Armalite AR180B Frequently Asked Questions, revised Dec. 26/07

I did see some pictures of SAS members carrying Sterling made AR18's in Northern Ireland in the 1970's. There was a lot of "non-standard" stuff in use then on both sides.
 
ian_in_vic said:
I did see some pictures of SAS members carrying Sterling made AR18's in Northern Ireland in the 1970's. There was a lot of "non-standard" stuff in use then on both sides.
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Can you direct me to those pics I would like to see them.

Thanks
 
Johnnybago said:
I know the difference. The article just doesn't say whether they used 18s or 180s.
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If it is when I'm thinking it would be the 18’s not the 180. & yes armedsask, you're right they are different. The whole point was to arm the local troops and population against communist guerillas (insurgents). The M16 was not the answer at that time - money, production and politics. The FN was the Holy Grail and only the British troops involved in those mini conflicts used them. Together with the AR18's there were plane loads of Enfield #4 & #5 dropped by parachute or brought in by boat. Quite a number of Sterling made AR's can still be found in the Fareast and in Africa. They did the work just fine. :cool:
 
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The IRA used Howa made AR18's from Japan. This was the catalyst to Japan's ban on foreign sales of arms. The AR180 was the semi-auto only civilian version of the AR18, so it would not have been used by any military.

I'm in no way saying the AR18 was not a capable assualt rifle. In my opinion it was better than the AR15 in many respects. If it had been adopted by any country and all the improvements the AR15 has seen applied to it, the AR18 would have been one of the world's best rifles.

There's a reason almost all piston operated rifles are based on the AR18 gas system.
 
Scarecrow said:
IRA wasnt a real military and they did use AR180's aswell. However they never used 180B's which are a different breed.
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Exactly what I'm saying.

People need to stop comparing the AR180B to the AR15 and even the AR18/180.
 
^^ Correct. There is a reason that the 180 is prohib, but the 180B isn't. The 180B gets props for being a close cousin, but the similarities stop there.

No more comparisons allowed.
 
Johnnybago said:
^^ Correct. There is a reason that the 180 is prohib, but the 180B isn't. The 180B gets props for being a close cousin, but the similarities stop there.

No more comparisons allowed.
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I wouldn't elaborate on relationship because some one might try to ban them too lol.
 
AR180B needs:

Factory folder similar to original for look, but with better locking mechanism.
Steel or Aluminum lower. Really prefer steel but anything is better then rubbermaid lower.
Chrome lined bore. How armalite forgot that makes me think its subcontracted.
Threaded muzzle and bayonet lug.
Dust cover like AR18 used to have.

Otherwise the gun is nice. But unless they do atleast a metal lower I'll keep buying AR's and CZ's and SIG's instead.

Its time for armalite to stand up against all the other newer guns out there.
 
Scarecrow said:
AR180B needs:

Factory folder similar to original for look, but with better locking mechanism.
Steel or Aluminum lower. Really prefer steel but anything is better then rubbermaid lower.
Chrome lined bore. How armalite forgot that makes me think its subcontracted.
Threaded muzzle and bayonet lug.
Dust cover like AR18 used to have.

Otherwise the gun is nice. But unless they do atleast a metal lower I'll keep buying AR's and CZ's and SIG's instead.

Its time for armalite to stand up against all the other newer guns out there.
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Then they will have to raise the price and no longer sell any rifles. :runaway:
 
Scarecrow said:
Never stopped them with their AR's:p
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The point is that if they raise the price of the 180 to be close to the AR15 then the rifle loses a major portion of its appeal (price) and people will just buy the much more versitile AR15 or most likely something else at the lower price point. You gotto remimber that it is the american market (where Canadian restrictions don't matter) that drives this kind of decision making. The point of the AR180b is to be cheeper then the AR15.
 
suprathepeg said:
The point is that if they raise the price of the 180 to be close to the AR15 then the rifle loses a major portion of its appeal (price) and people will just buy the much more versitile AR15 or most likely something else at the lower price point. You gotto remimber that it is the american market (where Canadian restrictions don't matter) that drives this kind of decision making. The point of the AR180b is to be cheeper then the AR15.
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In the states people already buy AK's instead so I dont see your point.
 
Scarecrow said:
In the states people already buy AK's instead so I dont see your point.
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Although this is way OT its a market issue, I'll bet that more AR180s are sold in some individual states then in the total canadian market. The point is that the market is what drives production resulting in the current AR180b. How AKs factor into that I'm not quite sure. Any how back to the topic.
 
How it factors is that the AR180B is in no position to defend itself in the US market with a lower that cracks and all sort of post ban features. People in the states can choose between an AK and an AR180B, and trust me its easy to figure out who is winning. AR180B is on its way to becoming discontinued.
 
And yet another Q: My biggest gripe with my 180B, though I love it dearly, is the vertical play between upper and lower receivers. I know that bending in the sides will cure the horizontal movement, but is there any known way to tighten up or fix the vert.?

Additionally, I'd like to thank Armedsask for recommending the Midwest Industries forearm. I bought one a while back, and it's über ###y.
 
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