ArmaLite AR-18
The ArmaLite AR-18 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, Eugene Stoner, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an alternative to the Colt AR-15 design, a variant of which had just been selected by the U.S. military as the M16. A semi-automatic version known as the AR-180 was later produced for the civilian market. While the AR-18 was never adopted as the standard service rifle of any nation, its production license was sold to companies in Japan and the United Kingdom, and it is said to have influenced many later weapons such as the British SA80, the Singaporean SAR-80 and SR-88, the Belgian FN F2000, the Japanese Howa Type 89 and the German Heckler and Koch G36.
| ArmaLite AR-18 | |
|---|---|
The ArmaLite AR-18 | |
| Type | Assault rifle (AR-18) Semi-automatic rifle (AR-180) |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Communist insurgency in Malaysia Lebanese Civil War The Troubles |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Arthur Miller Eugene Stoner (AR-16) |
| Designed | 1963 |
| Manufacturer | ArmaLite (U.S.) HOWA Machinery Co. (Japan) Sterling Armaments Company. (UK) |
| Produced | 1969–1985 |
| No. built | 1,171 (AR-18) 21,478 (AR-180) |
| Variants | AR-18K AR-18S AR-180 AR-180B Foreign derivatives based upon the AR-18 include the Singaporean SAR-80, Singaporean/British SAR-87 and the Japanese Howa Type 89 Bullpup adaptations include Australian Bushmaster M17S |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 6.7 lb (3.0 kg) (empty) 7.18 lb (3.3 kg) (loaded w/20 rd. magazine) |
| Length | 38 in (970 mm) |
| Barrel length | 18.25 in (464 mm) (6-groove rifling) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Short-stroke piston, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 750 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 3,250 ft/s (991 m/s) |
| Feed system | 20, 30, or 40-round detachable box magazine, STANAG magazines (AR-18B) |
| Sights | Iron sights or removable 3× scope |