5.56X45mm
Milforum Mac Daddy
I was working today at the gun store and I noticed we had some new toys sitting on the shelf. A Henry U.S. Survival Rifle. It's a current production AR-7. Which is a neat little rifle. I've been looking for a lightweight rifle to store in my kayak when I'm doing my weekend long kayaking/camping trips in the Everglades. Paid $80.00 out the door for it. Came with everything... box, manual, paperwork, two mags, etc... All in all I'm happy.
History & Design
The prototype of what would become the AR-7 was designed by Eugene Stoner at ArmaLite Inc., a division of Fairchaild Aircraft. The rifle shares some of the features of the bolt-action AR-5, another rifle designed by Stoner for ArmaLite and adopted by the United States Air Force in 1956 as the MA-1. The MA-1 was intended as to replace the M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon which was a superimposed ("over-under") twin-barrel rifle/shotgun in chambered in .22 Hornet and .410 bore, using a break-open action. The AR-5 had the advantage of rapid fire, using the same .22 Hornet cartridge used in the M6.
The AR-7 was a completely different design, using a blowback semi-automatic action in. Like the bolt-action AR-5, the AR-7 was designed as a survival rifle for shooting small game. The rifle can be disassembled into its component parts (barrel, receiver, magazine, and stock), which can be stored in the stock. The AR-7 was constructed primarily of aluminum, with plastic for the stock and buttcap. Even the barrel is aluminum or composite material, using a rifled steel liner.
The AR-7 measures 35 inches overall when assembled. It disassembles to four sections (barrel, action, stock, and magazine), with everything stowing inside the ABS stock. It measures 16 inches long when configured for storage. The rifle weighs 2.5 pounds so this is even light enough to take along backpacking. It floats in water, as did the previous AR-5/MA-1 design. The rear sight is a peep sight, which comes on a flat metal blade with two different size apertures. It is adjustable for elevation (up-down). The front sight is adjustable for windage (side-side). Accuracy is sufficient for hunting small game at ranges to 50 yards.
Operation
The rifle functions as a blowback semi-automatic. This means the force of the fired cartridge will push the bolt backwards against a spring, ejecting the fired cartridge and the spring then pushes the bolt forwards, loading another cartridge from the magazine for every pull of the trigger. The AR7 is a light firearm and must be positively shouldered for reliable blowback operation. This is a time tested simple and very reliable operating system for a firearm which is expected to see use in less than desirable conditions. On the other hand, the simplicity of the mechanism in the AR-7 has caused some consternation for range operators, since the bolt does not lock back at any point. This means there's no easy way to demonstrate the weapon is in a safe, unloaded state without manually holding the bolt back.
Henry Arms U.S. Survival Rifle | |