Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Non AR military style rifle, which would you buy?

Nothing wrong with that dream.

I don't play with this one as much as I should. Armalite AR180B, that I bought new in 2003. It takes AR magazines, has an AR trigger group and a Polymer lower. I have added the dot sight, changed out the fixed factory muzzle flash hider, and replaced the hinge pin. It has given good service, and is every bit as accurate as a decent factory AR15.
I am going to upgrade the optics, changing out the factory scope mount for a Stormwerk Picatinny rail, and I'm thinking a Primary Arms 3X compact prism scope.

Got one Sam, but mine's the original made by Sterling.

Here's a photo I call The Boys From Dagenham...my two Sterlings.


I have always been a big fan of the AR-180. It is clearly the most influential rifle design of the past 50 years...most all the new generation assault rifles show considerable AR 18/180 influence. Many refer to the "AR-18 gas system" but aren't aware that Stoner poached his gas system but Stoner poached it from the Tokarev SVT 36/40...hey, if it works why re-invent the wheel?

Don't know if you're aware, but the Nodak Spud guy is a big 180 fan and has created a billet aluminum receiver for the 180B's, even milled in faux spot weld spots; very cool. Goes well with an Ace folding stock.

Hey if you're planning on getting rid of that scope mount, give me a buzz; I'd be very interested.

SERIOUSLY, those are off the charts cool!!!
And in some ways, the Italians really showed us up. They modify a Garand and came up with a better M14 than our M14 in many ways.

FN FNC. Sold mine to my nephew; he still has it.

Very well made, stout gun. Trigger was sorta hard: I improved it some.

DF

I had one in the '80's...thought it was a bit heavy for a 5.56, but yeah it was very well made. My only real complaint back then was the front sight...they put the tiniest, cutest little tooth pick up front...maybe good on a well lighted target range, but kinda sucked for most everything else. My recollection is that they didn't go with the FAL trigger mechanism (which is a copy of the M1 Carbine), but went with a copy of the AR's trigger, but that it wasn't interchangable with the AR. So doing a trigger job on the FNC isn't a great idea (doubling), and you can't get an aftermarket trigger. But FN showed what you can get when you mate a modified AK upper with an AR lower. My recollection was a little larger than 2.5 MOA with open sights being about the best I ever scored...never had a scope on mine; mounts in the '80's were unobtanium (for me at least). And I can't recall ever having a malfunction of any kind with mine.

The FN steel 30 round AR magazines were really great, best quality AR mag you could get back in the '80's. I had a couple of the FN 30 rounders, and a couple of Sterling AR-180 40 rounders (all were steel) that I used with my FNC and all worked perfectly in the FNC. The Sterling 40 rounders didn't always work in an AR-15, but my 180 and FNC loved them. It's a shame the AWB killed the FNC. Maybe some will come in as kits and be made into rifles now that the Belgians are using the SCAR.

Gungeek
I had not thought of getting rid of it, but I'm open to discussion down the road. I just found the original invoice from Armalite for it, dated back in 2003. $160 for the mount and Bushell dot sight at that time.

I'm in no hurry, just keep me in mind if you decide to unload it.

No problem Kevin, I know how to find you.

I had a scope mount, made another stock with higher comb for the scope, stock attaches with a draw bolt.

Pretty accurate, as I remember, but not as accurate as a well put together AR.

DF

Milled receiver ak next fall

Arsenal SAM7 might be your huckleberry. Check hickok45 tube. He loves his.

Lot's of "lore" about the milled AK's, most of it BS.

I've been a fan of AK's from the beginning. Had one of the Maadi AK's that were the first AK's to come into the country before we even had ammo...OMG was that expensive to shoot (and buy). The company I worked for in the '80's opened up China for the Chinese AK's, so I bought one of those...again, even before there was ammo. Over the years I've owned a LOT of AK's. The most common claims made of milled AK's, and what I've found:

1 - More accurete: Sorry, they're just not. The theory is that the receiver doesn't flex, and perhaps the receiver doesn't really flex. But I've never see that it really affects accuracy with that particular rifle. When they're built properly (and that's always the caveat here in the US), a stamped AK is just as accurate as a milled.

2 - Smoother: Yeah, they sure the hell are. The milled AK's are always smoother operating than the stamped AK's.

3- Last longer: Yeah, they pretty much last forever. I have personally seen stamped receivers that were cracked at the trunion...most often the front, but sometimes even the rear trunion. I watched a video where a gunsmith that worked at a range that rents full auto's told of his experiences of what worked and what didn't. He said there were 3 guns that would just take any round count you can imagine and just keep coming back for more. In fact, those three guns all had multiple barrel changes because they shoot them smooth bore, and they still work. They were: Colt M4, FN SCAR, and a Chinese milled AK.

All that said, the Arsenal SAM7 is the nicest milled AK I've ever shot.

Arsenal SA93 is about as good as you can get.

I just bought a 30-40 Krag.




Dave

Now that there is old school cool. Bolt or lever? I'm guessing you probably got the bolt. ??

Yeah it's all original. M1896.

It's not in my dick beaters yet or I'd post a pic.




Dave

Beretta model 59 half m1-gurand half m14 all awesome better than both .They are at the price they were 36 years ago $1300 very accurate awesome built !