The Armalite AR-7 is a semiautomatic .22 LR takedown rifle based on technology developed for the AR-5 (USAF MA-1) air crew survival gun by the ArmaLite Division of Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corp.
The Armalite AR-7 Explorer was designed and marketed as a survival/backpack gun for campers and hunters due to its light weight (2.75 lbs or 1.25 kg) and compact size when broken down. The receiver, magazine, and barrel pack inside the buttstock. Like the AR-5, the AR-7 was designed to float if dropped in water. The basic sights are a peep rear adjustable for elevation and a front post adjustable for windage. The receiver is made of aluminum, the standard 8 round magazine of steel. Aftermarket magazines have been made in various capacities and of different materials.
Armalite began production of the AR-7 Explorer rifle in 1959 then sold the rights to Charter Arms in 1973. Charter Arms produced the rifle and introduced a detachable 3/8-inch tip-off rail for scope mounts. Charter introduced the Explorer II pistol version from 1980 to 1986. In 1990, Charter Arms sold the rights to Survival Arms who made the rifle up to 1997. Survival Arms then sold the rights to AR-7 Industries who continued production into the early 2000s.
When the patent expired in 1998, Henry Repeating Arms Company reverse engineered the AR-7 maintaining backward compatibility but with changes to the receiver and stock. Henry renamed their rifle the Henry U.S. Survival Rifle due to the changes. In 2007 Henry added a 3/8-inch tip-off rail integral with the receiver. The U.S. Survival stock holds the disassembled rifle with two magazines and a third optional in the receiver but is not as buoyant as the original. Henry's rifle is about 8 ounces (230 grams) heavier.
The ArmaLite AR-7 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
