The AR-15 vs. the M-16 vs. the M-4. This is a pretty cool topic. Believe it or not, some will argue about which came first. What do you think though? To some of you, you already know the answer, to others, I'm going to tell you the truth according to history. The AR-15 came first. The M-16, a variant of the AR-15, came second, and then the M4, a variant of the M-16, followed up in the mid-1990s. Many characteristics are the same among all three rifles, and for legal reasons, there are a few components that are different. But we can all agree that they were all born from the AR platform.

Sig Sauer M400 Elite Ti .223/5.56 Semi-Auto Rifle w/ Red Dot Sight

 

HISTORY OF THE AR-15, M-16, and the M4

Before the AR-15, M-16, and M4, there was the AR-10.

AR-15

A little backstory on the AR platform. A company named ArmaLite started it all. That is where the AR in AR-15 comes from, the AR does not stand for Assault Rifle, but is rather a designation from the original designer, ArmaLite. Based on the AR-10, the ArmaLite AR-15 was designed to be a lighter-weight rifle that fires small-caliber, lightweight, high-velocity cartridges. The lighter weight of this rifle and the smaller ammo allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition, and carry it for longer distances, before tiring. In 1959, ArmaLite was a struggling company with a great design. Colt bought the rights to the AR-15. Colt actually rebranded the AR-15 as the Colt 601. Because of contractual obligations, the rifle still carried the ArmaLite markings. Colt gave up on the Colt 601 rebranding and kept the AR-15 designation. So today we call the semiautomatic rifle available for civilian and law enforcement the Colt AR-15. The AR-15 is a select-fire, gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle.

IWI Zion-15 .223 5.56 Semi-Auto Rifle

M16

Colt redesigned and modified some aspects of the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in order to market them to military forces around the world. Like the AR-10, the original design of the AR-15 had the charging handle under the carrying handle. Colt moved the charging handle to the rear of the receiver. Eventually, the U.S Military adopted the redesigned rifle as the M16. The M16's went into production in 1964. With a folding stock, the M16 proved to be light and compact enough for improved carry and travel. Originally, the M16 only had a 20 round capacity magazine. The redesigned M16 has a 30 round magazine. M16 is not just one rifle model, it is actually a family of Military rifles. Originally deployed during the Vietnam War for jungle warfare, in 1969 the M14 was officially replaced by the M16A1 as the standard for the U.S. Military's service rifle. As a continued effort to improve weapons for Soldiers, the M16 was improved upon for the M16A1 model by adding bolt assist, replacing the 20 round magazine with a 30 round magazine, and included a chrome-plated bore. Both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army adopted the latest release, an M16A2 by 1986. Continuing to evolve with even more added features, the M16A2 offered a fire selector for three-round burst or full auto, depending on the model. By this time, even the 5.56x45 NATO ammunition used to feed the rifles had also improved. Other new and exciting features that the M16A2 offered were an up-to-date adjustable rear sight, pistol grip and buttstock, improved handguard, case deflector, and a heavier barrel. The fourth generation of the M16 series was adopted by the U.S. Military in 1997, it was known as the M16A4. The latest version of the M16 is equipped with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics and other devices, and has a removable carry handle.

FN-15 Military Collector M4 .223/5.56 Semi-Auto Rifle

In the U.S. Military's never-ending quest to improve Soldiers' weapons, the M4 was born. M4 is the Military's Model 4 carbine. Still a variant of the M16, the M4 is lighter and shorter. Chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, the M4 is a direct impingement, gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed carbine. With the 1994 introduction of the M4 carbines to Soldiers, they found that it was a great improvement for modern-day, close combat war tactics. The 5.56 round that the M4 fires is a more effective ammunition for stopping power, and has more penetrating power against modern-day body armor. By 2005, the M4 had replaced most of the Military's sub-machine guns, and with a 14.5" barrel and a folding stock, the M4s have also replaced a select number of Military pistols.

IN A NUTSHELL

So in a nutshell, the difference in the AR-15 style rifles and the M16 rifles are... well one will get you a long stay in prison if you own it as a civilian, and the other won't. Why? The M16 is made for Military use and meets Military-Spec, and while most of the differences between the two rifles are subtle, the most obvious difference by appearance only is the selector switch. The military M16s' selector switch allows a Soldier to choose 3 round bursts or full auto, again, depending on the model. The AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle and does not have the rapid firing capabilities of the M16 or M4. So then what are the differences between an M16 and M4? The M16 has a 20" barrel length and a fixed butt stock. The M4 has a 14.5" barrel and a telescopic stock. For the most part, the parts of an AR-15, M16, and even the shorter M4 are interchangeable. However, the firing mechanism of the M16 and M4 are not interchangeable with AR-15's purposefully. This was an intentional difference to meet ATF requirements, making it more difficult to convert AR-15s into civilian-owned full-auto rifles. There are other, minuscule differences between the three rifles, but in the big picture, I have stated the obvious ones. By the way, a civilian can actually own an M16. All that you have to do is pass all of the required steps to get a Class III Federal Firearms License, which is somewhat difficult, but doable. Then you have to be willing to part with some pocket change, last I heard, they were for $22,000 to $26,000. After that, you must find an M16 rifle registered under the National Firearms Act produced prior to May 19th of 1986. We could go on and on about the M16 and M4 battle-tested and proven rifles, and even delve into barrel length capabilities in velocity and range. This could be an open-ended conversation for many blogs to come. But I guarantee as you are reading this post, the military is working with manufacturer's on the next more efficient and deadly weapon for our Soldiers on future battlefields. There are even rumors that the Military is looking at getting rid of the AR-style platform that has faithfully served for almost 70 years. What will the firearms of Our Military look like in the future? One can only imagine, but we do know one thing for sure, the arms that win the approval for future Military use will be the best in the world. Shop All AR-15 Style Rifles
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