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ArmaLite AR-18
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.
The AR-18/180 uses a proprietary magazine that looks similar to the AR-15/M16 STANAG magazine, but isn't interchangeable with it; the different magazines have their cut-out (to catch the magazine well) located on different sides. A skilled armorer however could potentially modify one magazine to fit in the other.
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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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-18 | 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 | |
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | Rifle | 2016 | ||
| Ghost Recon Breakpoint | 2019 |
ArmaLite AR-18/AR-180 Carbine
AR-18 and AR-180 Carbines, sometimes named "Shorty" (either as a nickname, or as an additional "S" marking on the gun that stands for "Shorty"), are very rare production variants of the ArmaLite AR-18 featuring shortened barrels, short handguards, front grips, and conical flash hiders. Rarely observed and poorly documented, there are apparently a few different production variations of the AR-18/180 Carbine based on their production site, as different AR-18/180 Carbines observed on the internet seem to each feature their own assortment of components. There are also many prototype variations of the AR-18/180 Carbine with their own components, some of which lack front grips.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For Your Eyes Only | Michael Gothard | Emil Locque | 1981 | |
| Club Paradise | soldier | AR-18S with conical flash suppressor and carry handle | 1986 | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | Pierce Brosnan | James Bond | AR-180 Carbine model, customized into a "folding" rifle | 1997 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Professionals | Lewis Collins | Bodie | 1977-1983 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | Model without front grip, and serial number 021 models available | 2016 |
ArmaLite AR-180B
Between 2001 and 2007, ArmaLite Inc. manufactured the modernized civilian AR-180B, with a new polymer lower receiver that accepts the vastly more common AR-15/M16 STANAG magazines. It also lacked a side-folding stock (though it can be modified with aftermarket parts to have one).
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanted | 2008 |
Brownells BRN-180
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.
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready Or Not (VG) | ARN-18 | BRN-180S 300 BLK | 2021 |