M16 rifle

E181737

The M16 rifle is a lightweight, 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated assault rifle that has been a standard-issue infantry weapon for the U.S. military and many allied forces since the Vietnam War era.

All labels observed (9)

Label Occurrences
M16 rifle canonical 7
M16 family 1
M16 or M4 service rifle 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf assault rifle
selective-fire rifle
service rifle
action gas-operated
adoptedBy United States military
adoptionDate 1964
barrelLength approximately 508 mm
basedOn ArmaLite AR-15
caliber 5.56 mm
cartridge 5.56×45mm NATO
countryOfOrigin United States
designer ArmaLite
Eugene Stoner
effectiveFiringRange approximately 550 m point target
approximately 800 m area target
feedSystem detachable box magazine
firingModes fully automatic
semi-automatic
three-round burst (on later variants)
gasSystem direct impingement
manufacturer Colt's Manufacturing Company
mass approximately 3.26 kg unloaded
material aluminum alloy receiver
synthetic furniture
mountingOptions optical sights via rail or mounts (on later variants)
muzzleVelocity approximately 948 m/s
notableFeature high-velocity small-caliber cartridge
lightweight design compared to earlier battle rifles
selective fire capability
notableVariant M16A1
linked to: M16 rifle

M16A2
linked to: M16 rifle

M16A3
linked to: M16 rifle

M16A4
linked to: M16 rifle
overallLength approximately 1000 mm
predecessor M14 rifle
rateOfFire approximately 700–900 rounds per minute
sightType iron sights
standardIssueFor U.S. infantry units (late Vietnam War onward)
standardMagazineCapacity 20-round magazine
30-round magazine
successor M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle
M4 carbine
usedBy NATO member states
United States Air Force
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
usedInConflict Gulf War
Iraq War
Vietnam War
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (15)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

STANAG magazine appliesToWeapon M16 rifle
M16 rifle notableVariant M16A1
linked to: M16 rifle
M16 rifle notableVariant M16A2
linked to: M16 rifle
M16 rifle notableVariant M16A3
linked to: M16 rifle
M16 rifle notableVariant M16A4
linked to: M16 rifle
M4 carbine basedOn M16 rifle
M4 carbine variantOf M16A2 rifle
linked to: M16 rifle
C8 carbine basedOn M16 rifle
C8 carbine platformFamily M16 family
linked to: M16 rifle
M14 rifle wasReplacedBy M16 rifle
Belize_Defence_Force standardRifle M16_rifle
linked to: M16 rifle
Marine Combat Training Course includesTrainingOn M16 or M4 service rifle
linked to: M16 rifle