ArmaLite AR-18

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ArmaLite AR-18 – 5.56x45mm

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ArmaLite AR-18 with 30-round magazine – 5.56x45mm

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AR-18 fitted with scope with stock folded – 5.56x45mm

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AR-18 with scope and sling fitted – 5.56x45mm

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AR-180B – 5.56x45mm

The AR-18 is an American assault rifle 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 is a 5.56x45mm select-fire assault rifle that used simple stampings for ease of manufacture. The semi-automatic civilian version of the rifle is 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 and remains an enduring symbol of the 1970s and 1980s period of The Troubles.

Between 2001 and 2007, ArmaLite manufactured the modernized civilian AR-180B, with a new polymer lower receiver that accepts the vastly more common AR-15/M16 STANAG magazines. The original AR-18/180s has a similar-looking magazine to the AR-15, but it was a proprietary design, and the magazines for the two rifles are 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 armorer 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.

In 2019, Brownells, Inc released a new, modern version of the AR-18 upper receiver known as the BRN-180, utilizing an updated short-stroke piston system found on the AR-18. The BRN-180 is compatible with most common AR-15 lower receivers and can be fired with the stock folded, unlike a standard AR-15.

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

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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

See Also

• ArmaLite - A list of all firearms manufactured by ArmaLite.
• Howa - A list of all firearms manufactured by Howa.