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Store Hours
Mon-Fri: 10am-8pm
Sat-Sun: 9am*-7pm
*First hour of weekend range time (9am-10am) is reserved for
members only. Retail store is open to everyone during these hours.
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The Colt M16 is now considered the standard against which
all others are measured. The prototype for this rifle came from
the Armalite AR-10, which was chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and
designed by Eugene Stoner. The AR-10 went into production in
1955 and was a very advanced firearm using plastic and aluminum
wherever possible in order to reduce weight; but it proved to
be too light of a rifle for the powerful 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester)
bullet and production ceased in 1962.
The AR-15 was developed
and licensed by Colt Manufacturing and went into production in
1959. At first the AR-15/M-16 was fraught with numerous problems
in the difficult battlefield conditions in Vietnam but once those
difficulties were overcome it became a great success. The M-16
has no gas piston, the gases escape through a narrow tube and
strike directly on the bolt; an efficient system but one that
requires careful cleaning of the firearm.
Manufacturer: |
Colt Manufacturing |
Designation: |
M16 A2 |
Country: |
U.S.A. |
Production: |
1956 - Present |
Cartridge: |
5.56 x 45mm NATO |
Magazine Capacity: |
20, 30 & 100 round |
Length (gun): |
39.37" |
Length (barrel): |
20" |
Weight (gun): |
8.1 lbs |
Rifling: |
6 groove right hand |
Cyclic Rate: |
700 rpm |
M16 Model Differences |
A1 This was the original model adopted by the military with
a 20" barrel that had the same thickness underneath
the hand guards as it did in front of the sight assembly.
The rear sight had no elevation, only windage adjustments
could be made with a 0-200 yard aperture. The aperture
could then be flipped to provide for a 300 yards and out
setting. The front sight is round in shape with 5 notches
cut into the base for zeroing the elevation, it tapers
up from the thick base to a thinner top. |
A2
The barrel remains at 20" and is now known as a Government
Contour model. It has the same diameter barrel underneath
the hand guard as the -A1 but has a thicker diameter ahead
of the front sight assembly. This change keeps the rifle
relatively lightweight but still allows the attachment
of a M203 40mm grenade launcher. The -A2's barrel also
has a new 1 in 7 twist rate instead of the older 1 in 12.
This was done in order to accommodate the new NATO SS109
type (M855) ammunition which NATO consolidated to under
STANAG 4172 (NATO Standardization Agreement). The old military
M193 round will still shoot from the M16-A2. The rear sight now has a BDC (Bullet Drop Compensator,
also known as the Ballistic Cam) device which allows the
rifle to be zeroed with the front sight giving a battlefield
zero of 0-200 yards using the large aperture. Flipping
the aperture to peep sight then gives a 300 yard zero and
then the BDC's function takes over; it can be dialled to
4, 5, 6, 7 and 800 yards. By raising the rear sight assembly
it can compensate for trajectory at longer distances. The
front sight is square in shape with 4 notches cut into
the base for zeroing the elevation. It has no taper. |
A3 The barrel remains the same as the -A2 model but it now
has a flat top with a removable carry handle. The whole
carry handle assembly can be removed from the upper receiver
in order to expose and use a Picatinny / Weaver style rail
system for mounting optics as well as other accessories.
This allows the optics to be mounted closer to the bore
line and to maintain a good check weld. The rear sight
is also similar to the -A2 model but because of the space
needed for the new mounting system it can only be dialled
into 4, 5 and 600 yard bullet drops. The front sight is
unchanged from the previous model. |
M4 This is the newest of the military battle rifles. The
changes to the M16-A3 were significant enough to warrant
a change in the basic model number and thus this model
has been reclassified as the M4. The barrel has been shortened
to 14.5 inches but is similar to a government contour.
The thickness and length of this barrel give it the same
weight as with the original 16" lightweight Government
Carbine. The barrel underneath the hand guards is thinner
than in front of the front sight assembly, but it has a
step cut into the barrel ahead of the front sight assembly
in order to accommodate the M203 40mm grenade launcher
attachment. |
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