M-16 Rifles

M-16 rifles are the family of rifles that are based on the AR-15 series of rifles. The M-16 rifles have been further promoted by Colt.

The M16 is a 5.56 mm caliber, air-cooled rifle which makes use of gas for its operations. Plastics, steel and aluminum are the base products that are used in the manufacture of M-16 series of rifles.

The History and Variants of M-16 Rifles

The United States Air Force first started using the M-16 rifles in 1964. The M-16A1 was the base version that was in vogue in the 1960s. However, M-16A2, an advanced variant of the initial version of M-16 came into place in 1980s. The amount of ammunition that was loaded in this series of rifles was standardized with the release of M-16A2.
The fully automatic successor of M-16A2 was M-16A3. M-16A3 was widely adopted by the US Navy in the 1980s. M-16A4 is the latest version of the M-16 series of rifles that is available in the military parlance as on date. This contains the flat top receiver and the pica tinny rail system incorporated into it and proves to be the advanced variant of M-16A2.

Working Principle of M-16 Rifles

M-16 Rifles works on the principle of direct impingement of gas. The high pressure of the combusting gases puts the moving parts of the rifle in action. Carrier is pushed out of the gas tube by the high pressure created within the gas tube. This in turn brings down the traditional parts namely a piston and cylinder.

This makes the rifle weigh less and give a better performance.

However the M-16 rifles suffer from the disadvantage of the debris settling in the rear side of the rifle. This in turn leads to improper functioning of the rifle within a very short time if proper cleaning procedures are not adhered to.

Current Popularity of M-16 Rifles

US and Canada together have produced approximately 8000000 number of M-16 rifles. 90% of the produced units are still in use today. This series of rifles have been used by the 15 NATO countries across the globe and 80 countries world wide.

Remarkable Features of M-16 Rifles

• Thick barrels used in later version of M-16 rifles reduce the heating rate and defends quick damage to the rifles

• Stress to user is reduced via the plastic/metal stock in the rear side of action.

• Handle to carry the rifle which is provided on top of the receiver is very useful for the person carrying the rife. For time limited instances, this handle proves to be very handy while the sling that comes with the rifle can be used for carrying the rifle in scenarios where response time doe not matter