AR-180B for a class

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Jenrick

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Has anyone, or does anyone know/seen a 180B in a hi-round count carbine/EBR class (1K+ a day)? Now that I've finally got a real job, and can write training off as a work related expense I'm going to start going to some schools.

The most I've ever put through my 180B is 400-500 rds in a day w/ Wolf. Never had any major problems with Wolf, and none with the rifle. I've got a ton of USGI AR mags that feed reliably and have all been tested well.

I'm just curious if anyone has ever seen or used a 180B in a class and how well if performs. There are really two things I'm worried about:

1) Sucker's gonna get HOT. I still haven't found anyone who makes heat shield hand guards for a 180B

2) If something does break, spares are not gonna be all over like with an AR-15. I figure I'll need to stock up on spares.

Thanks in advance,

-Jenrick
 
second hand report is that they broke, in a tactical response class. Do a search over at getoffthex.com and there is some information available.
 
I've only had a handful of failures of any kind, and nothings broke on me.

Didn't find anything over at Getoffthex.com other then a lot of attitude.

El Tejon: I've thought about just taking my M1 as my backup weapon and going from there :) (So how does one tac reload a Garand, Instructor?) Realistically I'll probablly borrow a friends AR with the promise that I wont get it dirty unless I have to. No chance of getting a go ahead for a duplicate rifle.

Will probably just load up on spares, sign up for a two day class to start with and see what happens.

-Jenrick
 
Been there, done that - with my own AR-180B:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=105311&highlight="Tactical+Response"

I've taken Tactical Response's Fighting Rifle and Advanced Fighting Rifle with my AR-180B, and was well pleased with both the training and my rifle. You will definitely appreciate the light weight of the AR-180B at the end of a long day of shooting drills, and ESPECIALLY if you ever have to do one-handed "wounded shooter" drills.

Caveats and recommendations:

- Although the AR-180B tends to run cleaner than the AR-15, it is still a good idea to at least brush out the chamber and run a Boresnake through the barrel at the end of each day. I did this at Fighting Rifle(approx. 500 rds/day), and the rifle ran well. I did not do this at Advanced Fighting Rifle(approx. 1000 rds/day), and got hit with FTE's at around the 1200-rd. mark.

- Test your magazines thoroughly ahead of time for fit/feed/function, mark them all, and bring lots of extras; on the second day of each class, I got hit with FTF's when magazines I had previously test-fired and approved for service suddenly went Tango-Uniform on me. Also, the lower leading edge of my rifle's bolt carrier came sharp enough from the factory to dig/gouge into the feed lips of some of my magazines, so I used a file to round that edge off so that it would ride smoothly over the feed lips; it really doesn't take much filing at all, just enough to bevel the corners a teeny bit.

- The trigger-group parts, extractor and extractor spring are straight AR-15/M-16 parts, and are drop-in compatible(unless you try to use an aftermarket match-trigger) - a spare set of these parts should see you through any class just fine. Also consider adding the "D-fender" extractor-spring buffer to your bolt.

Train hard, learn well, and have fun with that Armalite!
 
second hand reports are just not reliable. My AR180B seems to be reliable though. I have several thousand rounds of assorted MilSurp through it now, with no problems.
Click to expand...

Which is why I included a link to a place where you can find a primary source...
 
Take it to a class and see how it works. I'd recommend you bring plenty of spare parts or a complete spare rifle.
 
I just got an AR180-B with the Picatinny forearm. Makes it a bit heavier, but I can hang all sorts of useful stuff on it now, and I don't need heat shield handguards since the tactical guard is pretty much open to the air and stands off from the barrel enough for comfort. Even though the barrel is rather small compared to my AR, that means it cools off a little quicker. I haven't noticed any problems with heat so far.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the railed forearm. Was thinking about getting a set, but really the only thing I'd put on there is a light. An Eotech/Aimpoint on top and I'm done. I don't really need to stick anything else on there. Just not sure if a couple hundred bucks is worth it for the rails. I can probably find a light solution that'll work without the rail.

-Jenrick
 
A spare weapon is a good thing to take to any class. When you invest a lot of time and money in professional training, you don't want to miss out or have a less then meaningful training experience because of an equipment failure.

I use my duty carbine a Colt R6920 that has been totally reliable for about 12K rounds. However, I always take a spare to class. I've never had to use the spare, but if something were to happen to my primary, I'm not borrowing a weapon I'm unfamiliar with to complete the class.

I had a squibb load one time in a class. Federal XM193. If the bullet had gone far enough down the barrel that the next round would have chambered, I very likely would have blown the 6920 up. Then the spare carbine would have been used.

Jeff
 
Interesting reading on the 180B front hinge failure. I've put significantly more rounds through mine then that poster had his. Then again mine is also bone stock, might be why I've never had a problem.


-Jenrick
 
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