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The AR-180 Odyssey: A Tale of Military Ingenuity and Civilian Scarcity

Few weapons in the annals of firearms have experienced the rollercoaster journey like that of the AR-180. It was initially designed as a pivot to the civilian market and placed on the table as a very light rifle, versatile, and innovative. Weighing little more than 6 pounds with an 18-inch barrel and a 1-in-12-inch twist rate, it was ideally suited to the 55-grain .223 bullets that were standard at the time. It had a nearly true chambered 5.56 mm, thus equipping it to digest both 5.56 mm NATO and .223 Remington rounds far ahead of its time.

Despite advanced design and a reasonable price, the AR-180 faced huge challenges in competition. Much of this was simply due to the proprietary magazine system not being compatible with the more ubiquitous AR-15 magazines. This problem would later be rectified with improvements made after 2001, though the damage had been done to the rifle’s reputation.

When the “new” ArmaLite introduced the AR-180B in 2001, it was a high-impact update of the original design that included a polymer lower receiver and used AR-15 magazines, truly modernizing it from its forerunner. “Building a new AR-180 was just a natural progression for us,” says Mark Westrom, president of ArmaLite. This weapon was praised for its lightweight construction, well-balanced feel, and new features such as the very useful nondetachable compensator and match-trigger upgrade possibilities. With its competitive price for law enforcement at $660, it became more amenable to departments with limited budgets.

However, the AR-180B did not quite experience that type of journey. Technically superb, it received gun community kudos but failed to sell well. Production finally came to a close in 2007. It seemed to show that the AR-180 was to join that ever-growing list of forgotten firearms which only few enthusiasts appreciated—a small footnote in firearm history.

Its fortunes were to take another dramatic turn, however, when interest in the AR-180 revived in today’s market. It was to make waves once more in firearm circles as the WK180-C returned with a modern bloodline of the AR-180 type in 2019. The WK180-C was manufactured by Kodiak Defence but was commissioned by Wolverine Supplies from Canada. It kept all of the peculiarities of the original AR-180 but adopted AR-15 compatibility in barrels, muzzle brakes, and triggers, among others.

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