M16 is a popular assault rifle and global brand.

16
Lightweight and deadly accuracy allowed the M16 to become the widely used assault rifle in the world. The M16 rifle is used in 15 NATO member countries, including the United States of America, and in more than 80 countries around the world. C1963, when the rifle was commissioned, over eight million versions of the M16 were produced for it, making it the widely used assault rifle in the world. NATO believes that 90% M16 s is still actively used, including some rifles that were made in 1960's.



The M16 rifle enjoys immense popularity due to its qualities such as low weight, reliability, and fatal blow. M16 shoots 5.56x45 millimeter bullets that cause severe injuries. Australia, Canada, Israel, UK, Mexico - this is not a complete list of countries that use the M16 rifle or its variant.

The popularity of M16 in the world is so high that the combination “M16” has become a real brand. Under it lovers of shooters go online, under it even bed linen and accessories for military uniforms in Europe and the USA are produced - http://ellinashop.ru/tegi-postelnoe-bele/verossa, under it create computer games and applications.

The M16 rifle was designed for use in the Vietnamese conflict. It first began being used in South Vietnam in the 1963 year. By 1970, the M16 rifle became the standard infantry rifle of the US military. Until Vietnam main US infantry weapons was an M14 rifle. Versions of the M16 were used by all units of the US military, including the naval fleet.
The M16 rifle is made from several different materials, including steel, aluminum and plastic. The materials used to manufacture the M16 rifle make it one of the lightest conventional rifles. Early versions of weapons weighed only about 6 pounds. Newer versions may weigh 8,5 pounds due to barrel thickness and attachments such as a night vision device.

At the end of the 1970s, NATO member countries began to adopt the M16 rifle as their main infantry weapon. The US military has called for the standardization of weapons among its allies and proposed the original M16 rifle design for NATO member states without any changes. The M16 rifle was enthusiastically accepted by NATO allies and today is a widely used assault rifle in many countries.

There are four options for the M16 rifle - M16A1, M16A2, M16A3 and M16A4. The M16A4 is a standard American Marines rifle that has a modified handle and improved aiming frames compared to earlier versions of the weapon. In recent years, the US Department of Defense has studied several programs to replace the M16 with an updated assault rifle. However, none of these programs have progressed.
    Our news channels

    Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

    16 comments
    Information
    Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
    1. 0
      20 August 2013 11: 51
      now again there will be a furious argument, Pimpled, where are you?
    2. Larus
      0
      20 August 2013 12: 26
      The galaxy is saddened by the fact that such a super-duper vintoffka at NATOofcef, who accepted it with a bang))
    3. 0
      20 August 2013 14: 50
      Sounds like a cheap flyer. Sucked a thousand times + and - riflemen. Why in general this article? Even if one of the site visitors is not aware of what the M16 is (although I doubt it) this article is unlikely to open its eyes.
      1. postman
        0
        20 August 2013 15: 33
        I do not know, although not a lot of bullet.
        Here is an unanswered question:
        If M16 is like that (as the specialists say),
        Why is it used by many armies of the world?
        Variants of answers:
        1. Americans pay extra
        2. Americans force (sanctions, pressure from the State Department, av
        Aircraft carriers, etc.)
        3. They (who uses)
        4. Corruption in the armies of the world (connected with item 1)
        5. They are gays (geyyuropa), Mexicans, Arabs,
        South Americans and so on
        6. What else?
        1. -2
          20 August 2013 16: 24
          I completely agree with paragraphs 2 and 4, I won’t be surprised if they pay extra at the expense of taxpayers in the form of military assistance.
          1. postman
            +2
            20 August 2013 17: 25
            These were possible answers.
            About "pay extra" ...
            What is the purpose of this "investment"?
            It does not fit with the utmost commercialism.

            Yes, I have to admit that on planet Earth, only we (residents of the former USSR) are reasonable, honest, patriotic (well, etc. on the list), and the rest (Mexico, Canada, Australia, etc., etc.):
            Dumb subhuman, thoroughly corrupt ....
            Something like this (NSDAP program?)
            1. 0
              20 August 2013 18: 41
              How many weapons did the USSR "give away" to the allies and "possible allies"? they have the same thing, and then they put pressure on the allies in the same way
              1. postman
                -1
                21 August 2013 03: 37
                Quote: alex-cn
                they have the same thing


                Diemaco C7 / C8 - Canadian options M16A1 and M4, respectively.
                Daewoo K1 / Daewoo K2 - South Korean versions of the M16A1.
                CQ 5,56 and DIO S-5,56 are unlicensed versions of the M16A1, manufactured for export sales in China and Iran, respectively.
                CQ 5,56 Type A - A shortened version of the CQ 5,56 (copy M4).
                HK 416 - German version of the M4, retaining ergonomics and controls, but with a modified automatic mechanism (gas vent with gas piston), borrowed from the G36 rifle. Originally developed as a plug-in module for the M16 or M4. Adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps under the designation M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle as a light machine gun.
                Khaybar KH 2002 - Iranian version of M16, made on the basis of bullpup layout.
                Type 65 and Type 86/91 are Taiwanese versions of M16 and M4, respectively, characterized by a gas exhaust system (short piston stroke).
                --------
                Norway, Greece, Liechtenstein, Australia, France, Singapore, Great Britain, etc. about 100 (!)
                TO WHOM OF THEM did the USA "give" the M-16?
    4. 0
      20 August 2013 15: 24
      Hell ... The most popular rifle is a Kalashnikov assault rifle, and since no one was advertising it with the M-16 ... there was simply no need, he said everything for himself. If it is not difficult for the author, then let him announce the numbers of what and how much was released ...
      1. postman
        +2
        20 August 2013 15: 25
        AK is not a rifle
        1. +3
          20 August 2013 15: 58
          According to American terminology, AK is an assault rifle !!! They don’t have such a thing as a gun for the name of a small weapon ... assault Rifle
          1. postman
            0
            20 August 2013 17: 37
            Automatic carbine - M4
            Automatic rifle-M16
            Ak-automatic carbine
            (and so it is called in the USA)

            What is American, what is Russian is all one


            GOST 28653-90 “Small arms. Terms and Definitions"

            Note: Tommy Gun (machine gun) in 1975, oddly enough, was renamed a self-loading rifle
            After 1975, by order of the BATF, the 'Tommy-Ghana' were for some reason renamed into self-loading rifles, sold under the M1927 index, and the option without automatic fire was now intended for sale to everyone, and the usual version with automatic fire could now be bought only by those who received pre-collector's license.
            1. 0
              20 August 2013 17: 49
              That is, they do not use the word AUTOMATIC as a self-name? And they call an automatic carbine in some sources, an automatic rifle in others and an assault carbine (rifle) in the third ...
              1. +1
                20 August 2013 18: 45
                automatic - as a weapon and as a name - Fedorov’s invention, and lives only in Russia, the rest have assault rifles (automatic).
                1. postman
                  0
                  20 August 2013 19: 08
                  Quote: alex-cn
                  automatic - as a weapon and as a name - Fedorov’s invention


                  Manuel Mondragón Mexican General: Porfirio Diaz - Fusil Porfirio Diaz Sistema Mondragón Modelo 1908
                2. 0
                  21 August 2013 08: 57
                  So I'm the postman and trying to explain it.
                  1. 0
                    23 August 2013 16: 51
                    El Fusil Porfirio Díaz Sistema Mondragón Modelo 1908 es un fusil ..... semiautomático .... mexicano
                    semiautomatico - semi-automatic, self-loading, this is not Fedorov’s machine
              2. postman
                0
                20 August 2013 19: 02
                Quote: Sochi
                And they call an automatic carbine in some sources, an automatic rifle in others

                a rifle and a carbine are different things (conditionally of course), I brought a guest, everything is chewed there
                automatic, he is an automatic carbine
                и
                automatic rifle
                1. 0
                  21 August 2013 09: 05
                  You brought the Soviet guests ... And they are different from the world. Once again, please pay attention, the Americans do not call it an AUTOMATIC machine. Still, despite the fact that the machine is classified as an automatic rifle, and the M-16 automatic rifle (assault), they are compared, and only them. That suggests that they are considered weapons of the same class ... After all, they do not compare the M-16 and the Mosin rifle or SKS.
                  1. postman
                    0
                    22 August 2013 14: 39
                    Quote: Sochi
                    You brought the Soviet guests ... And they are different from the world

                    1. I did not deny this
                    2. By type of activity, I constantly encounter certification of foreign products in the country of destination.
                    BELIEVE that we (OTTS, SBKTS, SS) have a link to them, that they have a link to us / "GOSTs" (in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Ukraine, USA, Sri Lanka - I experienced it myself)
                    Quote: Sochi
                    Still, despite the fact that the machine is classified as an automatic carbine, and the M-16 automatic rifle (assault),

                    I also "had to say"
                    Compare them incorrectly, it is necessary to compare with the M-4
            2. +1
              20 August 2013 18: 47
              precisely because of the elimination of automatic fire
          2. postman
            0
            21 August 2013 03: 42
            Assault rifle - automatic carbine.
            literal translation of german sturmgewehr
            32. Rifle - rifled small arm, designed to hold and control when shooting with two hands from the shoulder.
            ...
            35. Carbine - lightweight rifle with a shortened barrel.
            36. Assault rifle - automatic carbine.
            37. Submachinegun - Assault rifle, designed to fire pistol cartridge.

            M16 official designation - Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16
    5. +1
      20 August 2013 16: 17
      actually, a hunting AR-15 was first brought to Vietnam because it was hard to lug with the M-14, by the way the AR was not under the NATO cartridge but 223Rem. she showed herself well, after which she was quickly brought to battle. hence a bunch of sores M16A1. Then they were cured of course, and the common NATO cartridge was standardized.
    6. +4
      20 August 2013 16: 51
      Corruption, cuts, PR-verbiage and complete bullshit. The rifle is good, the most important thing is accurate combat, in my opinion the accuracy of the weapon is one of the defining characteristics. Instead of blaming the M16, hiding the flaws of its AK, you need to increase the accuracy of the AK, albeit to raise the cost his. The life of a soldier is, firstly, more expensive, and secondly, in battle, the saved life of his soldier is a killed enemy. How can this be misunderstood!
      ps in each article about the unreliability of the M16, or the incredible reliability of the AK + the advantageousness of the "dispersion" (ugh!) raises the question: - WHERE IS AEK IN THE ARMY? , because no one takes AK12 seriously as a NEW weapon. (You can look at the karden page, where the AK with a canopy from zenit looks not that similar, but even much more advantageous than the "new" AK12. What conclusions can be drawn? everyone understood that the AK12 IS NOT an "innovative, new" automatic machine — this is the sucking out of budget money.
      http://k-a-r-d-e-n.livejournal.com/3851.html
      http://k-a-r-d-e-n.livejournal.com/3851.html
      ...etc....
      1. 0
        20 August 2013 18: 49
        and what do they have? also shake modifications m-16 and m-14
    7. 0
      21 August 2013 07: 13
      And the latest version of the m-16 go m-4 has a gas piston or not?
    8. 0
      21 August 2013 22: 26
      I did not hold the real M-16 in my hands, but it was inconvenient for me to hold its airsoft mass-size copy. With a standard grip and buttstock on the shoulder, it was very uncomfortable to aim from it: it was necessary to carefully tilt your head to the right. With the same grip, AK needed only to slightly forward the neck, without changing the tilt of the head - this is for me there is no inconvenience. In this regard, the question: what did I do wrong, and how to properly hold the M-16?
    9. 0
      21 August 2013 22: 49
      And the latest version of the m-16 go m-4 has a gas piston or not?


      M-4 in the original version - no. Information that Colt produces versions of the M-4, equipped with a gas piston, I have not met. Versions based on M-16 (more precisely, on AR-15 mechanisms), but with a piston, were produced by other manufacturers, for example, H&K HK-416 / HK-417, Magpul Masada ACWS (Bushmaster ACR), Armalite AR-18 / AR -180 / AR-180B.
    10. 0
      21 August 2013 23: 26
      Strange article. Direct victorious advertising with copper pipes - M16 is cooler than all peppers ... you must be more modest, comrades Americans, more modest.
      Well, well, does your Amer civilian population buy up the Kalashnikovs of all modifications and its civilian counterpart Saigu?
      Infa is on this subject.
      And, I realized ... probably it's about another America being spoken about, the one that is on Mars, and not about yours.

      Kalash with balanced automation like that of AEK and Abakan - these are the weapons I would try with pleasure. Here I am curious.
      M16 I do not criticize, why criticize her - the NATO members use it, well, let them use it if they are satisfied with the flag in their hands.

      And if not Kalash, then his Israeli brother is Galil.
      IMHO of course.
      1. +1
        22 August 2013 21: 20
        \\\ Well then, your Amer civilian population is buying up the Kalashnikovs of all modifications and its civilian counterpart Saigu? \\\

        They buy a lot of things there. The same XK-53 and its modifications are very popular. And the M-16 is also being bought up.
        The problem is that weapons are constantly being improved there, and on a competitive basis. And in our country, AK has long been considered the borderline on which arms thought has stopped, beyond which there is no sense (and even a sin) to meddle. The changes are scanty - then they will change the caliber, then they attach the grenade launcher.
        By the way, many experts claim that the XK-53 and G-3 are no less reliable. Largely due to the lack of a gas outlet. Is that more expensive to manufacture. For the same rollers of the bolt group, special steel is needed, which is not smelted in every Honduras. But the German version is a fairly reliable weapon. The designers of the HC did not aim to "arm the planet", they primarily armed their army. Therefore, they did not pursue cheapness. But the problem of reliability was solved completely, as well as the problem of shooting accuracy. And the mass character of the AK is largely due to its manufacturability and low cost, not only and not so much because of its combat qualities.
    11. Jack7691
      0
      5 September 2013 17: 00
      What kind of eccentric letter m wrote this article? He is still alive, did not suffocate from so many flattering phrases in honor of M16 ???
      1. 0
        18 January 2014 13: 52
        Especially pinned passage about reliability
    12. listik
      +1
      9 September 2013 18: 06
      I was expecting a scheme, I was expecting a comparison ... And this is almost an advertisement. HA!
    13. lucidlook
      0
      16 September 2013 17: 03
      Here is a video from the helmet-mounted camera - a sudden attack on a US patrol in Afghanistan.
      At around 4:30 (and not only), you can clearly see how the much-praised battle looks like. reliability M16 (or rather M4), even taking into account the use of the most American Americans (cartridges, care, etc.). We look.

    14. Fedya
      0
      29 September 2013 09: 11
      Let the warriors in Iraq be asked what they prefer! I am sure no one will call this samopal!
    15. 0
      10 June 2016 17: 56
      Haha, shoots 5,56x45 mm bullets !!! It does not use 5,56x45 mm cartridges, but it shoots with such bullets :))) google forever translator ...

    "Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned), Kirill Budanov (included to the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists)

    “Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev Lev; Ponomarev Ilya; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; Mikhail Kasyanov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"