M16 rifle

The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56mm, M16) is a family of assault rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine.

I've used both the AK-47 and M-16, and I far prefer the latter. On the Medal of Honor day, I was shot through the chest with an AK-47 round. Had it been the M-16 round, I can almost guarantee you that I'd have been killed instantly. ~ Franklin D. Miller

Quotes

• AK-47: A selective fire, Russian-designed and manufactured assault rifle used by the North Vietnamese. Fires a 7.62mm round at a muzzle velocity of 2,330 feet per second. Noted for its simple and rugged construction, it is much heavier than an M-16 (11.3 lbs vs. 8.42 lbs) and harder to control (harder kick because of the heavier round) when firing on full automatic. A somewhat crude but effective weapon.
  • Franklin D. Miller, Reflections of a Warrior (1991), Novato: Presidio Press, hardcover, Glossary, p. 203

• M-16: The standard personal firearm (rifle) of American troops. In my opinion, the M-16 is superior to the AK-47 as a killing instrument. Although the M-16 fires a smaller caliber round than the AK-47 (5.56mm vs. 7.62mm), its muzzle velocity is far greater (3,280 feet per second vs. 2,330 feet per second). The increased muzzle velocity creates a tumbling effect on the smaller round; the round will tumble and ricochet off bone once it penetrates flesh, causing enormous damage as it rips crazily through the body. I've seen an M-16 round create an entrance hole no bigger than a dime, yet leave a hole the size of a softball upon exit. I've seen it blow off limbs at the joints. I've used both the AK-47 and M-16, and I far prefer the latter. On the Medal of Honor day, I was shot through the chest with an AK-47 round. Had it been the M-16 round, I can almost guarantee you that I'd have been killed instantly.
  • Franklin D. Miller, Reflections of a Warrior (1991), Novato: Presidio Press, hardcover, Glossary, p. 204

• There is the advantage that a small or light bullet has over a heavy one when it comes to wound ballistics. … What it amounts to is the fact that bullets are stabilized to fly through the air, and not through water, or a body, which is approximately the same density as the water. And they are stable as long as they are in the air. When they hit something, they immediately go unstable. … If you are talking about .30-caliber, this might remain stable through a human body. … While a little bullet, being it has a low mass, it senses an instability situation faster and reacts much faster. … this is what makes a little bullet pay off so much in wound ballistics.
  • Eugene Stoner, Congressional testimony "House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Special sub-committee on the M-16 Rifle Program" (June 21, 1967) in Hearings, Reports and Prints of the House Committee on Armed Services, Issues 15–25, p. 4563, cited in Fallows, James (November 7, 2017). "Why the AR-15 Is So Lethal". The Atlantic. Retrieved on September 2, 2018.  Fallows, James (June 1981). "M-16: A Bureaucratic Horror Story". The Atlantic. Retrieved on September 2, 2018.  Hamblin, James (February 15, 2018). "If Porn Could Be Banned, Why Not AR-15s?". The Atlantic. Retrieved on October 25, 2018. 

External links

• Media related to M16 rifle on Wikimedia Commons