Osprey Publications 6714 The M16The M16 was first introduced in 1958 and was revolutionary for its time as it was made of lightweight materials including special aluminum and plastics. Its use spread throughout the following decades and a number of variants were also fielded. As a result it is now amongst the 3 most used combat weapons in the world. Over 10 million M16s and variants have been produced making it one of the most successful American handheld weapons in history, but despite its undeniable success the M16 is not without its detractors. The 'black rifle' is one of the most controversial ever introduced with a long history of design defects, ruggedness issues, cleaning difficulties and reliability problems leading to endless technical refinements. A full technical history of the M16 and the struggle to perfect it together with an assessment of its impact on the battlefield. Weapon 14; Rottman; 80 pages.
Click here for this book
| 
