The ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer is a semi-automatic firearm in
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smo ...
caliber, developed in 1959 from the
AR-5
The ArmaLite AR-5 is a lightweight bolt-action takedown rifle chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge and adopted as the MA-1 aircrew survival rifle by the United States Air Force. It was developed by ArmaLite, a division of Fairchild Engine and A ...
that was adopted by the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
as a pilot and aircrew survival weapon. The AR-7 was adopted and modified by the Israeli Air Force as an aircrew survival weapon in the 1980s.
The AR-7 was designed by American firearms designer
Eugene Stoner
Eugene Morrison Stoner (November 22, 1922 – April 24, 1997) was an American firearms designer who is most associated with the development of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle that was redesigned and modified by Colt's Patent Firearm Company (now known ...
, who is most associated with the development of the
ArmaLite AR-15
The ArmaLite AR-15 is a select-fire, gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed rifle manufactured in the United States between 1959 and 1964. Designed by American gun manufacturer ArmaLite in 1956, it was based on its AR-10 rifle. The ArmaLite ...
rifle that was adopted by the US military as the
M16
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
. The civilian AR-7's intended markets today are backpackers and other recreational users as a
takedown utility rifle. The AR-7 is often recommended for use by outdoor users of recreational vehicles (automobile, airplane or boat) who might have need for a weapon for foraging or defense in a wilderness emergency.
History and design
The prototype of what would become the AR-7 was designed by Eugene Stoner at
ArmaLite
ArmaLite, or Armalite, is an American small arms engineering company, formed in the early 1950s, in Hollywood, California. Many of its products, as conceived by chief designer Eugene Stoner, relied on unique foam-filled fiberglass butt/stock fur ...
Inc., a division of
Fairchild Aircraft
Fairchild was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York; Hagerstown, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas.
History
Early aircraft
The company was founded by Sherman Fairchild in 1 ...
. The rifle shares some of the features of the
bolt-action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-action ...
AR-5
The ArmaLite AR-5 is a lightweight bolt-action takedown rifle chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge and adopted as the MA-1 aircrew survival rifle by the United States Air Force. It was developed by ArmaLite, a division of Fairchild Engine and A ...
, another
takedown rifle
A takedown gun (typically a takedown rifle or takedown shotgun) is a long gun designed to be taken apart significantly reducing its length, making it easier to store, pack, transport and conceal. A variety of barrel, stock, and receiver de ...
designed by Stoner for ArmaLite and adopted by the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
in 1956 as the MA-1. The MA-1 was intended to replace the
M4 Survival Rifle
The M4 Survival Rifle was a .22 calibre bolt-action rifle developed after World War II as part of the survival gear stored under the seat of American military aircraft. It was designed to give downed aircrew a survival weapon for foraging wild game ...
and the
M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon
The M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon was a specially-made .22 Hornet over .410 bore combination gun issued to United States Air Force aircrews to help forage for food in the event of a plane crash. It was issued from 1952 until the early 1970s, in conj ...
which was a superposed ("over-under") twin-barrel rifle/shotgun chambered in
.22 Hornet and
.410 bore
The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small g ...
, using a break-open action. The AR-5 had the advantage of repeat fire over the then-standard M6, using the same .22 Hornet cartridge. When the AR-5 was adopted as the MA-1 but was not placed in issue due to the numbers of usable M4 and M6 survival weapons in USAF inventory, ArmaLite used the research and tooling for the AR-5 in developing the AR-7 for the civilian market.
[Duncan Long, ''AR-7 Super Systems'', Paladin Press, 1990.]
![AR7 Internal Parts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/AR7_Internal_Parts.jpg)
The AR-7 uses a blowback semi-automatic action in
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smo ...
but retains the AR-5/MA-1 feature of storing the disassembled parts within the hollow stock, which is filled with plastic foam and capable of floating. Like the bolt-action AR-5, the AR-7 was designed as a survival rifle for foraging small game for food. The AR-7 is constructed primarily of aluminum, with plastic for the stock, buttcap, and recoil spring guide. The bolt is steel. The original barrel was aluminum using a rifled steel liner; barrels of some production models have used all steel barrels, others have used barrels made of composite materials. The AR-7 measures 35 inches overall when assembled. It disassembles to four sections (
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
,
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
,
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
, and
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
), with three parts storing inside the plastic stock, measuring 16 inches long. The rifle weighs 2.5
pounds, light enough for convenient backpacking. The rear
sight
Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding Biophysical environment, environment through photopic vision (daytime vision), color vision, scotopic vision (night vision), and mesopic vision (twilight vision), using light in the ...
is a
peep sight
Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers (usually made of metallic material) used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons (such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow or even compound bow), or less commonly ...
, which comes on a flat metal blade with an aperture (in later production two different size apertures available by removing and flipping the rear sight), and is adjustable for elevation (up-down). The front sight is adjustable for windage (side-to-side). Accuracy is sufficient for hunting small game at ranges to 50
yard
The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.914 ...
s.
Performance
Reliability of the AR-7 is highly dependent on the condition of the magazine and on the ammunition used, perhaps more so than with other models of semi-automatic .22 caliber rifles. The
feed ramp
A feed ramp is a basic feature of many breech loading cartridge firearm designs. It is a tightly machined and polished piece of metal which guides a cartridge from the top of the magazine into the firing chamber of the barrel. The feed ramp may ...
is part of the magazine and subject to damage from mishandling. Flat-nosed bullets tend to jam on the edge of the chamber of the barrel. The transition of cartridge from magazine to barrel can be smoothed by minor beveling of the chamber of the barrel, by using round-nosed as opposed to flat-nosed bullets and by paying attention to condition of the feed lips and feed ramp of the magazine. Later production magazines include an external wire spring to align the cartridge; earlier magazines used two pinch marks at the top of the magazine body, which in use could become sprung open or worn.
All iterations of the AR-7 from the ArmaLite to the Henry U.S. Survival rifle use a bolt and dual recoil springs that are heavy compared to most other .22 semiautomatics. The AR-7 requires high velocity ammunition for reliable functioning. The manufacturers recommend use of 40 grain round nose bullets in high velocity loadings. It is possible to manually load a single round into the firing chamber, allowing use of flat nosed bullets or low velocity or subsonic ammunition.
The barrel takedown nut tends to loosen during firing and may need hand-tightening to maintain both accuracy and reliability.
ArmaLite sold the design to
Charter Arms
Charter Arms Co. is an American manufacturer of revolvers. Since its founding in 1964, Charter Arms has produced revolvers chambered in the following calibers: .22 Long Rifle, .22 Winchester Magnum, .32 Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magn ...
in 1973. According to some accounts posted by enthusiasts, this is when quality began to deteriorate. Barrels were said to have a tendency to warp. Other sources state that the first production at Charter had problems which were corrected in later production runs.
Production history
''(Summary of information available in The Blue Book of Gun Values)''
*1959-1973:
ArmaLite
ArmaLite, or Armalite, is an American small arms engineering company, formed in the early 1950s, in Hollywood, California. Many of its products, as conceived by chief designer Eugene Stoner, relied on unique foam-filled fiberglass butt/stock fur ...
*1973-1990:
Charter Arms
Charter Arms Co. is an American manufacturer of revolvers. Since its founding in 1964, Charter Arms has produced revolvers chambered in the following calibers: .22 Long Rifle, .22 Winchester Magnum, .32 Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magn ...
*1990-1997: Survival Arms - Cocoa, Florida
*1998-2004: AR-7 Industries - LLC, Meriden, Connecticut (bought by ArmaLite in 2004)
*1997–2007:
Henry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is a firearms manufacturing company. As of 2019, Henry Repeating Arms ranked in the top five of U.S. long gun manufacturers, and eighth overall in total firearms production, manufacturing over 300,000 firearms annually.
H ...
Co. - Brooklyn, New York
*2007–present:
Henry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is a firearms manufacturing company. As of 2019, Henry Repeating Arms ranked in the top five of U.S. long gun manufacturers, and eighth overall in total firearms production, manufacturing over 300,000 firearms annually.
H ...
Co. - Bayonne, New Jersey
AR-7 variants
ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer
Original ArmaLite barrels had a steel liner in an aluminum shell. The stock was a foam filled plastic shell with internal recesses for the receiver, barrel and one magazine and did not accept the receiver with a magazine in place. The original ArmaLite stock retained buoyancy longer than some later stocks by other makers. The receiver did not provide for a
scope mount
Scope mounts are used to attach telescopic sights or other types of sights to firearms. The scope sight itself is usually made for only one of two main types of mounts, which can be classified as ''scopes for ring mounts'' (for example a 30 ...
. The rear sight was a peep aperture, adjustable for elevation. The front sight was drift-adjustable for windage.
Argentine variant
The AR-7 was also manufactured in Argentina as the ''Sistema de Armas .22 LR Fire de Brenta''. It came with various barrel lengths, shrouds and fixed rifle stocks as well as pistol grips with retractable stocks.
Herter's Outdoor Supply
Herter's, Hy Hunter and American International Distributors marketed .22 replicas of the
Broomhandle Mauser (as "Bolomauser"),
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Stat ...
(as "T-62 Civilian Defense Model") and
M1 Carbine
The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced ...
made on AR-7 receivers and barrels.
Charter Arms AR-7 Explorer
The
Charter Arms
Charter Arms Co. is an American manufacturer of revolvers. Since its founding in 1964, Charter Arms has produced revolvers chambered in the following calibers: .22 Long Rifle, .22 Winchester Magnum, .32 Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magn ...
AR-7 Explorer rifle replicated the ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer with variations in finish.
Charter Arms Explorer II pistol
![Charter Arms Explorer II pistol](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Charter_Arms_Explorer_II_pistol.jpg)
Explorer II was a pistol version of the AR-7. It resembled a
Broomhandle Mauser. The receiver had a built-in pistol grip with no provision for the rifle stock (the internal parts are interchangeable between rifle and pistol). The rear sight of the pistol was an open notch adjustable for windage and elevation. The Explorer II front sight was integral with the barrel shell and was not adjustable. The magazine well in front of the trigger guard would accept any magazine designed for the rifle. A spare 8-round magazine could be carried inside the grip. The most common barrel was six inches. Optional barrel lengths included eight and ten inches.
Legal note
![Charter Arms Explorer II takedown](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Charter_Arms_Explorer_II_takedown.jpg)
Because the U.S.
1934 NFA regulations set the minimum rifle barrel length at 16 inches, Charter Arms made the barrels of the Explorer I rifle and Explorer II pistol non-interchangeable to prevent installing the pistol barrel on the rifle. The AR-7 barrel has an alignment lug that mates a notch in the receiver. The rifle receiver notch and barrel lug are on top; the pistol notch and lug are broader and on the bottom. If a Charter Arms factory-made pistol barrel were installed on a rifle, the extractor on the bolt would be opposite the extractor slot in the barrel, preventing the bolt from closing (plus the front sight would be upside down). Modifying the pistol barrel to fit the rifle, or modifying the rifle receiver to accept the pistol barrel, would be "making a short barrel rifle" legally requiring federal registration on an ATF Form 1 with payment of a $200.00 tax.
Conversely, after the Supreme Court ruling in ''United States v. Thompson/Center Arms Co.'', modifying the pistol to accept the rifle barrel and/or stock, or modifying the rifle barrel or stock to fit the pistol is legal so long as you do not have the rifle stock attached at the same time as the pistol barrel. It is legal (as a pistol) to have the rifle barrel attached with the pistol grip; there is no federal maximum pistol barrel length.
In the United Kingdom this rifle is a Section 1 Firearm requiring a Firearms Certificate to buy or acquire.
AR-7 Industries
AR-7 Industries made solid steel barrels much heavier than the AR-7 barrels by ArmaLite, Charter or Henry.
Henry Survival Rifle
In 1980, the design and production rights passed on to
Henry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is a firearms manufacturing company. As of 2019, Henry Repeating Arms ranked in the top five of U.S. long gun manufacturers, and eighth overall in total firearms production, manufacturing over 300,000 firearms annually.
H ...
and the compact rifle was slightly revised, resulting in improved reliability and durability. The AR-7 is now (2018) known as the Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 rifle. An
ABS material replaced the original stock plastic, which was prone to cracking and failure. The receiver recess in the Henry stock allows storage of receiver with a magazine in place and the rifle is normally sold with two magazines. The latest versions of the Henry allow for storage of three magazines total, with two in the stock recess, and one in the receiver. The modern Henry U.S. Survival Rifle floats on water for a while either assembled or stored, although it is not entirely waterproof and will sink eventually. The rifles now include a full Teflon coating on the outer surface. Henry added a 3/8 inch
Dovetail rail
A dovetail rail or dovetail mount can refer to several types of sliding rail system found on firearms primarily for mounting telescopic sights. Colloquially, the term ''dovetail rail'' usually refer to any straight mounting bracket with an inver ...
(aka Weaver .22 Tip-Off Mount rail) on the top of the receiver for attaching a wide variety of optics. Henry introduced a 5-round magazine for jurisdictions that limit magazine capacity for hunting wild game.
Israeli pilot's survival rifle
Another variant was made by ArmaLite and sold to the
Israeli Military
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...
for use as pilot/aircrew survival weapons, replacing the 9mm Beretta 1951 8-shot handgun. The Israelis further modified these rifles, adding a telescoping stock, a pistol grip from a
FAL-type rifle, shortening the barrel (to 13.5 inches), and adding a front sight based on the
K98k
The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57 ...
Mauser. The shoulder stock held two magazines, with a third magazine in the receiver, plus forty rounds of ammunition stored inside the pistol grip. After Israeli service, some of these rifles were re-imported into the U.S. by Bricklee Trading Company for sale on the civilian market. The barrels are marked with the BTC identification as required by U.S. law on imported guns. The Israeli version commands a premium among collectors. In order to comply with U.S. Federal law on minimum rifle barrel length of 16", a 3-inch
muzzle brake
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
was permanently attached.
Jeremiah Knupp, "The Unlikely Resilience of the AR-7 Survival Rifle"
American Rifleman, 27 Dec 2016.
Operation
The AR-7 functions as a simple or plain blowback semi-automatic. The AR-7 is a light firearm with heavy bolt and twin recoil springs.
Aftermarket modifications
The fact that both the barrel and stock are detachable has led to a plethora of after-market accessories, similar to those available for the Ruger 10/22
The Ruger 10/22 is a series of semi-automatic rifles produced by American firearm manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co., chambered for the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge. It uses a patented 10-round rotary magazine, though higher capacity box mag ...
. Barrels, stocks, and grips, of varying finishes and utility, can be added to the rifle. These include collapsible stocks, wire-framed stocks, pistol grips, flash suppressors, shrouded barrels, high-capacity magazines, telescopic sights, reflex 'red dot' sights and other occasionally fanciful-looking hardware, some at a cost greater than the rifle itself. Such accessories often make it impossible to use the original floating stock for storage of modified parts.
The current Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 has a 3/8" scope sight rail integral with the receiver to accept standard Weaver-style "Tip-Off" rings. For earlier makes, B Square supplied the Charter Arms AR-7 Explorer Scope Mount Base, an accessory bracket with a 3/8" rail. The base attached by the receiver side plate screw (the Charter Arms side plate screw is longer than that of the ArmaLite). This base can be used on the ArmaLite and the Charter Arms Explorer rifles and the Charter Arms Explorer II pistol. However, with the base in place, the rifle receiver will no longer fit the recess in the stock for storage. (The B Square Charter Arms AR-7 base is not needed on the Henry version and will not fit the Henry receiver.)
Apart from the highly modified AR-7 Israeli survival rifles, most AR-7 models lack provision for a carry sling. AR-7 owners have adapted slings designed for use on guns without modification, such as universal shotgun slings designed to cup the shotgun buttstock at the rear and clamp to the barrel or magazine tube at the front. Given the light weight of the AR-7, 2.5 pounds, a proper length of parachute cord with a slip knot
The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail (working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipped ...
at either end can be used as a sling or lanyard
A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lower ...
.
See also
*List of ArmaLite rifles
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*Preetz Model 65
The Preetz Model 65 is a blowback action, semi-automatic .22LR caliber survival rifle made in several models by Josef G. Landmann of Holstein or Preetz, West Germany, also listed as J.G.L. or JGL 65, 68 and 69 in some references. It was intended a ...
*Marlin Model 70P
The Marlin Model 70P, also known as the Marlin Papoose, is a .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Marlin Firearms. The rifle is notable for its portability; it is less than in length when disassembled and weighs 3.25 pounds. Disasse ...
References
External links
Henry Repeating Arms webpage for the AR-7/U.S. Survival Rifle
Photos of the AR-7 Survival Rifle
{{Authority control
Rifles of the United States
Survival guns
AR-07
Takedown guns
.22 LR firearms