Description
This ArmaLite AR-10 is a 7.62×51mm NATO battle rifle designed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s and manufactured by ArmaLite and built in the Dutch Hembrug.
The first buyer of this, then very exceptional weapon was Cuba. The second country to purchase this new type of weapon was Sudan, which bought 2,500 of them.
It is nice to know that the AR10 was the basis for many modern weapons, such as the AR15 and M16, and that this success started in the Netherlands.
The attached video shows some of that.
The 1956 design became an innovative combination of a rectilinear barrel-to-barrel design with phenolic composite and a new patented gas-operated valve and forged aluminium alloy, resulting in a small weapon that was significantly easier to operate in automatic fire and over 450 grams lighter than other infantry rifles of the time.
During 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 forerunner of a wide range of firearms.
In 1957, the basic design of the AR-10 was rescaled and significantly modified by ArmaLite to accommodate the .223 Remington cartridge, and was designated the ArmaLite AR-15.
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.
After modifications, notably the loading lever was moved from under the carry handle as on the AR-10 to the rear. The new redesigned rifle, the AR-15, was subsequently adopted by the US Army as the M16 rifle. Colt continued to use the AR-15 trademark for its line of semi-automatic rifles, which it marketed to civilians and law enforcement customers as the Colt AR-15.
History and development
ArmaLite began as a small engineering company founded by George Sullivan, Lockheed Corporation's patent attorney, and funded by Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation. On 1 October 1954, ArmaLite Corporation, a division of Fairchild, was incorporated. With its limited capital and small machine shop, ArmaLite was never intended to become a weapons manufacturer. The company focused on producing concepts and designs for small arms that could be sold or licensed to other manufacturers. Sullivan rented a small machine shop in Hollywood, Calif. Hired several workers and began work on a prototype for a lightweight survival rifle.
While testing the prototype ArmaLite AR-5 survival rifle design at a local shooting range, Sullivan met Eugene Stoner, a small arms inventor, who hired Sullivan as ArmaLite's chief design engineer. At the time, ArmaLite Inc. was a very small organisation (until 1956, it had only nine employees, including Stoner). With Stoner as chief design engineer, ArmaLite quickly released a number of unique rifle concepts.
The first prototypes of the 7.62mm AR-10 appeared between 1955 and early 1956.
Restrictions
For the purchase of EU-DECO weapons, a clearly legible copy of a valid identity document (ID card, driver's license or passport) must be sent to verify the age of the buyer.
After ordering you will have the option to send your ID to us.
Due to legal regulations, shipping to buyers WITHIN the Netherlands will not take place until the said copy has been received. In the event that the required copy is not received within a reasonable period of 2 weeks after payment, the order will be canceled.
