I wish I didn't see this thread since it brings back the deep
regrets I've had, for years, of selling my, Costa Mesa, AR 180.
Back in the day my friend had a jig that we used
to convert many AR15 magazines to AR180's.
We also used to make a replacement pin that the folding stock pivots, swings on.
The replacement pin had a head (mounted up) with a hole in it that would accept a sling
clip. We used a ring, with hole up & to the left, on the barrel for the other mounting point.
For about 5 years, back in the late 70's early 80's, my main ccw was the AR180,
with the stock removed. With the sling set-up mentioned above I could sling it on my back,
under my heavy, or light for that matter, coat, and quickly swing it up into action,
which saved my bacon one night. The other guy had a snub nose revolver and he quickly
thought better of what he was doing when he seen the 180 appear out of "nowhere."
That was actually only one of two times that the 180 was in the right place, at the
right time, both times is was up against a snubbie revolver, although once was
when I was in my truck, where I had a rack for it mounted on "the floor hump."
The only trouble I had with mine was when firing rifle grenade parachute flares off of it.
I blew the gas-piston, which turned it into a "single shot" that night, and when contacting
Armalite found out that, based on the serial no., my original piston was an early one,
made in Japan, from a batch with known metallurgical issues that created a brittle condition.
They sent me a new one right away, no charge.
Ah, the memories of a rifle that I truly felt one with.......
