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The first 1000 Howa rifles had the serial number on the upper and the flash hiders have matching serial numbers on them. Total production was 20,307 not all of which were imported to the US. Some were also exported to Ireland and there has been some attrition as well. I estimate something like 15,000 to 17,000 left in the US. Serial numbers that end in 'D' were duplicates and one was changed using this letter. Recently some serial numbers have left with one or two letters followed by FIVE numbers. The last numbers are either 5's or 0's. 99.9% of these are post-ban. 'Older' does not always mean pre-ban as per Corey Sattler.
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
The Cycolac stock shown on this example was used as a patternfor later production guns. The AR-7 was manufactured by Armalite inCosta Mesa from 1959-1973. The AR-7 has been in continuousproduction since then. Manufacturers include Charter Arms(1974-1990), Survival Arms (1990-1997), Henry Repeating Arms (1997-) and AR-7 Industries (1998- ). SN 50036
The ArmaLite Division of Fairchild Engine and AirplaneCorporation traces its origins to to the efforts of two men whosought to design a military-style rifle that represented a radicaldeparture traditional from its predecessors.
In the early 1950s, engineer/attorney George Sullivan teamedwith inventor Jacques Michault to create prototype rifles thatfeatured lightweight aluminum receivers, straight-line fiberglassstocks, high-line sights, and receiver-mounted carrying handles.Sullivan later met with Richard S. Boutelle, president ofFairchild, and told him of his efforts. Boutelle was interested inthis project, and as a result, ArmaLite was founded as a Fairchildsubsidiary in 1954.
Eugene Stoner, a former U.S. Marine and ordnance technician,became ArmaLite's chief engineer. Stoner, along with designer L.James Sullivan and supervisor Robert Fremont, were instrumental indetermining the course and success of the company. ArmaLite'scharter required it to develop and perfect prototype designs thatwould then be licensed to manufacturers for actual production.
The company's first products, the AR-1 and AR-3, never enteredproduction, but they did prove the feasibility of concepts thatmade use of modern designs and materials. ArmaLite's first successcame in 1957 with the design of the AR-5. This rifle was abolt-action breakdown rifle chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridgeand was intended for use as a survival arm by U.S. Air Force crews.The gun's barrel and receiver could be stored in its hollowfiberglass buttstock that, in addition to its ability to float,also provided a storage place for fish hooks, matches, and othersupplies. The AR-5 was accepted for military use, but expectedsales failed to materialize because the Air Force had alreadypurchased a large inventory of Harrington & Richardson M4 andM6 survival guns.
The AR-5's design became the basis of the civilian AR-7. The gunwas chambered for the popular .22 long rifle cartridge and employeda semi-automatic blowback action rather than the bolt operation ofits predecessor. ArmaLite briefly manufactured the AR-7 beforeselling production rights to Charter Arms Corporation. This companymanufactured the AR-7 until 1990, when Survival Arms, Inc. tookover production under license from Charter Arms/Charco.
Not all of ArmaLite's designs were rifles. The AR-9, which datesfrom 1955, was a semi-automatic shotgun that featured apolycarbonate stock and an anodized aluminum barrel and receiver.The AR-9 was not produced, but many of its features wereincorporated into the AR-17 'Golden Gun', a two-cartridge gun thatmet with limited success. Other ArmaLite rifles were intended foruse by military and police forces. The most famous of these are theAR-10 and AR-15 rifles.
The AR-10's development dates to 1953, when inventor Melvin M.Johnson, Jr. was employed by the company as a consultant. Prior tothe Second World War, Johnson, a U.S. Marine Corps officer,invented a military rifle that later saw success with the Marinesin the jungles of the Pacific. The Johnson semiautomatic rifle andthe Johnson Light Machine Gun employed a cam-controlled rotarybolt, a feature that was incorporated into the AR-10. The AR-10also used a simplified gas system that had been proven in theSwedish Ljungman Gevar 42 and French MAS rifles.
One notable feature of the AR-10's design was its high stock,which channeled recoil forces backward rather than upward. Thisdesign, as well as the AR-10's effective titanium muzzle brake,made the rifle easy to control when fired in the fully-automaticmode. Originally designed to chamber the .30-06 cartridge, thisrifle was later modified to accept the 7.62mm NATO round. The AR-10competed unsuccessfully in Ordnance trials against the SpringfieldM14 rifle, but the rifle found some success in overseas markets.Colt Industries was licensed to produce an improved AR-10 withvarious options and modifications, including light machine gun andsniper variants, but these too failed to generate large numbers ofsales. This Colt/ArmaLite association foreshadowed a later andvastly more successful venture.
Between 1956 and 1959, ArmaLite engineers developed a scaled-downversion of the AR-10, with many of the same features. Generallycredited to Eugene Stoner, the new AR-15 actually incorporateddesign features that pre-dated Stoner's tenure with the company.This rifle used the same recoil and gas systems as its largercousin, but its smaller size presented special challenges.
Armalite Serial Number Lookup By State
The AR-15 chambered a specially-developed .222 Remington magnumcaliber cartridge, which later became the now-standard .223caliber/5.56mm NATO round. This cartridge produced higher gaspressures in its smaller chamber than did the larger 7.62mm round.In addition, the .223 had a flatter trajectory than the 7.62.ArmaLite engineers had to make provisions in their designs toaccommodate both of these characteristics with modifications to thegas system and sights.
In 1958, the AR-15 was tested by the Army as a possiblereplacement for the M14. Although the new rifle performed well, theArmy would go no farther than to suggest the need to develop areliable light-weight rifle like the AR-15 as an eventualreplacement for larger infantry arms. Several design changes cameout of these tests, including the addition of a stronger barrelwith a two-piece handguard, relocation of the cocking lever fromunder the top carry handle to the rear of the receiver,modification of the 'safe' switch, reduction of magazine capacityfrom 25 to 20 rounds, and an increasing of receiver and magazineclearances and feed ramp modification for better reliability undercombat conditions. Convinced that the military would not adopt theAR-15 and faced with financial problems, ArmaLite sold theproduction rights for the rifle to Colt Industries in 1959.
With the help of Eugene Stoner, Colt began aggressive marketing ofthe AR-15 to nations throughout Asia, and these efforts met withimmediate success. Unfortunately, U.S. aid to these nationsrequired them to purchase firearms that were compatible with thoseused by U.S. forces.
Fairchild president Richard Boutelle enjoyed a close personalfriendship with U.S. Air Force general Curtis LeMay, and as aresult of an impromptu demonstration during a skeet shootingsession, LeMay became interested in testing the AR-15 for possibleuse by Air Force security personnel. Testing at both Lackland AirForce Base and at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds showed theAR-15 to be a formidable infantry arm. Army special unit fieldtests in Vietnam confirmed this finding, and in 1962, Congressapproved an initial purchase of 8,500 AR-15s. The AR-15 still facedchallenges from Army brass and from ammunition andmaintenance-related 'bugs' that were later worked out, but the'black rifle' went on to prove itself in Southeast Asia and inother conflicts around the world. The AR-15, later designated theM16, has seen additional modifications and variations over itsnearly forty year lifespan, and is currently produced both by Coltand by various licensed companies around the world.
Armalite Serial Number Lookup
Several million AR-15/M16s have been produced. This rifle'ssuccess has spurred the development of both clones and other smallcaliber/high velocity combat arms. In addition to its widespreadacceptance among the world's military forces, the AR-15 is also afavorite with both law enforcement agencies and with competitiveshooters. ArmaLite was purchased by a Philippine conglomerate, butthe company name and trademarks were in turn purchased by EagleArms, Inc. of Geneseo, Illinois.