21 Facts About M16 rifle

In 1964, the M16 rifle entered US military service and the following year was deployed for jungle warfare operations during the Vietnam War.

M16 rifle has been widely adopted by other armed forces around the world.

The air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault M16 rifle was made of steel, aluminum alloy and composite plastics, truly cutting-edge for the time.

M16 rifle ordered the Army inspector general to investigate the testing methods used; the inspector general confirmed that the testers were biased towards the M14.

However, the rifle was initially delivered without adequate cleaning kits or instructions because advertising from Colt asserted that the M16's materials made the weapon require little maintenance, and was capable of self-cleaning.

Related searches

The new M16 rifle had a chrome-plated chamber and bore to eliminate corrosion and stuck cartridges, and other minor modifications.

In 1969, the M16A1 officially replaced the M14 rifle to become the U S military's standard service rifle.

Only 19 percent of M16 rifle users reported a stoppage, while 80 percent of those that experienced a stoppage said it had little impact on their ability to clear the stoppage and re-engage their target.

Half of the M16 rifle users experienced failures of their magazines to feed.

The M16 rifle's receivers are made of 7075 aluminum alloy, its barrel, bolt, and bolt carrier of steel, and its handguards, pistol grip, and buttstock of plastics.

M16 rifle uses a "straight-line" recoil design, where the recoil spring is located in the stock directly behind the action, and serves the dual function of operating spring and recoil buffer.

M16 rifle is considered to be very accurate for a service rifle.

M16 rifle's magazine was meant to be a lightweight, disposable item.

The M16 rifle originally used a 20-round magazine which was later replaced by a bent 30-round design.

The M16 rifle's magazine has become the unofficial NATO STANAG magazine and is currently used by many Western nations, in numerous weapon systems.

Currently, the M16 rifle is in use by 15 NATO countries and more than 80 countries worldwide.

M16 rifle was adopted by the British SAS, who used it during the Falklands War.

Development of the M16A2 rifle was originally requested by the United States Marine Corps in 1979 as a result of combat experience in Vietnam with the M16A1.

Diemaco C7 and C8 are updated variants of the M16 rifle developed and used by the Canadian Forces and are now manufactured by Colt Canada.

Currently, the M16 rifle is in use by 15 NATO countries and more than 80 countries worldwide.

The M16 replaced both the M14 rifle and M2 carbine as standard infantry rifle of the U S armed forces.