diff --git a/m4/acinclude.m4 b/m4/acinclude.m4
--- a/m4/acinclude.m4
+++ b/m4/acinclude.m4
@@ -2295,7 +2295,10 @@ AC_DEFUN([OCTAVE_PROG_AR], [
   AC_SUBST(AR)
 
   if test -z "$ARFLAGS"; then
-    ARFLAGS="rc"
+    ARFLAGS="cr"
+  fi
+  if test -z "$AR_FLAGS"; then
+    AR_FLAGS="$ARFLAGS"
   fi
   AC_SUBST(ARFLAGS)
 ])