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.
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 countries 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 variant 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.