The AM180 adaptor is now availible
- Thread starter MrM4
- Start date
panaceabeachbum
Well-known member
just to set the record straight this adapter is not a new design , Atchison the fellow largley responsible for the ar22 kit its being used with is responsible for the original 180mag/ar15 adapter well over 30 years ago. A picture was shown of it and the one for the 10/22 a couple of years ago in SAR and I have played with the original .
Not knocking this latest version , very nice to see someone bringing it to market , but being sort of a 180 nut I want to point out this isnt a new idea.
Not knocking this latest version , very nice to see someone bringing it to market , but being sort of a 180 nut I want to point out this isnt a new idea.
booger hooker
Well-known member
I remember seeing basically the same adapter used on a Voere which has the cyclic rate of an American 180 with the factory capacity mag of only 15 rounds I believe.
H
hotbrass
Guest
Videos anyone?
H
hotbrass
Guest
D-boy said:
I was hoping for yours!
We went today and Stack forgot his camera.
220 round drum with 20 dummy rounds. Gave 2-1/2 winds plus 4 winds for 4 layers of ammo. Fired one round and then would not feed. Couldn't get the rounds to press solid against the feed lips.
Set the winder on break and took the adapter off. Shook out the 20 rounds. Put the tower back on the drum, took break off the winder, and filled the tower. Fired two rounds semi no jams. Then did a 177 round full auto mag dump, no jams. Everybody was watching through the range window and there where little kids there which was kinda of cool. Everybody was smiling and laughing including me.
The thing definitely works. I think it needs a little bit more than the recommended wind, probably because it works against gravity unlike the AM180. I'll be bringing more drums next weekend so I'll have a better feel for it.
220 round drum with 20 dummy rounds. Gave 2-1/2 winds plus 4 winds for 4 layers of ammo. Fired one round and then would not feed. Couldn't get the rounds to press solid against the feed lips.
Set the winder on break and took the adapter off. Shook out the 20 rounds. Put the tower back on the drum, took break off the winder, and filled the tower. Fired two rounds semi no jams. Then did a 177 round full auto mag dump, no jams. Everybody was watching through the range window and there where little kids there which was kinda of cool. Everybody was smiling and laughing including me.
The thing definitely works. I think it needs a little bit more than the recommended wind, probably because it works against gravity unlike the AM180. I'll be bringing more drums next weekend so I'll have a better feel for it.
I have a serious issue with mine.... I need a freaking Scott-Pak to do a mag dump! I was using a 5" Kuehl barrel with a silencer and never really noticed a problem with 30 round mags, but about 100-150 rounds into the first drum I was about to suffocate 
I did have several jams. The feed lips seem to be a little high for my lower, and they seem to hold onto the rim a little long. The jams were a couple of empty rounds ejected straight up into the charging handle, this usually happens when the brass hits the feed lip before the ejector.
I had to file down the feed lips on my Ceiner mags to stop the ejecting straight up problem, but I'm not sure I have the cojones to file on a $285 magazine. I need to find out how much a replacement feed tower will be if I screw it up.
I also had a few rounds jam nose-up where they just barely missed the chamber. Taking a few mils off the leading edge of the rear feed lips would probably help. The gun was getting filthy when the nose-up jams started, so maybe the bolt was slowing down exposing this problem. This doesn't happen with my steel mags though, the gun usually runs until the bolt is so slow that it will neither eject nor fully chamber a round.
I did have several jams. The feed lips seem to be a little high for my lower, and they seem to hold onto the rim a little long. The jams were a couple of empty rounds ejected straight up into the charging handle, this usually happens when the brass hits the feed lip before the ejector.
I had to file down the feed lips on my Ceiner mags to stop the ejecting straight up problem, but I'm not sure I have the cojones to file on a $285 magazine. I need to find out how much a replacement feed tower will be if I screw it up.
I also had a few rounds jam nose-up where they just barely missed the chamber. Taking a few mils off the leading edge of the rear feed lips would probably help. The gun was getting filthy when the nose-up jams started, so maybe the bolt was slowing down exposing this problem. This doesn't happen with my steel mags though, the gun usually runs until the bolt is so slow that it will neither eject nor fully chamber a round.
M60joe
FFL 07/02, UZI Talk Life Member,
I just finished a batch of (6) AM180 drum loaders if anyone is interested
$115.00 delivered for the loader and $10.00 for the lazy Susan bearing if you want it.
m60joe@m60joe.com
Loading video (cut and paste) http://users.zoominternet.net/~picplace/am180loader.mov
$115.00 delivered for the loader and $10.00 for the lazy Susan bearing if you want it.
m60joe@m60joe.com
Loading video (cut and paste) http://users.zoominternet.net/~picplace/am180loader.mov
D-boy said:
OK, updates. Please discuss with E&L and/or Bazooka Brothers before attempting any of this in case I got something wrong.
First, loading the drums. Any AM180 guys please chime in with hints as I am new to this. E&L told me to take a chainsaw file and lengthen the feed hole on the loading tray where the tip of the bullet goes. They also told me to take 320 sand paper to the sharp edge of the feed ramp on the bottom of the loading tray (I am not talking about the feed ramp in the drum!). With these mods, or maybe simply because of practice, I am no longer loading rounds one at a time. I use the loading tray as intended. I keep slight pressure on the ammo so it won't skip a slot in the drum and I place a finger on top of the lined up ammo as it feeds to prevent it from turning.
Next, I saw on hkpro instructions to remove the plastic flash on the pusher plate inside the drum:
http://www.hkpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87512&page=11
As you turn the empty drum you will notice the little circles of flash get caught on the the feed ramp. I sanded them down and now my drum turns freely. I think this was my main issue and not that my drum needed extra wind. I'm giving it an extra half turn anyway, although A&D recommends using LESS winds in the HKpro thread. The thread on HKpro quotes E&L saying this is not necessary. I haven't talked to E&L or Bazooka Brothers but I think it made a difference for me.
Now that I messed with the drum a little and also have my .22 upper running properly I have the following to report. I have done 3 further attempts at dumping a 275 round drum. I don't remember the first one but there was some sort of issue. The second dump I had one jam in the drum at the point of feed to the adapter. Not sure if it was due to the drum or the adapter. The third dump was today and I had one brief malfunction with the .22 upper about halfway through, no malfunctions with the drum/adapter.
Overall, I am satisfied so far. I have also heard the 275 drum may be more finicky so I am going to try the dump with the 220 drum next time.
BTW, in the HKpro thread, A&D stated that some of the adapters shipped prior to 4/11 may have had sub-spec plastic. You can request a replacement from Bazooka Brothers prior to the end of the 90 day warranty.
Last edited:
Vegas SMG
UZI Talk Life Member,
Good information D-boy. I've gotten better with the tray loader after some practice, but the mods you mentioned could make it much more user friendly. Thanks for posting that tip from E&L!
I received my adapter this past Wednesday and took it out on Sunday for it's maiden run. It was disappointing.
The Bazooka Brothers adapter kept popping off the protruding tab on the 180 drum that the adapter is designed to fit over and into. I'm referring to the plastic catch on the feed tower end of the adapter rather than the aluminum catch on the opposite side. If you look closely, you'll see a small cut out inside this plastic catch that allows the drum's small tab to fit inside this area. Careful observation confirmed it was fitting inside this area and no obstructions of any sort were noted.
After a short burst of 20-30 rounds, the drum would pop off this catch resulting in a feed related malfunction. I tried the adapter on two different 220 round drums and had the same failure of the drum to remain seated on the adapter. I thought perhaps I had too much winder tension on the drum causing the adapter to pop off from excessive pressure. I backed off the tension until the drum couldn't force the rounds up through the magwell. At this point, I gave the winder another half turn. Same results. A 20-30 round burst and then the adapter popped off the drum's tab.
FWIW, the feed tower lips never come into contact with the Ciener bolt, There is no rub at all as I've experienced with his original metal magazines.
A phone call to Bruce at Bazooka Brothers showed excellence in customer service. I was told that perhaps my adapter was assembled using a catch made for the metal 180 drums. Those catches have a slightly different tab catch height and that may be causing my problem. At any rate, Bruce told me they would either repair of replace the adapter upon return. I can't ask any more than that.
I did enjoy running a bunch of 30 round mags after my multiple attempts to get the drums functioning. What I found surprising was it was obvious that the adapter with the American 180 drums yielded a slower ROF. That's a good thing as I've PACT timed my personal Ciener setup at a robust 1293 RPM using the CCI MiniMag ammo from the same lot. Anyone else noted this difference? It's not a huge variation, but it's noticeable... at least a hundred rounds per minute slower and maybe more.
I feel the Bazooka Brothers adapter with my current setup has great promise once the catch problem is resolved. More to come.
_________________
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
I received my adapter this past Wednesday and took it out on Sunday for it's maiden run. It was disappointing.
The Bazooka Brothers adapter kept popping off the protruding tab on the 180 drum that the adapter is designed to fit over and into. I'm referring to the plastic catch on the feed tower end of the adapter rather than the aluminum catch on the opposite side. If you look closely, you'll see a small cut out inside this plastic catch that allows the drum's small tab to fit inside this area. Careful observation confirmed it was fitting inside this area and no obstructions of any sort were noted.
After a short burst of 20-30 rounds, the drum would pop off this catch resulting in a feed related malfunction. I tried the adapter on two different 220 round drums and had the same failure of the drum to remain seated on the adapter. I thought perhaps I had too much winder tension on the drum causing the adapter to pop off from excessive pressure. I backed off the tension until the drum couldn't force the rounds up through the magwell. At this point, I gave the winder another half turn. Same results. A 20-30 round burst and then the adapter popped off the drum's tab.
FWIW, the feed tower lips never come into contact with the Ciener bolt, There is no rub at all as I've experienced with his original metal magazines.
A phone call to Bruce at Bazooka Brothers showed excellence in customer service. I was told that perhaps my adapter was assembled using a catch made for the metal 180 drums. Those catches have a slightly different tab catch height and that may be causing my problem. At any rate, Bruce told me they would either repair of replace the adapter upon return. I can't ask any more than that.
I did enjoy running a bunch of 30 round mags after my multiple attempts to get the drums functioning. What I found surprising was it was obvious that the adapter with the American 180 drums yielded a slower ROF. That's a good thing as I've PACT timed my personal Ciener setup at a robust 1293 RPM using the CCI MiniMag ammo from the same lot. Anyone else noted this difference? It's not a huge variation, but it's noticeable... at least a hundred rounds per minute slower and maybe more.
I feel the Bazooka Brothers adapter with my current setup has great promise once the catch problem is resolved. More to come.
_________________
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
Vegas SMG
UZI Talk Life Member,
I seem to have a knack for finding the weak area of anything. If you want to find a point of failure or bug in a new product, I'm your man. :bow
Well that and bad luck follows me around like a dark cloud.
Seriously, the drum and adapter combo runs great for 30 or so rounds until what I feel is harmonic vibrations jarring the adapter loose from the drum's mounting tab.
Bruce was very kind over the phone and I have no doubts he'll make it right.
Thanks again for putting the deal together.
Have you noticed the adapter/drum runs a little slower than stick magazines?
_________________
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
Well that and bad luck follows me around like a dark cloud.
Seriously, the drum and adapter combo runs great for 30 or so rounds until what I feel is harmonic vibrations jarring the adapter loose from the drum's mounting tab.
Bruce was very kind over the phone and I have no doubts he'll make it right.
Thanks again for putting the deal together.
Have you noticed the adapter/drum runs a little slower than stick magazines?
_________________
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
TrippHammer
Well-known member
I tried mine out of the box at UT-6 and it ran pretty good.
To be fare my M16A1 had fired about 1000 rounds prior and was dirty as hell so I could only get about 60 rounds and then a light primer strike.
Once I cleared the bullet it would run another 40 or 60.
I noticed i could get better by shooting in 20-30 round burts than just laying on the trigger for 100 rounds.
I'm using a stock ceiner kit, w/ Lakewood spring kit (Hammer and mainspring) tuned to Remington Golden Bullets.
I'm waiting on a winder from Val and after I give my gun a good scrubbing, I'll give you guy's a video dump.
To be fare my M16A1 had fired about 1000 rounds prior and was dirty as hell so I could only get about 60 rounds and then a light primer strike.
Once I cleared the bullet it would run another 40 or 60.
I noticed i could get better by shooting in 20-30 round burts than just laying on the trigger for 100 rounds.
I'm using a stock ceiner kit, w/ Lakewood spring kit (Hammer and mainspring) tuned to Remington Golden Bullets.
I'm waiting on a winder from Val and after I give my gun a good scrubbing, I'll give you guy's a video dump.
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