The AR-15 was first created to take advantage of “space age” materials but new offerings can make modern sporting rifles more traditional. Wood stocks provide a classy new look of a combat classic.

NOTE: Wood For AR by Lucid (WoodForAR.com, 605/996-7474) phone number doesn’t work.

by Dean Meier

Among the many things that struck a nerve with critics of the AR-15 when it was first introduced was its odd looks. Gone was the expected, graceful lines and the usual wood and steel. In their place was a strangely-configured conglomeration of plastic and aluminum. The plastic especially threw detractors and the first M16s were derisively referred to as “Matty Mattels”, named after the mascot for Mattel Inc., a maker of plastic children’s toys.

This was a matter of function over form. Eugene Stoner’s original patent application highlights the design’s goal of light weight. Too, being a division of Fairchild in the 1950s, the rifle made use of “space age” materials used in the aerospace industry. Here’s how to offer a more traditional stock offering.

Read more in the August 2018 issue.

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