The Two M16s

M16A1

The M16A1 is just military's improved version of the AR-15 rifle. It was first introduces as the XM16E1 but was soon renamed to M16. Just after it was created it was shipped off to the Vietnam war. It was known as the Black Death ever since. It came in two modes, single fire and auto fire. As great as it was there were major issues with the rifle that cause death of many troops in Vietnam. It was prone to jamming. There were three major reason for that. The first one was that the rifle lacked chrome-lined bore and chamber unlike it's predecessors. The chrome lining protected the rifle from rust, a problem frequently encountered in Vietnam due to the humidity. The rifle also came with the message that no cleaning was necessary, which was of course a false statement as proven in Vietnam war. Due to it coming without even a cleaning kit it began to jam in firefights and was impossible to use after that event occurred. Realizing the problem, the army issued cleaning kits and cleaning guides to the M16. The last and most important problem that made this rifle probably the least favored rifle of the time was the 5.56 mm projectile's instability under arctic conditions, and the fact that large quantities of 5.56 mm ammunition required for immediate service were not available at the time. This rifle became the symbol of the lost Vietnam war and was unloved by many.

Caliber, mm:. 5.56x45mm (.223 Remington), M193
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Length, mm overall:986 mm
Barrel Length, mm:508 mm
Sighting range,m: 460 meters
Machine gun weight, kg: 2.89 kg / 3.6 kg
Magazine capacity, rds: 30 round magazine
Rate of fire, rds/min: 650 - 750 rounds per minute

M16A2

Even though the M16A1 was quite flawed, the weapon was indeed a powerful one. In the 1970's, a new version of the M16 rifle was about to be developed. After seeing the potential of the M16, may NATO countries wanted a rifle just like the M16, but NATO standardized. The effort of a NATO standardized weapon also called for a standardized round. There were many different types of ammo from different countries but the final design was finally introduced by Belgium. It was a 5.56x45mm caliber round with a steel tip to increase the penetration of the rifle. After many tests, the SS109 round replaced the M193 round in the M16a1 thus increasing the rifle potential. After the creation of the round, modifications were made and the M16A2 was introduced in 1982. The rifle's auto fire feature was replaced with a much more accurate three round burst one in order to preserve ammunition.The rifle also featured a heavier barrel with
with faster 1:7 rifling, a different type rear sights (adjustable for both range and windage)and round hand guards instead of triangular ones. It became the US official military rifle and is still in use today.

Caliber, mm:. 5.56x45mm NATO / M855
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Length, mm overall:1006 mm
Barrel Length, mm:508 mm
Sighting range,m: 550 meters
Machine gun weight, kg: 3.77 kg / 4.47 kg
Magazine capacity, rds: 30 round magazine
Rate of fire, rds/min: 800 rounds per minute