The M16 is the standard issue assault rifle for the US military.

Manufactured by Colt, the M16 series fire the 5.56x45mm NATO round, which is accurate but lacks stopping power. It comes in safety, single, and 3-round burst trigger groups (except for the M16A3 which is automatic.) Auto fire was not used as it was deemed a waste of ammunition (and it usually is).

The original M16 was notoriously unreliable, due to low-quality ammunition, nagging issues with the ammunition feed, and the fact that the weapon was advertised as 'maintenence-free' (lol). The M16A1 introduced the foward assist, which was used to clear the front section of the gun in the event of a jam.

After Vietnam, new ammunition was developed, which required a modification to the rifling. This, along with other changes, created the M16A2.

Later, the M16A4 was adopted, featuring (among other things) full modding capability with Picatinny rails, which were already a feature on the M4A1.

Contary to popular belief, as long as you keep them clean the newer models of the M16 don't jam all that often. Also, unlike what someone else claimed, a good buttstroke with the '16 can ruin someone's day. It's quite a sturdy weapon.

The carbine version of the M16 is the M4 (burst)/M4A1(auto).

The U.S. Military's standard issue assault rife, fires 5.56x45mm ammo. Developed to replace the M-14 Rifle that fired larger heavyer 7.62x51mm round. The original M-16 was first issued in Vietnam in 1965 and was prone to jamming because of the gunpowder used in the bullets, the fact that no cleaning kits were issued at first, also the soldiers using them were told it was so "space age" that it didn't need to be cleaned. It was also the first assault rifle issued en-masse to use plastic/fiberglass parts.

Considered the largest leap in technological advancement of weaponry. The M-16 introduced the 5.56x45 which replace the large 7.62x51 used in the M14. The smaller round fired at a velocity of 3,100 feet per second and when entering the human body, it would fragment into 3 pieces creating an extremely large wound channel with a much lighter kick and more accuracy. M-16 was noted as an unreliable rifle during Vietnam. The reason for this is because of the ball powder that they used in the ammunition. It would swell up causing the casings to bend and stove-pipe in the chamber. After introducing the new stick powder ammunition, reliability problems faded away slowly. The M16 evolved from a light select-fire (semi-auto/auto) to the M16A2 which included a steel barrel, more rifle twist for increased accuracy and velocity, and three-round burst instead of automatic which although sounds worse, troops prefer three-round burst over automatic any day. The most recent addition to the armory was the M16A3(Auto)/A4(Three-Round Burst) which includes a removable carrying handle with a rail system on top of the reciever to mount any optic that accepts standard rails. The M16A4 also includes the KAC M5 rail system which allows you to mount lasers, flash lights, vertical grips, etc., allowing the M16 to be more of a modular weapon for each soldier.

The M-16 is a lightweight, magazine fed, gas operated, air cooled, shoulder fired weapon. It can fire 6 different variants of the 5.56mm round: M193 Ball, M855 Ball (green tip), M199 Dummy, M196 Tracer, M856 tracer, and the M200 Blank. It has 2 methods of fire: semi automatic and 3-round burst. It has a cyclic rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute, a max effective rate of fire of 45 rounds per minute on semi, and 90 rounds per minute on burst. The standard rate of fire is 12-15 rounds per minute. It has a max effective range of 550 meters on a point target and 800 meters on an area target. The max range of the weapon is 3534 meters. It can accept several different attachments, such as the M203 grenade launcher and an RCO (Range Combat Optic). While it does need to be cleaned regularly (more regularly in some areas of the world than others), it is a highly effective weapon of choice by many countries military.

The M-16 is a "gas operated, air cooled, light weight, hand held, shoulder fired rifle capable of firing a 5.56 mm ball, tracer, dummy, blank, or plastic trainer round. It is able to fire on semi-automatic (full auto depending on version), or three round burst mode. It has a muzzle velocity of 3100 fps capable of firing rounds up to 3600 m and is effective on point targets to 550 m and on area targets up to 800 m."

In short, it is the general issue weapon of choice for all branches of the United States military as well as many of the third world countries that we have so boldly entrenched ourselves into over the past 5 decades that we now call "allies". It is accurate only in the hands of someone who knows how to use it... as with ALL firearms. It is not necesarily heavy but is quite awkward and slowly becoming outdated. The M-4 should have become the general purpose weapon of choice 5 years ago.

Little known fact - the M-16 was not designed to inflict casualties, it was designed to inflict injuries... slightly scary how cruel that is if you think about it long enough... which i have.

M-16 is the military designation for a lightweight, magazine fed, gas operated, shoulder-fired weapon designed for kicking some serious ass. It was introduced by ArmaLite in the late 1950's as the AR-15.

Ok, I'll keep this simple for the people who dont like the technical bullshit.

The M-16 is the standard assault rifle of the U.S. military, and has been the standard for over 45 years. It is well known for its new design, accuracy, and reliability on the field. The M16 was made to be able to adapt to any given situation at the moment, and as a result it can accept a wide range of accessories and extra equipment.

Because of the facts above, the M-16 has been adopted by many other countries(UK,Iraq,Italy,etc.).

The US Military's current weapon. It is accurate, a bitch to keep working, and lack stopping power.

Iraqis worst enemy during war time.