twoblink,
I bought one of the first 1000 AR-180Bs off the line for the retail price that they originally set. It was very reliable and accurate. It shot everything without a hitch, Wolf, handloads, etc. My friend bought a later production unit, and its chamber is very tight. It chokes on everything but US commercial .223rem. He's also experienced vertical stringing as the barrel heats up.
I've made a little collection of posts that Armalite has made about the 180B on their own forum and ar15.com. These are out of context, but you'll still get the point. It's surprising to see Armalite talking down their own product.
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Yes, we can make a gas system based on our AR-180 system, but we don't plan to.
ArmaLite is the ONLY company that makes both the 15 and 18. We can use either system with the 15. Some people prefer the 18 system because less crud gets into the system.
We choose not to make an 18 gas system for the 15 for 3 reasons:
1. There isn't enough customer demand.
2. The gas tube provides better accuracy. That sliding gas tube is the main reason the average 15 and 10 outshoot a FAL or M14 so severely.
3. The fouling that bugs so many people is technically almost immaterial. The problem is that most shooters (especially in the military, where bad habits are reinfoced) clean obsessively. To the point of damaging their rifles.
There's no real advantage to the system, and much disadvantage.
We know that some with firm opinions will criticize these positions, but unless there's substantial customer interest in such a rifle we don't plan to build one.
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We could, but we've looked at the Stoner gas system and consider it the superior system. The slip fit into the upper produces a more stable, accurate system than even our own 180 system so we don't figure on switching it.
A better question would be: Can we put a Stoner gas tube system on a 180?
We know that the carbon that comes into the upper of t 15 or 16 drives folks nuts, but it's very cosmetic. We're too hung up on getting every bit of schmutz out of the rifles.
Relax and shoot already.
As for the polymer lower, we know that many people prefer metal.
Let's ask a question: If ArmaLite made the 180 with a forged lower and made some other changes like chromed bores (raising the cost of the rifle by about $100) would you be interested?
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We don't plan to put liners in the 180 at the moment, but it's not
out of the question.
First, the polymer based rifle is intended as a general purpose
device, not a service rifle intended for hundreds of rounds.
Second, the handguard gets hot even with a liner and
Third, the material used in the handguard doesn't fail until the
barrel has hit a transformation temperature that basically destroys
it. It handles 500 degrees, so the liner doesn't protect the
handguard
We'll do a temp/time curve and see what it looks like with and
without a liner.
We might use another successful technique that's sturdier than the
liners: aluminized paint.
If temperature becomes a really bad issue the rifle can be fired
using the mag as a fore grip. Sounds stupid, but it's a technique
used by the Army Reserve's Combat Match team, which the boss used to
shoot on.
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I sold my 180B and have an AR-15 on order. I recommend you skip the KT and the 180B and get an AR.