C&R · IV · 003
ArmaLite AR-15, ArmaLite production
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 81 ↗
Armalite, AR-15, cal.’s .222 Remington or .223, produced by Armalite.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade or imported as stated: “produced by Armalite”
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1957–1959.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
United StatesBasis: no citation - Manufacturer
- ArmaLite, Costa Mesa, CABasis: the ATF wording
- Type
- RifleBasis: outside reference ¹
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: no citation
- Caliber
- .222 Remington, .223Basis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1957–1959production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Commercial
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 81 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “ArmaLite AR-15” ↗, type: infobox type assault rifle: the original ArmaLite AR-15 is a select-fire rifle.
- 2. Wikipedia, “ArmaLite AR-10” ↗, years: 'In 1957, the basic AR-10 design was rescaled ... to accommodate the .223 Remington cartridge, and given the designation ArmaLite AR-15'; 'In 1959, ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt'.
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “ArmaLite AR-15 SPAR 3240 DEC. 17. 2004.png” by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “ArmaLite AR-15”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The ArmaLite AR-15 is a gas-operated assault rifle manufactured in the United States between 1959 and 1964. Designed by American gun manufacturer ArmaLite in 1956, it was based on its AR-10 rifle. The ArmaLite AR-15 was designed to be a lightweight rifle and to fire a new high-velocity, lightweight, small-caliber cartridge to allow infantrymen to carry more ammunition.