteed to fire 1 MOA out of the box. The SR-25 touted 60% parts compatibility with the M16A2 rifle. The AR-10 was back and this time with a vengeance.
The SR25 would go on to be adopted by the United States Special Operations Command as the Mk11 Mod0 sniper rifle and be used by the most elite warriors on the planet. Then it would go on to be adopted as the M110 SASS (Semi Automatic Sniper System) and replace the outdated M24 bolt action sniper rifles in the US Army.
ArmaLite would have a rebirth as well. Former Army Ordnance Officer Mark Westrom bought Eagle Arms. There he began development of his own AR-10 type rifle. He chose to build a rifle based on the SR-25 subsystems. The receivers and bolt carrier groups would be compatible with the SR-25. This would give him a customer base for spare parts as well. But at the time the Clinton Assault Weapon Ban was in effect and high capacity magazines could not be sold to the public. Westrom wanted his customers to have a 20-round magazine so he modified the M14 steel magazine to work in his rifle. During this time, in 1996, Westrom purchased the trademark ArmaLite along with some other intellectual property. He introduced his new rifle as the AR-10 and made his own AR10A, which uses the original AR-10/SR-25 magazine. Westrom’s company has sold AR-10 sniper rifles throughout the world.
The newest and most advanced version of the AR-10 is manufactured by Karl Lewis, President of Lewis Machine and Tool. His LM8MWS represents the most advanced and modular rifle in the family of weapons. His departure is the use of his own designed monolithic upper receiver. The receiver is a single piece machined from a 7075 T6 forging. There is a continuous Mil-Std-1913 rail on top of the receiver. The LM8 design offers removable rail segments, which allow the user to put rails wherever they are needed. This decreases weight and the threat to damage of unused rails.
What truly makes this the next generation is the ability to remove the barrel at user level and replace the barrel with a 13.5, 16, 18 or 20-inch barrel. This enables configuration of the rifle to whatever mission it must accomplish. This is all by removing the Torx bolts. All that is needed is a torque wrench and T30 Torx bit. The bolts are removed, the barrel slides out and the desirable barrel is replaced in the receiver. Then 140-inch pound torque and the rifle is ready for action. Not only can you change out barrel lengths but calibers as well. The rifle can be chambered in 7.62x51mm/.308 Win, .243 Win, .260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor or .338 Federal. The rifle can be had in semi-automatic only or selective fire. One version of this rifle has been adopted by the British Army as their Sharpshooter rifle, the L129A1.
There are more than 20 different manufacturers making some form of the AR-10 as of this writing. The rifle sees use throughout the globe. The rifle is offered in the traditional direct gas impingement such as ArmaLite, LMT and KAC or in a short stroke piston such as LWRCI, Sig and H&K. They are made for any possible use from military combat rifles, sniper rifles, competitive rifles, self defense, hunting and target shooting. This design does all that. Stoner never lived to see how the rifle he designed in the late 1950’s, and was virtually ignored by the industry, would go on to serve his country in the global war on terrorism and become one of the most popular rifles in American history. This is a testament to his genius.
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