Thanks for reading the Small Arms Review Expanded Tenth ...rifle. The trademark model name of “AR-15” was, and still is, owned by Colt, and they are still one of many businesses

85The Small Arms Review • Vol. 11 No. 1 • October, 2007

Thanks for reading the Small Arms Review Expanded Tenth Anniversary Issue!

The earliest history of the inception anddesign of the black rifle bas been chroniclednumerous times and it is not the intent ofthis author to rehash this historical materialother than a very brief and condensed his-torical summary. There are many crediblesources for this information including TheComplete AR-15/M16 Sourcebook byDuncan Long, The Black Rifle I by BlakeStevens, Black Rifle II by Christopher R.Bartocci and an extensive Colt M16 IDGuide in the Machine Gun Dealers Bibleby Dan Shea. This article will focus on theversatility of the M16, the characteristicsthat have allowed the metamorphosis fromthe original designs to the current battle rifleof the 21st century and possibly beyond.

Although there are a countless numberof model designations for these rifles from

numerous manufacturers, for simplicity pur-poses in this article, the designation “M16”can be assumed to be a fully automatic riflewhile the designation “AR-15” makes ref-erence to the semiautomatic version.

A Very Brief History

While its initial roots are clearly in theStoner designs of the early 1950s, like mostdesigns, the multiple lug bolt head, lockupinto a barrel extension, and gas system prin-ciple can be traced back farther. It was atArmaLite where this all came together. Thefirst heavy public exposure to the black riflestarted in the wet and humid environmentof the tropics with the earliest variations sentto US troops in Viet Nam. There were manypositive responses at first, but after the am-

munition/propellant change, the black rifleswere plagued with an extremely lacklusterinitial impression and poor performance inthe field. Problems were eventually mini-mized after several rounds of intense test-ing combined with numerous committeechange recommendations. Many alterationsin production were initiated including cham-ber dimensions, rifling twist ratios, firing-pin changes, redesigning the flash hider andcharging handle, and (against the advice ofmany people) the addition of a forward as-sist assembly. Along with ammo and gun-powder refinement, proper maintenance,and problems addressed with early maga-zines, the early version of black rifle as weknow it today was on its way to becomingthe cornerstone of the modern Americanmilitary arsenal.

Every war is different. Every battleground has diverse characteristics. Each mission, whether a militaryrole or civilian law enforcement detail varies greatly in its specific purposes. It seems almost impossibleon the surface that a single weapon system could adapt and function in such a range of climates andmissions, but the familiar M16 is still going strong. From a lightweight carbine to a heavy barreled LMG,the M16 weapon system has been fulfilling the role of America’s primary service weapon for more than 40years and it doesn’t seem it will be replaced wholesale anytime soon.

Lead photo, above: April 5, 2006. Armed with their Colt 5.56mm M16A1 rifles, US Navy Sailors are vigilant andremain alert, two key factors during the USN Individual Augmentee Combat Training (IACT) course at Fort Jackson,South Carolina. The fast-paced, two-week course is instructed by US Army drill sergeants and designed to provideSailors basic combat skills training prior to being deployed as individual augmentees to the US Central Command areaof responsibility. (DoD photo by JO1 Jackey Bratt, USN)

86 The Small Arms Review • Vol. 11 No. 1 • October, 2007

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As early as 1963, Colt started manufac-turing this “new” rifle in semiautomatic onlywith the civilian population and the law en-forcement community in mind. Sold as theAR-15 Sporter it was virtually identical tothe M16 with the exception of the fire con-trol group. With an early retail price of$189.50 it was marketed to the hunting andsporting community as a beacon of a newwave of manufacturing technology allow-ing it to be lightweight while remaining ac-curate and effective. Although several mi-nor changes have been made to separate thefunction of the semiautomatic version ofthese rifles from their fully automatic rela-tives over the years, and to keep them frombeing easily converted to fully automatic,they remain wildly popular and an enor-mous civilian market thrives today. Numer-ous upgrades and model enhancements ofthe civilian line of semiautomatic variantshave followed very closely to those de-signed for the fully automatic models keep-ing them on a fairly level playing field.

With the 1977 expiration of GeneStoner’s patent on the M16 gas system, sev-eral companies sprang up and started manu-facturing their own versions of this popularrifle. The trademark model name of “AR-15” was, and still is, owned by Colt, andthey are still one of many businesses thatmanufacture this weapon system and itsmany configurations.

Modularity is King

At the heart of the black rifle is the ver-satile lower receiver. This portion of thefirearm is the section considered by federallaw to be “the firearm” by definition. Thelower receiver is the portion of the firearmthat contains the trigger group and the pis-tol grip as well as the magazine well. Alsoattached to the lower receiver is the buffertube and stock. This is the part that requires

Above: November 18, 1967. Marine grunts exit their transportation, a CH-53A Sea Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, to begin a searchand destroy operation 17 miles southeast of Phu Bai, Vietnam. Initially a WorldWar II bomber squadron, HMH-463, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced),3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flew the first CH-53s in Vietnam with the mainmission of providing assault support transport, which they still do today. (DoDPhoto National Archive)

Above: November 10, 1978. Members of the Norton Air Force Base combatcontrol team hold their Colt Commando assault rifles out of the water as theyswim to shore during an amphibious training mission at Lake Isabella, CA.(DoD photo by SSGT Joseph F. Smith, Jr.)

Far left: September 1, 1987. A Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) team member car-ries his Colt Commando assault riflethrough the woods during a fieldtraining exercise. (DoD photo by PH1Chuck Mussi)

Left: March 20, 1998. A US NavySEAL, from SEAL Team 8, shoots aColt 5.56mm M4 Carbine, with aM203 Grenade Launcher attached,on a firing range in Kuwait as partof the Southwest Asia buildup. (DoDphoto by JO2 Charles Neff, USN)



purchase through a licensed federal firearmslicensee (if ordered from an out-of-statedealer) and the paperwork that goes alongwith any other firearm purchase, depend-ing upon the laws of the State of the buyer.Every other part of this firearm may be or-dered directly by the end user and requiresno federal licensing or paperwork. All otherparts, including the upper receivers and thebarrels are treated just like any other non-regulated parts.

The upper receiver plays an equally im-portant role in the mechanism. The upperreceiver is the point of attachment for thebarrel and the housing for the bolt, bolt car-rier and charging handle. It is attached tothe lower receiver by two takedown pinsthat are operable without the aid of anytools. The upper and lower receivers maybe separated and rejoined at any time with-out fear of losing any components undernormal handling. This may be attractivefor size considerations when breaking downfor transportation or when changing thecharacteristics of the rifle for a specific task.

Several rifle configurations may be as-sembled on a single lower receiver simplyby swapping out barreled upper receivers.Specific tasks may require features uniqueto that task but may not be desirable to oth-ers. This is where the real beauty of theblack rifle comes in. Unlike most other fire-arms, the characteristics of the black riflecan be altered at any time, and reversed backagain, just by changing upper receivers. Itis indeed more than a weapon; it is truly a“weapon system” as it is often properly re-ferred as.

For obvious reasons, an entry-type riflemay consist of a very short barrel and ei-ther iron sights or a zero-magnification dot-type sight. A varmint hunting rifle may bemuch more effective with a long barrel andhigh power telescopic sight. With a blackrifle, both of these configurations are onlya quick upper receiver swap away with nolack of performance in either field.

There are barrels ranging from the 7-inch* “Kitty Kat” barrel from DPMS(www.dpmsinc.com) to a 24-inch VarminterExtra Heavy Barrel from Bushmaster Fire-

Above: This is the “heart” of the entire black rifle system, the lower receiver.This is the part considered by federal law to be “the firearm” and all otherparts, pieces, upgrades and accessories are treated as “non-firearms” and boughtand sold without the restrictions of purchasing a new firearm. This particularlower receiver was manufactured by Sun Devil Manufacturing of Mesa, AZ.

Right: A semiautomatic lower re-ceiver above a fully automatic re-ceiver. Regardless of the configu-ration or receiver markings, theonly significant change visible fromthe outside of the firearm is the ad-dition of the sear pin (at arrow) di-rectly above the selector switch.



arms (www.bushmaster.com) and a multi-tude of lengths in between. (* Under Fed-eral Law a rifle barrel has to be over 16inches in length to be a legal Title I fire-arm. By purchasing or registering the rifleas a Short Barreled Rifle, the owner canuse any barrel length at will. With regis-tered machine guns, the barrel length is nota legal stipulation under Federal Law andany length barrel may be used). There arenot many rifles that allow the flexibility ofswapping out barrel lengths without thenecessity of tools in less than 30 secondslike this system. Additionally, another ma-jor advantage is the sights are part of theupper receiver as well, so there is no needto re-zero after making this swap. If mul-tiple barreled upper receivers are owned,they can all be sighted-in and swapped asdesired with a complete return to zero withcareful handling and the correct ammuni-tion.

From Plinking to Protecting

If there is any one thing that can alwaysbe counted on in the firearms community,it is American Ingenuity and the desire tomake something bigger and better. (Some-times smaller and better, in this case.) For-tunately, this has proven to work well intransforming the once light .223 Rem.(5.56x45mm) rifle into something left onlyto one’s imagination and budget. With theease of changing upper receivers, the trans-formation from the original caliber to a com-pletely new round is almost as simple. Sincethe upper receiver holds the barrel, bolt andbolt carrier, this is the portion of the riflewhere the caliber of the ammunition to beutilized is determined. Thanks to many ableminded firearm enthusiasts, these rifles canbe converted to almost any caliber rangingfrom .17 to .50 BMG with minimal (if any)temporary modifications to the lower re-ceiver. From the luxury of plinking for rec-reation on a budget or additional training,

Above: This is the upper receiver. This is the portion of attachment for thebarrel, bolt and bolt carrier, determining the barrel type, length and caliber.Upper receivers, once barreled can be swapped around on different lowerreceivers to create new configurations for specific applications by simply re-moving the receiver pins, swapping the upper receiver and pushing the re-ceiver pins back in. This particular upper receiver was manufactured by SunDevil Manufacturing of Mesa, AZ. It is a “flat-top” upper with no forwardassist, dust cover or brass deflector.

This is an early-barreled upper receiver. Note the lack of a brass deflector or elevation adjustable A2 sights. It has beenbarreled with a 14-inch M4 barrel and has an Ares Defense GSR35 Black Lightning piston system installed instead of thestandard direct impingement gas system.

Above: One lower receiver and 3 different upper receivers that will all func-tion just by attaching the two receiver pins. The top is an M4 14-inch barreledupper receiver. The center is a POF P416 gas piston upper receiver with thePredator rail system and 9.25-inch barrel. The bottom is a second generationMGI QCB upper receiver with a Small Arms Research 2.5-inch barrel andintegral silencer combined with an Atchisson .22LR subcaliber unit. The POFhas a Troy Industries flip-up rear sight and the MGI QCB has both Troy frontand rear flip-up sights installed.



Above: A 9x19mm configuration. The ejection port has been shortened andan ejection port buffer and brass deflector has been added. It has a mag-wellblock installed for use with standard Colt 9mm SMG magazines. This par-ticular firearm has a Gemtech 3-lug adapter allowing the user to utilize any ofthe H&K MP5 silencers and accessories with this system. It is also equippedwith a Crimson Trace LaserGrip system.

to having the stopping power to assist ourfront line fighters in the War on Terror, theblack rifle can be custom configured to suitevery application.

An extremely popular subcaliber unitamong black rifle shooters is the“Atchisson” .22LR conversion manufac-tured by Jonathan Arthur Ciener, Inc.(www.22lrconversions.com). When uti-lized with the recommended ammunition,properly maintained and operated, they pro-vide hours of plinking fun in semiautomaticAR-15s or full automatic fun when used inconjunction with a registered M16. On theopposite end of the ammunition spectrumis the .50BMG Upper Receiver fromWatson’s Weapons Inc.(www.watsonsweapons.com). This upperreceiver actually allows the use of the mas-sive .50 BMG round when attached to yourlower receiver. It functions as a single-shotrifle that must be partially taken down to bereloaded between shots.

One of the most popular pistol caliberconversions would include the 9x19mm(Luger) conversion. First introduced in1985, Colt offered a 9mm blowback-oper-ated submachine gun that worked quite well.Most of the characteristics were the sameas the standard rifle, making operationsimple for anyone who had utilized ortrained on the 5.56x45mm rifle. A specialmagazine (both 20-round and 32-round)was developed for the much shorter9x19mm round and a block was pinned in-side the standard lower receiver’s magazinewell to accommodate the smaller magazinewhile utilizing the same magazine release.A civilian version was soon to follow insemiautomatic only with a 16-inch barrel.Other than the upper receiver and bolt dif-ferences, only the buffer was changed to aheavier one, and a few of the trigger groupparts were slightly modified. In the 1990s,the US Drug Enforcement Agency adopteda silenced version of this rifle. The Depart-ment of Energy also adopted a very shortvariation known as the Model 633, com-

Above: While there are several manufacturers making their own version of theblack rifle in .308, this author has had extensive time testing the DPMS LR-308pictured here. These large caliber AR-type rifles are definitely making a come-back and manufacturers include ArmaLite, POF, DPMS, H&K and until re-cently, Bushmaster.

Below: A few examples of the MGI Hydra utilizing different mag-wells. Onthe left a standard .223 mag-well is used for use with M16 magazines. On theright an AK47 style mag-well is used to allow the operator to use standardAK47 magazines when using a 7.62x39 barrel and bolt. The use of their QCBupper receiver makes barrel changes fast and easy completing caliber changesin mere minutes without any tools whatsoever.



monly called a “DoE Upper.” The 633 hada 7-inch barrel, collapsible stock and a fronthandguard to keep the operators hands fromstraying in front of the muzzle.

Several other companies started manu-facturing these pistol caliber conversionswith numerous types of feeding systems.While a few emulated the Colt style mag-well block and use the factory Colt 9mmmagazines, others used highly modified

Many different calibers in black riflevariations have been written about here inthe pages of Small Arms Review over thelast 10 years. While there are new calibercombinations coming out at an amazingrate, some of the latest ones we are familiarwith include the Alexander Arms .50Beowulf and the 6.5 Grendel,(www.alexanderarms.com), .502 ThunderSabre by Cloud Mountain Armory(www.bigborecanyon.com) and lastly the.45 Bushmaster (www.bushmaster.com).We will be testing the .45 Bushmaster for afuture issue of Small Arms Review verysoon. Some of the more common calibersinclude, but are not limited to: .308 NATO*,7.62x39mm and 6.8SPC and can be foundfrom multiple vendors. (*.308 NATO(7.62x51) requires a different lower receiverdue to the longer interior dimension of themagazine well necessary to accommodatethat particular round).

Feed Me, Seymour!

Like the hungry man-eating plant namedSeymour in the 1960 cult classic film LittleShop of Horrors, a black rifle is always hun-gry and never seems to be fed enough. Fire-arms, especially those in a military role, areno exception. The earliest magazine de-sign of the AR-15 was a 25-round maga-zine, which had problems due to beingstraight, and was immediately replaced witha 20-round magazine. The first ones weresteel “waffle” pattern magazines, whichwere also immediately replaced with thestandard aluminum 20-round magazine thateventually evolved into the 20-rounder socommon today. In the mid 1960s, a 30-round magazine was manufactured with aslight curve and it seemed to work great inall new rifles but had a hard time feeding insome, including the earlier ones. This wascorrected in part by keeping the top portionof the magazine straight like the 20-roundversion and starting the curvature at the bot-tom of the magazine well. These magazinesstill had a reputation for jamming if theywere loaded to 30 rounds, and the SOP wasload to 28 rounds. This was corrected laterby stabilizing the follower with equal leglengths.

In order to address this “need for feed,”Colt experimented with a belt-feed mecha-nism that operated with a modified upperand lower. With a 20-inch barrel this unitweighed in at almost 8 1/2 pounds withoutthe bipod or ammo box. The belt fed M16never made it to production.

Fast forward to the early 1980s and bring

Above: Designed and patented by Mack Gwinn in the 1980s is the MWG “90-Rounder” magazine. These were, and still are, manufactured for the M16 familyof firearms as well as the Ruger Mini-14 rifles. The clear back allowed theshooter to see exactly how many rounds were left before running out of ammo.

Above: The 100-round .223 Beta C-Mag. The C-MAG has been manufacturedin great numbers and has proven to work quite well in endurance testing ofblack rifle systems. Proper maintenance requires the use of dry lubricationonly. While the capacity is 5-times higher than the original 20-round maga-zine, the height profile is not much different allowing the shooter to utilizethese drums in a low, prone position with little, if any, discomfort.

magazines reworked to fit the interior por-tion of the factory magazine well. Althoughmany of the modified magazines work verywell, they are often expensive and the avail-ability is less than desirable in most cases.Even though there are several manufactur-ers of aftermarket (any non-Colt) blackrifles including several Caliber conversions,the pistol caliber most often encounteredremains the 9x19mm.



Above: In keeping with the evolution of the black rifle system, the latest highcapacity ammunition feeding device introduced to Small Arms Review is the150-round CL-MAG by Armatac Industries. We just received this unit fortesting and have had little time to work with it so far. We will be testing it indepth in an upcoming issue of SAR.

Jonathan Arthur Ciener back into the pic-ture. A manufacturer primarily specializ-ing in sound suppressors at the time,Jonathan took it upon himself to redesignand reintroduce the concept of a belt-fedAR-15 and M16 and made them availableto the general public. When they wereevaluated for the now defunct Machine GunNews in 1992, this writer had the pleasureof working on the article and spending sometrigger time with these guns. We were pro-vided with both a semiautomatic model anda fully automatic model. They were builton factory Colt AR-15 and M16 rifles, andlike Colts early design the upper and lowerreceivers were both modified. The Cienersystem had a few very interesting points.First, the belt-feed mechanism could be re-moved from the weapon and it would againaccept factory magazines. Second, Cienerproduced some of the belt boxes whichlocked into the magazine well, as in theoriginal design.

We tested them under several conditionswith many types of ammunition in semiau-tomatic and full automatic. We tested it inbelt-feed and magazine feed. We tested itwith and without the addition of a soundsuppressor. In summary it performed ex-cellently. The only drawback was that inthe case of a jam it was a “4-handed” op-eration to clear it and have it up and run-ning quickly, but with a little practice itcould be done quite efficiently. It also useda proprietary, modified link that was quiteexpensive at the time compared to standardunmodified links. These were sold for afew years but were eventually discontinueddue to the enormous amount of time neces-sary to manufacture them.

There are a few current belt-feed systemsfor the black rifle but nothing yet hasreached a mass marketing level. In theMarch 2003 issue of Small Arms Review(Vol. 6, No. 6), the Shrike 5.56 from AresDefense (www.aresdefense.com) was cov-ered in great detail as it was due to be re-leased en masse around the time of publi-cation. To this date, it is still being manu-factured, released and shipped in very smallquantities due to several redesign upgradesand improvements. The great attraction tothe Shrike 5.56 is the fact that it works inconjunction with a completely unmodifiedlower receiver. All attempts at a belt-fedblack rifle in the past have required majorlower receiver modifications. Like theCiener, model it can be fired from belt orbox magazine but in the case of the Shrike5.56, when the belt is out, a box magazineis simply inserted, the rifle charged and fir-

Above: Here is an example of how far this system has come from its roots. AnM16 that is not only belt-feed but chambered in .22 Long Rifle. Manufacturedby Lakeside Machine (of Tippmann Arms miniature machine gun fame) thisconversion is just a replacement upper receiver with the addition of a specialdrop-in buffer system.

ing is uninterrupted. There are no parts totake out or change over. We are anxiouslyawaiting mass shipments of the Shrike 5.56and will certainly test the newest produc-tion model as soon as they are shipped.

Another interesting belt feed option forthe black rifle is the XMG from BRP Guns(www.brpguns.com). The XMG34 is es-sentially an MG34 “upper receiver” de-signed for use on an M16 lower receiver.Currently in its 5th year of production thisinexpensive alternative to an original MG34has been receiving great reviews for years.Available in 8mm and in .308, they are pop-ping up at ranges nationwide and are be-

coming more popular with every passingyear. They will function in fully automaticwhen used in conjunction with a registeredlower receiver and require only a small(nonpermanent) modification to function.

Seeing a need for a belt-fed black riflethat is inexpensive to feed, the master ofthe miniatures, Lakeside Machine of Tipp-mann Arms fame decided to design a .22LRbelt fed upper receiver with a similar mecha-nism to the popular Tippmann 1/2 scaleminiature machine guns.(www.lakesideguns.com). This upper re-ceiver, available for both semiautomatic andfully automatic function, was tested in the



April 2006 (Vol. 9, No. 7) issue of SmallArms Review. The only modifications re-quired to the lower receiver in this assem-bly are the exchange of the factory bufferand the suggested replacement of the ham-mer spring.

Understanding the demand for moreammo capacity than the 30-round maga-zines were able to provide, the Beta Com-pany of Atlanta, Georgia (www.betaco.com)worked with Jim Sullivan of the old Ar-maLite and the M16 design fame, the origi-nal inventor of the 100-round C-Mag.Sullivan worked as a consultant with BetaCompany in the early developmental stagesof the new Beta C-Mag and with the intro-duction and advances in plastic materialsand its ability to keep tight tolerances theC-MAG as we know it today has developedinto an extremely reliable system, all whilekeeping weight to a minimum.

Mounting Madness

We live in a market driven economy andcombined with the simple truth that neces-sity is the mother of invention, some “solu-tions” have been presented to us for “prob-lems” we may never have known existedotherwise. In the last several years therehave been an enormous number of acces-sories manufactured for mounting on MIL-STD-1913 rails. Along with these acces-sories came a mad rush for mounting plat-forms, and the standard factory handguardson the AR-15 and M16 are quickly beingantiquated and replaced with new and im-proved rail systems. There are several tochoose from including the Knight Rail In-terface System (RIS) and Rail Adapter Sys-tem (RAS) (www.knightarmco.com),VLTOR VIS System (www.vltor.com),POF-USA Predator Rail System (www.pof-usa.com), LMT Monolithic Rail Platform(www.lewismachine.net) and many more.All of the aforementioned have been of ex-cellent quality.

For those not needing the precision, orwishing to spend the amount of money thosementioned may cost, some simple hand-guard replacements have been introducedthat incorporate rails into them and somerail adaptors have been manufactured thatsimply bolt on to the existing A2-type hand-guards. A few of those have been utilizedfor testing devices like vertical grips wherea slight amount of movement was not detri-

Above: An LMT 9-Inch, M203 40mm Grenade Launcher rail mounted to a POFPredator Rail System. This type of mounting system does not create any stress onthe rifle barrel and still allows it to free-float, therefore enhancing accuracy.

Above: A few of the many railmounted BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights)available today. •1 GG&G rear sitemade for DoubleStar in the “up” po-sition. •2 GG&G rear site made forDoubleStar in the “down” position. •3Troy Industries front folding battlesight in the “up” position. •4 TroyIndustries rear folding battle sight inthe “up” position. •5 POF-USAFTA2005 Front Sight. It does not foldbut has a unique “hooded” designmaking target acquisition fast andaccurate while remaining very strong.

Left: An EOTech Holographic Sightis used in conjunction with a POF FTA2005 front sight. If the electronic sitewere to malfunction it could be re-moved and the Troy rear sight can beflipped up for use with the front FTAsight.

Evolution of the Modern Black Riflecontinued on page 121



mental to the system and they performedfine. Other applications like mounting op-tics or more “load bearing” accessorieswould probably not be recommended forthe latter systems.

All the new configurations and types ofintended deployments these systems are ca-pable of bring the necessity of new supportequipment. One area where a serious ad-vancement has been made is in the sightingsystems available. Electronic “dot type”sights are very popular for close-up workand there are many types and styles. A fewextremely popular systems include theEOTech Holographic Sight (www.eotech-inc.com), the Aimpoint CompM4(www.aimpoint.com) and the TrijiconACOG (www.trijicon.com). While eachsystem has distinct advantages the authoris very familiar with the EOTech model 552.It has several settings for use with a nightvision monocular as well as the standardday settings. The Holographic Sight isplaced in a forward position on the top railand utilized as usual during normal daylight.During low light the monocular is mountedbehind it so the operator can use it at nightwithout having to re-zero the weapon.

Along with the popularity of low or zeromagnification electronic sights, the demandfor a well-made, high quality, Back Up IronSight (BUIS) has been high for use duringa potential electronic failure. Several con-tenders on the market include the Troy In-dustries, Inc. Folding Battle Sight(www.troyind.com), the GG&G Flip-UpSights (www.gggaz.com), and A.R.M.S.Inc., #40 Folding Sights(www.armsmounts.com). An interestingfront sight is the POF-USA FTA2005 FrontSight. It is not a folding sight but a station-ary sight that is hooded for an extremelyfast target acquisition and has been foundto be complementary to use in conjunctionwith “dot-type” sights or as a stand alonewith the correct rear BUIS. Due to the greatnumber of new sight requirements, manyof the modern rifles are available with a

removable carry handle. Once the familiarcarry handle and rear sight is removed, astandard MIL-STD-1913 rail is exposed tobe used alone or in conjunction with thesenew sights and rail systems.

Another interesting new front sight wasrecently introduced for the black rifle. It ismade by KNS Precision(www.knsprecisioninc.com) and is actuallya circular “peep” with a crosshair in it. Ini-tial testing appears it is fast and accurateand we are anxious to spend more time withthis new front sight as well as several moreof their latest offerings.

As a Catch-22, these new mounting plat-forms that were spawned from new itemsin need of mounts have spun off their ownitems made to be mounted on this newlyavailable space. There are several devicesavailable for mounting on MIL-STD-1913rails including visible lasers, IR lasers, andlights. optics, night vision, camera equip-

ment and many more items. Some earlieravailable items that were designed to mounton standard handguards or directly on thebarrel have even been redesigned to mountdirectly on a rail system due to the high pro-liferation on later models. A prime exampleis the new rail mount 40mm LMT M203Grenade Launcher. This tried and true M16accessory used to mount on the barrel ofthe standard black rifle and a special hand-guard replaced the factory A1 or A2 hand-guard issued with the rifle. With the newrail mounted version, no additional hand-guards are necessary and due to the natureof the mounting system there is no longerany stress on the barrel as it is allowed tofree-float with many current rail systems.

AR Accessories

As mentioned previously, several com-panies exist today just to service this

Above: Some accessories are manufactured more with the recreational shooterin mind than the military operator. A prime example is the Spade Grip systemmanufactured by KNS Precision. It works with no modification to the firearmitself and can be removed in a matter of minutes and replaced with the stan-dard stock.

Modern Evolution of the Black RifleContinued from page 92

Right: A few examples of commonfailures encountered under extremelyheavy fire with a traditional gas im-pingement system. We have yet toencounter such catastrophic failureswith any of the later piston drivensystems we have been testing to date.



weapon system. A quick glance around theInternet or any large, stocking gun shop willuncover thousands of items geared towardusers of the AR-15 and M16 weapon sys-tems. A look at KNS Precision and theirproduct line will unveil several componentsfor the black rifle useful in simple preser-vation roles such as pins that are designednot to rotate and egg-hole the aluminumreceivers at the thin section supporting thehammer and trigger pins. They carry a va-riety of sights for target, plinking, competi-tion and tactical applications and evenmanufacture a set of Spade Grips so youcan shoot the rifle in the same manor as a1919A4 with butterfly grips or an M60Dmodel. We tested these grips in the May2007 (Vol. 10, No. 8) issue of Small ArmsReview and we found them a blast to shoot,especially with a pintle mount and Beta C-MAG. They are well made and functionedflawlessly.

While you are in research mode, take a

peek at some of the products in the Com-mand Arms Accessories line(www.commandarms.com). Some of theseaccessories manufactured for the AR-15 andM16 weapon system look more like theycame back from a fact finding mission fromthe 22nd Century than from Ivyland, Penn-sylvania where they are located. With ac-cessories and upgrades from buttstock tomuzzle, the only part of the original weaponsystem that looks familiar is the distinctshape of the receiver section. Watch for apiece in an upcoming issue of Small ArmsReview where we take a “Plain Jane” AR-15 and give it the complete CAA treatmentwhile testing it every step of the way. Weare looking for something that really en-hances performance and not just cosmeticsand we have been assured we will not bedisappointed.

Back to the Future

There is oneunique feature of theblack rifle that is ascontroversial as allother designs com-bined. This would bethe way the gas sys-tem of the firearmoperates and whetherchanging it is consid-ered an upgrade or

downgrade by the user. The black rifle op-erates with a direct impingement gas sys-tem in the following manner. When the rifleis fired, the rotating bolt is in its locked po-sition in the barrel extension. As the bulletpasses a gas port located under the frontsight, some gas is bled off into a gas portand directed through a gas tube to the rear.The hot gas pressurizes the gas tube andthe rear end of the pressurized tube is thegas key located on top of the bolt carrierwith the gas thus exerting rearward pres-sure on this movable part. This pressurestarts the bolt carrier traveling rearward,unlocking the bolt via its cam pin in the campath on the carrier, and initiating the extrac-tion. The bolt carrier travels rearward, andthe projectile exits the bore evacuating thepressurized gas from the gas tube, endingany rearward pressure from the gas system.That time under pressure is critical to reli-ability and is dictated by the amount of timethe bullet is traveling in front of the gas port.As the bolt carrier passes into the buffer tube(concealed in the stock) the fired casing isejected. Met with a forward amount ofspring tension from the now compressedbuffer spring, the bolt carrier is returned tothe front, picking up a new round from themagazine, loading it in the chamber and ro-tating and locking the bolt to restart the se-quence.

The problems with this particular systemare multiple. It is dumping combustion

Above: The POF P-416 Gas Piston Upper Re-ceiver field stripped. This system consists of a(A) Gas Plug, (B) Gas Piston, (C) Op-Rod, and(D) heavily modified bolt carrier.

A

BCD

Left: One reason for the increased popularity of the blackrifle within the target, competition and sporting commu-nity is the availability of custom trigger mechanisms. Nolonger are all trigger jobs done custom and expensive witha long turn around time. Enthusiasts can now order andinstall a custom trigger mechanism themselves. Picturedhere is a Geissele Trigger system tested in a recent issue ofSmall Arms Review.



byproduct - “dirt” - into the same place itfeeds ammunition from. This leaves a lotof carbon buildup over time and can createfunction problems when not maintainedregularly. The lower receiver and its trig-ger group are often heavily soiled from thisgas system and it is compounded numer-ous times over when combined with the useof a sound suppressor. Due to the carbon,unburned powder and extra heat followingthe path of least resistance, the extra backpressure created with the use of a silencerleaves more debris than normal andblowback is often an unpleasant effect in-flicted on the shooter. On top of the main-tenance issue, which in the recreationalshooting world should be a no-brainer, isan issue not often spoken about. As indi-cated before, the additional debris is car-ried back into the action of the gun and it iscarried by very hot gas. It has been sug-gested by some people that the effect ofthese hot gasses under heavier than normalshooting conditions could cause metal tem-perament problems over time. A heavy in-flux of heating and cooling could createsome structural problems with extremelyheavy use.

There are several systems that now use agas piston system in place of the direct im-pingement system and Small Arms Reviewhas covered several of them in the past. Inthe last two years we have examined theHK416 System, the POF P-416 System andjust recently, the Colt LE1020 AdvancedLaw Enforcement Carbine. Fairly recently,Ares Defense introduced their GSR-35Black Lightning system, which is a drop-inpiston kit that takes the place of the origi-nal gas tube and bolt carrier. Leitner-WiseRifle Company (www.lwrifles.com) alsospecializes in a piston system however wehave not had the opportunity to evaluate ityet. While the concept is certainly nothingnew, (Colt experimented with a piston sys-tem in the 1960s, and there are many otherexamples pre-dating that) its time certainlyseems to have come and it appears to behere to stay.

Other than a brief amount of time spentworking with an early “Rhino System” inthe early 1990s, of all the systems mentionedabove, this writer only has an extensive

amount of time on the POF P-416 systemat this point. Other SAR contributors haveextensive trigger time on the HK416, andwill cover other systems in the future. Onthe POF system that I have tested, there aredefinite advantages that have been wit-nessed, primarily the number of rounds it isable to run with little or no maintenance withno malfunctions. The POF P-416 utilizesC.R.O.S. (Corrosion Resistant OperatingSystem) where their major components areimpregnated with silicon nickel creating anincredibly slick surface. After firing sev-eral thousand rounds, the surface easilywipes clean with only a dry cloth, and afteralmost 20,000 rounds in one particular testunit there is no visible wear on any of thecoated parts.

During initial testing the system was firedin excess of 9,000 rounds with no mainte-nance or lubrication of any kind and whenit was finally cleaned because we thoughtthere was a single failure to feed, endingthe endurance test, it was later found that itwas a faulty magazine creating the feedingproblem and not the gun itself. Anotherfactor that assists the P-416 system in func-tioning so well under harsh treatment is thefact that there are no gas rings necessarysince there is no actual gas pushed back intothe bolt carrier. This seems to translate intoa firearm that will operate in a harsher en-vironment due to much lighter tolerances.Without the presence of gas rings creatinga seal between the bolt and bolt carrier, ev-erything moves much smoother and is lessmeticulous in its typically tight tolerances.

If there is an immediately noticeable ad-vantage in this particular gas piston systemit is durability. On top of the several thou-sand rounds fired with no maintenance ex-cept for the initial cleaning after the per-ceived stoppage, many of them have beenin a succession so rapid that it would havebeen certain failure for a direct impinge-ment system; melting the gas tube and end-ing the testing very early on. After years oftesting black rifles, the author has a collec-tion of failed gas tubes, many resemblingspaghetti found lying on top of the barrelafter reaching the point of failure. If thereare any immediate disadvantages of this gaspiston system over a direct impingement

system, this author has not yet noticed them.

Now Left Can Be Right

A fantastic example of how the civilianmarket often takes its own direction andeven has the potential to influence the mili-tary marketplace is a manufacturer fromNew Britain Connecticut named Stag Arms,LLC. (www.stagarms.com). Founded inMay of 2003, Stag decided to cater to apercentage of the market who had been allbut ignored for years. They completely re-designed the upper receiver, bolt and boltcarrier to eject from the left, specifically forleft-handed shooters. Featured in the March2006 (Vol. 9, No. 6) issue of Small ArmsReview, southpaws will never again haveto depend on a brass deflector keeping hotbrass from hitting them or crossing their lineof fire.

The Future

It is the versatility of the AR-15/M16 thathas allowed it to adapt and thrive in so manydiffering environments and it is the modu-larity of the system that is a direct contribu-tor to its survival and evolution. There area few companies that are addressing this inways that could never have been originallyconceived 40 years ago and will lead the

Right: There are several silencer companies who manufacture “Quick De-tach” systems for use with the M16 weapon system. While some of thesesystems are “quicker” than others, the thing they all have in common is theapplication with no necessary tools. On top is the Gemtech HALO and in thecenter is the SRT Typhoon. They are both .223 silencers and actually slipright over the existing A2 flash hider for attachment. The bottom silencer isan older 9x19mm AWC MiniTac used with a 3-lug attachment system.



way into a long future for the black rifle.MGI (www.mgimilitary.com) has been in

the black rifle business for decades. Theirupgrades have been chronicled in the pagesof Small Arms Review several times includ-ing their Rate Reducing Buffer - May 2004(Vol. 7, No. 8), The QCB Upper Receiver -December 2004 (Vol. 8, No. 3) and mostrecently The Hydra Modular Weapon Sys-tem - May 2007 (Vol. 10, No. 8). With suchversatility as a quick-change barrel upperreceiver that requires no tools and workswith original factory barrels, changes inlength, style and caliber have never beenfaster, easier or less expensive. The Marck-15 Lower Receiver with interchangeablemagazine wells, again with no tools, allowsthe correct magazine to be used to coincidewith the caliber being fired. For example,if you are utilizing a 7.62x37 barrel and bolt,you can use the AK mag-well and utilizestandard AK47 magazines. This ensures thecorrect feed and presentation rather than re-designing a new magazine around an exist-ing space and angle. Mags are inexpen-sive, available and reliable. Next in theworks is a 9mm SMG mag-well that willutilize the factory Colt 9mm SMG maga-zines. Several new offerings are in the pipe-line, some certain to be out even before thismagazine hits the newsstand.

Cobb Manufacturing Company(www.cobb50.com) has a line of riflescalled the MCR (Multi Caliber Rifle) andit is based on the design characteristics ofthe AR-15, just a little bigger. The MCR isa semiautomatic, gas operated system thatcan be chambered in a long list of calibersfrom 9mm to 338 Lapua, designed origi-nally for the SCAR rifle program. They

are far from newcomers to the industry andhave been dealing with such innovative fire-arms as the .50 BMG FA50 and BA50 forseveral years. Teamed up with top-line sup-pressor manufacturers their systems are wellmade and versatile.

With the “feeding” frenzy a constant is-sue as discussed previously, we expect tosee upgrades and alterations to this portionof the weapon system as long as it is in use.Just before finishing this article the authorreceived what is perhaps the latest offeringto the high-capacity quest to evaluate for afuture article. It is the CL-Mag fromArmatac Industries, Inc.(www.armatac.com). Resembling the BetaC-MAG in shape, the CL-Mag is manufac-tured from aircraft aluminum and holds 150rounds of 5.56x45mm. Finished in a hardcoat type III anodized finish, it is intendedto work in all AR-15/M16 variants. We areanxious to proceed with testing this newfeeding system in the near future.

Conclusion

Since there is really nothing to comparethe popularity of this unique weapon sys-tem to, with its longevity in both militaryand civilian applications, it is the opinionof this writer that the sheer ability to act asa chameleon and adapt to almost every en-vironment is the life force behind its evergrowing popularity. It has to be noted thatmany of the upgrades and enhancements arecivilian based ideas with no military specsheet giving them direction. Some of theseideas and items can be looked at as simply“fun” and that is an important aspect ofshooting that some of us who are a little too

hung up on being “professionals” tend tooverlook a little too often. Not everythingthat is discovered or tested has to have anadrenaline soaked special operations appli-cation in mind. Some of the best gear forour professional applications stands achance of starting out as a light-hearted ci-vilian product, just because it is looked atand designed with fresh, new, untaintedeyes. Some of the greatest design innova-tions this writer has witnessed have comefrom challenges from people who specifi-cally stated that in their professional opin-ion something couldn’t be done.

With an ever-changing requirement forthe ultimate weapon system in this unpre-dictable War on Terror, if any weapon standsthe test of time it is the AR-15/M16. With avirtual flood of new accessories, upgrades,calibers, finishes, furniture and design en-hancements being introduced at breakneckspeed, this writer has a hard time even think-ing of the day where the black rifle or someform of it is not going to be the basis forour primary service weapon for at least 40more years.

Author’s Note: While this article startedout to be a short overview of the AR-15/M16 and its longevity, it soon became ob-vious that it could not be done in just a fewwords. The system is too complex and thechanges, alterations and upgrades are fartoo numerous to simply skim over and con-dense. Unfortunately, due to space con-straints, it had to end somewhere and wewere not able to include every single com-pany that offers firearms and accessoriesrelated to this weapon system. They arefar too numerous, and even a quick glancethrough the pages of Small Arms Reviewwill reveal several more businesses whospecialize in parts and accessories for theblack rifle. It is not our intention to pro-mote anyone in particular while leavinganyone else out, nor should either be mis-construed as an endorsement or lack ofsuch in the latter case. We would be happyto put together a condensed Black RifleBuyers Guide listing every business relatedto this system in the future, but had no roomto so in this article.

Left: In order to change mag-wellsin the MGI Hydra system the trig-ger guard detent is depressed and itis swung down out of the way. Themagazine release is depressed andthe mag-well slides up and off thereceiver. New ones are replaced inreverse order.

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Thanks for reading the Small Arms Review Expanded Tenth ...rifle. The trademark model name of “AR-15” was, and still is, owned by Colt, and they are still one of many businesses