Charter arms M7 Explorer

[grizz]

So I picked up one of these little .22's and have some questions maybe one of you can answer.

A little history just in case you're not familiar. Charter arms made this many moons ago as a survival rifle for pilots but for some reason it was a flop and never went into full production. As a civilian version it was cool but not very trustworthy and Henry Arms bought the rights. Henry has been making pretty much the same thing but it has a much better reputation. The on I got was an older Charter arms.

It shoot great with factory mags and terrible with aftermarket extended mags, no big deal I can find the factory ones someplace. At some point in the history of this particular weapon somebody tapped and threaded the rear sight to bolt on some sort of after market sight and in order to line up the new sight they epoxied a taller front sight in place. Its pie plate accurate with my old eye and I'd like to remove the old stuff and replace with a fiber optic.

There is a tiny, .22 style rail but it doesn't have a lip for anything to attach to, its more like what you would see on a shotgun with the groves running the length. I'd like to figure a way to put a sight on without epoxy or welding, has anyone done this?

Its a cool little, extremely light weight rifle and the price was so good that I'm not worried about it getting damaged, scratched or beat up bouncing around in my truck. But its worthless without a sight I can use  I hope some of you creative guys can come up with something 

[Nemo]

I have had an original Charter Arms AR-7 for about 40 years.   When you get good info on improving the sights please advise me.

Nemo

[JohnyMac]

Open, scroll down to AR-7 segment. Good read. If this article does not answer some questions OR you want more info, drop Dodge an email and ask him direct. Have fun.

https://www.americanpartisan.org/2021/12/modernized-old-school-kit-that-still-works/

AND...

https://www.americanpartisan.org/2021/08/a-practical-survival-rifle-upgrade/

I have one and plan on having a mount welded on it and buy a cheap red dot with a quick release throw, to throw on it when I use it.

[Jackalope]

     I have a couple of the Henry AR-7's, the new ones have a picatinny rail.  Mine have been very reliable.  Very nice firearm for a cache along with a takedown 10/22.

[CJS06]

The original AR-7 was designed and manufactured by Armalite as survival rifles for the US Air Force. Charter Arms then bought the build license from Armalite. The Armalites and then the later Henry's are known to be fairly reliable with a range of ammunition. The Charter Arms not so much.  Try a range of different ammo to find the one that runs best for you.  I suggest something higher velocity, in the 1200+ fps range.

The benefit of the AR7 is its take down ability, definitely not its accuracy.  If you want a small lightweight .22LR rifle to put an optic on I would look at many other before putting the time and $$ into hacking a rail onto the receiver of the AR-7.  The metal that the receiver is made from is fairly low quality and would not suggest welding to it.  If you are going to do it, find a rail for a gun with a similar radius to the top of the receiver (look at the Weaver rail for the Mossberg 500).  You can then drill and tap to mount it.  Remember once you put the rail on it you can no longer store the receiver in the stock any longer.

Remember these were meant to be last ditch, better than nothing survival rifles. They will not be particularly great for plinking or as a hunting gun........unless it is a last ditch situation.

Chris

[JohnyMac]

Great stuff Chris!

I keep a Henry AR-7 with my my 'get home bag' that lives in my vehicle. If I use my wife's car, I move the GHB and AR-7 over to her car.

If I am on the road, both are always with me.

[grizz]

The original AR-7 was designed and manufactured by Armalite as survival rifles for the US Air Force. Charter Arms then bought the build license from Armalite. The Armalites and then the later Henry's are known to be fairly reliable with a range of ammunition. The Charter Arms not so much.  Try a range of different ammo to find the one that runs best for you.  I suggest something higher velocity, in the 1200+ fps range.

The benefit of the AR7 is its take down ability, definitely not its accuracy.  If you want a small lightweight .22LR rifle to put an optic on I would look at many other before putting the time and $$ into hacking a rail onto the receiver of the AR-7.  The metal that the receiver is made from is fairly low quality and would not suggest welding to it.  If you are going to do it, find a rail for a gun with a similar radius to the top of the receiver (look at the Weaver rail for the Mossberg 500).  You can then drill and tap to mount it.  Remember once you put the rail on it you can no longer store the receiver in the stock any longer.

Remember these were meant to be last ditch, better than nothing survival rifles. They will not be particularly great for plinking or as a hunting gun........unless it is a last ditch situation.

Chris

All good points but I got this one at no cost so playing with it is not a big issue. I already have a few rails laying around and an extra SEEALL sight to use so I won't have any expense there.

It came with an aftermarket Choate stock and the original was lost years ago. No way am I going to pay ~$100 for a new replacement stock, its cool but not that important to me

I considered a silver solder to mount the rail but decided against it but if I met someone with experience doing a project like this I would reconsider

Now I'm considering either tapping the receiver or JB weld it into place. All my rails have a slight concave on the bottom and to grind that down and maintain the squareness is not in my skill set which is why I'm leaning towards the JB Weld.

My only other expense will be finding magazines that function properly, I haven't looked into those yet

I will be taking it trapping this year and hopefully get a shot or two at some grouse, I think it will be accurate enough for that but need to get the right sight on first

[JohnyMac]

Just a crazy idea.

As long as you have a front blade site, you could install on the stock a Lyman tang sight.

Last, here is a great site for AR-7 accessories. 

[pkveazey]

Many years ago, I saw several different survival rifles and they all were small light weight 22's. Most were folding skeleton stocks or 2 piece with the barrel stored in the stock. For survival, I see no need to do any mods to it because whoever engineered those things took all things into account when they built them. They were meant to be used for small game and minimal self defense. Never underestimate the effectiveness of a 22 LR and the massive amount of ammo you can carry to feed it.

[Jackalope]

True PK.  It's easy to stash 5-10K rounds. I like the AR-7 because the stock protects the action so well.  I don't like the pencil stick barrels. 

[grizz]

I've been trying to send emails to AR7.com about their barrels and rails but I have not heard back, does anyone know if they're still in business?

[Nemo]

As long as you have a front blade site, you could install on the stock a Lyman tang sight.

The stock is plastic with styrofoam (floatation) type inserts that I do not think will be strong enough to hold those type sites in a solid position.

Nemo

[JohnyMac]

Just checking. You did not get a response back from these folks? https://www.ar-7.com/AR7barrels.html

[Jackalope]

Grizz, how do you like the See-All sight?  I've got a couple of them and they seem to work well enough, plus the price is right too.  They usually have a Black Friday sale which makes them even more reasonable.

[grizz]

Just checking. You did not get a response back from these folks? https://www.ar-7.com/AR7barrels.html

Still waiting

[grizz]

Grizz, how do you like the See-All sight?  I've got a couple of them and they seem to work well enough, plus the price is right too.  They usually have a Black Friday sale which makes them even more reasonable.

I really like them!! I think I have 6 all together

[cooter]

As I recall, James Bond assembled one and used it to shoot down a plane while flying a gyrocopter.
So there is a definite cool guy factor in owning one. 

[grizz]

As I recall, James Bond assembled one and used it to shoot down a plane while flying a gyrocopter.
So there is a definite cool guy factor in owning one.

 

It really is a fun little gun and would be better if the previous owner didnt shoot out the barrel