Original Armalite AR-7 Survival Rifle Teardown

[DaveInOroValley]

Just a tip to anyone that has an older one that allows the side plate removed for maintenance.

That trigger spring and accompanying pin are one of the stupidest designs I've ever seen when it comes time to reassemble.

From some of the other models I looked at Charter Arms and Henry it appears that the newer receivers are sealed?

I may be wrong there. My AR-7 was from 1969 or so and was made in Costa Mesa California. I remember my Dad and I going to the factory because the magazines were jam-o-matics.

The person there put the magazines on a measuring device and said they were bad and gave us new ones right there at the factory.

Anyway if you get stuck there is a decent but not perfect video on YouTube.

[ar15barrels]

Very timely post.
I have an AR-7 "project" sitting at my dealer that is missing a magazine catch and magazine and hammer/trigger spring that I need to take apart and install the missing pieces as soon as I get them.

[Dieppe42]

I have the Charter Arms version from 1980. Once you open that side plate it goes "sprrrooong" a nightmare to get back together...Next time I need to clean it, I will hose it out with brake cleaner and then spray CLP in it.

[sigstroker]

A friend of mine's dad bought one circa 1980. What a piece of crap. Clunky feeling stock where the action sits offset. We never could get it to fire. We tried several different brands, feed from the magazine, drop in the chamber, it just didn't hit the rim hard enough. Probably some gunk on the firing pin or maybe bent firing pin. Never heard what he did with it.

[DaveInOroValley]

I have the Charter Arms version from 1980. Once you open that side plate it goes "sprrrooong" a nightmare to get back together...Next time I need to clean it, I will hose it out with brake cleaner and then spray CLP in it.

If you make sure that you dry fire it first it won't explode the contents. My mistake was slightly moving the bolt with the plate off. Same results as being cocked.

[DaveInOroValley]

A friend of mine's dad bought one circa 1980. What a piece of crap. Clunky feeling stock where the action sits offset. We never could get it to fire. We tried several different brands, feed from the magazine, drop in the chamber, it just didn't hit the rim hard enough. Probably some gunk on the firing pin or maybe bent firing pin. Never heard what he did with it.

Have to admit mine always shot great and I could keep it in the black at a regular .22 range distance with the open sights. For me it was after a fairly short time the magazine springs would lose their tension and cause jams.

[DaveInOroValley]

Very timely post.
I have an AR-7 "project" sitting at my dealer that is missing a magazine catch and magazine and hammer/trigger spring that I need to take apart and install the missing pieces as soon as I get them.

Watch the process on the trigger spring replacement as many times as needed before doing that step. Other than that it wasn't bad, but I did lose a pin somewhere and had to re-order one that holds the extractor and the mag release.