The Explorer has been around for a long time, and was made by Armalite, Charter Arms, Survival Arms, Henry Repeating Arms, and AR-7 Industries, in that order. My first AR-7 was by Charter Arms, which made them from 1973-1990.
I plinked with it a bit, figured out how to add a sling, and then put it away. It wasn't until I was wandering through a gun show that I saw an original Armalite version, and started thinking. The Armalites (1959-1973) carried a premium price, but this was the only one I saw with the original box, or at least what was left of the box.
The box is in poor shape, and is falling apart, but it's the only one I ever saw. I bought it more for the box than the rifle.
The AR-7 is basically unchanged for almost 50 years, except for the plastic furniture. The original had the black/brown/green swirl plastic stock. I was never sure if that was supposed to be a camouflage pattern, a simulation of fancy wood, or just some random colors because "black rifles" hadn't hit the market yet. Here's another view of the stock with some photographic tweaking to counteract the extremely shiny and reflective plastic:
The actions are virtually identical except for the markings.
I continue to tweak and improve my "disaster preparedness" kit (now a backpack) as the Department of Homeland Security suggests. However, I insist on adding a knife and a gun, something they are strangely silent about. Here's the Armalite AR-7, ready to go back to the vault, and the Charter Arms one, ready to perform its patriotic backup duty.
The slick black plastic stock didn't appeal to me, so this gave me a chance to try out the non-stick Camo-Form camouflage tape. It comes in several patterns, and I chose the Army ACU.
The tape is like the non-adhesive bandage tape that sticks to itself due to its rough surface. It's slightly stretchy, and when it springs back, the layers of tape grab and hold on tight to each other without adhesive.
The tape is fairly thick, and can't take sharp bends or turns, so it's best used as a spiral wrap for round or round-ish objects. I cheated, and used one piece of tape on the lower part of the pistol grip, and held on to it until the main wrap, starting from behind the action, was able to trap the other piece of tape. I continued wrapping until it got to the end, and then cut a little away from the swivel stud.
It may not look pretty, but it does a pretty good job. First, it kills all that shiny black plastic glaring away at the world. Second, it's amazingly non-slip, and almost feels sticky, except that it's not. Finally, it deadens sound, and anything bumping against it won't give off that hollow, plastic-y sound.
Speaking of hollow, that AR-7 floats, assembled or stowed, because of the Styrofoam in all the cavities in the stock, not because it's an airtight seal.
So my Armalite AR-7 goes back to my collection as an example of Eugene Stoner's first commercial product, while the Charter Arms AR-7, with modifications, resides in my "bailout backpack". I'm just doing my part to be prepared, just like (or almost just like) the government wants us to be.