M16 rifle

thumb|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 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. 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 Why the AR-15 Is So Lethal w:James Fallows James Fallows November 7, 2017 September 2, 2018 The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/why-the-ar-15-is-so-lethal/545162/ M-16: A Bureaucratic Horror Story June 1981 September 2, 2018 w:James Fallows James Fallows The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1981/06/m-16-a-bureaucratic-horror-story/545153/ If Porn Could Be Banned, Why Not AR-15s? w:James Hamblin James Hamblin February 15, 2018 October 25, 2018 The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/02/on-banning-porn-vs-guns/553433/ External links Category:Weapons