M16 (rifle)

M16 is the U.S. Military designation for a family of rifles derived from the Armalite AR-15. It is an assault rifle which fires NATO standard 5.56 mm ammunition. It has been the primary infantry rifle of the United States military since 1967, is in use by 15 NATO countries, and has been the most produced firearm in its caliber.

Related Topics:
Armalite - AR-15 - Assault rifle - NATO - 5.56 mm - Ammunition - Infantry - Rifle - United States military

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The M16 is a lightweight, 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, air cooled, gas operated, magazine fed rifle, with a rotating bolt, powered by direct gas action. It is constructed of steel, aluminium and composite plastics.

Related Topics:
Composite - Plastic

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Despite some early problems, the M16 has matured into a reasonably reliable weapon system. It is primarily manufactured by Colt and Fabrique Nationale, with variants produced by numerous countries around the world. The semiautomatic version, the AR-15 is a popular recreational firearm in the United States. The M16A2 can fire in two different modes, either semi-automatic with one round fired for every pull of the trigger, or burst mode with three rounds per pull. Mode of fire is determined by using a selector switch on the side of the weapon.

Related Topics:
Manufactured - Colt - Fabrique Nationale - AR-15

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The development was guided by the Army during the 1950s, which culminated in a field trial in Vietnam in the early 1960s. This lead to its official adoption in 1964 by the USAF as the M16. Various modified versions of the M-16 design were subsequently fielded under experimental designations, culminating in the M-16A1. The M-16A1 was simply the M-16 with a forward assist as requested by the Army. This weapon remained the primary infantry rifle of the United States military from 1967 until the 1980s, when it was suplemented by the M-16A2. The M-16A2, in turn, is currently being suplemented by the M-16A3 and M-16A4, which incorporate the modular flattop reciever unit developed for the M4 Carbine; the two models differ only in that the A3 can fire in semiautomatic and automatic modes, wheras the A4 has semiautomatic and three-round burst firing modes. Previous versions of the weapon are still in stock and used primarilly by reserve and national guard units in the United States as well as by the US Air Force.

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