Armalite AR-18 Country USA Type Assault Rifle Manufacturer Armalite Introduction 1963 Specifications Weight 3.17 kg (empty) Length 73.6 cm (stock folded)/ 94cm Barrel length 46.4cm Cartridge 5.56x45mm NATO Action Gas operated, rotating bolt Rate of fire 800 rounds/min Muzzle velocity 1000 m/s (3281 fps) Feed system 20, 30, or 40-round box magazine Sights Iron or removable 3x scope

The AR-18 is an assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition. The AR-18 was designed by Arthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester at ArmaLite in 1963 as an improved 5.56 mm caliber alternative to Armalite\'s previous AR-15 design, for which production rights had been sold to Colt. Interest in the design waned when the Colt AR-15 was selected for production by the US Army as the M16.

Unlike the AR-15/M16, the AR-18 did not see substantial improvement, and was not adopted in large numbers by any military service. In the end, the commercial failure of the AR-18 was not due to any significant flaws in its basic design, but in the lack of marketing efforts by ArmaLite. In 1968, dissatisfied with the way ArmaLite had marketed the AR-18, Arthur Miller left ArmaLite.