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.

Operation

Safety Precaution (no magazine fitted) Safety precautions should be performed when taking possession of the weapon from another user, or any time the state of the weapon is unknown or in doubt. Always assume for safety purposes that such a weapon has a round in the chamber, ready to fire. Point the weapon in a safe direction, pull the cocking handle to the rear (a round may be ejected) and hold it there, examine the chamber to ensure it is clear, allow the action to go forward under control, push the forward assist, fire the action, and close the ejection port cover.

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Safety Precaution (magazine fitted) Perform an "unload". If the above safety precaution is used with a charged magazine fitted a round will be chambered.

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Load Insert a charged magazine into the magazine housing. There is a slight audible click when the magazine is properly fitted. The secureness of the magazine can be tested by gently trying to remove the magazine.

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Ready Pull the charging handle all the way to the rear and release. Push the forward assist. If the weapon is not to be fired immediately then put the fire selector to "SAFE" and close the ejection port cover.

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Fire Marksmanship is a complex and subtle art and is beyond the scope of this article. However, in general the weapon is fired by putting the fire selector on either "SEMI" or "BURST" ("AUTO" on some models), resting the butt plate against the shoulder, aligning the eye of the firer, aperture of the rear sight, tip of the foresight, and target, and squeezing the trigger.

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Unload Attempt to put the fire selector on "SAFE" (the selector will only go on "SAFE" if the hammer is depressed, i.e.: the weapon is cocked). Remove the magazine by pressing the magazine release with the trigger hand while grasping the magazine with the other hand. Tilt the weapon to the right and cock the weapon (a round may be ejected). Pull the charging handle to the rear again and hold it. Tilt the weapon to the left and ensure the chamber is empty. Allow the action to go forward, push the forward assist, put the fire selector to "SEMI" and squeeze the trigger. Close the ejection port cover and recover the ejected round.

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