A Brief History of the M16 / AR-15®

AR is an abbreviation for “Armalite Rifle.”

1959

Colt acquires manufacturing and marketing rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 from designer Eugene Stoner and Armalite. Eventually the AR-15 was adopted as the select-fire M16.

Mid 60’s

Colt gets a U.S. Department of Defense order of 85,000 M16s for Vietnam and 19,000 for the Air Force.

The M16A1 was updated with: - A new buffer to reduce the rate of fire
- Chrome-plated chamber and barrel
- Closed prong flash hider
- Forward assist
- New buttstock with cleaning kit
- 30-round magazine

Rifles were also produced by GM and Harrington & Richardson during the Vietnam War as well as outside the USA.

M16A2

The M16A2 introduced: - Increased barrel diameter
- Rifling changed from 1:12 to 1:7 to accommodate a new 62 gr. bullet
- Modified rear sight
- Case deflector
- New round handguard
- Full-auto replaced with three-round burst

M4

The M4 was adopted based on a demand for a shorter, lightweight weapon. It features: - A 14.5” barrel
- Four-position telescoping stock
- Collapsed length under 30 inches
- Available in 3-shot burst or full-auto
- Equipped with a Picatinny-Weaver Rail System to replace the carry handle

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 was passed.

Modern Sporting Rifle

The National Shooting Sports Foundation created the term “Modern Sporting Rifle” to introduce the AR-15 platform to the hunting market.

The AR-15, AR-10, M16, M4, and MSR are still defending the FREE WORLD!