M16 rifle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids 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 Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War The Troubles Cambodian–Vietnamese War Communist Insurgency War Lebanese Civil War Salvadoran Civil War Falklands War 1982 Lebanon War Invasion of Grenada South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) Bougainville Civil War United States invasion of Panama Oka Crisis Persian Gulf War Yugoslav Wars Somali Civil War Operation Deny Flight Operation Joint Endeavor Nepalese Civil War 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War 2006 Lebanon War Mexican Drug War 2010 Rio de Janeiro Security Crisis Syrian civil war Gaza–Israel conflict 2013 Lahad Datu standoff 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine Iraq War (2014–present)
Production history
Designer	Eugene Stoner and L. James Sullivan
Designed	1956
Manufacturer	Colt's Manufacturing Company Daewoo Precision Industries FN Herstal H&R Firearms General Motors Hydramatic Division Elisco U.S. Ordnance
Produced	1959–present
No. built	about 8 million
Variants	See Variants
Specifications (M16)
Mass	7.18 lb (3.26 kg) (unloaded) 8.79 lb (3.99 kg) (loaded)
Length	39.5 in (1,003 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 firing range	550 m (601 yd) (point target) 800 m (875 yd) (area target)
Maximum firing range	3,600 m (3,937 yd)
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine: 0.211 lb (96 g) empty / 0.738 lb (335 g) full 30-round detachable box magazine: 0.257 lb (117 g) empty / 1.06 lb (480 g) full) Beta C-Mag 100-round double-lobed drum: 2.20 lb (1,000 g) empty / 4.81 lb (2,180 g) full)
Sights	Iron sights

The M16 is an assault rifle used by the United States since the Vietnam War in 1963, based on the AR-15. Since 1975, the M16 has been used by many different countries. First designed by Eugene Stoner in the United States of America, it is currently the standard infantry rifle used by the United States Military Forces. The rifle is being used by over 80 nations.

The M16 uses the 5.56mm NATO (.223) caliber cartridge, with a muzzle velocity (the speed of bullet leaving the rifle) of over 900 meters per second (over 3,000 feet per second), and has a maximum effective range of 550 meters, with a rate of fire (how fast the gun shoots) of approximately 800 rounds per minute. The M16A1 can shoot semi automatic and fully automatic fire. The M16A2 can shoot semi automatic and three-round-burst fire. The M4A1 Carbine retains full automatic and semi automatic fire. The M16 normally holds 30 cartridges in its magazine, but there are variants of the magazine that hold only 20 or 10 cartridges.

There is also an M16 variant for the Canadian Army called Diemaco C-7. The Diemaco C-7 rifles have maple leaves on the left side.

Images for kids

101st Airborne trooper cleans his XM16E1 during the Vietnam War in 1966
M16 direct impingement part of the gas system
Front cover – The M16A1 Rifle – Operation and Preventive Maintenance by Will Eisner, issued to American soldiers in the Vietnam War.
Fully adjustable rear sight, brass deflector and forward assist of the M16A2
NATO E-type Silhouette Target
Vietnam War-era 20-round magazine (left) and Current issue NATO STANAG 30-round magazine (right)
Improved tan colored M16 magazine follower
Loading an M203 40 mm grenade launcher attached to an M16 rifle with a practice round
M234 Riot Control Launcher
An early M16 rifle without forward-assist. Note: "duckbill" flash suppressor and triangular handguard
M16A1 rifle with 30-round magazine
M16A4 rifle with ACOG sight, railed hand guard and foregrip
A USAF Combat Control Team member with a GAU-5 carbine and oversized flash suppressor
An M4A1 carbine (foreground) and two M16A2s (background) being fired by U.S. Marines during a live fire exercise: though adopted in the 1990s and derived from the M16A2, the M4 carbine was part of a long line of short-barreled AR-15 used in the U.S. military
A Canadian soldier fires the current issue C7A2 rifle at the range with a C79A2 sight. This particular example is missing the standard TRIAD mount.
US Navy Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle
Afghan National Army soldiers with M16A2 rifles
Canadian soldiers patrol Kandahar Afghanistan armed with C7 (M16 type) rifles
Malaysian Army soldier with an M16A1 equipped with an M203 grenade launcher during a CARAT Malaysia 2008
Soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces in training with M16A1 rifles with the A2 style handguard
Philippine marines using M16A1 rifles with the A2 style handguard during a military exercise
South Korean soldiers toss bayonet mounted M16 rifles into the air at the celebration ceremony for the 65th Anniversary of the South Korean armed forces
Vietnamese Army (ARVN) Rangers armed with M16s defend Saigon during the Tet Offensive
United States Marine firing an M16A4 equipped with an ACOG
Indonesian Presidential Security Forces accompanying the Heritage Flag Hoisting Troops are seen holding M16A1 and SS1 rifles while walking.

M16 rifle facts for kids

Images for kids

See also