American 180

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American-180 Specifications
Side view of the American-180.  The flat pan magazine is at top.
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Side view of the American-180. The flat pan magazine is at top.
Country of origin: United States manufactured in Austria
Operation: Selective fire
Action: blowback, open bolt
Cartridge: .22 LR or .22 Short Magnum rimfire
Rate of Fire: 1200 rounds per minute with .22 LR ammo
1500 rounds per minute with .22 Short ammo
Length: 900 mm (35 ½ in)
Height: unknown
Width: unknown
Weight (Empty): 2.6 kg
Weight (177 round
magazine):
4.5 kg
Barrel: 470 mm (18 ½ in) standard; 229 mm (9 in) short
Magazine capacity: 165, 177, 220 or 275 rounds
Magazine type: flat pan magazine

The American-180 is a submachinegun developed in the 1960s which fires .22 LR cartridges from a high capacity magazine. The high capacity concept began with the Casull Model 290, which was the first weapon to use this flat pan magazine. Only 80 Casull M290s were created, and the weapon was very expensive to produce. Then the idea of the flat pan, high capacity magazine was re-introduced in the American-180 submachinegun. Weapons were mostly sold to police departments and jails, particularly for riot control.

Contents

[edit] Operation

This submachinegun is a conventional blowback weapon. It uses an open bolt with a flat pan high capacity magazine. The cartridges are pushed down into a chamber using springs and coils, then the bullet is fired with a fixed firing pin, launching out of the barrel. The gun is typically only effective within a 100 meter range, so it is not suitable for long range shooting.

[edit] Advantages

  • very high firing rate
  • little recoil
  • lightweight
  • high magazine capacity
  • high effective range for a submachinegun
  • low probability of ricochets
  • no over-penetration

[edit] Disadvantages

  • low stopping power of individual 22 caliber bullets
  • length of time required for magazine changes
  • reliability problems

[edit] External links