ArmaLite AR-18

300px|thumb|right|400px|ArmaLite AR-18 fitted with scope with stock folded – 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: 
* Length: 
* Barrel length: 
* Feed System: 20-, 30- or 40-round box magazine (AR-18), (AR-180B)
* Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto 
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===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	T-800 	 	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
Water (1985) 	 	US soldiers 	AR-180 	1985
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
Original Gangstas 	Godfrey 	Marcus 	 	1996
Original Gangstas 	Tim Rhoze 	Blood 	With sniper scope 	1996
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
The Foreigner 	 	IRA members 	 	2017
=== 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
The Walking Dead - Season 5	Michael Traynor 	Nicholas 	"Remember" (S5E12), "Spend" (S5E14)	2015
The Walking Dead - Season 6	Jennifer Davis Brennan	Alexandria resident 	"First Time Again" (S6E01) 	2015
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
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 	AMES 85 	 	Heavily stylized with SG 551 stock and Howa Type 89 receiver	2024
==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
= See Also =
* ArmaLite - A list of all firearms manufactured by ArmaLite.
* Howa - A list of all firearms manufactured by Howa.
Category:Gun
Category:Rifle
Category:Assault Rifle