M16

Rifle, 5.56 mm, M16
From top to bottom: M16A1, M16A2, M4A1, M16A4
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1963–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War Invasion of Grenada Invasion of Panama Gulf War Somali Civil War Operation Deny Flight Operation Joint Endeavor War in Afghanistan Iraq War
Production history
Designer	Eugene Stoner and L. James Sullivan
Designed	1956
Manufacturer	Colt Defense  Daewoo Precision Industries  FN Herstal  H & R Firearms  General Motors HydramaticDivision  Elisco  U.S. Ordnance
Produced	1959–present
Number built	~8 million
Variants	See Variants
Specifications (M16A2)
Weight	7.18 lb (3.26 kg) (unloaded) 8.79 lb (4.0 kg) (loaded)
Length	39.5 in (1,000 mm)
Barrel length	20 in (508 mm)
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt (direct impingement)
Rate of fire	12–15 rounds/min sustained 45–60 rounds/min semi-automatic 700–950 rounds/min cyclic
Muzzle velocity	3,110 ft/s (948 m/s)
Effective range	550 meters (point target) 800 meters (area target)

The M16 (officially Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for semi-automatic, three-round burst and full-automatic fire.Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. The rifle entered United States Army service and was deployed for jungle warfare operations in South Vietnam in 1963, becoming the U.S. military's standard service rifle of the Vietnam War by 1969, replacing the M14 rifle in that role. The U.S. Army retained the M14 in CONUS, Europe, and South Korea until 1970. Since the Vietnam War, the M16 rifle family has been the primary service rifle of the U.S. armed forces.

The M16 has also been widely adopted by other militaries around the world. Total worldwide production of M16-style weapons since the design's inception has been approximately 8 million, making it the most-produced firearm of its caliber.In 2010, the M16 began to be phased out in the U.S. Army and is being replaced by the M4 carbine, which is itself a shortened derivative of the M16A2.