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ArmaLite AR-18
The AR-18 Rifle was developed in the early 1960s as a low cost alternative to the AR-15 Rifle 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 (5.56mm) 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.
Specifications
Type: Assault Rifle
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO,
Capacity: 20,30,40 round box magazine
Fire Modes: Safe/Semi-Auto/Full-Auto (700-800 RPM)
The Armalite AR-18/AR-180 has been used by the following actors in the following films:
Films
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in The Terminator. The character acquires a semi automatic AR-180 in the gun store and (as explained by director James Cameron in later interviews), it is assumed that the Terminator used his own 'technical knowledge' to convert them to fully automatic fire in the hotel room.
- Sherry Jackson as Abigail Bratowski in Stingray (AKA: Abigail Wanted) (1978) - Jackson keeps her AR-18 with the stock folded on the front handlebars of her motorcycle and fires it from the bike throughout the film.
| Actor | Character | File Title | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Walston | Thug Edgar Whiney | Silver Streak | 1976 |
| The Enforcer | 1976 | ||
| KGB Assassins | The Spy Who Loved Me | 1977 | |
| Sherry Jackson | Abigail Bratowski | Stingray (AKA: Abigail Wanted) | 1978 |
| Michael Gothard | Michael Corben | For Your Eyes Only | 1981 |
| Derek Thompson | Billy Downes | Harry's Game | 1982 |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Terminator | The Terminator | 1984 |
| Pierce Brosnan | James Bond | Tommorow Never Dies | 1997 |
| Treva Etienne | Ark Tribesman | The Last Train | 1999 |
| Nathan Fillion | Mal Reynolds | Serenity | 2005 |
| Colombian Rogue Unit soldier | Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia | 2009 |
Television
| Actor | Character | File Title | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Collins | Bodie | The Professionals | 1977-1983 |
| Ismael Carlo | Salvador | The A-Team | 1983-1988 |
Additional history
- 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. The rifle is now once again being manufactured by Armalite as the modernized AR-180B, with new Polymer Lower receiver that accepts 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 new version allows for the usage of the vastly more common AR-15 magazines. Despite being once again manufactured for the civilian shooter market, none of the new Armalite guns with the synthetic lower receiver have appeared in any movies or television shows yet.
Gerald MacRaney (Simon & Simon) is seen in an episode using an AR-180 in a shootout with car thieves