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ArmaLite AR-18
The AR-18 was developed in the early 1960s as a low-cost alternative to the AR-15 (a design originally from ArmaLite but later sold to Colt) and was produced by ArmaLite in the U.S. and manufactured via contract by Sterling of England and Howa of Japan. The AR-18 was a 5.56x45mm select-fire assault rifle that used simple stampings for ease of manufacture. The semi-automatic civilian version of the rifle was called the AR-180.
Hoping to capture the third-world market as an alternative to the more expensive M16 assault rifle, ArmaLite was set for a disappointment when the U.S. Government commissioned, bought, and then gave away hundreds of thousands of M16s during the course of the 1960s and 1970s (to stem the tide of Communists arming 'their side' with free weapons). ArmaLite discontinued AR-18 production in the late 1970s. Although never adopted officially by any armed forces, it did somewhat serve as a testbed for weapons such as the Sterling SAR-87, SA80, SR-88, H&K G36 etc. The AR-18 was notoriously supplied underground to the Irish Republican Army hence the Armalite and Ballot Box strategy.
Between 2001 and 2007, ArmaLite manufactured the modernized civilian AR-180B, with new Polymer Lower receiver that accepts the vastly more common AR-15/M16 STANAG magazines. The original AR-18/180s had a "similar-looking" magazine to the AR-15, but it was a proprietary design, and the magazines for the two rifles were NOT interchangeable unless modified; a cut-out space on the magazine to catch in the magazine well was on different sides for each weapon, but a skilled armourer could modify one magazine to fit in the other. The AR-180B also does not come with a side-folding stock, and requires aftermarket parts and modification to have one. The AR-180B has yet to appear in any movies or television shows.
Specifications
(1963-1980)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Weight: 6.6 lbs (3 kg)
- Length: 38.2 in (97 cm)
- Barrel length: 18.3 in (46.4 cm)
- Feed System: 20-, 30- or 40-round box magazine (AR-18), STANAG Magazines (AR-180B)
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
The ArmaLite AR-18 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Streak | Ray Walston | Edgar Whiney | 1976 | |
| Silver Streak | Stefan Gierasch | Johnson | 1976 | |
| Silver Streak | Gene Wilder | George Caldwell | 1976 | |
| Silver Streak | Patrick McGoohan | Roger Devereau | 1976 | |
| The Enforcer | 1976 | |||
| The Spy Who Loved Me | KGB Assassins | 1977 | ||
| Sorcerer | Venezuelan soldiers | 1977 | ||
| The Gauntlet | Phoenix Police | 1977 | ||
| Stingray (AKA: Abigail Wanted) | Sherry Jackson | Abigail Bratowski | 1978 | |
| Good Guys Wear Black | Soon-Tek Oh | Mhin Van Thieu | 1978 | |
| Good Guys Wear Black | The Black Tigers | 1978 | ||
| For Your Eyes Only | Michael Gothard | Michael Corben | Carbine | 1981 |
| An Eye for an Eye | SWAT officers | 1981 | ||
| Stripes | Capt. Hollister | Extended cut | 1981 | |
| Harry's Game | Derek Thompson | Billy Downes | 1982 | |
| Octopussy | South American soldiers | 1983 | ||
| The Terminator | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Terminator | 1984 | |
| Ninja III: The Domination | Jordan Bennett | Officer Billy Secord | 1984 | |
| Hold-Up | Montreal SWAT | 1985 | ||
| Water (1985) | Bill Bailey | Major Hollister | AR-180 | 1985 |
| US soldiers | ||||
| The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | terrorists | 1988 | ||
| In the Name of the Father | IRA member | 1993 | ||
| Bad Blood | Seen in Chang's headquarters and in gun dealer's car; with M16-style buttstock | 1994 | ||
| Original Gangstas | Fred Williamson | John Bookman | 1996 | |
| Godfrey | Marcus | |||
| Tim Rhoze | Blood | With sniper scope | ||
| Tomorrow Never Dies | Pierce Brosnan | James Bond | 1997 | |
| The Last Train | Treva Etienne | Ark Tribesman | 1999 | |
| Shergar | Andrew Connolly | Concannon | 1999 | |
| Innocent Voices | Salvadoran Army soldiers | 2004 | ||
| Serenity | Nathan Fillion | Mal Reynolds | 2005 | |
| Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia | Colombian Rogue Unit soldier | 2009 | ||
| The Guard | 2011 | |||
| Get the Gringo | Mel Gibson | The Gringo | With scope | 2012 |
| Daylight's End | survivor | 2016 | ||
| The Foreigner | Jackie Chan | Ngoc Minh Quan | With stock removed and improvised suppressor | 2017 |
| IRA members |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.W.A.T. | Christopher George | Mr. Bravo | 1975-1976 | |
| S.W.A.T. | James Coleman | Officer T.J. McCabe | 1975-1976 | |
| S.W.A.T. | Mark Shera | Officer Dominic Luca | 1975-1976 | |
| The Professionals | Lewis Collins | Bodie | 1977-1983 | |
| The A-Team | Ismael Carlo | Salvador | 1983-1988 |
Anime
| Film/Series Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Exorcist | Konekomaru | Howa AR-18, with wood stock | 2011 |
| Upotte!! | Ichihachi | Howa AR-180 | 2012 - ???? |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World of Guns: Gun Disassembly | Armalite AR-18 | Aimpoint sight, classic AR-18 scope and bayonet | 2014 | |
| Ghost Recon Breakpoint | 2019 |