Isn’t this an m16, no? What’s the difference between this ar15 and the m16. They look identical
Posted by Vetementscoat@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 49 comments
HSR47@reddit
Simple: M16 is the military designation for a specific variant of the original AR15 design.
Vizekonig4765@reddit
Yep, even the first 1/3 of original M-16 production STILL had “AR-15” stamped into the metal
GotLuckyTwice@reddit
And was originally full or semi auto.
Current versions are limited auto, semi or short sequence. Two or three rounds.
I trained on the Full Auto, but never fired it full auto because I never got sent out of the US and it wasn't allowed if you weren't going out of the country.
Various-Welcome-6421@reddit
While they share the same design foundation and can share all accessories, the main difference is in Internal Parts (fire control group)
A15 is semi-automatic rifle (designed for civilian, commercial use)
M16 is a 3round Brust /Auto military rifle (only for military use).
While they share the same design foundation and compatible accessories, the primary difference between the two lies in their internal fire control groups.
Here is a clearer way to break that down:
Key Differences: AR-15 vs. M16
Technical Summary
walt-and-co@reddit
The AR-15 is, broadly speaking, a family of firearms within which the M16 fits. It is also generally the applied term for semiautomatic, civilian market firearms using the original operating principles. It is also the official designation for specific early models of what became the M16.
Words can have multiple definitions, and context matters. All of these usages of the term ‘AR-15’ are accurate, even though they’re different. ‘M16’ means both the specific rifle designated ‘M16’ and also the overarching family of full-length US military AR-15s. Both are accurate, even if different.
Any_Bandicoot6245@reddit
Also wrong. AR does not stand for assault rifle. Its a brand 'ArmaLite Rifle', so an M-16 is not an AR
walt-and-co@reddit
I never said that AR stood for Assault Rifle. It also doesn’t stand for Armalite Rifle, just Armalite - the designation was also used for the company’s shotguns (such as the AR-9).
Further, the M16 is an AR-15 derivative. When Colt bought out the design in order to produce the rifle for military contracts, they also bought the rights to the ‘AR-15’ name, and early M16s are marked ‘Colt’s AR-15’ on the receiver.
Moreover, Armalite developed the rifle not for the civilian market, but as a military offering. The very first AR-15s, the originals, were select-fire. Outside the US, as well, the rifle was initially marketed for export sale as ‘AR-15’, and countries such as Singapore adopted it under that name.
Tl;dr: all M16s are AR-15s, and not all select-fire AR-15s are M16s
Drifterella@reddit
Your kidding rite ? One is a private weapon the other is a military grade weapon for fucks sake !
pguy4life@reddit
Which one is fully semi auto?
Huckleberry_Square@reddit
ArmaLite AR-15 was made first with full auto. it and its ammo (.223) was on request of the military. that lead to the original M16. By the time the M16 was in service, the ArmaLite AR-15 stopped production and wasnt needed.
Colt bought out the platform and then made made a modification to the M16 to add to their semi-auto line for civilians, keeping the name AR-15.
to distinguish. the original AR-15 is called 'ArmaLite AR-15'. the AR-15 that lead to what we got today for civilians is the 'Colt AR-15'.
TheRealTwooni@reddit
The AR-15 and M16 are two rifles that share a common lineage but are designed for different purposes and users. Here's a side-by-side breakdown of their key differences:
Origin and Development
Now refers to a broad category of semi-automatic rifles resembling the original ArmaLite design, intended for the civilian market.
M16:
Operation
Fires one round per trigger pull.
M16:
Legal Status
Restrictions and regulations vary by country and within the US by state.
M16:
Physical Characteristics
Have a direct impingement gas system (though some AR-15 variants may use a piston system).
M16:
Accessories and Modifications
Owners can modify and accessorize their rifles for various applications, including sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense.
M16:
Use and Application
Valued for its modularity, accuracy, and lightweight design.
M16:
In summary, while the AR-15 and M16 share a common design heritage and many physical characteristics, they are differentiated by their operational capabilities, legal availability, and intended use. The AR-15 is a versatile, semi-automatic rifle popular among civilians, while the M16 is a military rifle with select-fire capability, used by armed forces around the globe.
Huckleberry_Square@reddit
not quite. the AR-15 was originally made on military request. it was originally a weapon for war. the .223 was made for the military as well to work around the AR-15 and based of the .222 Remington. when both adopted, their designations in service were the M16 and 5.56x45mm.
Additionally, the AR-15 was fully discontinued after the adoption of the M16. Though, by this time enough were made to fit the hands of secret service and law enforcement.
Shortly after the start of the XM16E1 project, Colt added a modified M16 to only run semi-auto to their semi-automatic-only rifle line, Colt continues to use the AR-15 name for these rifles.
Interesting-Air-223@reddit
The AR15 was designed at the request of the Army for a. .22 caliber version of the AR10. The civilian semi auto version came years later under Colt.
Mountain_Man_88@reddit
Excellent write up. I'd nitpick:
The A3 is full auto. You could also list the basic M16 as being full auto.
TheRealTwooni@reddit
Thank ChatGPT. I’ll let him know he fucked up a few details.
Operational_Opossum@reddit
You do realize that anyone can use ChatGPT? It’s not a magic orb. You don’t need to ask it for us.
TheRealTwooni@reddit
Than stop asking the internet easy to self-answer questions
freakinunoriginal@reddit
Please do not rely on ChatGPT to do writeups. It will include widely spread but incorrect statements, and AFAIK it doesn't include in-line citations the way Wikipedia is supposed to.
For example, the AR-15 was not "originally designed as a civilian rifle". It was explicitly designed for a US Army rifle trial, and failing to be adopted in the 50s is what prompted ArmaLite to sell the rights to Colt. It even spent a little over a year in US service as the AR-15, before formal adoption in 1963 as the M16.
It wasn't 1964 that Colt would begin commercial/"civilian" sales (although they had gotten the paperwork ready in 1963).
Ornery_Secretary_850@reddit
The AR15 can also be select fire. The first .mil purchases were marked AR15.
6ought6@reddit
Stoner designed the ar-10, Jim Sullivan and Bob freemont did the work of scaling the action down to 5.56, which isn't even a percentile scale down thats not how guns work and required a lot of reengineering of various components, armalite/Cadillac gage also always designed the rifles for military service/LEO use, the civilian sales thing was actually colts deal mostly with the SP0 and SP01 rifles. The internet paints a really dogshit picture of the development of the armalite rifles and even most of the books I've read have been muddy at best. Patten was a dummy and that one quote had ordinance corps get folks killed first with a bad rifle, then with bad ammo, then the marine corps ruined a perfectly good thing because they think that shooting car sized targets at 500 yards is a great plan
PersonalAd2333@reddit
The difference between the AR15 and AR10 is this: AR15 - AR10 ÷ 7.62-5.56 = AR-5/2.1
Few-Wonder-5273@reddit
M16/M4 are fully automatic and the AR-15 IS NOT.
eMGunslinger@reddit
I mean full auto AR's were built and marked AR-15 before they were M16's
commodorecbm@reddit
Wow now I know what it feels like to work behind the counter at a gun store. The amount of people in this thread that don’t know wtf they’re talking about either is cute. Y’all need to watch forgotten weapons one time or something lol
ExPatWharfRat@reddit
The OG AR15 was a machinegun.
Vast_Bullfrog2001@reddit
OG AR15?
the AR15 IS the OG gun...
the M16 series was based from the AR15
ExPatWharfRat@reddit
You always talk in circles like that?
The AR15 = The OG.
Vast_Bullfrog2001@reddit
what
you implied that there's an "OG AR15" and it was a "machine gun"
i'm just saying the AR15 is the original platform, you may be thinking of the M16 series
ExPatWharfRat@reddit
No, I didn't imply that at all. I stated exactly that because it is a well known fact. The first AR15 rifles produced in the 1950's absolutely WERE select fire machineguns. I'm kind of running out of ways to say the same thing that don't involve insults and crayon drawings here.
freakinunoriginal@reddit
The original AR-15 was select-fire. Tens of thousands of these would be used in the field prior to the formal adoption/designation of the M16. After the US created the M16 designation, Colt began to distinguish between AR-15 for commercial/semi-auto sales and M16 for military/LE sales.
Vast_Bullfrog2001@reddit
hm, i didn't know that
ScarecrowMagic410a@reddit
The answer is literally in the article you posted a screenshot from like wtf dude come on
ntvryfrndly@reddit
Except it is Wikipedia and it is wrong.
KillerSwiller@reddit
Correct, the AR-15 is not a select-fire weapon, it is a semi-auto weapon. the M16 is select fire.
guynamedgoliath@reddit
Original armalite ar15s were select fire, as they were developed for military use.
This argument basically boils down to markings on the rifles, especially since a converted Colt SP1 is literally the same rifle as an M16 except for the markings. It's so deep into the minutiae that it doesn't really matter.
StorkyMcGee@reddit
This is clearly the version they are referencing.
guynamedgoliath@reddit
It is the one in the picture...
The whole M16 vs. Ar15 thing drives me nuts, honestly.
If people want to argue that a trigger assembly with 3 fewer parts is a whole new rifle, they are idiots. Especially when even the military will restamp its own M4 Carbines with M4A1 and restamp burst to auto. Or how some MK12s and Mk18s were built on M16A1 receivers.
AR15 is the platform. Everything else is a specific military designation of a specific configuration.
bowtie_k@reddit
There were test guns sent to Vietnam before the adoption of the M16 that had ARMALITE AR-15 on the receiver and were fully automatic.
Operational_Opossum@reddit
AR-15’s can absolutely be select fire. The difference is that the M-16 is the military designation for the select fire AR-15 that they issue.
Dad_Dukes@reddit
Eugene stoner did not design the a r fifteen. He designed the a r ten and the gas system they both use. James l sullivan designed a r fifteen.
6ought6@reddit
Bob Fremont hates you
StorkyMcGee@reddit
This article is specifically referencing the AR-15 as first designed, before it was adopted as the M16. From 59-64 it WAS select fire, and there are still AR-15s that are select fire. But most ARs are not.
Saltydot46590@reddit
I can tell this dude gets his news by reading the headline
ReverendPalpatine@reddit
Why? Because he’s asking a firearm question he doesn’t know the answer to in r/firearms?
Sometimes people just like hearing what others online have to say.
Saltydot46590@reddit
Because if he read the first paragraph of the article, he would find the answer.
ReverendPalpatine@reddit
Like I said, sometimes people just like reading what others have to say online. He probably read that but wanted more insight from the Reddit r/firearms community.
Redditors are so negative and jumpy about everything.
Saltydot46590@reddit
He didn’t ask our opinion. He asked if that was an m16, instead of reading a few more sentences.
ReverendPalpatine@reddit
Okay man.
sparelion182@reddit
They're the same gun. M16 is the designation that the military gave to the AR-15 rifle when they adopted it. The different numbers and letters after M16 designate specific configurations
Here is an example of an early AR-15 with both AR-15 and M16 stamps adopted by the military: https://imgur.com/a/ceypzgO
Here is an example of an early AR-15 (serial number 1 produced when Armalite was still located in Hollywood. Not a prop, as many people assume) that is full auto: https://imgur.com/a/67Ppjlg