Armalite of a different flavor...

I had posted in an AR180 thread on another forum, but not here. Also, it was just as Photobucket decided to change and charge $400 a year to do image hosting. Well, now I have Imgur, so we will give it a try.

Backstory, As I was leaving Mississippi in 2011 to return to CA, I had sold my Sterling AR180, because they are banned by name in CA, and are a felony. As I was leaving though, a friend offered me a mint condition Costa Mesa produced AR180 (with 2 factory 20s) for a really stupid low price I could not refuse. I bought it and dropped it at my buddy's place in Elko Nevada, on the way through to CA.

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Fast forward: I would shoot it on the rare occasions that I went to Nevada (about 3 times in 5 years). Anyway, about a year or so ago (maybe more) I decided to get a Nodak Spud AR180 lower, which is "off list" in California, and can be built into a featureless semi auto. Well, I never was able to put together the energy or money, until earlier this year. I had my buddy send me the upper, and I got the lower from Mike and Harlan in June. I rounded up parts from Big Rix and Stormwerks a set out to make an AR180 I could enjoy behind enemy lines: It is California Featureless with a fin grip and muzzle brake.

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And here is the retro beauty.....

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I had to modify the mag catch of the NDS, because I did not want to modify the mint Costa Mesa upper. The two steel 30s work in either the Costa Mesa lower or the NDS lower now.

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Originally Posted by imarangemaster

Photobucket decided to change and charge $400 a year

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That'll be the end of them, then.

I had a Costa Mesa way back in about '76. Yours looks great, wish I still had mine. Wonder where it is now?

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

That'll be the end of them, then.

I had a Costa Mesa way back in about '76. Yours looks great, wish I still had mine. Wonder where it is now?

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Yep, Now they want $59 a month! That's only $720 a year! They are out of their minds!

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------

Few people realize that the ArmaLite Ar18/180 was the first piston drive 5.56 weapons platform

The team of Stoner, Sullivan, Miller, and Dorchester developed the AR18 in 1963 as an alternative to the AR15 design. Initially, they produced only AR18 full auto rifles, but between 1969 and 1972, Costa Mesa produced only 4,018 AR-18s and AR-180s between 1969 and 1972. Howa produced 3,927 AR-180s between 1970 and 1974. Sterling manufactured 12,362 AR-180s between 1979 and 1985. In all, just 21,478 AR-180s were manufactured over 16 years between 1969 and 1985. (Armalite AR-180 Serial and Production Numbers - AR180S.COM)
My Costa Mesa is one of about 3500 AR180s made at ArmaLite inCosta Mesa.

I really do not know if these drums are rare or just not common to find nowdays. I found this drum with original box on the back shelf of a gunshop that just closed in the late 1980's.

This may be the first drum designed for both the AR18 and AR-15, I understand some worked well while others had problems. This drum in the photos was sent back for a modification. Attachment 87563Attachment 87564Attachment 87565

Back in the day (in the 1980s) I handled one of those. Very solid. I never tried one, but was always intrigued. Mitchell had some neat stuff (when he wasn't being jacked up by BATFE!) I wish I had one now! LOL. The only reason I get to keep all my 10+ capacity mags in Californication is I am retired LEO.

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Originally Posted by RCS

I understand some worked well while others had problems.

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That was the word of the day...

imarangemaster, you are building the rifle I want to build. I would prefer to start with one of the later, cheesy blued Sterling uppers though, instead of a FINE Costa Mesa or Howa! But whatever it takes to circumvent CA ridiculousness. Mine will feature a Stormwerkz folding hinge and one of the Lage polymer stock units.

I wished I had known that rifle was in Elko! I would have stopped in to check it out. Was there doing an install at the Western Folklife Center winter of something like 2011?? NO, wait, I think my trip there was before 2010? Been a while now. lol

Thanks!
I love surprises! I was digging in some boxes of old gun junk and tactical stuff in long term storage in the garage, and found my two well worn, beat up, 40 round AR180/AR15 factory mags from when I had my first Sterling AR180 as an LEO trunk weapon in the 1980s. I had two factory 20s, two Sterling factory 30s, and the two aftermarket 40s. The 40s were "no-names", and did not work reliably. I stuffed them away with some old gear tactical gear from back in the day, figuring two 20s and two 30s were enough. I had totally forgot about them in the ensuing years, as I had pretty much written them off as junk back then.

I was a bit dismayed, as they had gotten some surface rust pitting on the outsides from being stored for 30 years. First thing I did (after cleaning the rust off nd oiling them up) was to replace the springs with Chrome Silcon replacement springs, and the followers with Magpul Gen IIs. The followers I took out were like early plastic 20 round followers. No wonder they wouldn't feed from a full mag. Anyway, since they also fit AR15s, I'll try them and see if they work any better now. I may just ship them off to my buddy in Nevada to put with the AR180 lower half, or I may just keep them here.

Here they are in my "Featureless" NDS18S build. They look cooler in the the Costa Mesa, though.

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Additional surprise! When I emptied the rest of the stuff out of the box that had the two AR180 40 rounders, I found my mint condition Armalite AR18 manual. I actually ordered this from ArmaLite in Costa Mesa from about 1983/4 when I had my original Sterling AR180. I also found a vintage copy of SWAT magazine "SWAT Showdown 83" magazine (the original) from 1983. It had a review of the AR180 in it that actually caused me to get the AR180.

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Wow, I was re-reading the magazine. I was interesting to read what was "tacticool" back 34 years ago, compared to today!. Chuck Taylor, Eric Strahl, and Mark A. Fricke were the professional fighting weapons and tactics gurus back in the day. They were the first source of definitive tactics on mag changes, load bearing, and immediate action drills in the post Vietnam area, into the 1980s and even the early 1990s.

The SWAT Showdown was a very thorough and systematic evaluation of the weapons and calibers covered in three categories: Battle Rifles (.308), Assault weapons (less than .308), and submachine guns. Included windshield and car penetration, group size full auto, and group size semi-auto. They also cover all the strengths and weakness of each weapon covered. Interestingly enough, the M1/M2 Carbine got VERY high marks!

interesting that the NoDak receiver has faux weld spots milled in them

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Originally Posted by lyman1903

faux weld spots

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Yes, I see. Strictly cosmetic, just for looks.