ArmaLite AR-18

ArmaLite AR-18 – 5.56x45mm

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

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

ArmaLite AR-18 with scope and sling fitted – 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.

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

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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
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
Echo - Season 1		Kingpin's enforcers	"Maya" (S1E05)	2024

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

ArmaLite AR-18 Carbine (serial number AS033) – 5.56x45mm. This gun was manufactured by Sterling, and is marked with "AR-18S" on the receiver. Note the straight charging handle and slightly longer barrel compared to A5689 below.

ArmaLite AR-18 Carbine (serial number A5689) with ArmaLite 2.75x20mm scope – 5.56x45mm. This gun was manufactured by ArmaLite; Small Arms Review stated that A5689 was the model that was intended as the "standard production style". Note the standard charging handle and slightly shorter barrel compared to AS033.

ArmaLite AR-18 Carbine (serial number 014) – 5.56x45mm NATO

ArmaLite AR-18 Carbine (serial number 021, nicknamed "Shorty") - 5.56x45mm NATO

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

ArmaLite AR-180B – 5.56x45mm

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

Brownells BRN-180S 300 BLK (mounted on BRN-180 Forged Lower) - .300 Blackout

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

See Also

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