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The ArmaLite AR-5 is a lightweight
The earlier M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon is a superposed ("over-under") break action combination gun with a .22 Hornet single-shot
Design patent #179499 (January 01, 1957)
George C. Sullivan (Inventor), United States Patent & Trademark Office, AR-5's gunstock design patent {{DEFAULTSORT:Armalite Ar-5 Rifles of the United States Survival guns
bolt-action
Bolt action is a type of manual Action (firearms), firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt (firearms), turn-bolt via a cocking handle, bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (a ...
takedown rifle chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge and adopted as the MA-1 aircrew survival rifle by the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
. It was developed by 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 ...
, a division of Fairchild Fairchild may refer to:
Organizations
* Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company
* Fairchild Camera and Instrument
* List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies
* Fairchild ...
Engine and Airplane Corporation in 1954.
History
The U.S. Air Force needed a compact, lightweight, accurate rifle for the newXB-70
The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie is a retired prototype version of the planned nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command. Designed in the late 1950s by North A ...
manned bomber aircrew's survival kits. Since the M4 and M6 aircrew survival weapons were no longer in manufacture, the Air Force put out a request for a new survival weapon. Shortly after Fairchild established the ArmaLite division in 1954, ArmaLite designed and submitted the AR-5 in response. The Air Force officially adopted the AR-5 as the MA-1 in 1956. Due to the cancellation of the XB-70 fleet, though, the Air Force never received funding to buy more than the original 12 test models. The M4 and M6 aircrew survival weapons already in inventory were judged to be sufficient for existing Air Force needs. However, adoption of the MA-1 established ArmaLite as a recognized firearms company, leading to several other rifle designs of varying success (e.g., the AR-7
The ArmaLite AR-7 Explorer is a semi-automatic firearm in .22 Long Rifle caliber, developed in 1959 from the Armalite AR-5, AR-5 that was adopted by the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force as a pilot and aircrew survival weapon. The AR-7 was ...
, 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 manufacturer), Fairchild Aircraft Corporation). When first introduced in 1956 ...
and AR-15).
Design
The earlier M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon is a superposed ("over-under") break action combination gun with a .22 Hornet single-shot rifle
A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
barrel over a .410 shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...
barrel. While there is versatility to such a combination, the AR-5's detachable box magazine-fed bolt action has the advantage of rapid-fire capability. The AR-5, like the M4 Survival Rifle and M6 US Air Force survival rifles, used the .22 Hornet cartridge which has 2.3 times the muzzle velocity and 7 times the energy of the common .22 Long Rifle (when comparing 40 gr bullets), and yet still has a light recoil
Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, for according to Newton's third law the force requ ...
in such a light rifle (2.5 lbs.).
Designed to be stowed in cramped aircraft cockpits, the rifle had a takedown design and was primarily made from lightweight plastics and aluminum alloys. The AR-5 was unique for being able to be disassembled with all working parts, plus a basic survival kit, stored within the stock, which was long and thus able to fit in Air Force bailout packs. Additionally, the rifle was able to float in water, whether it was assembled or stowed.
Armalite used the research and tooling for the AR-5/MA-1 to develop the Armalite AR-7, an eight-shot semi-automatic takedown rifle chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Released in 1959 as a civilian survival weapon and in continuous production since then, the AR-7 is related to the AR-5 in terms of its overall layout and retains the same modular takedown, storage in stock, and the ability to float.
See also
* List of ArmaLite rifles * M4 Survival Rifle * M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon * Marble Game Getter * List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces *List of firearms
This is an extensive list of small arms—including pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, personal defense weapons, carbines, designated marksman rifles, multiple-barrel firearms ...
References
External links
Design patent #179499 (January 01, 1957)
George C. Sullivan (Inventor), United States Patent & Trademark Office, AR-5's gunstock design patent {{DEFAULTSORT:Armalite Ar-5 Rifles of the United States Survival guns