The AR platform has become widely popular for makers of hunting and sporting rifles. Although the designations "AR-10" and "AR-15" are respectively trademarks of ArmaLite and Colt, variants of both are made by many manufacturers. The AR-15 rifle usually comes chambered for either the military cartridge 5.56×45mm or the .223 Remington. Because of the pressures associated with the 5.56×45mm, it is not advisable to fire 5.56×45mm rounds in an AR-15 marked as .223 Remington, since this can result in damage to the rifle or injury to the shooter. The AR-15 can be chambered in many other calibers; it is then often referred to as an AR-15 style rifle.
AR-15 cartridges
Rimfire cartridges
.17 HMR
.17 Mach 2
.17 Winchester Super Magnum
.22 Long Rifle
.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire
Centerfire cartridges imperial measurement
.17 Mach IV
.17 Remington Fireball
.17 Remington
.17-223
.20 Practical
.20 GPC (wildcat) .22 GPC (wildcat) 22 Grendel (wildcat) aka 224 Grendel .22 Nosler .22 PPC .204 Ruger .222 Remington (sometimes chambered in countries where ownership of military cartridges is illegal) .223 Remington – Original AR-15 cartridge: .223 cartridges may function in a 5.56×45mm rifle, however 5.56×45mm cartridges may produce excessive pressure in a .223 Rem rifle. On the other hand, a .223 Wylde chamber is used on .223 Rem rifle barrels to allow them to safely fire either .223 Remington or 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum .224 Kritzeck (wildcat of a .223 Remington with shortened neck) .224 Valkyrie .24 GPC .243 LBC .243 Winchester Super Short Magnum .25 Winchester Super Short Magnum .25-45 Sharps .257 Ocelot (wildcat) .25 GPC (wildcat) .26 GPC (wildcat) .27 GPC (wildcat) .277 Wolverine (semi-wildcat) .277 MSR (Dasher Wildcat) .28 GPC (wildcat) .30 American .30 Carbine .30 GPC (wildcat) .30 Remington AR .30 Sabertooth (wildcat) .300 OSSM .300 AAC Blackout (7.62×35mm) .300 Whisper .300 HAM'R – Wilson Combat .338 SOCOM (wildcat) .338 Spectre (wildcat) .350 Legend .357 Automag (wildcat) .358 MGP (wildcat) .358 SOCOM (wildcat) .358 Yeti (wildcat) .375 Stalker (wildcat) .375 SOCOM .40 S&W .400 AR (wildcat) .400 Legend .44 Automag (wildcat) .44 Remington Magnum (wildcat) .44 SOCOM (wildcat) .440 Corbon Magnum (wildcat) .45 ACP .450 Bushmaster .458 SOCOM .475 SOCOM (wildcat) .499 LWRC .50 Action Express .50 Beowulf .50 SOCOM (wildcat)
Centerfire cartridges metric measurement
5.45×39mm – intermediate
5.56×45mm NATO – Original M16A1 cartridge: Can also safely fire .223 Remington, intermediate FN 5.7×28mm – PDW 6mm Mongoose (wildcat) 6mm ARC – rifle 6mm Dasher 6mm AR (wildcat) 6×45mm – intermediate 6.5mm Grendel – intermediate 6.5 Timberwolf (wildcat) 6.8×39mm (.277 Wolverine) – intermediate 6.8mm Remington SPC – intermediate 7mm Valkyrie (wildcat) 7.62×33mm (.30 Carbine) – carbine 7.62×37mm Musang (wildcat) – intermediate 7.62×39mm – intermediate 7.62×40mm Wilson Tactical – rifle 7.92×33mm Kurz – intermediate
9×19mm Parabellum – pistol
9×39mm – subsonic rifle
10mm Auto (10×25mm) – pistol
10mm SOCOM (wildcat) 10x43mm (.400AR wildcat)
AR-10 cartridges
.220 Swift
.22-250 Remington
6mm-250
.243 Winchester
6mm Remington
6mm Creedmoor
.257 Roberts
6.5×47mm Lapua
6.5mm Creedmoor
.260 Remington
6.5 WSM
.270 WSM
.277 Fury
7mm-08 Remington
7mm Winchester Short Magnum
7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum
.308 Winchester – considered interchangeable with 7.62×51mm NATO according to SAAMI. 7.62x51 NATO - Original cartridge .300 Winchester Short Magnum .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum .325 Winchester Short Magnum .338 WSM .338 Federal 8.6 Blackout .358 Winchester .358 Winchester Short Magnum .375 Raptor .375 Winchester Short Magnum .416 Winchester Short Magnum .450 Marlin .45 Raptor .458 HAM'R .458 WSM 45-70 Auto .458 Winchester Short Magnum 475 Bishop Short Magnum .50 Krater .500 Auto Max .500 Phantom .510 Winchester Short Magnum
Other AR pattern rifles
Some companies have created AR pattern rifles that depart from the standard AR-15 and AR-10 dimensions in order to accommodate other types of ammunition that would not fit into the those standards.
Examples include (sorted by overall cartridge length):
Other AR pattern firearms
A variety of manufacturers have introduced semiautomatic shotguns whose overall designs are heavily influenced by the AR pattern rifle. 12 Gauge 20 Gauge .410 bore