Armalite AR-5

This article is about the survival weapon. For other uses of AR 5, see AR 5 (disambiguation).
Armalite AR-5
Type Rifle
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service 1956
Used by United States Air Force
Production history
Manufacturer ArmaLite
Specifications
Weight 2.5 lb
Length 28"
Barrel length 14"[1]
Caliber .22 Hornet
Action Bolt-action
Feed system 5-round detachable box magazine

The Armalite AR-5 is a lightweight bolt-action rifle, chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge adopted as the MA-1 aircrew survival rifle. It was developed by ArmaLite, a division of Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation in 1954.

History

The Air Force needed a compact, lightweight, accurate rifle for North American XB-70 Valkyrie manned bomber aircrew's survival kits.[2] The AR-5 was submitted in response to a US Air Force request shortly after ArmaLite was established on October 1, 1954, and was officially adopted as the MA-1 in 1956.[3][4] However, the Air Force never received funding to buy more than the original 12 test models due to the cancellation of the XB-70 and due in part to the number of M4 and M6 survival weapons already in the inventory.[5][6][7] The MA-1 established ArmaLite as a recognized firearms company, leading to several other rifle designs of varying success (e.g., the AR-7, AR-10 and AR-15).

Design

22 Hornet

The earlier M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon is a superposed ("over-under") combination weapon with a .22 Hornet single-shot rifle barrel over a .410 shotgun barrel. While there is versatility to such a combination, the AR-5's detachable box magazine fed bolt action has the advantage of rapid fire capability. The AR-5, like the M4 Survival Rifle and M6 US Air Force survival rifles, used the .22 Hornet cartridge which has 2.3 times the muzzle velocity and 7 times the energy of the common .22 Long Rifle (when comparing 40 gr bullets), and yet still has a light recoil.

Designed to be stowed in cramped aircraft cockpits, the rifle was made from lightweight plastics and aluminum alloys. The AR-5 was unique for being able to be disassembled with all working parts stored within the stock. When stowed in this manner, the rifle was able to float.[8]

Armalite used the research and tooling for the AR-5/MA-1 to develop the AR-7, an eight-shot semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Released in 1959 as a civilian survival weapon and in continuous production since then, the AR-7 is related to the AR-5 in terms of its overall layout, and retains the same modular takedown, storage in stock, and the ability to float.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gordon L Rottman (20 October 2013). The Book of Gun Trivia: Essential Firepower Facts. Osprey Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-78200-620-6.
  2. ↑ Bierman, Harris (1971). "Armalite AR5A". GUNS & AMMO ANNUAL. Petersen's Publishing. p. 298.
  3. 1 2 "ArmaLite history" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Martin R Mason. AR Platform Firearms & Calibers. Lulu.com. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-329-00638-6.
  5. ↑ Bierman
  6. ↑ Long, Duncan (1990). AR-7 Super Systems. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press. pp. 4– 5.
  7. ↑ Frank Miniter (11 August 2014). The Future of the Gun. New York: Regnery Publishing, Incorporated, An Eagle Publishing Company. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-1-62157-244-2.
  8. ↑ SStevens, R. Blake & Edward C. Ezell (1987). The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective. Cobourg, Canada: Collector Grade Publications. p. 22.

External links

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