What was wrong with the M16 rifle?
The Army had declined to chrome plate the chamber and the rifle suffered chamber corrosion problems as a result. The rifle stock had a tendency to crack. Barrel, bolt carrier group, and other steel parts rusted. Brass ammunition casings were too soft, leading to ripped rims during the extraction process.
Why was the M16 so unreliable?
The original M-16 fielded in Vietnam was unreliable because cost cutting measures were used which required stringent maintenance in the field that soldiers either weren’t doing or not doing sufficiently. The rifle is manufactured to very tight tolerances.
Is the M16 a burst rifle?
The M16A2, adopted by the U.S. military in the early 1980s, replaced fully automatic fire with a three-round-burst capability that was intended to increase accuracy and reduce ammunition consumption.
What did the military replace the M16 with?
M4 carbine
The US military has largely replaced the M16 in frontline combat units with a shorter and lighter version, the M4 carbine.
What was the first problem with the M16 rifle?
However, when first introduced, the M16 had some serious teething problems. They gave the new rifle a poor reputation and made it highly unpopular, until its kinks were finally worked out. A 1st Infantry Division sergeant with an M14, the M16’s predecessor, in Vietnam in 1965.
Why was the M16 used in Vietnam War?
The M16 often suffered because of a ‘failure to extract’, where the casing of a just-fired round was not successfully extracted from the chamber. Morale in Vietnam was already incredibly low and the jamming of rifles certainly didn’t help.
What kind of ammunition does the M16 rifle fire?
M16 is the U.S. military designation for a family of rifles derived from the ArmaLite AR-15 and further developed by Colt. It is an assault rifle which fires NATO standard 5.56 mm ammunition.
What did Colt do to the M16 rifle?
By 1967 Colt and the Army agreed to implement a number of modifications to the rifle to increase reliability. A heavier buffer would slow down the M16’s rate of fire, the plastic stock would be made more rugged by using thicker plastic, and the chamber and barrel would be chrome-plated to resist corrosion.