ArmaLite AR-18

Armalite AR-18 - 5.56mm

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

(1963 - 1980)

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:

Armalite AR-18 with 30 round magazine 5.56mm

AR-18 fitted with scope with stock folded 5.56mm

File:Sterling AR-18.JPG

AR-18 with scope and sling fitted 5.56mm

Modernized AR-180B by Armalite that accepts AR-15 / M16 magazines but does not come with a side-folding stock (requires aftermarket parts and modification to the rifle to accomplish this) - 5.56mm

The SAR-87, an advanced AR-18 derivative that was under development by the now-defunct Sterling Armaments of Dagenham.

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
	Venezuelan soldiers	Sorcerer	1977
.	Phoenix Police	The Gauntlet	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	Tomorrow Never Dies	1997
Treva Etienne	Ark Tribesman	The Last Train	1999
Andrew Connolly	Concannon	Shergar	1999
Nathan Fillion	Mal Reynolds	Serenity	2005
	Colombian Rogue Unit soldier	Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia	2009

Television

Actor	Character	File Title	Date
Christopher George	Mr. Bravo	S.W.A.T.	1975
Lewis Collins	Bodie	The Professionals	1977-1983
Ismael Carlo	Salvador	The A-Team	1983-1988

Gerald MacRaney (Simon & Simon) is seen in an episode using an AR-180 in a shootout with car thieves

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.