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Call them what they are. Not 'assault weapons'. Battlefield Weapons designed for war. [1]
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Date: 2023-04-15
I was recently informed by Meteor Blades that the AR15 wasn’t first a civilian weapon redesigned for the battlefields of Vietnam.
Armalite, the company who designed the AR15, first developed the AR10. For battlefield use.
He also pointed me at this book about that earlier battlefield weapon, the AR10:
“The Armalite AR-10” by Major Sam Pikula U.S.A.R (US Army Reserves)
The blurb for the book at Amazon:
“Most firearms enthusiast’s know very little if anything about the ArmaLite AR-10 series of rifles. Few have even seen an AR-10 much less owned or fired one. This is unfortunate as the AR-10 was as much of a groundbreaking weapon as the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, M-1 Garand, or the 1898 Model Mauser Rifle. Until the AR-10, half of a rifle consisted of a dead tree, and the other half was made of steel on the verge of oxidizing. The AR-10 ions the first standard infantry rifle to be constructed using plastic instead of wood for the stocks, pistol grip, and handguards, and the first to use rust proof aircraft aluminum in the receivers.
The AR-10 also maximized the use of ergonomics i.e. adapting the design to suit the human structure thereby increasing efficiency and reducing strain. While it is common to see military rifles today utilizing plastic stocks, in-line recoil designs, and non-ferrous metals, these features were a radical innovation when introduced in the 1950’s. Just how innovative can be best illustrated in this manner. Take an AR-10 manufactured in 1960 and place it next to “an AR-10 produced in 1960?
Yet the AR-10 is scarcely heard of. Since the AR-15/M-16 a highly successful rifle (albeit with some severe teething troubles), descended directly from the AR-10, it is obvious the AR-10’s relative obscurity was the result of bad timing and other factors rather than bad design.
You can also read an article about the AR-10 written by Major Pikula, it’s an online read of five images from a magazine (not the best source, but easy to read) here:
http://www.ar10.nl/Files/Manuals/Sam%20Pikula/index.htm
Another article noting the AR10 was designed for “battle” and the progenitor of the AR-15/M16:
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/15/2164100/-Call-them-what-they-are-Not-assault-weapons-Battlefield-Weapons-designed-for-war
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