Always a good idea. (U.S. Army) In 1967, the M16A1 was introduced, and the newest iteration included a number of fixes intended to address the problems noted by U.S. troops in combat.

The US Army has been fortunate to have so many good weapons in the hands of its infantrymen, ... M16A1, M16A2, and M4 carbines during my service. All had their good and not-so-good points.

Manufacturer Colt and the U.S. Army continued to build on the M16A1, making it a more dangerous weapon. In 1969, the Army began issuing thirty-round magazines for the M16.

A U.S. Army advisor armed with a Colt ArmaLite AR-15, ... the M16A1 continued to serve as the U.S. military’s service rifle through the early 1980s during years that were often turbulent.

Looking Good On-Paper. The M16’s predecessor, the 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 calibre) M14, had become the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, except for the U.S. Air Force Air Police ...

The adoption of the M1 Garand rifle by the United States Army initiated a series of developments which brought the demise of the manually-operated, ... [Mil-L-46000A] for the 5.56 mm. M16A1 Rifle.) ...

While the U.S. military needed a new rifle with the faster 1:7 twist to fire the new NATO standard SS109 round, the other changes the design added versus the M16A1 were a point of contention ...

The U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, ... The original M16 and M16A1 were replaced in the 1980s by the improved M16A2, which was in turn replaced by the shorter M4 carbine and M16A4 rifle.

COB BASRA, Iraq - When Staff Sgt. Peter Winston first joined the army, he wore olive drab utility uniforms, drove a jeep, and carried the M16A1 rifle. His "global positioning system" was a map and ...