Perhaps no other rifle is more iconic of firearms in general as much as an AR-15 and an M16. They have been popular in this country for a very long time and are quite famous with military protégés, police, and gun enthusiasts. The first design of the AR-15 and M16 rifles was by Eugene Stoner, at the end of the 1950s. Over the years, both developed to fill certain roles within the gun world.
Eugene Stoner developed the first AR-15 at the Armalite Corporation. It was supposed to be a scaled-down model of the earlier AR-10 rifle—thus the Armalite Rifle-15. The AR-15 featured lightweight construction, high-velocity ammunition, and innovative features that no other firearm had in its time. “The AR-15 quickly caught the attention of the U.S. military,” and it was adopted as the M16 during the Vietnam War.
The M16, the AR-15 with some modifications, was adopted in the U.S. armed forces and became one of the staple weapons used during the Vietnam War. Being lightweight with higher firepower and increased maneuverability, it fits perfectly as a weapon to be used in dense jungles like those of Vietnam. Several versions, including the M16A1, M16A2, M16A3, and M16A4, had been rolled out through continuous evolution, each version being an improvement over its predecessor.
The largest difference between the AR-15 and the M16 is in the barrels. The typical AR-15 has a 16-inch barrel, while the M16 is typically given a 20-inch barrel. What this does is make the former more maneuverable and easier to use in a close-quarters setting and the latter more able to increase velocity and accuracy at greater distances, which is important in military applications.
The AR-15 bolt carrier is designed for semi-auto use only, whereas the M16 bolt carrier can operate in both semi-auto and automatic modes. A second change that was made to the M16 was the addition of an auto sear to the receiver for enabling continuous fire from the weapon as long as the trigger is held down and rounds are being fed into it – the AR-15 lacks this part and is strictly semi-auto.
The difference between the two rifles is that while the AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle, it fires only a single shot for every trigger pull, whereas the M16 has an option for fully automatic fire—meaning that when the trigger is pulled and held, it will discharge the entire magazine. For the most part, the AR-15’s safety selector features two positions; these are safe and fire. The M16 has three positions on the safety selector: safe, semi-automatic, and automatic or burst fire.
The AR-15 and M16 are very versatile weapons, offering many aftermarket parts to customize the way someone may wish to increase the performance of their weapon by updating systems such as barrels, upper and lower receivers, and bolt carrier groups for accuracy, reliability, and just plain fun shooting a rifle. Together with optics and numerous Picatinny rail attachments as well, ergonomic grips give great flexibility to any user in modifying these rifles.
The AR-15 and M16 are two legendary rifles with a majority of their functions greatly differing in terms of features and applications. The civilian version, on the other hand, is widely appreciated by gun enthusiasts for its adaptability and capacity for fine-tuning. The M16 military rifle has formed the backbone of firepower for the U.S. armed forces since its introduction during the Vietnam War.
Knowing the major differences between these two rifles will give you an informed choice about your specific needs. Either rifle—with modularity and quick customization in mind, or with serving design priority—both the AR-15 and M16 have earned reputations as formidably functional firearms.