Arma Lite History

The AR-15 and derivatives might be among the most famous rifles, made so by its genuinely effective design equally admired by precision Service Rifle and action shooters alike—and also in part by prohibitionists that have never handled one. As you might expect, its history is similar to many great designs and it well combines simplicity, function, and utility. Fairchild Aviation Corporation was an aerospace manufacturing company founded by Sherman Fairchild in 1924, producing the Fairchild FC-1, the first U.

S. aircraft to include a fully enclosed cockpit and hydraulic landing gear. Arma Lite was founded in the early 1950s as a small arms engineering concern created by George Sullivan, the patent counsel for Lockheed Corporation, focused on using the latest advances in material design. Initially working independently for several years with a few employees and leased equipment, Arma Lite’s ideas caught the interest of Richard Boutelle at Fairchild, which bought Arma Lite and made it a subdivision 1954.

While testing an early Arma Lite prototype at a local shooting range, Sullivan met Eugene Stoner. Stoner, a former Marine in World War II, had been working a variety of jobs while building gun prototypes in his spare time. Sullivan hired him as Arma Lite’s Chief Engineer. Arma Lite’s initial project was the AR-1 Parasniper, a lightweight bolt action rifle. Shortly after Fairchild bought Arma Lite, the company was invited to submit anew survival rifle design to the U. S. Air Force.

A few weeks later, Arma Lite submitted the AR-5. Chambered in 22 Hornet, the Air Force adopted it as the MA-1 Survival Rifle. This success with the AR-5 led Fairchild to reverse its strategy of focusing on the commercial market first and direct all development to military firearms. Arma Lite’s next big project was developing what would become the AR-10.

Based on Stoner’s fourth prototype, two hand-built production AR-10s were tested by the Springfield Armory (not to be confused by the commercial gun maker of the same name) in late 1956 as a possible replacement to the venerable M1 Garand. The AR-10 faced competition from the two other designs, the Springfield Armory T-44 and the T-48, an FN FAL variant. The T-44 and the T-48 had a lead in development and trials testing, with the T-44 having the additional advantage of being an in-house Springfield Armory design.

The AR- 10 was very different than the other designs, being made of aircraft grade aluminum and plastic. The Army eventually selected the T-44 as the M14. Based on what they saw in the AR-10, however, other Army officials asked Arma Lite to develop a smaller version. The ensuing prototype was called the AR-15. The mid-to-late 1950s was a period of intense development at Arma Lite. The engineering staff was strong, with Eugene Stoner, James Sullivan, and Robert Fremont present.

In addition to the AR-15, development of the AR-17 shotgun as well as the AR-5-based AR-7 22 Long Rifle survival rifle. The AR-7 entered production for the commercial market and small numbers were sold to various military forc- S. military history, was invented by Arma Lite. The M16A2 (bottom) improved the sights and lead to the AR-15’s dominance in Across The Course shooting. The M16A4 MWS (Modular Weapon System) added flexibility with Picatinny rails.

The M-15TBN (top) keeps all this while doubling accuracy and being more compact. es. The company also developed the AR-16, a sheet metal version of the AR-10. Three specimens were produced. The adoption of the M14 by the Army and Arma Lite’s focus on the AR-10 caused the AR-16 to be dropped. Arma Lite was late with the AR- 10 and early with the AR-15. Tired of repeated failures in the market, Fairchild licensed the AR-15 to Colt and the AR-10 to Artillerie Inrichtingen, a Dutch state-owned munitions company.

The engineering team started to split up at the end of the decade. Fremont left for Colt in 1959, Sullivan left in 1960, and Stoner left in 1961 to serve as a consultant to Colt. With both models gone Arma Lite was in trouble. Its only rifle in production was the AR-7. After buying it from Arma Lite, Colt contracted the AR-15 to the U. S. Air

Force to arm base security troops. Commercial models were then sent to Special Forces in Viet Nam, who reported great success with the weapon. This led to it being adopted by the Army in 1964. Early Colt AR-15s, their magazines, and their operator’s manuals were marked with Arma Lite’s name. Colt’s retained the AR-15 designation on commercial rifles and retained the AR (originally, "Arma Lite Rifle") model designation. Frustrated by production delays at Artillerie Inrichtingen and poor sales, Fairchild dropped A.

I.’s license to produce the AR-10. Disappointed with Arma Lite’s slim profits, largely derived from licensing fees, Fairchild dissolved its association with Arma Lite. The original principals of Arma Lite acquired the company from Fairchild, including rights and title to all Arma Lite designs except the AR-10 and AR-15, which had been licensed away.

The organization continued from this time on as Arma Lite, Inc., however, with both the AR-10 and AR-15 designs sold off, Arma Lite was left without a viable design to market and set about to develop rifles that wouldn’t violate Stoner’s gas system patents. The company resumed development of the 7.62 mm NATO AR-16, which had a more traditional gas piston design, and stamped and welded steel construction in place of aluminum forgings. Ultimately, it was produced only in prototype quantities.

The AR-17, a two-shot autoloading shotgun based on the short-recoil principle, aluminum and plastic construction, and weighing 5.5 pounds, was released but only 1,200 were ever produced. AR-10/15 Indepth AR-15-based rifles remain the most commonly issued 5.56 NATO rifles around the world, having been adopted by 15 countries in NATO and over 80 militaries total. As an employee of Fairchild Engine & Airplane, Stoner filed the original patent (#2,951,424) on August 14, 1956.

One of the goals of the design stated in the patent was to "provide a gas system which is lighter and less expensive to produce because of its simplicity than the present gas systems now used in automatic rifle mechanisms." Stoner noted, "the most widely used method of operation of automatic rifles today is the conventional gas cylinder, piston and actuating rod assembly… It is a principal object of this invention to utilize the basic parts of an automatic rifle mechanism such as the bolt and bolt carrier to perform a double function." While the primary function of the bolt carrier rotates, locks and reciprocates the bolt, it also serves as a movable cylinder to actuate the mechanism.

The bolt serves as a stationary piston in addition to its role in locking the breech. This eliminates the need for a separate gas cylinder, piston, and actuating rod assembly. Stoner’s system is best described as an internal piston design, with the older, more conventional design being an external piston. This is not "direct impingement" despite being a common but incorrect descriptor.

In fact, in the official patent filing, Stoner states, "This invention is a true expanding gas system instead of the conventional impinging gas system." While designed to reduce parts and save weight, it also eliminates many causes of inaccuracy in self-loading designs. Stoner essentially created a straight pull bolt action rifle that uses gas pressure to self-operate. One of the stated goals in Stoner’s original patent was light weight.

Using an efficient, parts-saving design coupled with 7075 aluminum alloy and plastics, early full-length AR- 15s were about 6.5 pounds without magazine or sling, the same weight as the current M4. Curtis Le May viewed a demonstration of the new design in 1960. By 1961 the Air Force fielded 80,000 copies. The rest of the U. S. military began adopting the new rifle in 1962, with a halt to M14 production in 1963 and a U. S. Army order of 85,000 XM16E1s.

There were several deficiencies with the M16 as implemented, largely due to ignoring key features implemented by Stoner and the lack of even minimal maintenance training that will keep any AR-15 at top reliability. Despite being over a half century old and having five major revisions to the original, issue version, Viet Nam-era problems that have long been rectified are still circulated as flaws.

This is like claiming personal computers will never catch on because the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-7 ($72,000 in 1965) is too complex and expensive for individuals. Mark Westrom, who owned Arma Lite from 1996 until 2013, commented on the perceived reliability problem in an interview with Small Arms Defense Journal: "The criticism of the M16 family of rifles comes from basically two places. One, it comes from commercial guys who bad-mouth the weapon so that they can sell their product.

The other comes from weak maintenance—things as simple as bad magazines. Virtually all of the problems with M16 rifle malfunctions could be solved by throwing away bad magazines. "When I was assigned to Rock Island, I hated the M16. And I had a lot of time on my hands, so I initiated a study of the M16. I had access to the technical library at Rock Island, and researched deeply into historical documents that hadn’t been accessed since the 1960s. "One of the things that bothered me with the M16 was that gas tube.

I’ve since realized that the gas tube is a brilliant piece of engineering. People talk about going to a piston gun. The M16 is a piston gun. The piston on an M16 is in the bolt carrier, but the M16 system is still a piston gun. The gas tube system keeps recoil forces in a straight line. The M16 gas tube system does not have

This fixture was designed and built in-house for proof testing the AR-50. an issue with moving masses that arise when using a connecting rod or a piston. The gas tube system is a brilliant design, but I didn’t like the dust, dirt, and carbon that was deposited in the receiver. "The problem with the Army is that they have a white-glove mentality, and they want their rifles clean. It’s easy to tell when the rifle is absolutely clean. It’s hard to tell when the rifle is clean enough.

That white-glove mentality is a powerful influence within the U. S. armed forces. Soldiers don’t realize that wiping down and lubing the rifle components is enough on an M16. Instead, they overdo it." The Army standardized an upgrade of the XM16E1 as the M16A1 in 1967 and the M16A2 rifle entered service in the early 1980s, ordered in significant numbers by 1987.

Features included a faster twist to stabilize NATO-approved, Belgiandesigned SS109 (M855 "green tip") ball, click-adjustable rear sight for windage and elevation, heavier barrel, and case deflector built into the upper receiver. Full auto was replaced with three round burst, implemented via a cam that made an already mediocre trigger less consistent, as the pull weight differs as the cam rotates. The M16A3 rifle is an M16A2 rifle without the burst cam, like the M16A1 with semi-automatic and full automatic fire.

The M16A4 features a flat top upper receiver with a Picatinny rail, allowing various optics to mount in place of iron sights. MIL-STD-1913 (STANAG 2324) rail, standardized, tested, and evaluated at Picatinny Arsenal in 1995, was based of the Weaver rail and originally intended for mounting optical sights on top of receivers. However, the versatility was quickly realized and catalogs of various accessories have been made available.

The M5 RAS (Rail Adapter System) by Knights Armament Company was developed to expand the A4 into the Modular Weapon System. The M5 is a non-free float handguard that is a drop-in replacement for the A2-type handguards originally issued with the A4. With four rails running the length of the forend, any number of accessories can be mounted. AR-18 The 5.56mm AR-18 began development as anew rifle to compete with the AR-15.

Combining lessons of the AR-15 and AR-16, the AR-18 is largely sheet metal and features a floating piston gas system instead of the Stoner-designed internal piston system found in the AR-10 and AR-15. Designed by Art Miller, the AR-18 was the main focus of Arma Lite’s efforts for the next two decades, however, the sales success of the AR-15 proved the undoing of the AR-18, and the latter failed to garner substantial orders.

In response to criticism of the rifle’s performance in trials by the military in the United States and Great Britain, a few minor improvements were made to the original design, but little else was done. Arma Lite manufactured some AR-18 and semi-auto-only AR-180 rifles at its Costa Mesa facility and later licensed production to Howa Machinery Co. in Japan.

However, Japan was prohibited under its laws from selling military-style arms to combative nations, and with the United States involved in the Viet Nam war, production at the Howa plant was limited. Arma Lite then licensed production to Sterling Armaments in Dagenham, Great Britain. Sales remained modest. Today, the AR-18 is best known for its use by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, who received small quantities of the rifle from black market sources.

The AR-18 gas system and rotating bolt mechanism would later serve as the basis for the current British small arms family, the SA80, which are essentially AR-18s in bullpup configuration. Other designs, such as the Singapore SAR-80 and German G36, are based upon the AR-18. In order to concentrate full effort on the military sales program, Arma Lite elected to discontinue its other commercial firearm activities.

In early 1970s Arma Lite sold the AR-7 rifle to Charter Arms and the company effectively ceased operations. In 1983 Arma Lite was sold to Elisco Tool Manufacturing Company in the Philippines, with tooling, remaining parts inventory for the AR-17 and AR-18 and some of the employees from the Costa Mesa shop. Arma Lite continued to market existing rifles and parts. Elisco Tool had successfully produced the M16A1 for the Philippine armed forces and po-

Most other sellers are contracting out parts manufacture to a company like Arma Lite. Arma Lite forges, machines, and broaches lower and upper receivers in house for their own rifles and for other companies. lice. Difficulties with Colt over M16 licensing prompted Elisco to seek another 5.56mm rifle and the AR-18 was the only real contender. Unfortunately, this ultimately failed due to political events in the Philippines themselves.

With Ferdinand Marcos overturned and in exile, the political and economic links of the government were dramatically shifted and Elisco was unable to carry out the AR-18 production. Independent of Arma Lite, Karl Lewis and Jim Glazier formed a company called Eagle Arms in Coal Valley, Illinois in 1986. Lewis had manufactured a wide variety of both commercial and military parts for M16 rifles, and Eagle Arms assumed the increasingly distracting retail business from Lewis’s company, Lewis Machine and Tool (LMT).

Eagle Arms initially marketed M16 and AR-15 type rifle parts. The early Stoner patents had expired and Eagle was able to build both parts and complete rifles. In 1989 Eagle commenced production of complete rifles, with LMT serving as the major supplier. In January 1994, Mark Westrom purchased Eagle Arms. Westrom was a former Army Ordnance Officer and a civilian employee of the Weapons Systems Management Directorate of the Army’s Armament Materiel and Chemical Command (AMCCOM) at nearby Rock Island Arsenal.

After the purchase, the company continued producing Eagle Arms EA-15 rifles and Westrom’s background in Service Rifle competition produced a focus on high grade target rifles just before the AR-15 began dominating Across The Course matches for Service Rifle shooters. Westrom also initiated the design of a 308 AR-10 type rifle, the M-10, in line with Eagle’s 223 Remington M-15. The bulk of the engineering work was contracted out to LMT.

In early 1995, Westrom purchased Arma Lite’s trademark rights and production of Arma Lite rifles resumed in Illinois. The corporation was reorganized as Arma Lite, with Eagle Arms converted to a division of Arma Lite. First shipments of new Arma Lite rifles began in 1995. With the reorganization as Arma Lite, the M-10 rifle was renamed. Arma Lite/Fairchild had already used the AR-10 designation with its 1950s era 308/7.62 rifles and had developed the AR-10A as an improvement on it.

The planned M-10 rifle series was designated the AR-10B series and deliveries commenced in 1996. The AR-10B rifle was developed with a then-unusual reliance on computer design and simulation. In fact, the rifle was never prototyped. Individual sub-components were tested on a special lower receiver made of two slabs of aluminum fitted to an SR- 25 upper receiver assembly. The first full prototype AR-10B was the first rifle off the production line.

This approach was risky, but required by the limitations on cash at that time and proved successful. Results from the prototype and the first production rifles disclosed that the only error was in not installing a firing pin retarding spring. The spring was planned early in the development but left out of the final design because there seemed to be no need for it. Subsequent problems with the surplus ammunition used by some customers required manufacture of the spring.

Fortunately, space for the spring was built into the bolt carrier, and it was quickly dispatched to the field and the production line. In late 1997, Arma Lite began development of the AR-50, a single shot rifle chambered for 50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge and designed strictly for the commercial market. It was introduced at SHOT in 1999 and is still in production. The success of the AR-50 prompted a smaller version, the AR-30 in 7.62, 300 Winchester Magnum, and 338 Lapua.

For the first time in company history, Arma Lite created a line of handguns. Mark Westrom met with representatives of Sarsilmaz, a firearm manufacturing company in Turkey, in 2005. Sarsilmaz had been making the Sarsılmaz Kılınç 2000, their version of the Czech CZ- 75 with design elements similar to the SIG P210. With input from Westrom, the design was improved and is now the AR-24 line. Arma Lite continues to produce firearms and design new ones. It has

Here, Mark Westrom demonstrates use of a coordinate measuring machine for checking components back when he owned the company. shipped far more 5.56/223 rifles than Arma Lite did during its first through third phases and more AR-10s than Arma Lite/Fairchild and Artillerie Inrichtingen did combined.

Strategic Armory Corps Strategic Armory Corps, which also owns Surgeon Rifles, AWC Silencers, Mc Millan Firearms, and Nexus Ammunition, acquired Arma Lite in 2013, initially retaining the company’s 90 employees as well as appointing Westrom to SAC’s board of directors. The expansion created more active development projects than any time since 1961. In 2015, Arma Lite introduced 18 new products including AR-10 and M-15 platform firearms.

During 2016, Arma Lite revived the Eagle Arms brand, introducing an entry level M-15 rifle. In mid 2018, Arma Lite relocated from Geneseo, Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona. Arma Lite Firearm Overview AR-1 (1954) The 7.62mm "Parasniper" rifle was a lightweight bolt action rifle and began life at Arma Lite’s first location in Hollywood, California. It broke new ground by using a foam-filled fiberglass stock and an anodized aluminum barrel with a thin steel liner.

A variety of actions were used with Remingtons being most common. The rifle with scope weighed six pounds. Very few were made. AR-5 (1955) A 2 3/4 pound bolt action four shot 22 Hornet survival rifle adopted by the Air Force in 1956. Its distinguishing characteristic was the ability to detach the barrel from the action, the action from the stock, and place both inside the stock. With the buttcap replaced, the rifle would float.

The government specification for the MA-1 called for a second, 22 Long Rifle barrel to be attached outside the stock. The AR-5 led to the AR-7 and further government contracts. AR-7 (1959) The AR-7 Explorer was the first commercial item to be put into production by the Arma Lite Division of Fairchild and is a civilian version of the Air Force-adopted AR-5. Chambered in 22 Long Rifle, it disassembles without the use of tools and stows inside its plastic butt stock.

The AR-7 weighs 2 3/4 pounds and floats, either assembled or in the stowed configuration. The action is semi-automatic and is fed from an eight-round magazine. It has been in intermittent production since. AR-10 (1956) This 7.62mm NATO rifle was conceived by Eugene Stoner and tested by U. S. Ordnance at their Springfield Armory in 1956 with licensing to Artillerie Inrichtingen in Holland in 1957.

The AR- 10 combined a number of previous features with anew gas system patented by Stoner, such as gas ported off the barrel via a tube back into the upper receiver, into the bolt carrier, and entering an expansion chamber where it expands and drives the carrier to the rear. The rearward movement of the carrier transferred by a cam pin riding in a curved path and engaging the bolt, forces the bolt to rotate to unlock. Common reports that the Stoner system is copied from the Swedish Ljungman system are incorrect.

The Ljungman system has a tube carrying gas ported off the barrel but the tube simply directs the gas into a cavity in the top of the carrier to blow the carrier to the rear. AR-15 (1956-59) In a joint effort, Arma Lite and Remington developed the 223 Remington cartridge for this Eugene Stoner design. The AR-15 was licensed to the Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in 1959.

The US Air Force completed tests of the AR-15 and procured 8,500 rifles in 1961, and standardized it in 1963, purchasing 85,000 rifles. The Army also ordered 85,000 rifles that year with an additional 35,000 in 1964, 100,000 in 1965, and 100,000 in 1966. These rifles were first issued primarily to combat troops in the Dominican Republic and to Special Forces, Airborne, helicopter crews, Air Commando, and other special category troops in Viet Nam.

Labeled M16 by the Department of Defense, it was type classified standard Ain 1965 and became the military’s basic service rifle. AR-16 (1959-60) A folding stock equipped infantry rifle in 7.62mm NATO caliber and capable of launching rifle grenades without modifications or attachments to the rifle. The primary reason for development of the AR-16 was to produce a weapon with the performance capabilities of the AR-10/AR-15 series, but at a greatly reduced production cost and without advanced technological resources.

Although the AR-16 didn’t enter production, elements of its design influenced the 1995 design of the AR-10B.

AR-17 (1956-62) A semi-automatic shotgun featuring a hard-anodized aluminum receiver and barrel, and a brown wood grain plastic stock. The barrel was equipped with replaceable chokes. The AR-17 was called the "Golden Gun" due to the color of the aluminum components. Two thousand sets of parts for the AR-17 were produced but only 1,200 guns were sold. The AR-17 never met commercial success. It was semi-automatic and held only two shots.

It was lightweight but was marketed to trap and skeet shooters who normally fire many shots per day. AR-18 (1963-65) Just as the AR-16 is basically a sheet metal version of the AR-10, the AR-18 is a sheet metal version of the AR-15. The AR-18 was an effort to correct the mistake of selling the AR-15 to Colt. As the AR-15 became successful, Arma Lite needed a rifle that could compete in the same market and put Arthur Miller and Eugene Stoner to the task of making it.

The AR-18 is a gas operated, 6.9 pound rifle equipped with a folding stock and capable of full and semi-automatic fire. Firing the same cartridge as the AR-15, the AR-18 uses steel stampings instead of alloy forgings, simplifying manufacture and greatly reducing production costs. The main functional differences include the use of a Tokarev-style sliding gas cylinder under the handguards that avoided violating the Stoner gas system patent.

The second difference was the use of dual operating springs on rods in the upper receiver, which allowed the stock to fold to the side. The AR- 180 (1963-65) was a semiautomaticonly version. M-15 (1994) In order to avoid a conflict with Colt’s trademark of "AR-15" Arma Lite has since designated its versions of Stoner’s patent as the "M-15". AR-20 (1998-99) The AR-20 was the initial designation of Arma Lite’s 50 BMG rifle. The designation was changed to the AR-50 to emphasize the caliber of the rifle.

AR-22 (1998) The AR-22 is a Blank Firing Device for the Mk 19 Mod 4 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, designed for training and testing and employing a standard 7.62mm NATO blank. The AR-22 was conceived by CW4 John Miller, and designed by George Reynolds, President of Knox Engineering Company of Altona, Illinois. Reynolds brought it to Arma Lite when he began work on the Arma Lite AR-50 rifle.

AR-23 (1998) The AR-23 is a Sub- Caliber Training Device for the Mk 19 Mod 4 Grenade Machine Gun employing a special tracer cartridge designed to follow the same ballistic arc of the 40mm grenade. The AR-23 was conceived by CW4 John Miller, and designed by George Reynolds. Like the AR-22, Reynolds brought it to Arma Lite when he began work on the Arma Lite AR-50 rifle. AR-24 (2006) In 2005, Mark Westrom met with representatives of Sarsilmaz, a firearm manufacturing company in Turkey.

Starting with their basic CZ-75 pistol, Westrom made changes that he felt would appeal to the American consumer. The result, in 2006, was a set of four 9mm pistols that bear the Arma Lite name. AR-50 (1998) Arma Lite’s normal pattern of designation of models was altered for the AR-50 to reflect the rifle’s caliber. It is chambered for the 50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge and is capable of being built to accept the more powerful Russian 12.7mm cartridge. It features a unique stock made largely of aluminum.

The forend is an extrusion with V-cross section that mates with an octagonal receiver. This allows precise, repeatable bedding with no hand labor. The buttstock includes a vertically adjustable butt pad and adjustable cheek rest. The initial AR-50 departs from Arma Lite’s normal trend towards lightweight rifles as it weighs 41 pounds. It is intended for the commercial market, where the weight adds comfort when firing the powerful cartridge. AR-30 (1999) The AR-30 is scaled down version of the AR-50 50 BMG rifle.

The rifles are based on an aluminum stock that merges a machine rest with a rifle stock. Intended for high-accuracy use, the machine rest elements consist of an octagonal receiver, a matching V-shaped channel in the stock and a recoil wedge. Conventional action screws draw the action down into the stock and the recoil wedge forces the recoil lug into intimate contact with the stock.

The AR- 30/AR-50 requires no hand fitting or bedding compounds, the action can be removed and re-installed without significant loss of zero, and is immune to changes in temperature or humidity. In addition to conventional threaded holes for mounting optic bases, the receivers are equipped with mounting slots mating with an Arma Lite-designed sight base that lessens recoil loads on the scope mount screws. The AR- 30 is built to handle cartridges up to 338 Lapua.

AR-180B (2001) Featuring a lower made of high strength polymer, the AR-180B uses standard AR-15 magazines and parts. The upper is formed sheet metal and features the AR-180 gas system. The 19.8" chrome moly barrel features an integral muzzle brake and Arma Lite’s adjustable front sight base. The AR- 180B is a semi-automatic, 223 Remington, gas operated rifle weighing six pounds and equipped with a fixed stock.

The AR-180B’s upper and lower receiver groups are interchangeable with of the 1st generation AR-180s, so earlier models may now be repaired by replacing the upper or lower half. AR-19 (2021) The AR-19 is a PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine) chambered in 9x19mm. Using a self-loading blowback-operated action, the AR- 19 uses controls identical to all AR-type long guns and feeds from Glock magazines. AG