ArmaLite AR-10

The ArmaLite AR-10 is a 7.62×51mm

NATO battle rifle designed by Eugene
Stoner in the late 1950s and manufactured
by ArmaLite (then a division of the
Fairchild Aircraft Corporation). When first
introduced in 1956, the AR-10 used an
innovative combination of a straight-line
barrel/stock design with phenolic
composite, a new patent-filed gas-
operated bolt and carrier system and
forged alloy parts resulting in a small arm
significantly easier to control in automatic
fire and over 1 lb (0.45 kg) lighter than
other infantry rifles of the day.[1] Over its
production life, the original AR-10 was built
in relatively small numbers, with fewer than
10,000 rifles assembled. However, the
ArmaLite AR-10 would become the
progenitor for a wide range of firearms.
 ArmaLite AR-10

An ArmaLite AR-10 (Portuguese model)

Type Battle rifle

Place of origin United States

Service history
In service 1960–1976
(Portugal)
1958–1985 (Sudan)

Used by See AR-10 purchasers

by country

Wars Portuguese Colonial

War
Sudanese Civil War
 Operation Seroja
Militias-Comando
Vermelho conflict
Production history
Designer Eugene Stoner

Manufacturer ArmaLite
Artillerie-Inrichtingen
(AI)
Colt's Manufacturing
Company

Produced 1956–present

No. built 9,900

Specifications
Mass 3.29–4.05 kg (7.25–
8.9 lb) w/o magazine

Length 1,050 mm (41.3 in)

Barrel length 528 mm (20.8 in)

Cartridge 7.62×51mm NATO

.308 Winchester
6.5mm Creedmoor

Action Gas-operated,
rotating bolt (Direct
expansion of gas on
surfaces of Bolt
Carrier)

Rate of fire 700 rounds/min (fully

automatic), variable
(semi-automatic)

Muzzle velocity 820 m/s (2,690 ft/s)

Effective firing range 600 m (660 yd)

(700 m (770 yd) with
 A.I. 3.6× telescopic
sight)
Feed system 20-round detachable
box magazine

Sights Adjustable aperture

rear sight, fixed post
front sight

In 1957, the basic AR-10 design was

rescaled and substantially modified by
ArmaLite to accommodate the .223
Remington cartridge, and given the
designation ArmaLite AR-15.[2]

In 1959, ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-

10 and AR-15 to Colt's Manufacturing
Company due to financial difficulties, and
limitations in terms of manpower and
production capacity.[3] After modifications
(most notably, the charging handle was re-
located from under the carrying handle like
AR-10 to the rear of the receiver), the new
redesigned rifle (the AR-15) was
subsequently adopted by the U.S. military
as the M16 rifle.[4][5][6] Colt continued to
use the AR-15 trademark for its line of
semi-automatic-only rifles, which it
marketed to civilian and law-enforcement
customers as the Colt AR-15.

History and development

ArmaLite began as a small engineering
concern founded by George Sullivan, the
patent counsel for Lockheed Corporation,
and funded by Fairchild Engine and
Airplane Corporation.[7] On October 1,
1954, the company was incorporated as
the ArmaLite Corporation, becoming a
subdivision of Fairchild. With its limited
capital and tiny machine shop, ArmaLite
was never intended to be an arms
manufacturer.[7] The company focused on
producing small arms concepts and
designs to be sold or licensed to other
manufacturers. Sullivan leased a small
machine shop in Hollywood, California,[8]
hired several employees, and began work
on a prototype for a lightweight survival
rifle for use by downed aircrew.[7]

While testing the prototype of the ArmaLite

AR-5 survival rifle design at a local
shooting range, Sullivan met Eugene
Stoner, a small arms inventor, whom
Sullivan hired to be ArmaLite's chief design
engineer. At the time, ArmaLite Inc. was a
very small organization (as late as 1956 it
had only nine employees, including
Stoner).[7] With Stoner as the chief design
engineer, ArmaLite quickly released a
number of unique rifle concepts.[9]
The first prototypes of the 7.62 mm AR-10
emerged between 1955 and early 1956.[10]
At the time, the United States Army was in
the midst of testing several rifles to
replace the obsolete M1 Garand.
Springfield Armory's T44E4 and heavier
T44E5 were essentially updated versions
of the Garand chambered for the new
7.62 mm round, while Fabrique Nationale
submitted their FN FAL as the T48.

ArmaLite's AR-10 entered the competition

late, hurriedly submitting two hand-built
"production" AR-10 rifles based on the
fourth prototype in the fall of 1956 to the
United States Army's Springfield Armory
for testing.[11] The AR-10 prototypes (four
in all) featured a straight-line stock design,
rugged elevated sights, an oversized
aluminum[12] flash suppressor and recoil
compensator, and an adjustable gas
system.[13] In the fourth and final
prototype, the upper and lower receiver
were hinged with the now-familiar hinge
and takedown pins, and the charging
handle did not reciprocate and was not
attached to the bolt carrier.[11] For a
7.62mm NATO rifle, the AR-10 prototype
was incredibly lightweight at only 6.85 lb
empty.[11] Initial comments by Springfield
Armory test staff were favorable, and
some testers commented that the AR-10
was the best lightweight automatic rifle
tested by the Armory.[14][15]

The rifle's aluminum/steel composite

barrel (an untried prototype design
specified for the tests by ArmaLite's
president, George Sullivan, over Stoner's
vehement objections) burst in a torture
test conducted by Springfield Armory in
early 1957.[16] ArmaLite quickly replaced it
with a conventional steel barrel, but the
damage had been done. The final
Springfield Armory report advised against
the adoption of the rifle, stating that it
would take "five years or more to take it
through tests to adoption".[15] While
ArmaLite objected, it was clear that the
AR-10, a brand-new rifle still in the
prototype stage, was at a disadvantage
compared to competing designs with
longer development cycles, and by 1957,
U.S. Army infantry forces urgently required
a modern, magazine-fed infantry rifle to
replace the M1.[15] In the end, the Army
chose the conventional T44, which entered
production as the M14 rifle in 1957. That
same year, ArmaLite completed about 50
production AR-10 rifles at its workshop for
use as demonstrator models for its sales
agents, including Samuel Cummings, a
famous international arms dealer.[17]
Attempts to rush completion of these fifty
rifles resulted in a few units that were
assembled with improperly machined
barrel extensions, a defect that went
unnoticed at the time.[17] These production
rifles built at ArmaLite's workshop in
Hollywood would later become known as
the Hollywood model.[11]

Close-up of ArmaLite AR-10 with

Artillerie Inrichtingen (A.I.) markings

On July 4, 1957, Fairchild ArmaLite sold a

five-year manufacturing license for the AR-
10 to the Dutch arms manufacturer,
Artillerie Inrichtingen (A.I.). With its large
factory and production facilities, A.I. could
produce the ArmaLite rifle in large
quantities for which Fairchild expected
orders would be forthcoming.

In 1957, Cummings secured an order of

7,500 AR-10 rifles from Nicaragua, with an
initial delivery of 1,000 rifles to be
delivered before January 1958.[18] The
order was contingent on a successful
completion of a 7,500-round endurance
test. With the AR-10 in short supply,
Cummings left his personal demonstrator
rifle with Nicaragua's chief military
commander, General Anastasio Somoza,
who personally conducted the endurance
test trial. While General Somoza was firing
this rifle for the trial, the bolt lug over the
ejector sheared off and flew past
Somoza's head. The general angrily
returned Cummings' AR-10 and canceled
the entire Nicaraguan order. The remaining
Hollywood rifles were inspected and
refitted as necessary with new parts to
prevent the reoccurrence of the bolt lug
failure, but the Nicaraguan order was lost
for good.[17]

Close-up of flash
Suppressor/compensator on early
"Hollywood" model AR-10
A.I. officials meanwhile discovered a
number of manufacturing and production
issues in the Hollywood version of the AR-
10, all of which had to be resolved before
large-scale production could
commence.[19] In addition to designing and
building tooling for the rifle, the design had
to be converted to metric dimensions and
subcontractors had to be found to supply
materials or manufacture component
parts.[20] ArmaLite also continued to send
A.I. product improvement requests,
including an adjustable regulator, a
repositioned gas tube, and a new three-
prong flash suppressor.[19] Accessories
such as flash hiders, bayonet mounts, sling
swivels, and sight graduations had to be
designed.

AR-10 Sudanese model (top) over an

AR-15 successor model (center)

Firearms historians have separated AR-10

production under the A.I. license into at
least three basic identifiable versions,
along with various sporting, carbine, and
other experimental designs and calibers.
The three main variants have been termed
the Sudanese model, the Transitional, and
the Portuguese model AR-10. A.I. built all
of these rifles, beginning with the
Sudanese model AR-10. The Sudanese
version derives its name from the sale of
approximately 2,500 AR-10 rifles to the
government of Sudan in 1958. The
Sudanese model was equipped with a very
lightweight, fluted steel barrel fitted with a
trim, prong-style flash suppressor, a
bayonet lug, lightweight fiberglass
furniture, and sight graduations in
Arabic.[21][22] The Sudanese model
weighed only 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) with an empty
magazine.[21] The price, including cleaning
kit and four magazines, was US $225 per
rifle.[23] All AR-10s, whether produced by
ArmaLite or by A.I., used the same Stoner-
designed 20-round lightweight aluminum
'waffle' magazine with pressed-in,
corrugated sides, intended to be discarded
in combat once emptied.[24]

AR-10 production was limited, though

Guatemala,[18] Burma, Italy, Cuba, Sudan
and Portugal all purchased AR-10 rifles for
limited issue to their military
forces.[21][25][26] Sudanese AR-10s were
employed in frequent clashes with guerrilla
forces and conflicts with neighboring
countries, and a few captured rifles
eventually turned up in unofficial service
with various African and colonial armies,
police, and guerrilla forces.[27] The AR-10
remained in service with Sudanese Special
Forces until 1985.

In 1958, a special 7.62×39mm caliber

variant of the Sudanese AR-10 was
produced in very small numbers for
evaluation by Finland and Germany.[28]
That same year, an AR-10 with a 16" barrel
was developed in response to a request by
KLM Airlines for a carbine that could be
issued to their crew for transpolar flights
as part of an Arctic survival kit, and
approximately 30 carbines were eventually
produced.[25] A number of Transitional AR-
10s were also fitted with a folding bipod
designed to lie flat under the forearm.[29]
The Italian Navy acquired the AR-10 for its
COMSUBIN underwater commando teams.
Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland,
and South Africa also purchased small
numbers of the AR-10 for test purposes,
and Cuba's Batista government ordered
100 "Transitional" model rifles in 1958. The
Cuban order was delivered to Havana, but
in December 1958 Fidel Castro's forces
took control of the country, including the
warehouse containing the AR-10 shipment.
In 1959, in response to a letter from
ArmaLite's sales agent Sam Cummings,
Castro invited Cummings to Havana to
discuss payment for the AR-10 rifles. Fidel,
his brother Raúl, and Che Guevara test-
fired the AR-10 outside Havana.[25]
Impressed by the weapon's firepower,[30]
Castro paid Cummings for all 100 rifles.[25]

However, rapidly worsening relations with

the United States eliminated any chance of
future AR-10 sales to Cuba, and Castro
transferred the ex-Batista AR-10s to a
group of Communist revolutionaries from
the Dominican Republic. In June 1959, the
rebels, led by Cuban officers, invaded the
Dominican Republic.[25][31] The invaders
were defeated by the Dominican Army, and
AR-10 rifles from the Batista shipment
were found on the bodies of
guerrillas.[25][31][32]
The final Artillerie Inrichtingen design is
known as the Portuguese model AR-10.
This final version incorporated all that had
been learned to date about the AR-10,
including infantry service rifle and field test
reports. In addition to a heavier barrel with
chrome-lined chamber, optional bipod, and
the removable plastic/metal handguards
of the Transitional model, the Portuguese
variant had wider bolt lugs, a stronger
extractor, a new simplified three-position
gas regulator, and a cocking handle
featuring a forward bolt assist.[33] It is
believed that approximately 4,000-5,000
Portuguese variants were produced; nearly
all of them were sold to the Portuguese
National Defense Ministry by the Brussels-
based arms dealer SIDEM International in
1960.

Portuguese paratroopers with AR-10

flash hiders visible.

[26] The AR-10 was officially adopted by

the Portuguese paratrooper battalions
(Caçadores páraquedistas), and the rifle
saw considerable combat service in
Portugal's counter-insurgency campaigns
in Angola and Mozambique.[34]

In U.S. Army tests at Aberdeen Proving

Ground in November 1960, and later in
Portuguese service, the AR-10 gained a
reputation for accuracy (some rifles would
group into 25 mm (1 inch) at 100 meters
with service ammunition).[35] Portuguese
paratroopers found the AR-10 to be not
only accurate but reliable in combat,
despite rugged service conditions in
African jungle and savannah.[36]

A few Portuguese and Sudanese model

AR-10s found their way by various means
to nearby African countries; in Chad, the
AR-10 was much appreciated by members
of the French Foreign Legion. As one
police instructor in the Congo stated, "It
was a good combat weapon that never
failed me; a bit too long (but not as bad as
the FAL or M14) for house-to-house work
or really heavy brush, but great for 400-800
meters, in the flats - and really nice on the
body, after wandering around 12-14 hours
looking for bad guys."[27][37]

Some Portuguese-model AR-10s were

fitted with A.I.-modified upper receivers in
order to mount 3× or 3.6× telescopic
sights.[38] These rifles were used by
marksmen accompanying small patrols to
eliminate individual enemies at extended
ranges in open country.[39] Other AR-10s
were used by the paratroopers in a
secondary role to launch rifle grenades.
The AR-10's built-in gas cutoff design
enabled it to fire Energa rifle grenades
without adjustment of the gas system, and
the self-loading action would even eject
the spent blank shells and load the next
one, allowing several grenades to be
quickly fired. The added recoil took its toll
on rifle stocks, and some Portuguese rifles
were retrofitted with all-metal butt stocks
to better withstand the strain caused by
firing the heavy grenades.[39] Additional
sales of the AR-10 rifle were stymied after
the Netherlands embargoed further
shipments of the rifle to Portugal.
Paratroopers deploying to Africa in later
years were subsequently issued a
collapsible stock version of the German
Heckler & Koch G3 rifle.[34][38]
Nevertheless, the AR-10 continued in
service with a few Portuguese airborne
units, and was in use as late as 1975 in the
Portuguese Timor (now East Timor)
decolonization emergency.[34]

Artillerie Inrichtingen (A.I.) produced

AR-10

Fairchild-ArmaLite was dissatisfied with

the delays in setting up the tooling and
production at A.I. for the AR-10, and made
it clear that they would not be renewing
A.I.'s license to produce the rifle.[2] By
1960, hampered by Dutch export
restrictions and discouraged by the lack of
arms sales to major national purchasers,
Artillerie Inrichtingen decided to exit the
small arms production business
altogether, and ceased all production of
the AR-10 under its license from Fairchild-
ArmaLite. By that time, fewer than 10,000
AR-10s had been produced, mostly military
select-fire rifles, with a few semi-automatic
only rifles produced for civilian use. All A.I.
AR-10 parts inventories, tooling, and
prototypes were either sold or scrapped;
the barrel tooling was sold to Israel
sometime in the early 1960s. All AR-10
production records, design drawings,
manuals, literature, and other publications
then in inventory were discarded.[2]

In later years, some ex-military Sudanese

and Portuguese model AR-10s were sold
to civilian markets in the U.S., Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand. Nearly all of
the rifles imported to the latter three
countries had their full-automatic fire
selector disabled. Subsequently, as many
as 2,500 Australian AR-10 rifles may have
been confiscated and destroyed as a
result of more restrictive firearms
legislation passed in 1997.[40]
Most of the AR-10 ex-military rifles
shipped to the United States were in the
form of parts kits, having been previously
dismantled, though a few were legally
imported as National Firearms Act (NFA)
weapons.[41] Large numbers of AR-10
7.62 mm magazines were imported as
well. Many of these kit rifles were
combined with various semi-auto receivers
made by civilian manufacturers in order to
permit legal ownership. During the early
1980s, Paragon Sales and Services in
Joliet, Illinois, manufactured new semi-
automatic lower receivers while using
imported upper AR-10 receivers originally
manufactured by Artillerie Inrichtingen in
the Netherlands.

In 1957, in an effort to increase profits

from the ArmaLite venture, Fairchild
decided to compete in the U.S. Army's
CONARC requirement for a new six-pound,
high-velocity, .22-caliber selective-fire rifle
accurate to 500 yards. In response,
ArmaLite engineers Eugene Stoner, Jim
Sullivan, and Bob Fremont used the basic
AR-10 design to produce the ArmaLite AR-
15 in .223 Remington, which was
completed as a firing prototype in 1958.
Fairchild-ArmaLite continued its efforts to
sell both the AR-10 and AR-15 to various
military forces around the world. However,
the AR-10 rifle marketed by ArmaLite after
1958 was not the product-improved AR-10
developed by Artillerie Inrichtingen, but
rather a design scaled-up from AR-15
plans and specifications, the AR-10A.
None of the improvements incorporated by
Artillerie Inrichtingen over three years of
production were used in the new AR-
10A.[42]

Although the AR-10A did not benefit from

the modifications undertaken by the Dutch
licensee, it had some differences from the
AR-15 (besides caliber and part
dimensions), including a different bolt,
trigger, and cocking handle design, along
with a magazine canted forward at a five-
degree angle.[42] While interest in the AR-
15 was considerable, the AR-10A failed to
attract any orders from domestic or
foreign military customers.[43]

In 1959, ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-

10 and AR-15 to Colt Firearms due to
financial difficulties, and limitations in
terms of manpower and production
capacity.[3] After modifications (most
notably, the charging handle was re-
located from under the carrying handle like
AR-10 to the rear of the receiver), the new
redesigned rifle was subsequently adopted
by the U.S. military as the M16 Rifle.[4][5][6]
Colt continued to use the AR-15 trademark
for its line of semi-automatic rifles
marketed to civilian and law-enforcement
customers, known as Colt AR-15.

Design details

Stripped AR-10 (Portuguese model)

Close-up of stripped AR-10 barrel and

gas tube (Portuguese model)
The AR-10 is a lightweight, air-cooled,
magazine-fed, gas-operated rifle that uses
a piston within the bolt carrier with a rotary
bolt locking mechanism. The rifle has a
conventional layout; it features an in-line
stock, an aluminum alloy receiver and a
fiberglass reinforced pistol grip,
handguard, and buttstock. As part of the
weight-saving design philosophy, in U.S.
Patent 2,951,424 (https://patents.google.c
om/patent/US2951424) the designer
points out that: ″By having the bolt carrier
act as a movable cylinder and the bolt act
as a stationary piston, the need for a
conventional gas cylinder, piston and
actuating rod assembly is eliminated.″[44]
While mostly an original design, the AR-10
built upon previously proven concepts.
From the FAL it took the hinged receiver
system allowing the rifle to be opened for
cleaning much like a break-action shotgun.
The ejection port cover is similar to that
found on the German World War II-era
StG44. The bolt locking mechanism is
similar to the M1941 Johnson rifle (itself
an adaptation of the Browning-designed
Remington Model 8 bolt). From the
German MG 13 light machine gun, FG 42
and M1941 Johnson machine gun came
the idea of the straight-line stock layout. A
"straight-line" recoil configuration
increases controllability during burst or
automatic fire by reducing muzzle
climb.[45] The AR-10's method of rotary
bolt locking, straight-line recoil, and gas
operation enhanced its inherent accuracy.

AR-10 bolt (Portuguese

model)

The original AR-10 action (later developed

into the ArmaLite AR-15 and M16 rifle)
designed by Eugene Stoner is commonly
called a direct impingement system, but it
does not utilize a conventional direct
impingement system. In U.S. Patent
2,951,424 (https://patents.google.com/pat
ent/US2951424) , the designer states:
″This invention is a true expanding gas
system instead of the conventional
impinging gas system.″[44] The gas system,
bolt carrier, and bolt-locking design were
novel for the time. Most gas-operated
rifles divert combustion gases from a port
in the barrel to a piston and cylinder
arrangement adjacent to the port. In
Stoner's design, the gas travels from a port
near the middle of the barrel through a
steel tube back into the receiver. The gas
enters a chamber inside the bolt carrier
formed between the rear of the bolt and
the inside of the bolt carrier. The bolt
within the bolt carrier is fitted with piston
rings to contain the gas. Once the bolt
carrier moves to the rear a small distance,
excess gas is vented through holes in its
side. This use of the bolt and bolt carrier
for the separate actions of a piston and
gas cylinder simplified construction and
saved weight. The Stoner bolt and carrier
piston system is however ammunition
specific, since it does not have an
adjustable gas port or valve to adjust the
weapon to various propellant and
projectile or barrel length specific pressure
behavior. Movement of the bolt carrier was
in-line with the bore, greatly improving
inherent accuracy, as well as keeping the
rifle on target as the gun fired. Since the
straight-line stock placed the shooter's eye
well above the barrel the rifle's sights were
mounted high, with the rear sight and
elevation wheel calibrated for 7×51mm
NATO for specific range settings contained
in a carrying handle that also protected the
cocking/charging lever. Windage was
zeroed by drifting the rear sight.

Range adjustable aperture

rear sight (Portuguese
model)
The receiver is made from forged and
machined aluminum to reduce weight. The
bolt locks into an extension on the barrel
instead of the receiver allowing for a
lightweight receiver while not
compromising the strength of the bolt
locking mechanism. On a few prototype
guns, an all-aluminum ("Sullaloy") barrel
was fitted at the insistence of George
Sullivan – ArmaLite's president – though
after the 1957 Springfield Armory tests, all
production AR-10s were fitted with
standard steel barrels.[46] The stock is
made from a fiberglass-reinforced
phenolic composite with a core of rigid
plastic foam. The handguards and pistol
grip are also fiberglass reinforced plastic.
Fairchild was an aircraft manufacturer, and
the use of plastics, titanium, and aluminum
were common in the aircraft industry at the
time, though not generally used in firearms.

Several experimental prototypes of a belt-

fed variant of the AR-10 were developed by
ArmaLite and A.I. engineers, informally
designated the AR-10 LMG. In one version,
the belt was fed by a feed-chute
connected to a 250-round ammo box
carried on the user's back. All of the belt-
fed prototypes experienced numerous
issues with feed malfunctions and parts
breakages, and these problems were never
wholly solved during the weapon's
development stage, which ended with the
termination of A.I.'s production contract.[47]
As a result, no AR-10 LMG variants were
ever sold.[48]

Semi-automatic only AR-10

production

ArmaLite AR-10B series

ArmaLite AR-10T

Close-up of an AR-10 National Match

receiver
In 1995, former Army Ordnance officer
Mark Westrom, owner of Eagle Arms,
purchased the ArmaLite brand and the
company became ArmaLite Inc. Shortly
thereafter, ArmaLite Inc. introduced the
completely new semi-automatic-only AR-
10B rifle series. Notably, the AR-10B was
not designed using the original AR-10
drawings from either ArmaLite or Artillerie
Inrichtingen, but instead was based on the
AR-15A2, with parts scaled up or
redesigned as needed to fire the
7.62×51mm NATO (.308 Winchester)
cartridge. The AR-10B prototype was
composed of individual sub-components
tested on a special lower receiver made of
two slabs of aluminum fitted to a Knight's
Armament Company SR-25 upper receiver
assembly, and prototyped using computer
analysis. The full prototype AR-10B was
the first rifle off the production line.[3]

Since 1995, the new ArmaLite company

has also incorporated various other design
and engineering improvements to the AR-
10, including a newly designed steel
magazine derived from the model used on
the U.S. M14 rifle. The current ArmaLite
AR-10 is offered in several versions
including an A2 and A4 rifle or carbine with
a collapsible stock, a target model (AR-
10T), a "retro" AR-10B with Sudanese AR-
10-style handguard and cocking lever
(limited production) and one version
chambered in 300 Remington SAUM.
Current users include the Ontario
Provincial Police Tactics and Rescue Unit.

New ArmaLite AR-10A series

After introducing the AR-10B model in

1996 which switched from the original
pattern magazines to modified M14
magazines,[49] ArmaLite reintroduced their
original magazine pattern with their new
AR-10A model in 2012 (also called SR-25
pattern magazine).[50]
Alternative calibers

ArmaLite offers numerous other

chamberings for the AR10 including: .243
Winchester, .260 Remington, 6.5mm
Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington, and .338
Federal. Manufacturers of these barrels
include Ballistic Advantage, Wilson
Combat, and DPMS Panther Arms.

Other .308/7.62x51 caliber

ArmaLite type rifles

While ArmaLite Inc. holds a US trademark

on the name "AR-10",[51] other rifle
manufacturers currently produce
7.62×51mm NATO auto-loading rifles that
are based generally on the AR-10 design.
These rifles differ from both the current
and original ArmaLite AR10 in a few minor
dimensions that make the ArmaLite AR10B
not as modular as the rest of the AR-
based firearms. Some of these companies
offer selective-fire versions and versions in
different calibers.

DPMS LR-308
Knights Armament Corporation SR-25
Knights Armament Corporation M110
Semi-Automatic Sniper System
 Rock River Arms LAR-8
Lewis Machine and Tool LM308MWS
Bushmaster MOE 16 .308
Daniel Defense DD5
Palmetto State Armory PA-10
SIG Sauer 716i
Smith & Wesson M&P10
Colt Canada C20 DMR

AR-10 purchasers by country

This list denotes purchasers of ArmaLite

Rifles produced by ArmaLite and its
licensees from 1956-1960, not necessarily
later variants or designs.
 Portuguese pára-quedistas armed with
AR-10 rifles during the Angolan War of
1961-1974.

Bangladesh Used by SWAT of

Bangladesh Police[52]
Brazil - AR-10A4 variant used by BOPE
of Military Police of Rio de Janeiro
State[53] and by CORE of Civil Police of
Rio de Janeiro State.[54] Armalite
SuperSASS used by CORE[55]
Cuba[25]
Dominican Republic[56]
Finland[28]
 Guatemala[18]
India - evaluation only, in 1958[57]
Italy[25]
Myanmar: Bought in 1960s[58][59]
Nicaragua[18]
Portugal[26]
Romania[60]
Sudan[21] - Purchased 2500 rifles from
the A.I. factory, delivery October 1958[61]
West Germany - Purchased 135 rifles
from the A.I. factory, delivery August
1958[61]

Non-state user
 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - Purchased a
few AR-10s as part of an Arctic survival
kit carried on transpolar flights to stop
large predators, including polar bears.[62]

See also

AR-15 style rifle

List of ArmaLite rifles
List of battle rifles
List of AR platform cartridges

References

1. Pikula, Major Sam (1998). The ArmaLite

AR-10 Rifle: The Saga of the First Modern
Combat Rifle (https://www.amazon.com/Ar
 maLite-AR-10-Rifle-Modern-Combat-ebook/
dp/B0723C9CJ9) . Regnum Fund Press.
pp. 27–29. ISBN 9986-494-38-9.
2. Pikula, pages 88-90
3. "ArmaLite History" (https://web.archive.org/
web/20081001234245/http://www.armalit
e.com/images/Library/AL%20HISTORY%20
COPY%202.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the
original (http://www.armalite.com/images/
Library%5CAL%20HISTORY%20COPY%20
2.pdf) (PDF) on 1 October 2008.
4. Ezell, Edward Clinton (1983). Small Arms of
the World (https://archive.org/details/small
armsofworld0000ezel_12ed/) . New York:
Stackpole Books. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0-
88029-601-4.
5. Kokalis, Peter G. "Retro AR-15" (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20220614195241/htt
p://www.nodakspud.com/RetroAR15.pdf)
(PDF). nodakspud.com. Archived from the
original (http://www.nodakspud.com/Retro
AR15.pdf) (PDF) on June 14, 2022.
6. Kern, Danford Allan (15 December 2006).
"The Influence Of Organizational Culture On
The Acquisition Of The M16 Rifle" (https://
web.archive.org/web/20210414224253/htt
p://www.m-14parts.com/M14toM16.pdf)
(PDF). m-14parts.com. A thesis presented
to the Faculty of the US Army Command
and General Staff College in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND
SCIENCE, Military History. Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas. Archived from the
original (http://www.m-14parts.com/M14to
M16.pdf) (PDF) on April 14, 2021.
7. Pikula, pages 23-26
 8. Pikula, page 25: The workshop on Santa
Monica occupied only 1,000 square feet
(93 m2) and was referred to as "George's
backyard garage" by employees.
9. Pikula, pages 30-36
10. Pikula, page 30
11. Pikula, pages 36, 38
12. Pikula, pages 38: Later changed to
titanium.
13. Pikula, pages 27-30
14. Lewis, Jack (1963). "The M-14: Boon or
Blunder". Gun World. 3 (4).
15. Pikula, pages 39-40
16. Pikula, page 38: The experimental
composite barrels used aluminum swaged
around thin rifled liners of 416 stainless
steel.
17. Pikula, page 46
18. Pikula, page 45
19. Pikula, pages 46, 50
20. Pikula, page 50
21. Pikula, page 78
22. Pikula, page 53
23. Pikula, pages 50-51
24. Pikula, page 29: The 'waffle' (pressed-in
corrugations) was designed to add
additional rigidity to the light-gauge
aluminum magazine body.
25. Pikula, pages 72-73
26. Pikula, page 75
27. Pikula, page 81
28. Pikula, page 55
29. Pikula, page 74
30. Pikula, page 73: Castro told Cummings he
"would have been out of the Sierra Maestra
two years earlier if he had enough of them."
31. Brogan, Patrick (1983). Deadly Business:
Sam Cummings, Interarms, and the Arms
Trade (https://archive.org/details/deadlybu
sinesssa00brog) . W.W. Norton & Co.
pp. 89–92. ISBN 0-393-01766-4. New York
32. "Blood on the Beach" (https://archive.today/
20230531155728/https://content.time.co
m/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,825751
-1,00.html) . Time Magazine. July 6, 1959.
Archived from the original (https://content.t
ime.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,
825751-1,00.html) on May 31, 2023. "The
Cuban guerrilla invasion consisted of 150
men arriving via Chris-Craft boats, with 63
more dropped by parachute via C-46
Commando. All of the seaborne forces
were killed on the beach; all but five of the
parachuting rebels were also killed."
33. Pikula, pages 76-78
34. Gomes, Carlos de Matos; Afonso, Aniceto
(2000). Guerra Colonial (https://books.goo
gle.com/books?id=JXEFAQAAIAAJ) .
Notícias Editorial. ISBN 972-46-1192-2.
35. United States Army Ordnance Department,
Aberdeen Proving Ground, A Test of Rifle,
Caliber 7.62mm, AR-10, Report No. DPS-
101 (http://weaponsman.com/wp-content/
uploads/2014/01/32603044-AR-10-MIL-TE
ST.pdf) (November 1960): At Aberdeen,
the AR-10 test rifles used in the accuracy
test averaged 10-shot groups of 2.0 inches
at 100 yards. (Archive (https://web.archive.
org/web/20140209143256/http://weapons
man.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/32
603044-AR-10-MIL-TEST.pdf) )
36. Pikula, pages 70-71, 79-80
37. Connors, Harry (Major), The AR-10er,
Carabillo Publications, 1 April 1984
38. Pikula, page 79
39. Pikula, page 80
40. Pikula, page 107
41. Pikula, pages 98-99
42. Pikula, pages 89-90
43. Durham, Dallas T. (2021). THE M-16:
TRADITION, INNOVATION, AND
CONTROVERSY (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20230328123703/https://apps.dtic.mil/
sti/trecms/pdf/AD1157264.pdf) (PDF)
(MSc). U.S. Army Command and General
Staff College. p. 41. Archived from the
original (https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/p
df/AD1157264.pdf) (PDF) on March 28,
2023. "Stoner and Macdonald
demonstrated both the AR-10 and AR-15 in
the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia,
Malaya, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, India,
and Italy, but found interest in the AR-10
severely lacking; in fact, Macdonald noted
that 'I ended up by giving away 6,000
rounds of 7.62 in the Philippines, because
nobody wanted to shoot the rifle.
Everybody wanted to shoot the AR-15.'
Leaving behind their supply of AR-10
ammunition, the duo focused solely on the
AR-15's newfound popularity. It fit the exact
specifications sought by many Asian
countries who needed a smaller rifle for the
relatively small stature of the average
Asian. The AR-15's weight and minimal
recoil contrasted sharply with the heavy
weight and uncomfortable kick of 7.62
weapons such as the M-14 and AR-10. Its
fully-automatic capability made it a great
replacement for the surplus M2 carbines
used by many southeast Asian countries
already."
44. "Patent US2951424 - GAS OPERATED BOLT
AND CARRIER SYSTEM" (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20151212141903/http://www.g
oogle.com/patents/US2951424) . Archived
from the original (http://www.google.com/
patents?id=ETJjAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstr
act&zoom=4#v=onepage&q&f=false) on
December 12, 2015. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
45. Senich, Peter (1987). The German Assault
Rifle: 1935–1945. Paladin Press. p. 239.
46. Pikula, page 35: Sullivan's secret 'Sullaloy'
was nothing more than 7075 aluminum;
after test firings stripped out the rifling, the
Sullaloy project was shelved.
47. Pikula, pages 81-86
48. Pikula, page 86: An early AR-10
promotional film shot at Camp Pendleton
purported to show an AR-10 LMG in action
firing bursts on full-automatic, but this was
the result of creative editing by the director,
who yelled "CUT!" every time the weapon
jammed, so that the sequence could be
filmed over again.
49. The Original Retro AR-10: Armalite’s AR10B
– Forgotten Weapons (https://www.forgott
enweapons.com/the-original-retro-ar-10-ar
malites-ar10b/) (Archive (https://web.arch
ive.org/web/20230208175430/https://ww
w.forgottenweapons.com/the-original-retro
-ar-10-armalites-ar10b/) )
50. New from Armalite: AR-10A - The Truth
About Guns (https://www.thetruthaboutgun
s.com/new-from-armalite-ar-10a/)
(Archive (https://web.archive.org/web/202
20817101335/https://www.thetruthaboutg
uns.com/new-from-armalite-ar-10a/) )
51. Lemmon, Dustin (15 January 2007).
"ArmaLite defends trademark" (https://web.
archive.org/web/20220907015305/https://
qctimes.com/news/local/armalite-defends-
trademark/article_518c1775-e479-54ab-a8
a9-8d4e26884c74.html) . The Quad City
Times. Davenport, Iowa. Archived from the
original (https://qctimes.com/news/local/a
rmalite-defends-trademark/article_518c17
75-e479-54ab-a8a9-8d4e26884c74.html)
on September 7, 2022. Retrieved
11 December 2019. "ArmaLite has been
using the trademark AR-10 name since
January 1996, and the Patent and
Trademark Office registered the trademark
in October 2002."
52. Hassan, Kamrul (20 December 2008).
"জঙ্গি-সন্ত্রাস দমনে র‌্যাব-পুলিশকে অস্ত্র ও
প্রশিক্ষণ দিচ্ছে যুক্তরাষ্ট্র" (https://web.archive.
org/web/20190710102804/http://archive.p
rothom-alo.com/detail/news/39186) [The
United States is providing weapons and
training to RAB and Police to counter
militant-terrorism]. Prothom Alo (in
Bengali). Archived from the original (http://
archive.prothom-alo.com/detail/news/391
86) on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 16 August
2019.
53. Olive, Ronaldo (16 December 2014).
"ArmaLite's AR-10A4 Rifles Help Rio's Elite
Police Force Keep the Peace" (https://web.
archive.org/web/20230202070802/https://
www.tactical-life.com/firearms/rios-elite-ar
-10a4-armalite-rifles/) . Tactical-Life.
Archived from the original (https://www.tac
tical-life.com/firearms/rios-elite-ar-10a4-ar
malite-rifles/) on February 2, 2023.
54. "Recent images of Rio's drug war -" (https://
web.archive.org/web/20230213084249/htt
ps://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/1
0/04/recent-images-rios-drug-war/) . The
Firearm Blog. 2017-10-04. Archived from
the original (https://www.thefirearmblog.co
m/blog/2017/10/04/recent-images-rios-dr
ug-war/) on February 13, 2023. Retrieved
2022-10-27.
55. "Rio's Civil Police in Action and Pics -" (http
s://web.archive.org/web/2023053103321
5/https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2
017/07/05/rios-civil-police-action-pics/) .
The Firearm Blog. 2017-07-05. Archived
from the original (https://www.thefirearmbl
og.com/blog/2017/07/05/rios-civil-police-
action-pics/) on May 31, 2023. Retrieved
2023-02-25.
56. "The military rifle cartridges of the
Dominican Republic: from .50-70 to
5.56mm. - Free Online Library" (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20221204161110/http
s://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+military+ri
fle+cartridges+of+the+Dominican+Republi
c:+from+.50-70...-a0267204205) .
www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the
original (https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Th
e+military+rifle+cartridges+of+the+Domini
can+Republic:+from+.50-70...-a02672042
05) on December 4, 2022. Retrieved
2022-12-14.
57. Cashner, Bob (2013). The FN FAL Battle
Rifle (https://books.google.com/books?id=
faCjCwAAQBAJ) . Oxford, UK: Osprey
Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-78096-903-9.
58. Scarlata, Paul (May 2012). "The military
rifle cartridges of Burma/Myanmar" (http
s://web.archive.org/web/2023040403580
0/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+mili
tary+rifle+cartridges+of+Burma/Myanmar.-
a0288876068) . Shotgun News. Archived
from the original (https://www.thefreelibrar
y.com/The+military+rifle+cartridges+of+Bu
rma%2FMyanmar.-a0288876068) on April
4, 2023.
59. Pikula, page 71
60. "Buletinul Contractelor De Achizitii Publice"
(https://web.archive.org/web/2015092322
0212/http://www.dpa.ro/images/buletinul_
contractelor/2009/bc2009_1.pdf) [Bulletin
of Public Procurement Contracts] (PDF) (in
Romanian). Romania: Ministerul Apararii
Nationale, Departamentul pentru
Armamente. 11 June 2009. Archived from
the original (http://www.dpa.ro/images/bul
etinul_contractelor/2009/bc2009_1.pdf)
(PDF) on September 23, 2015.

61. Hembrug files, Confidential Armalite

Bulletin No 1, Hembrug-Zaandam July 1958
62. KLM’s Arctic AR-10 (https://www.historicalfi
rearms.info/post/124413155349/klms-arct
ic-ar-10-in-the-same-year-as-armalite)
(Archive (https://web.archive.org/web/202
20604135746/https://www.historicalfirear
ms.info/post/124413155349/klms-arctic-a
r-10-in-the-same-year-as-armalite) )

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related

to AR-10.
Armalite home page (http://www.armalit
e.com)
AR10 promotional video (https://archive.
org/details/AR10_Promotion)
 AR-10 model overview (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20220214160406/http://ww
w.ar10.nl/all_model_overview.html)

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