Context. HCN is a major constituent of the circumstellar envelopes of carbon-rich evolved stars, and rotational lines from within its vibrationally excited states probe parts of these regions closest to the stellar surface. A number of such lines are known to show maser action. Historically, in one of them, the 177 GHz $J=2rightarrow1$ line in the $l$-doubled bending mode has been found to show relatively strong maser action, with results only published for a single object, the archetypical high-mass loss asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star IRC+10216. Aims. To examine how common 177 GHz HCN maser emission is, we conducted an exploratory survey for this line toward a select sample of carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars that are observable from the southern hemisphere. Methods. We used the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment 12 meter submillimeter Telescope (APEX) equipped with a new receiver to simultaneously observe three $J=2rightarrow1$ HCN rotational transitions, the $(0,1^{{1}_{rm c}},0)$ and $(0,1^{{1}_{rm d}},0)$ $l$-doublet components, and the line from the (0,0,0) ground state. Results. The $(0,1^{{1}_{rm c}},0)$ maser line is detected toward 11 of 13 observed sources, which all show emission in the (0,0,0) transition. In most of the sources, the peak intensity of the $(0,1^{{1}_{rm c}},0)$ line rivals that of the (0,0,0) line; in two sources, it is even stronger. Except for the object with the highest mass-loss rate, IRC+10216, the $(0,1^{{1}_{rm c}},0)$ line covers a smaller velocity range than the (0,0,0) line. Conclusions. Maser emission in the 177 GHz $J=2rightarrow1$ $(0,1^{{1}_{rm c}},0)$ line of HCN appears to be common in carbon-rich AGB stars. (Abbreviated)
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