| Armalite AR-18 | |
|---|---|
 AR-18 |
|
| Type | Assault Rifle |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Armalite (US), HOWA Machinery Co. An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (Japan), Sterling Armament Co. (UK) |
| Variants | AR-18S, AR-180, AR-180B - foreign designs based upon the AR-18 include the Singaporean SAR-80 and the Japanese Howa Type 89 - bullpup adaptations include the British SA-80 and the American Bushmaster M17S |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3. The Singapore Assault Rifle 80 (SAR-80 is an indigenously built Conventional Assault rifle from Singapore. The Howa Heavy Industry Type 89 Assault Rifle, referred to as the or, is a Japanese Assault rifle used by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard The SA80 ( Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of 556 mm small arms designed and produced (until 1988 by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Bushmaster Firearms International LLC is a manufacturer and distributor of guns which is based in Windham Maine in the United States. 17 kg (empty) |
| Length | 73. 6 cm (stock folded)/ 94cm |
| Barrel length | 46. For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion 4cm |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 800 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 1000 m/s (3281 fps) |
| Feed system | 20, 30, or 40-round box magazine |
| Sights | Iron or removable 3x scope |
The AR-18 is an assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition. A cartridge (also known as a "round" packages the Bullet, Gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the 556x45mm NATO, standardized under STANAG 4172 is a Rifle cartridge. In Firearms terminology an action is the system of operation used to load rounds and/or seal the Breech. Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate Autoloading firearms Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific Weapon can fire or launch its projectiles A gun's muzzle velocity is the speed at which the Projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle 556x45mm NATO, standardized under STANAG 4172 is a Rifle cartridge. Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which The AR-18 was designed by Arthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester at ArmaLite in 1963 as an improved 5. ArmaLite, originally the ArmaLite Division of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, is a Small arms manufacturing company 56 mm caliber alternative to Armalite's previous AR-15 design, for which production rights had been sold to Colt. AR-15 (for Ar malite model 15, often mistaken for A utomatic R ifle is the common name for the widely-owned semi-automatic Colt's Manufacturing Company ( CMC --formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company) is a United States Firearms manufacturer founded in Armalite's interest in the design waned when the Colt AR-15 was selected for production by the US Army as the M16. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. M16 (more formally United States Rifle II Caliber 556 mm M16) is the U
Contents |
History
In 1955, the US Army was holding trials for a battle rifle to replace their M1 Garands with a new weapon capable of fully automatic fire. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) A Battle Rifle or Main Battle Rifle is a full-size Rifle designed for military use that fires a high-power rifle cartridge such as the U The M1 Garand (formally the United States Rifle Caliber.30 M1) was the first Semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry in any nation An automatic firearm is a Firearm that automatically extracts and ejects the fired cartridge case and loads a new case usually through the energy of the fired The new weapon was intended to either fully or partially replace the M1 Carbine, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and M3 Submachinegun as well. The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine Caliber.30 M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic Carbine that became a standard firearm in the The BAR (short for Browning Automatic Rifle is a family of American 7 The M3 is an American.45 caliber Submachine gun that uses the. The US Army was against any reduction in power in their new weapon despite arguments that the full power round was not suitable for automatic fire and through their dominant position a slightly shorter version with similar power to their current rifle round became the standard 7.62x51mm NATO round. The 762x51mm NATO is a Rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard firearm cartridge among NATO countries Springfield Armory and Fabrique Nationale both entered designs based on fairly conventional engineering; the M14 was selected. This is an article about the US Government Arsenal For the contemporary commercial manufacturer see Springfield Armory Inc Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, more often abbreviated as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN, is a Belgian manufacturer of Firearms The official This rifle replaced the Garand, but was essentially a product-improved M1 Garand.
Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite 7. Eugene Morrison Stoner (Born November 22, 1922 in Gosport, Indiana; died in Palm City Florida) 62x51mm AR-10 came too late in the evaluation for serious consideration, but his advanced design was a dramatic improvement on conventional thinking. The AR-10 is an American 762 mm Battle rifle developed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s at Armalite, then a division Using a number of advanced features and materials, the AR-10 was almost two pounds lighter than the M14. One of the most novel concepts of the AR-10 was a composition aluminum/steel barrel. Unfortunately during endurance testing of the AR-10 at Springfield Armory, an AR-10 suffered a burst barrel. ArmaLite realized a change was in order, and switched to a steel barrel, but it was too late. The M14 won the selection process over both the AR-10 and the Belgian FAL rifle, but the M14's victory would be short lived. The Army quickly learned that a full power 7. 62mm rifle fired on full auto was an uncontrollable beast. With the United States involvement in the close quarters jungle fighting of Vietnam, a lighter rifle with increased firepower and capacity was desired.
Only two years later, the US Army was once again looking for a new rifle, this time based on a much smaller . 22 caliber round and lighter in weight. This time, ArmaLite was invited to compete right from the start, and responded with a smaller version of the AR-10, the AR-15. AR-15 (for Ar malite model 15, often mistaken for A utomatic R ifle is the common name for the widely-owned semi-automatic Winchester Arms submitted a remake of a 'Carbine' Williams prototype carbine, and Springfield Armory was forbidden to participate, as senior Ordnance Corps officials had not yet accepted the small-caliber, high-velocity concept. The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
In the end the Army selected the AR-15, as the M16, as their new standard rifle. M16 (more formally United States Rifle II Caliber 556 mm M16) is the U This was not without further controversy, especially early reports of problems with the gas system fouling. Although these problems were later traced to changes in the ammunition and an almost complete lack of cleaning in the field, it was often used as evidence against the weapon itself. During the protracted acceptance trials (which took several years) ArmaLite had essentially given up, and sold the AR-15 production license to Colt.
After selling the design, ArmaLite began the development of two new rifles based on a modified action that no longer used a direct gas impingement action and were less prone to the fouling problems of the AR-15. The AR-16 was a 7. 62 mm rifle similar to the AR-10, and the AR-18 was its 5. 56 mm counterpart. The design of the AR-18 is mainly credited to ArmaLite's chief designer at the time, Arthur Miller.
Overall, the new designs were much more conventional than previous ArmaLite designs. They were immediately criticized for their appearance. At the time, crude sheet metal and welded components were frowned upon in the use of service rifles. However, such construction proved to be a sign of things to come, as it promised significantly reduced production costs, and allowed it to be made on less advanced machinery. Moreover, the gas piston operation of the AR-18, ironically, proved much more resistant to fouling than that of the earlier AR-15 and M16 rifles.
Key to the cost reduction was the use of stamped-metal receivers and other components, as opposed to the AR-10/15's forged aluminum receiver. A forge is the workplace of a smith or a Blacksmith. A forge is sometimes referred to as a smithy. WikipediaNaming In addition a simpler operating system with a conventional short-stroke gas piston was selected in place of the lightweight direct gas tube and cutoff used in the earlier AR-15, intended to address complaints about reliability and fouling. Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate Autoloading firearms The bolt, springs and recoil buffer were housed within the receiver, and the bolt rode on two metal rods instead of the receiver walls, which provided additional clearance for dust and mud. Compared to the AR-15, which housed its buffer mechanism in the buttstock, the AR-18's compact design enabled the use of a folding stock with a hinging mechanism (that later proved to be less than adequately rigid).
Armalite's AR-16 design never progressed beyond prototype stage, but the AR-18 was put into limited production, and underwent testing as an alternative to the AR-15. At this point, however, the AR-15/M16 rifle had been fully developed, flaws had been ironed out in successive modifications, and the U. S. military was not interested in acquiring yet another 5. 56 mm service rifle. A semi-automatic version of the AR-18 design known as the AR-180 was later produced for the civilian market between 1969 and 1972 at Armalite's Costa Mesa manufacturing plant. Costa Mesa is a Suburban city in Orange County California, United States. The Costa Mesa AR-180s were one of the first military-type semi-automatic rifles to become widely available in the USA. Howa, of Japan, continued production of the AR-18/AR-180 from 1972 until 1974, but the Japanese government later forbade them to make war weapons, and production was discontinued. Howa Machinery Company Ltd (豊和工業株式会社 ( is a Japanese machinery manufacturer For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Sterling in the UK produced the AR-18/AR-180 from 1976 to the mid-1980s. Parts from the AR-18 were used in the British forces' SA80, and the Singaporean SAR-80. The SA80 ( Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of 556 mm small arms designed and produced (until 1988 by the Royal Small Arms Factory at The Singapore Assault Rifle 80 (SAR-80 is an indigenously built Conventional Assault rifle from Singapore.
Many UK-made Sterling rifles were purchased by IRA sympathizers, and found their way into the hands of the Provisional IRA, where the rifle was known as the "widowmaker" (see also Provisional IRA arms importation). The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the The Provisional Irish Republican Army began importing large quantities of weapons and ammunition into Ireland for use in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s The Armalite rifle was for many years the most lethal weapon available to the PIRA. For this reason it become an iconic symbol within that movement. The republican ballad Little Armalite tells of how the AR-18 changed the fortunes of Republicans in their confrontation with British state forces. " My Little Armalite " is an Irish Republican song that praises the Armalite rifle which was used by republican paramilitaries against the British security The 1980s Republican political strategy of parallel political and paramilitary campaigns was also christened the "Armalite and ballot box strategy". The Armalite and the ballot box strategy was a strategy pursued by the Irish republican movement in the 1980s and early 1990s in which elections in Northern Ireland
Unlike the AR-15/M16, the AR-18 did not see substantial improvement, and was not adopted in large numbers by any military service. In the end, the commercial failure of the AR-18 was not due to any significant flaws in its basic design, but in the lack of marketing efforts by Armalite. In 1968, dissatisfied with the way Armalite had marketed the AR-18, Arthur Miller left Armalite.
Recent Developments
The ArmaLite brand was purchased in 1996 by Eagle Arms, a small US arms manufacturer, who adopted the Armalite brand for their company. An updated model of the AR-180 was introduced in 2001 as the AR-180B, with a molded polymer receiver replacing the stamped steel original. The polymer construction is designed to make the receiver walls more rigid than the original stamped metal version, as well as lighter in weight. A version with a Picatinny rail is planned for production. The Picatinny rail (ˈpɪkətɪni or /ˌpɪkəˈtɪni/ is a bracket used on some Firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform
See also
External links
- http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=94757951
- http://world.guns.ru/assault/as36-e.htm
- ArmaLite's page on the AR-180B
- External image of the 7.62 calibre AR16
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic