[BigWillieLL66]

Was at the range today and a gentleman there had a Charter Arms AR-7. I've been interested in the AR-7 and was looking at picking one up eventually. Well after firing it and talking to him for a few minutes he asked me if I wanted to purchase it off of him. He said he'd sell it for $75. It appeared to be in good shape, the barrel was a little dirty, but nothing a good cleaning couldn't fix. It fired 4 out of 8 rounds of winchester. We're not sure if it was the gun or the ammo since we had problems with the winchester in my friends Walther P22 as well. They looked like they were good strikes on the cases, just no bang. Accuracy on the four shots that did go off was decent, mind you I was only at 7 yards. The guy said he got it off a friend a couple of years ago to take care of a squirrel problem and got it out today to try some .22 shotshells in it. Said those didn't work too well but hollow points and normal .22lrs work in it just fine.

So basically I'm asking for advice on if I should get it or not. The rangemaster gave me the number of a gunsmith that could take care of it if it should have problems and it's not just the ammo. I've read some good things, I've read some bad things and I've read some in the middle things on the gun. So I don't know. Anyone with experience with these. And yes I know the Ruger 10/22 is out there and yes I know it's a good gun, but I want help on this gun, not the 10/22.

Help!!

 

[Sharpdogs]

$75 is a good price, but the Ar-7s are finicky. They must be kept clean and results can vary with ammo. If you buy it do the following:

- clean it real well
- buy a few boxes of .22 ammo (all sort, HP, solids, CCI, Winchester etc.
- then test fire the ammo to see what the gun likes best

If you still have problems then take it to the gunsmith. I am guessing CCI solid points will work best and the cheap ammo will be the most problematic.

 

[Grinnan Barrett]

Buy it. Very good price. I have had one. Keep it clean. Never had misfire issue with mine. does the stock still have the floatation?

 

[GreyOne]

Have had an AR-7 as well. As stated cleaning the chamber, mag and action very thoroughly is likely to cure the problem, with good ammo.

The firing pin and spring sometimes need replacement, but if you had good firing pin imprints, that is not likely the problem here.

 

[CitizenKane]

I would say go for it, especially during the post election. A firearm with affordable ammunition should be one of your priorities.

 

[test]

This is one of those .22s that Ive run across that was strange about firing pin condition. It needs nice crisp square edges on the face of the pin and ocassionally the pin literally warps, and acts like a spring, softening the strike causing a misfire. Simple fix, new firing pin Another problem inherent in the design is the seating of the barrel. make sure everything is nice and clean so that you can get the barrel nut properly tightened this can cause a less than solid strike. Bear in mind that all of these can add up as well and not be any one thing, and with cheap rimfire ammo what looks like a good strike can be marginal. Is it worth 75 bucks? is it in good condition otherwise? if yes then you betcha! Also before you spend money on having it fixed try a good high quality ammo in it. They are known to not like cheap dirty ammo and tend to have feed problems as a result... is it possible that the bolt was open just a hair?

 

[DocYoung]

I'd rather have a sharp stick. It would be more reliable.

Google will tell you most ar-7's have problems.

For a plinker maybe ...

 

[BigWillieLL66]

I'd rather have a sharp stick. It would be more reliable.

Google will tell you most ar-7's have problems.

For a plinker maybe ...

That's primarily what I want it for.

Everyone else, thanks for the comments. I'm still debating, but I'm leaning towards it. Just trying to see how I can secure the funds since I did just buy a pistol last week under a very tight budget.

 

[Highlander]

I had the same problem with mine. Keep it well lubricated. I few drops of oil cleared the problem right up.

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[Traveler151]

75 dollars is a good price, I have one and use it as a pack/kayak rifle.
Order more springs and a replacement spring guide. Shoot it often. Never wait until you need it to be proficient with it.

 

[BigWillieLL66]

Update and range report

So I did end up getting the gun. Picked it up a couple of weeks ago. The gun was beautiful inside and out except for a few scratches on the barrel. After I opened it up I immediately found the problem I was having with it when I test fired it. The gun was very clean on the inside, but there wasn't a drop of lube in it. So I did a thorough cleaning and lubed it up, think I lubed it a little too much though. More on that in a bit.

So I finally took it to the range this morning and it shot like a charm. I went through 4 mags of Federal Champion without a hiccup, 3 mags of Remington Thunderbolt with a hiccup at the end of the last mag and then it shot for crap after that. I fired two mags of CCI mini-mags and two mags of some other Federal my friend had, unfortunately with quite a few stove pipes and failure to fires.

I think my problem was the Thunderbolt and too much lube. I know it's dirty stuff, but man I had a lot of smoke coming out the barrel and ejection port after every shot. So after I had all the misfires and stove pipes on the last 4 mags I decided to take down the gun and put it bag in my bag. That's when I noticed the lube and gunpowder residue mixture caked on the barrel where it screws into the receiver and I pulled back the bolt and just saw the inside of the receiver covered in black crud. It was even on the mag.

So really the gun seemed to perform great, even with my horrible aim. I need to clean it out real well and lube it a little less and I think stay away from Thunderbolt. The only reason I got it is because I know .22lr semi-autos at picky about ammo so I wanted to have a variety to try out.

So I'll clean and take it home for Christmas for a little more torture testing at the outdoor range back in PA.

Overall, I think I'm going to be very happy with the gun. I think one of these is in the not too distant future.

 

[illinoisgunguy]

for $75 dont even question it....buy it....

 

[GreyOne]

Good buy. You will find it an enjoyable plinker and an easy gun to store in a vehicle, boat or pack.

 

[malcontent]

maybe try some teflon based lube. when it dries up it leaves behind a layer of teflon that will not attract dirt. just an idea.

 

[Emerson]

I gave away my AR7. It was junk. I wouldn't want to depend on it for anything.

 

[ClayK]

I hate to revive such an old thread, but it's the only AR-7 thread I could find.

I know the general consensus is that this gun is terrible. However, I own one. The factory mag spring crapped out so I ordered a replacement one from Cheaper Than Dirt. I received it last week. I loaded 8 rounds and inserted it in to the mag well. Fed all 8 rounds cleanly without issues. I went to remove the mag and it was stuck. I could remove the mag if I removed the receiver side plate and wedged a screwdriver or my knife between the top of the receiver and the mag, but never without partial disassembly.

Anyone have thoughts on why this mag sticks?

 

[kahn]

I had a AR-7 for about 2 weeks, I sold it and bought a pump .22 made by Rossi that breaks down into two pieces. It's a MUCH better rifle.

 

[whirlibird]

I hate to revive such an old thread, but it's the only AR-7 thread I could find.

I know the general consensus is that this gun is terrible. However, I own one. The factory mag spring crapped out so I ordered a replacement one from Cheaper Than Dirt. I received it last week. I loaded 8 rounds and inserted it in to the mag well. Fed all 8 rounds cleanly without issues. I went to remove the mag and it was stuck. I could remove the mag if I removed the receiver side plate and wedged a screwdriver or my knife between the top of the receiver and the mag, but never without partial disassembly.

Anyone have thoughts on why this mag sticks?

Garbage mag, there are good ones and bad ones. Same assembly line, same day, just luck of the draw.

A couple of things about the AR-7's, they like the high-velocity ammo, not the bargain basement stuff. The pressures and 'regularity' of the premium stuff help considerably. CCI Mini-Mags are my preferred ammo for semi-auto's to help ensure proper function and reliability.

The AR-7's have varied in quality over the years from downright good to POS. And that comes from all makers. However keeping them fairly clean, lightly lubricated (dry lube does nicely), cleaning any 'paint' overages out of the bolt pathway helps immeasurably. There are little tricks that can be done with all of them to help them run better if they're failing.

The gun wasn't designed for hard, daily use but occasional meat-getting.

I've handled extensively or owned 4 of the AR-7's and worked on several more. And kept within the constraints of the design and those built in limitations, it's a decent piece in general.

 

[pilote]

Garbage mag, there are good ones and bad ones. Same assembly line, same day, just luck of the draw.

A couple of things about the AR-7's, they like the high-velocity ammo, not the bargain basement stuff. The pressures and 'regularity' of the premium stuff help considerably. CCI Mini-Mags are my preferred ammo for semi-auto's to help ensure proper function and reliability.

The AR-7's have varied in quality over the years from downright good to POS. And that comes from all makers. However keeping them fairly clean, lightly lubricated (dry lube does nicely), cleaning any 'paint' overages out of the bolt pathway helps immeasurably. There are little tricks that can be done with all of them to help them run better if they're failing.

The gun wasn't designed for hard, daily use but occasional meat-getting.

I've handled extensively or owned 4 of the AR-7's and worked on several more. And kept within the constraints of the design and those built in limitations, it's a decent piece in general.

a most perfect assessment of the ar7.

i just got through a 3 mag tryout of aguila sniper subsonic on my henry ar7...was surprised and happy that all 3 mags fired cleanly...regular subsonic has never cycled in mine, but SSS is a special cat...

i will pretty much only use minimags, though velocitors and stingers work fantastic in it too...

cheap bulk ammo will usually jam after a couple mags, they just foul the chamber too fast.

i love mine...accurate enough 30-50 yards, light and compact in my backpack on long camping hikes...and girlfriends just love shooting it too; thrilled when they hit the targets at 50yrds....

 

[ClayK]

Thanks for the information. Mine is an Armalight AR-7, if that makes any difference. I'll order another mag and see if that helps. Do you guys think I could file down the edges of this new mag so it fits a little cleaner? Aside from the SSS rounds, any other rounds you guys would recommend? I'm not planning on using it daily, I just want something in the car that I can at least halfway rely on if I need it.

Thanks again,

Clay