Colt CAR-15
Summary
| Country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Category | Submachine gun |
| Manufacturer | Colt |
Technical specifications
| Colt CAR-15 | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 700 - 1000 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 5.56 x 45 mm OTAN |
| Magazine | 30 rounds |
| Length | 780 mm (30.7 in) |
| Weight | 2.44 kg (5.4 lb) |
| Range | 400 m (1312 ft) |
Description
The Colt AR-15 line comprises magazine-fed, gas-operated, semi-automatic rifles manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company. Derived from the lightweight ArmaLite AR-15 automatic rifle designed in 1956, Colt currently holds the AR-15 trademark, applying it to their semi-automatic variants.
Due to financial constraints and production limitations, ArmaLite sold the AR-15 design and trademark, along with the AR-10, to Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1959. Early sales included fully automatic Colt AR-15s to the Federation of Malaya and the United Kingdom in the same year. Colt introduced the semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle as the Colt AR-15 in 1964, with the first mass production model being the Colt AR-15 Sporter in .223 Remington, featuring a 20-inch barrel and 5-round magazines. Colt has since developed numerous AR-15 models, including the AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3, and AR-15A4. The sale of new AR-15s to private users in the US was impacted by the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 to 2004, during which time legally compliant versions were sold. In September 2019, Colt announced it would cease production of the AR-15 for private use due to market saturation, focusing instead on police and military sales. However, by May 2020, Colt resumed production for private sales in response to changing market conditions.
The rifle employs a gas-operated bolt and carrier system. Gas tapped from the barrel is directed through a tube into a gas key on the bolt carrier within the upper receiver. This forces the bolt carrier backward, unlocking it from the barrel extension. The rearward motion extracts and ejects the spent casing. A buffer and return spring drive the assembly forward, chambering a new round. As the bolt moves forward, it locks into the barrel extension. The modular design allows for quick substitution of upper receivers with different:
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Barrel profiles
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Lengths (standard 20-inch, carbine 16-inch, target 24-inch)
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Calibers
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Rail systems
Early barrels had a 1:12 twist rate for 55-grain bullets, while current models feature 1:9 or 1:7 twists for 62-grain bullets.
The lower receiver houses the magazine well, pistol grip, buttstock (fixed for rifles, telescoping for carbines), buffer system, and fire control group (trigger, disconnector, hammer, fire selector). Early SP-1 models used 0.250-inch receiver pins, changed in 1966 to a 0.315-inch front pin and screw before returning to the 0.250-inch pins in the mid-1990s. Standard sights included an L-type flip aperture rear sight adjustable for 0-300 and 300-400 meters and a post front sight adjustable for elevation. Windage is adjustable at the rear sight. The A2 version added a fully adjustable rear sight for specific range settings (300-800 meters) and tool-less windage adjustment. Current AR-15A4 models typically feature a detachable carrying handle and Picatinny rails for optics. Barrels are commonly threaded 1⁄2″-28 for muzzle devices, evolving from an early three-tine "duckbill" flash suppressor to a closed-end design. The A2 version features a compensator with a closed bottom port to reduce muzzle climb and dust signature, which also conforms to STANAG requirements for firing 22mm rifle grenades. Standard magazines are 20- or 30-round detachable boxes, with 5- or 10-round options available.
Colt has produced various models under the AR-15 name, including the AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3, and AR-15A4. These civilian semi-automatic rifles contrast with military select-fire models, which offer semi-automatic and either fully automatic or burst fire modes. While many components like magazines, sights, upper receivers, and barrels are often interchangeable, Colt modified specific parts in semi-automatic receivers (lower receiver, bolt carrier, hammer, trigger, disconnector, safety/mode selector) and utilized different pin sizes to prevent easy conversion to select-fire configurations. Civilian rifles commonly feature 16-inch or longer barrels compared to the military M4's 14.5-inch barrel to comply with regulations. After Colt's patents expired in 1977, other manufacturers began producing "AR-15 style" rifles under different names, resulting in a wide variety of configurations and calibers, including 5.56×45mm NATO, .300 Blackout, 9×19mm, and others.
Colt continues to produce the Colt AR-15 platform for police and military units and also sells to private users. The initial users included the military forces of the Federation of Malaya and the United Kingdom through early sales of fully automatic versions. Certain jurisdictions, including California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., have legislation specifically naming and restricting or banning the Colt AR-15.