~ Armalite AR-180B - Anybody own one of these rifles?

[Capt Quahog]

Just when a person thinks that he/she knows almost everything there is to possibly know, something obvious and totally missed comes along and slaps him/her in the face. Whaaaap!

Back in the 1970s when I and some friends all had FFLs, we were having a blast ordering guns for resale. Those were the days when the G was actually encouraging kitchen table gun dealers. So long as guns were being logged into the bound book . . . ATF seemed happy.

At some point I purchased a lot of ten (10) Armalite AR-180 rifles for something like $229 each. Those were Sterling built in England and to us then, they seemed crude with typical British painted metal. At the time, the fit and finish of those Sterling AR-180 rifles looked like something seen on old Sten guns along with primitive welds.

Aside from the marginal finish, those AR-180 rifle were excellent shooters and seemed to be highly reliable. A couple of drawbacks of the old AR-180 were the unique magazine that was particular to that rifle. We were able to notch out a slot on the standard AR-15 and make them "fit" the AR-180. The dog leg shaped charging handle on the original Armalite Costa Mesa, Howa and Sterling built AR-180 rifles was somewhat weak and has a tendency to break off. Aside from those and other design flaws, we deemed the AR-180 to be equal or perhaps superior to the AR-15 with it's somewhat weak gas system.

I've been on the look out for a lightweight, rugged and dependable .223 / 5.56 rifle for some now. Want something that my wife can handle if needed. Thought about the mini-14, but just can't get excited about those. There's no interest at all in the AR-15 series as I just don't like the things and never will.

Two weeks ago while poking around at a gun show, I came across two AR-180 rifles. One was an old Sterling made variety with a fat $1499.00 price tag. Next to it was another made by the new Armalite Company. That was marked as the AR-180B. Huh??? Price on that one was $700 or best offer. The dealer seemed anxious to make a sale and at once dropped the price to $600 with unspecified goodies thrown into the pot. He was hot to sell but I was just window shopping.

In doing a little research online, I was greatly impressed with the Armalite AR-180. Seems that flaws in the original AR-180 have been corrected with the AR-180B model. First off, the rifle uses standard AR-15 magazines. The trigger group is off-the-shelf AR-15 parts. Charging handle has been enhanced and beefed up. Instead of the flimsy sheet metal stamped receiver of the earlier AR-180, the AR-180B has that component made of high grade polymer material like that of Glock pistols. It's tough stuff! The weight of an unloaded AR-180B is something like just over 6 pounds. All in all, the AR-180B looks to be a very decent .223 / 5.56 rifle.

Seems as if the Armalite Company has done a totally lousy job in marketing their AR-180B rifle. Though it has been manufactured for a few years now, I for one didn't even know that the AR-180B even existed until a couple of weeks ago.

Does anybody own one of these Armalite AR-180B rifles? How do you like it?