Rare Armalite AR 180 Semi-Auto Rifle – SN: S2016

The ArmaLite AR-18, which was later adapted into the semi-automatic AR-180 for civilian use, was developed in 1963, when a team of designers including Arthur Miller, Eugene Stoner, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester at ArmaLite in California conceived the AR-18 as an alternative to the Colt AR-15, which had just been selected as the U.S. military’s M16. While it never gained the status of a standard-issue service rifle, the AR-18’s impact on firearm design was profound. Notably, it featured stamped steel construction, a short-stroke gas piston system, and a relatively straightforward design. These features promised reduced production costs and facilitated local license production in various countries. This design also went on to influence the development of several 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.