The AR-10 rifle was developed in the United States (Hollywood California, specifically) by Eugene Stoner, but the Armalite company did not have a suitable large scale manufacturing facility to produce the number of guns they expected to sell to military forces. Instead, a deal was struck to license production to the Dutch firm of Artillerie Inrichtingen in Delft. Production would only run for about 4 years before the Dutch government shut down arms production for political reasons, but during that time the AR-10 rifle would undergo significant evolution.

Today were are looking at three examples of the rifle. First is a Cuban pattern, second is a Sudanese pattern, and third is a Portuguese pattern. These do a good job of showing the changes from the early (pre-Dutch military trials) and late patterns of the rifle, as it gradually traded increased weight for increased durability and more features.

Many thanks to Movie Armaments Group in Toronto for the opportunity to showcase their AR-10 rifles for you!