Key Points - The M16 rifle's introduction during the Vietnam War was deeply controversial despite its "on-paper" advantages over the M14—lighter weight, higher ammunition capacity, and lower recoil.

To gun enthusiasts, it is an effective, lightweight weapon. To gun-control advocates, it's a symbol of mass shootings. Approximately 16 million adults in the US now own at least one AR-15, according ...

The Eternal Debate: Which Is Better, the M16 or the AK-47?: Rest assured, no matter which you think is better, the M16 and the AK-47 are both weapons that will get the job done on the battlefield. A ...

The M16’s predecessor in U.S. military service, the 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 caliber) M14, had become the standard-issue rifle back in 1959, except for the U.S. Air Force Air Police/Security Police ...

Here’s What You Need to Remember: The weapon which had garnered such glowing reports from American advisers and Vietnamese troops would fall victim to fatal, last-minute decisions and rumor that ...

This article, by Capt. William L. Smith, originally appeared in the January 1969 issue of THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN, predecessor to American Rifleman. To subscribe to today's monthly magazine, visit NRA’s ...