Author Topic: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s  (Read 6898 times)

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1048
BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« on: February 02, 2019, 08:14:47 PM »
Brownells has an AR-180 type of upper re-engineered to work with AR-15 lowers. They're taking pre-orders now for $799.00. I've wanted an AR-180 for 40 years but couldn't afford one. I didn't want an AR-180B with a combination plastic lower and fixed buttstock. Whose stupid idea was that anyway? An AR-180 without a folding stock isn't an AR-180 at all. An AR-15/AR-180 hybrid is a better option IMO. Other barrel lengths including a SBR are coming and possibly other .223-length calibers too.

    Ultra-reliable AR-180 piston operating system
    Compatible with current mil-spec AR-15 lowers
    Machined 7075 T6 aluminum receiver & handguard - hardcoat anodized finish
    16" barrel with matte black Nitride finish
    .223 Wylde chamber
    Button rifled bore; 1-8" twist
    ½"-28 threaded muzzle
    Replica 3-prong AR-180 flash suppressor
    Molded polymer ejection port cover
    Total weight: 4.65 lbs

Click on LEARN next to DESCRIPTION for 4 videos.

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/receivers/upper-receivers/brn-180-ar-15-complete-upper-receiver-assembly-prod122861.aspx
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1048
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2019, 08:21:04 PM »
I forgot to mention the overall length of the rifle should be 26.5"-27" long with the stock folded. And it can fire with the stock folded.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tx5EjTd4hU
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1048
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2019, 11:17:23 PM »
When I get in a position where I can afford to buy more guns I think I'll buy a new lower and folding stock and get this upper. If I like it I'll probably sell my 16"-barreled AR. Unless they changed the stupid law here in Michigan I would have to register it as a pistol because it's under 30" when folded, just like my 10/22 that I have a pistol permit/registration/whatever for. If it wasn't capable of firing when it's folded I don't know if that law would still apply. It wouldn't do me any good to ask the local police about it. They didn't know that was the law until I told them what page to read in their copy of the state law book. And after they read it they still didn't think it applied to my 3 guns that I had to talk them into giving me pistol permits for. I wanted them to be legal in case a cop who actually knew what the law was wanted to check on them.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

les snyder

  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1011
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2019, 10:30:07 PM »
Jumbo... unless you are set on a piston system, LAW Tactical has released information on a new ARIC bolt and dual spring system that works with their folder and allows it to fire folded... is a few hundred bucks less than the 180

I used their LAW folding adapter to put together my vision of a PDW using pretty standard direct impingement parts... a PSA 7 1/2" upper and lower using a pistol buffer tube.... made a short but wide unit... I did not like the muzzle blast of the 7 1/2 and switched to a 10.5" front sight tower and carry handle basic unit using a KAK 8 1/2" buffer tube... placed in an old nylon range bag with the buffer sticking out (no blade or brace) even savvy shooters do not readily recognize what it is

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1048
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2019, 02:13:32 AM »
It looks like it would cost around $599 for just the ARIC carrier and stock adapter. That's only $200 less than this complete upper and I would still need to buy a barreled upper plus a bolt, cam pin, firing pin and retaining pin to have what I need to build on a new lower. And I do want a new lower. I don't want to use my Colt upper and lower with the 5/16" (8mm?) non-captive front take-down pin I bought for it. I'd rather sell the Colt for parts money.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Sponsor

  • Guest
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #5 on: Today at 07:43:04 AM »

les snyder

  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1011
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2019, 08:45:02 AM »
Jumbo... sorry, I misunderstood, I thought you already had a complete DI carbine... good luck... before the election I panicked and bought a couple of short barrel uppers for pistol builds.. my registered SBR is currently disguised as a 10.5 .22lr set up for Steel Challenge  :)

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1048
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2019, 07:00:38 PM »
Thanks Les, I need all the luck I can get. If I ever get this upper I could slap it on my Colt lower with the right adapter pin, which I don't think I have any longer, just to test it out. But I really want to build a whole new rifle with it when I can. I never liked using one of those adapter pins to use a standard upper on a Colt lower, or the other way around. Some day I'll have to decide whether I want to use a fixed stock like an A1 type, or an M4 type collapsible for a folder. Maybe by then there will be an AR-18 style.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

les snyder

  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1011
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2019, 07:54:15 PM »
after breaking at least 3 of the offset Colt pins, I traded for an Armalite Eagle lower for my 3 gun rifle.... I picked up a Colt M4 lower that has the regular .250 straight pins when Brownells had them for around $250

Big Frank

  • NRA Benefactor Member
  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9463
  • DRTV Ranger
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1048
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2019, 11:57:46 PM »
My Colt originally came with a 20" A2 barrel on it. I think this is the order in which I changed things. I put a heavier profile blackened stainless steel 16" barrel on it. Then I bought an Eagle Arms flat-top upper and put the 16" barrel on it. Next I put about a 13" long free float tube over the sawed off front sight. That's the upper I have that's 2 or 3 different colors and may have been made from 2 separate pieces. Then I bought the parts it took to have 2 complete uppers that I could use on the Colt lower.

Eventually I bought a DPMS Panther Arms lower with a collapsible stock. I had a new front sight base installed on the 16" barrel and put it on the Colt upper that's finally mated once more with its original lower, and put the DPMS collapsible stock on it. And I put the 20" barrel and flat-top upper on the DPMS lower with the Colt's A2 stock. I sawed off the front sight on that too because the free float tube is about 1/4" too long to fit behind it. I didn't want it between my scope and muzzle anyway.

You put your short barrel in, you take your short barrel out, you put your short barrel in, and you shake it all about. Now I have 2 complete rifles and the uppers have the same size pins as their lowers, and that's what it's all about. I don't need 2 16" barreled rifles, and if I put a scope on the BRN-180 I wouldn't need the other one either. I might be able to sell both for the money I need to build a new rifle, or buy one if Brownells sells complete BRN-180 rifles at some point. Coincidentally, one of the guys I worked with in the army was in charge of Brownells' military and law enforcement division the last I heard. I don't think he could get a friends and family discount for his old direct supervisor. Too bad. I'll just have to pay retail.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

les snyder

  • Top Forum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1011
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: BRN-180 AR-180 Style Upper For AR-15s
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2019, 08:39:25 AM »
sounds like we got the A2's about the same time and went through the similar modifications.... looking back, I probably should have kept the A2 marked upper as it had the old style rear sight, not the current drum sight, but was marked A2... probably some form of a transition piece....I stuck one of the 16" Colt take off carbine uppers on it that were singlets from the Clinton ban, and shot it in 4 North Carolina Tactical matches in the mid 90's... my first "big time" 3 gun matches... switched to the RRA mid for the Ft Benning series, and the 16" has been sitting on the shelf looking for a home ever since... like you I cut the front sight tower down or I would have put it on the M4 lower to have a complete Colt again...

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk