How do I date and value an older Ar-7
- Thread starter 8mmman
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js8588
Member
I'm just here for the responses....
rbernie
Contributing Member
Candles, soft music, and compliments?
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Are we talking Armalite, Charter Arms, or Henry?
My first rifle, sigh........and I wouldnt give you $100 for another one today regardless of the vintage. Lol.
My first rifle, sigh........and I wouldnt give you $100 for another one today regardless of the vintage. Lol.
js8588
Member
That's the spirit!
Speedo66
Member
Best bet is to read about them, scratch your head as to why so many were so bad, then take your money and buy something else.
No doubt someone will chime in about how great their’s was, well, they should have bought a lottery ticket back then. lol
No doubt someone will chime in about how great their’s was, well, they should have bought a lottery ticket back then. lol
jmorris
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As others have pointed out the manufacturer would be a pretty easy way to get a rough idea.
Might give this a read.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/ar...likely-resilience-of-the-ar-7-survival-rifle/
I have one that’s always ran fine from the factory and I don’t consider myself particularly lucky. They are very light, actually lighter than their trigger pull and because everything stores in the stock it is oddly large. By design it’s not intended to be an everyday rifle, if that’s what you want there are lots better choices.
Might give this a read.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/ar...likely-resilience-of-the-ar-7-survival-rifle/
I have one that’s always ran fine from the factory and I don’t consider myself particularly lucky. They are very light, actually lighter than their trigger pull and because everything stores in the stock it is oddly large. By design it’s not intended to be an everyday rifle, if that’s what you want there are lots better choices.
AlexanderA
Member
The high point of the AR-7 was its starring role in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. I'll bet that publicity alone sold a lot of them. But the scene in which it was used would have been a serious misapplication of that gun. .22 LR to take out a Bulgarian terrorist at 50 yds., rappelling down the side of a building? Really?
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
In real life, it would have refused to chamber a round, then dropped the magazine as the barrel unscrewed itself.
Of course, Bond also shot down a helicopter at 200yds with a PPK......
I think the biggest problem they had in needing hot ammo is the springs in the old ones. I would like to compare the recoil springs tension between the original AR-7's and the new ones. The one I have only likes hot ammo and runs well on it. I may pickup a set of the new springs and see if it more forgiving with ammo after I put them in.
The Armalite rifles have gone up quite a bit in price last time I looked them up.
351 WINCHESTER
Member
Our neighbor bought an Armalite at a yard sale for $5. I cleaned it up some, put some oil in the right places and I got it to shoot 4 rounds before it jammed. I put a round in the chamber & it would not extract. Had to shoot it out.
Speedo66
Member
You did good, I don't think I ever got 4 rounds in a row out of my Charter Arms version without a problem. And that was after two trips back to the factory.
d2wing
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Best answer. My vote anyway.
kBob
Member
It seemed to me that most AR7 issues were magazine related. Supposedly Henry has fixed that.
AR-7.com or AR-7 Industries has some parts and all steel replacement barrels (though gun won't float as I understand it) they currently only have AR7 mags built for one manufacturer or another and are out of the Triple K replacements.
They have some replacement parts including a pair of bolt/action springs and a hammer spring (which will also effect cycling)
A buddy used to toss his in the back of his family Luscombe when flying incase he went down in the wilds of North Florida, or South Alabama or Georgia. Actually there are still some scary places there now that I think about it.....
-kBob
AR-7.com or AR-7 Industries has some parts and all steel replacement barrels (though gun won't float as I understand it) they currently only have AR7 mags built for one manufacturer or another and are out of the Triple K replacements.
They have some replacement parts including a pair of bolt/action springs and a hammer spring (which will also effect cycling)
A buddy used to toss his in the back of his family Luscombe when flying incase he went down in the wilds of North Florida, or South Alabama or Georgia. Actually there are still some scary places there now that I think about it.....
-kBob
I picked one up at a pawn shop years ago CHEAP since it was missing the front sight. 15 minutes with a piece of random orange plastic and a dremel = "working".
Found another mag for $5 (talked it down to $3.5otd).
Both mags and the Henry run fine...almost.
The strangest little 22 I own. Mini-mags are flawless. And CCI subsonic work most of the time. Anything else makes me want to bash it into billions of pieces. I need to find a way to lock it closed and turn it into a manual repeater. It works fine with shorts like this (since it won't cycle em).
Found another mag for $5 (talked it down to $3.5otd).
Both mags and the Henry run fine...almost.
The strangest little 22 I own. Mini-mags are flawless. And CCI subsonic work most of the time. Anything else makes me want to bash it into billions of pieces. I need to find a way to lock it closed and turn it into a manual repeater. It works fine with shorts like this (since it won't cycle em).
Gordon
Member
My Armalite has worked with Minimag for 25 years. The Charter from 70s thru 90 I had pretty much sucked. The Armalite one I had in 60s worked almost flawlessly as I remember it liked Winchester. I heard the Henry's work ok.
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