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| Garden Variety AR-15 with 16" Barrel |
Some History
Eugene Stoner designed the AR-15 back in the late fifties as a military rifle. It went nowhere until the early 60's, when a derivative, the M-15, was finally adopted by the US armed forces. The main difference between the two were the firing mechanisms. The M-16 was a select fire weapon, meaning it could fire in semiautomatic mode (one shot per trigger pull) or fully automatic mode (the gun would continue to fire as long as the user kept the trigger pressed). Yet another derivative of the platform remains as the standard rifle for our current armed forces, the M-4. Again, the main difference lies in the fire control mechanism. Full auto is hard to shoot accurately and sucks for trying to hit multiple baddies. So, the M-4 removed that capability in favor of a three round burst; basically full auto but only three rounds at a time.
The AR-15 was designed to fire the .223 cartridge, although that was updated to the 5.56 x 45 (bullet diameter and case length in mm), which operates at a slightly higher pressure. Going forward, I'll refer to this cartridge simply as the 556. The 556 was adopted by NATO as their standard rifle cartridge. The AR-15 can also fire the 300 Blackout cartridge, which was developed for special forces specifically to be suppressed. All it takes is a barrel change.
Even though the AR originally stood for Armalite Rifle (named for the company Stoner developed it with), the patents ran out in the 1970's, allowing others to build the guns. However, even as late as 2000, there were still only three manufacturers building the gun in any quantity. There wasn't sufficient civilian demand (prior to the AWB) for any others to tool it up. In other words, no one wanted them. On a side note, a gun isn't an "AR Style" rifle; it's either an AR or not. Same as a four door sedan automobile; it is or it isn't.
Having been adopted by NATO, military use alone has made the AR-15 the most popular rifle in history, but it's also become incredibly popular with the civilian market, post AWB.
There is also an AR-10 platform, which looks identical to the AR-15, but was designed for accommodate the much larger 7.62 x 51 (mm) cartridge. It's a beefier rifle, but there are still a number of common parts between the two sisters.
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| Stripped AR-15 Lower Receivers; these are considered firearms |
Why is the AR-15 platform popular in the civilian market?
Here's my own list of factors:
- The AR-15 platform is very user friendly with a high level of reliability.
- It's fun to shoot - I've shared this before, but I dated three women (one became my now ex-wife) who were vehemently against the evil AR-15 being on the civilian market. (I tend to date left leaning women; they're smarter and more attractive) I told each one they weren't allowed to have an opinion on the rifle until they shot one. I loaded each one up and took them to my club (after providing them with safety instructions, of course), where I allowed them to shoot my AR as much as they wanted. After shooting the gun, each one asked, "when can we go again?'
- Low cost of entry and feeding - You can buy a complete AR-15 rifle for $550 as of March 2023. You won't find another semiautomatic rifle for less, except perhaps a garbage surplus SKS. You can buy a 9mm semiautomatic pistol for less ($300 and up), but a 45 ACP gun will cost at least as much as an AR. On the ammunition side, according to Ammoseek.com, 556 ammo can be purchased for as low as $.30 per round, at the moment. Before the pandemic, it was closer to $.20. For comparison, 9mm is around $.20 / round, 45 ACP is $.31, and 7.62x51 (the next most popular rifle cartridge) is $.65 per round. Worth noting is these are rock bottom prices and apply to lower quality ammo you wouldn't want to put through my guns. Much of the ammo's low cost can be attributed to the 556's NATO standardization, meaning it's the caliber that's used by almost all NATO militaries and many others. Therefore, there's a LOT of it being manufactured, which drives down costs. I've become fond of the ammo that comes out of Israel, because of its quality and accuracy.
-The 556 NATO round is inherently accurate; with a quality barrel and ammo, it'll put 5 rounds in a group the size of a quarter at 100 yards. In fact, the round is good out to 600 yards and beyond. I have an AR-15 built specifically for bench rest shooting and with the scope, weighs enough you'd never be able to use it as a battle rifle.
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| Benchrest Competition AR-15 |
- Light recoil. Properly tuned, the gun barely pushes back when you pull the trigger. In other words, it's easily used by all shapes and sizes of shooters.
- High capacity - while the standard mags hold 30 rounds, there are also some that hold 100 rounds.
- Joe Biden's Assault Weapons Ban - Nothing makes people want something quite as much as telling them they can't have it.
- Interest in military weapons and equipment
- Infinite customization makes the platform incredibly versatile - With an AR, you have options galore. Barrel lengths from 7-20", different handguards, multiple types of triggers to choose from, numerous sighting options, from basic iron sights to holographic to a regular rifle scope. As an example, a quick check of an AR specialist online retailer shows approximately 480 different available hand guard options (!). Because the parts are all built to one basic specification, building a rifle is pretty easy for anyone with some basic gunsmithing tools and a technical aptitude. It can also be a lower cost option. I built all of my own AR's.
The danger of this configurability is the AR-15 is essentially Lego for grownups, and you can find yourself in a never ending cycle of upgrades. Because individual upgrades aren't insanely expensive ($550 for an Eotech sight on the high side), it's easy to invest a large sum of money without realizing it. A personal example would be the AR I built for $600. I began upgrading and now have close to $5k into the gun, not including tax stamps; there are only two parts from the original are still on the gun. I built another gun with the spares.
Top tip: Never total up what you spend on these guns; you don't want to know.
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| AR-15 "Backpack Gun" with folding stock |
Why does anyone need an AR-15?
First off, I hate that question, because it's dumb. No one needs an AR-15 any more than they need a Porsche. However, these guns are particularly suited to certain purposes, just like Porsches, so that's the question I'll answer.
Again, here's my own list of applications where the AR-15 excels:
- Certain types of hunting, such as for feral hogs. These are an invasive species and do a great deal of damage to crops, livestock, etc. so killing them is encouraged wherever they exist. In some parts of the country (i.e. Texas), they've reached infestation levels, which means if you find one, there are frequently several more in the bush ready to charge you, which they frequently do. Plenty of videos on Youtube on the subject. A semiautomatic rifle with high capacity helps the hog hunter take the animal as well as protect themselves from its friends.
- Home defense - Some may think an AR-15 is overkill for home defense, but it's a solid option for a few reasons. First, the 556 round is less prone to overpenetration of walls than most pistol cartridges. In other words, it's safer; you're less likely to have rounds leaving the room / house, should you miss your intended target. Second, if you hear someone busting down your door at 4 a.m. it's better to stay put and defend your bedroom, versus try to clear your house. There's no better solution for a "last stand" gun than one that offers 30 rounds (or more) of serious stopping power.* Of course, that's because it's difficult to buy a Howitzer as a civilian.
- Competition - If you shoot sports such as 3 Gun (where pistols, rifles, and shotguns are used throughout the matches), without an AR, you're just participating and not competing.
- General range use - As noted, it's one of the lowest cost rifles to buy and feed, plus it's fun to shoot. Buying a different rifle or even handgun would cost you more and not be as fun, so why would you do such a thing?
Example Application
It's true that AR-15's aren't the only option for some of these tasks, but it's frequently the best one.
I'll use home defense as an example. Aside from the AR, there are three options for this purpose.
Handgun - The only handguns with sufficient stopping power to make an aggressor cease RIGHT NOW are those that shoot magnum rounds (i.e. 44 magnum), which have a lot more recoil, lower capacity (most are 6 shot revolvers), and are harder to shoot accurately under stress. These guns are not easily used by all shooters. Also, reloading a revolver takes a lot of time, versus a gun with a box magazine. You could choose a less brutal caliber, such as 9mm with a box magazine, but stopping power would be significantly compromised. All of these options easily pass through walls.
Another rifle - Because there aren't many rifle caliber options with lower power than a 556, a larger caliber would be required. The most common are 7.62x39 or 7.62x55, which would have amazing stopping power. However, trust me that you don't want to fire one of these guns indoors; it would feel like a Norse god was seeking vengeance. Also, the gun itself would be much heavier, with significantly more recoil, blinding muzzle blast, and lower capacity. Like the handguns, these rounds easily pass through walls. There is the option to go with 300 Blackout, which is less powerful, yet still offers solid stopping power; but you're still shooting an AR-15. FWIW, my home defense gun is an AR chambered in 300 Blackout, with a suppressor.
Shotgun - The old saying goes that nothing stops a home invader in their tracks like the sound of a shotgun being racked. Regardless, a shotgun holds fewer rounds, takes a long time to reload, has much greater recoil (12 gauge), and is loud as hell. This is another option that's not so user friendly to novice shooters. Also, your home defense gun should always have a round chambered, which means you won't make the cool noise in the first place.
Any of these three will likely prevent an attacker from harming you, but the AR-15 is the best option. Some may think this to be overkill; that the likelihood of experiencing a home invasion is infinitesimally small. The truth is it isn't overkill and the likelihood of you being a victim of a home invasion isn't zero. The only home defense activity the AR falls short on is maneuverability and concealability, just like shotguns and other rifles. Only experts can navigate through a house with a rifle. Check that, only experts should try to clear their house, regardless. The concealment comes into play when someone rings your doorbell at 3 a.m. At that hour, there's a much higher potential the person isn't a welcome guest. But you don't want to freak friendlies out with a rifle slung across chest. So, I bring along a handgun. One night, my neighbor was close to shitting himself when he saw the pistol I had hidden behind my back.
I encourage you to read my blog about shot placement and cartridge stopping power here for additional context.
How Evil Is The AR-15?
...and how many people has the platform killed? The rifles haven't killed anyone, so I'll focus on how many homicides in which they were used as the murder weapon.
Starting with mass murders, since 1990, AR's were used in 34 incidents through 2022, resulting in 402 fatalities. There were 74 incidents where an AR wasn't used, resulting in 542 fatalities. The tide has turned since 2018, with AR's used in 17 incidents resulting in 151 fatalities, versus 14 incidents where other guns were used, resulting in 95 fatalities. Since 1989 (when the database began tracking mass murders), AR-15's were used in incidents resulting in a total of 417 fatalities. Again, mass murder data.
Rather than continue to vomit numbers, I suggest you check out my entry that's devoted to charts, graphs, with a bit of analysis. Gun Homicides: The Numbers. You'll see that AR's are used for X% of all homicides.
So, for those who remain unconvinced the AR isn't the mass murderer it isn't, I'll finish up with some thoughts on how many lives would be saved, were the AR banned. Should it magically disappear, a large portion of the shootings where it's used would take place, except with different guns. For the sake of argument, I'll go with a 45% reduction in deaths. That brings the number of lives saved to 1,094 again, for the past DECADE.
It may seem cavalier to minimize a thousand lives saved, but it really is a drop in the bucket, when viewed within the context of overall gun related homicide, which accounted for one hundred THOUSAND deaths over the same decade.
This brings us back to those whose absolute focus is to ban the platform. They clearly don't care about decreasing gun violence, because doing so wouldn't make a dent, not to mention, banning would flat out not happen, as I wrote about HERE.
Oh, the rifle isn't evil, just scary to some.
This entry is part of my "Gun Series" that focuses on providing insight into the gun debate and gun violence. You can find the other entries in the series HERE.
About the author: Sean R is a recovering conservative who owns a consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing. He's been a competitive shooter since the early 90's and holds a High Master classification in PPC and a Master classification in USPSA. As an instructor, he taught courses in gun safety and competition. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his overly vocal dog, Sadie.
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