The M16A2 came into being as a stepped-up, improved version of the M16A1.Ī – quality range bag with numerous pockets for magazines, tools, cleaning equipment, etc.ī – rifle sling (see two-point vs single-point slings)Ĭ – field repair kit that fits inside the stockį – ammo ( Lake City 62 grain pictured – shop bulk ammo deals) In the early-1980s, the Army and Marines were looking away from Southeast Asia and toward Western Europe where they faced a possible new confrontation – Soviet riflemen wearing body armor. Now, if this is where your interests lie, check out the Brownells M16A1 for around $1,200.00. The M16A1 went on for continued use for another decade and a half before the Army and Marines took another look at the rifle. The mechanical improvements on the M16A1 significantly reduced weapon malfunctions.
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Improper maintenance equipment and the lack of instruction on how to properly care for it exaggerated the problems that were inherent to its design. The shortcomings of the M16 were not entirely the fault of the weapon’s design. These rifle improvements were soon deployed to soldiers in 1968, and by 1970, the new and improved M16A1 came into widespread.
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I pack as many grenades as I can plus bayonet and K bar (jungle knife) so I’ll have something to fight with. Out of 40 rounds I’ve fired, my rifle jammed about 10 times. Half of us don’t have cleaning rods to unjam them. One soldier’s letter home to his parents in Idaho contained the following: Soldiers began to lose confidence in their fancy new rifles. Reports began coming out of Vietnam in 1966 that the M16 was encountering problems. Yes the M16 was failing in Vietnam, but for reasons some may not know.
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By opinion poll, the experimentation troops favor the because of its demonstrated characteristics of lightness in weight, reliability, balance and grip, and freedom from recoil and climb on full automatic. With a total combat weight per man equivalent to that planned for riflemen armed with the M-14, a squad consisting of from 5-7 men armed with the would have better hit distribution and greater hit capability than the present eleven-man M-14 squad. In fact, a report from 1959 comparing the ArmaLite to the M14 lead to these findings:Ī. The rifle itself was much lighter, and the weight savings between rifle and ammunition meant that soldiers could carry almost three times as much ammo as with the M14. The smaller lighter 5.56 (.223) caliber meant the rifle could be better controlled in automatic fire. The M16 offered a number of advantages, primarily attributable to its lower weight. The M16 was shipped to soldiers in Vietnam to replace the standard issue M14. ArmaLite sold its rights to the rifle in 1959 to Colt Firearms. It fired the same caliber as the M14, a 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge.