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AR-15 history: from ArmaLite to Colt and the M16

Last reviewed · 7 sources

Short answer: The AR-15 was developed in the 1950s at ArmaLite, then a division of Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation. “AR” stands for ArmaLite, not “assault rifle.” [PolitiFact (2022)] [SSUSA, AR-15 history] ArmaLite sold the AR-15 rights to Colt in 1959. [PolitiFact (2022)] [American Rifleman, Colt Model 601] Colt’s design was adopted by the U.S. military as the M16, and Colt also sold a semi-automatic AR-15 to civilians. [SSUSA, AR-15 history]

ArmaLite and Fairchild in the 1950s

According to Shooting Sports USA, ArmaLite was founded in 1954 as a division of Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation. [SSUSA, AR-15 history] The gas system at the heart of the AR-15 family is described in U.S. Patent 2,951,424, “Gas operated bolt and carrier system.” Eugene M. Stoner filed it on August 14, 1956, and assigned it to Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation. The patent was granted on September 6, 1960. [US Pat. 2,951,424]

Eugene Stoner and the AR-10

The first AR-15 and the small-caliber, high-velocity trials

American Rifleman reports that the XAR-1501 prototype was demonstrated in May 1957. [American Rifleman, Colt Model 601]

Colt buys the rights (1959)

ArmaLite sold the AR-15 to Colt in 1959. [PolitiFact (2022)] American Rifleman reports the price as $75,000 plus a 4.5% royalty. It also reports that serial production of Colt’s Model 601 ran from December 1959 to the summer of 1963. [American Rifleman, Colt Model 601]

From AR-15 to M16

According to Shooting Sports USA, the U.S. armed forces did not officially adopt the rifle until 1964. [SSUSA, AR-15 history]

The civilian semi-automatic AR-15

Shooting Sports USA reports that Colt produced its first AR-15 for the consumer market on January 2, 1964. [SSUSA, AR-15 history] Thirty years later, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (enacted September 13, 1994) listed the “Colt AR-15” by name in its federal definition of “semiautomatic assault weapon.” That subtitle was repealed effective ten years after enactment. [Pub. L. 103-322, §§ 110102, 110105] For details, see AR-15 laws.

Patents expire

Sources

  1. US Patent 2,951,424 — Gas operated bolt and carrier system (Eugene M. Stoner; assigned to Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp.; filed Aug. 14, 1956; granted Sept. 6, 1960). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via Google Patents). [primary] Accessed October 26, 2026.
  2. The AR-15: A Brief History. Shooting Sports USA (National Rifle Association). [advocacy] Accessed October 26, 2026. NRA publication. Historical details attributed in text.
  3. The history of the AR-15 and how it became a symbol of American gun culture. PolitiFact (Poynter Institute). [news] Accessed October 26, 2026.
  4. The Evolution of the Colt Model 601. American Rifleman (National Rifle Association). [advocacy] Accessed October 26, 2026. NRA publication. Historical details attributed in text.
  5. The AR-10 Story. American Rifleman (National Rifle Association). [advocacy] Accessed October 26, 2026. NRA publication.
  6. About ArmaLite. ArmaLite, Inc.. [industry] Accessed October 26, 2026.
  7. Public Law 103-322 — Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Sept. 13, 1994; 108 Stat. 1796; H.R. 3355). U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo). [primary] Accessed October 26, 2026. Title XI, Subtitle A (Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act), §§ 110102–110105.