An American-designed 5.56x45mm assault rifle, developed in 1957 by Eugene Stoner at ArmaLite and based on his previous AR-10 design. The rifle had initial bad notoriety due to the original design's tendency to jam with dirt or in some weather conditions, but is also regarded effective thanks to its low weight and high accuracy.
It has been the standard weapon of the US military since 1964. Visually distinguishable by its triangular front sight and integrated carrying handle/rear sight, although newer variants (such as the shortened M4 carbine version) sport removable units.
This tag is for M16-type rifles used in military-related context. For the civilian-legal counterpart, see AR-15.
