Excellent presentation of the AR-10 historical beginning.
I’m interested in knowing the model variant of the dual ammo feed (chain or magazine) lower seen near the end of the presentation.

As a International weapons champion and owning AR10's, 15's, Mach 90's, SA85m's, and shooting in Competition M16's, G3's, M14's, AK's, Also was a US Army Ranger among other things during my 14 years in the US Army I can tell you all a few things. The AR10 and the AR15 break down similar for cleaning. They also look the same at a distance and are engineered by the same Company copied and made by many other companies such as Colt, Bush Wacker, ect ect ect. I also own the Mach 90, SA85m both are which are semi auto made versions of the AK47. One is Chinese, the SA85M is made in Europe. I can tell you this, there is no weapon better than the AK47 for taking abuse and still be able to fire. There just is not. But.. But... There is a price to pay for these low tolerances. Past 200 meters or so, your shot group with the ak's is poor at best. As long as you keep your shot group less 200 meter, ideal is 100 meter or less, you can get shot groups of 4 inches or so at less than 100 meters. So.. In the AK's and the like, you get an ok shot group and an effective weapon at 100 meters or less. This is where the AK shines. The most dependable weapon with an effective range of 100-150 meters. The AR10 on the other hand is different. It too is very dependable even through dirt and mud as long as you keep the dust cover closed. This is the key. Also.. The AR10 is by far the most accurate combat weapon semi auto I have ever shot. You have to know how to deal with the trigger creep, or you can have the triggers worked. I keep mine stock and just over come the trigger creep. The AR10 is one of the finest if not the finest semi auto weapon in the world. Period. It is much more accurate than anything made and is truly a tack driver. The AK's are great for throwing lead down range not caring too much about hitting exactly what you are aiming at. An AK is as terrifying a weapon as any other if someone is chasing you with it and is good for home protection as any other semi. 12ga preferred for home protection here, but the AK would be a cheap and reliable source for that too. My point being... The AR10 may not be quite as reliable a mud soaked weapon as the AK. May not.. I have never gone out to prove that.. But.. With a precision weapon as the AR10 surely is, and the AK surely is not, that is the choice you must make. Getting an AR10 is not a sacrifice of accuracy for reliability. It is both. It just may be that it can not reject quite as much mud as the AK but is far far more accurate. Way more accurate. I mean.. There is no comparison. The AR10 is just that, a Tack Drive. I kid you not. If you need to fight close in, yet reach out there and touch someone at a sure long range, 800 meters? Wow !! This weapon will do. Even in the worst conditions, it can and will do it. The AK fails this miserably. The AK just can not do it. The AK is a 7.62 by 39 short. The AR10 is a 7.62x30 long and it will reach out there and packs a heck of a Wallop !! AR10.. The real Deal 308. The AK.. Well..It could not handle the longer 308 it caused the AK to come apart. So to increase the reliability, they went to the 308 short to keep the weapon from exploding. And it works.

The AK.. Close in support great, accuracy close range is ok. long range forget it. Power is good.

The AR10. Close in support great, Accuracy close in, or long range is supreme!!

The AR10 can do it all. The AK can not. The only thing the AK and the AR10 can fight it out over would be the drag it through the mud and run over it with a truck test test. In which case the drag through the mud test would be interesting and close. In the run over the truck test, the AR10 would win since the AK is stamped steel and would collapse under the crunching crushing of the truck. The AR10 is milled hardened alloys and aircraft quality machining and could better take such hits. More than likely, in combat it would be drag through the mud. If you keep the dust cover closed, I am sure the AR10 would rate as well as the AK in that test. Keeping the dust cover closed is the key. Ok..Not to beat a dead horse, but... In Aggregate, if someone were to offer you an AR10 or an AK47. If you took the AK, let me know.. I want that AR10 baby !!! Yes !!! To this day, there is nothing better than the AR10. Quality and accuracy never ever goes out of style !!!

wunhunglo and history teacher
could you contact me

ar10@xs4all.nl

I have used this weapon in combat and it proved very accurate and reliable. In the bush I thought it was much better than it's pipsqueak young brother with it's puny 5.56 slug and pitted against the AK we were very happy with it's accuracy at 200m & over! I've also carried the FAL slr and to my mind the AR10 was superior in every way; mine was built by AI and had the chrome bore.
But time marches on, the boots get hung up and all I have left are memories, scars & the original handbook for one. Anybody want it?

The AR-10 battle rifle was, as noted below, the 7.62mm NATO-chambered precursor to the scaled-down 5.56mm NATO-chambered M16/M4 family, the weapons that hold the distinction of being the longest-lived service rifles in US military history. This marketing film (featuring brilliant arms designer Eugene Stoner playing a most unconvincingly dumpy little AR-10-wielding soldier)was an ultimately futile attempt at selling the AR-10 in a post-WW2 small arms market that was both saturated with war surplus equipment and already well-served by the Belgian-designed FN-FAL and German H&K G3 battle rifles. The AR-10, a day late and a dollar short in marketing terms, was a non-starter, and only a few thousand were sold to nations such as Portugal, Sudan, and Cuba, where it generally gave very good service, despite its relative fragility and lack of engineering refinement and as a military weapon.

However, a market was identified in replacing smaller caliber weapons such as the US M1/M2 carbine, and so Stoner scaled the weapon down to fire a smaller-caliber, higher-velocity cartridge. The M16/M4 is of somewhat altered design from the AR-10, but it is essentially the same weapon. However, as any engineer will tell you, complex mechanical system rarely scale up or down without complications, leading to some of the problems encountered with the XM16E1 in Vietnam 1965-67.

BTW, the only thing the AK and the Garand share in mechanical terms is the general design of their fire control systems (hammer, sear, and trigger). They share very little elese, though both are fine weapons in their intended roles.

Very interesting clip!

As for neutralist - "I never experienced the AR-10" - is the operative language here. Firearms are NOT alike even if they share the same basic operating mechanism. Compared to the AR-15 and later M16 variants, the AR-10 had a different gas port, adjustable gas regulator, larger bolt & operating parts, greater recoil impulse and, on later versions, a chrome-lined chamber. Not being the 'same' as the AR-15 or M16, the AR-10 also has an independent history of being a very reliable weapon, beating out the (very reliable) H&K G3 in some service tests and with its own combat history in Africa where it was prized for its reliability. The AK47 is definitely a reliable combat rifle, but so was the AR-10. Don't review whatcha haven't owned or know about!!

just remember, neutralist; the ak-47 'system' is just a clone of the American M1 Garand's..

I never experienced the AR-10 but have used the M-16, AR-15 and the AK-47. Basing upon the previously mentioned rifles, I don't quite believe that the AR-10 is as rugged as they make it out to be in the film. I would say that everything they said about the AR-10 is actually what can be really said about the AK-47! The AK-47 can be used in the most hideous and tortuous environments known to (and some created by) man. The AK-47 can be buried in mud, sand clogged, water logged, etc. and still be made to function by semi or completely non-literate fighters. Most Western and definitely no-US based weapon system can do that. Still a cute and entertaining film.

Not as good as the similar M-16 video, but it's still interesting to see what whacky things Armalite got up to with the AR-10. Given their claims and demonstrations of reliablity of the AR-10 in harsh conditions (frozen, dumped in mud, covered in sand, etc) it's surprising that the M-16 gained such a bad reputation in Vietnam when it was so similar.