M16

The M16 (more formally Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 rifle fires the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge and can produce massive wounding and hydrostatic shock effects when the bullet impacts at high velocity and yaws in tissue leading to fragmentation and rapid transfer of energy. However, terminal effects can be unimpressive when the bullet fails to yaw or fragment in tissue.

The M16 entered United States Army service as the M16A1 and was deployed for jungle warfare in South Vietnam in 1963, becoming the standard US rifle of the Vietnam War by 1969 replacing the M14 rifle in that role. The US Army retained the M14 in CONUS, Europe, and South Korea until 1970. Since the Vietnam War, the M16 rifle family has been the primary infantry rifle of the US military. With its variants, it has been in use by 15 NATO countries, and is the most produced firearm in its caliber.

Battlefield Vietnam
In Battlefield Vietnam, the M16 is one of the standard issue assault rifles for the USMC and South Vietnam factions. It is issued to the Assault kit. It features many camouflages depending on what map you are playing on, but more often than not, it is shown in the standard black, poly-carbonate, style which appears to be rusted. It is recommended to fire in bursts as the weapon can become very inaccurate after prolonged fire. In close-quarters, it can be very effective due to its high power. It is limited by a small 20 round magazine and a relatively long reload.

The M16 with Scope is also available for certain USMC and South Vietnamese divisions. It is issued to the Scout kit. Like stated in its name, it is essentially an M16 with a X6 zoom scope, meant for long range engagements. It holds the same characteristics of the regular M16, only being limited to semi-automatic fire. It should be noted that it still has the same mediocre accuracy, so sniping is very difficult as bullets tend to go off a bit everywhere. It should also be noted that the M16 with Scope receives only 2 extra magazines rather than the 6 of the normal M16.

Battlefield 2
The United States Marine Corps in Battlefield 2 uses the M16A2 as its the primary weapon for the Assault and Medic kit. It has a 3-round burst, with each burst doing a moderate amount of damage. The M16 included in Assault kits comes with a grenade launcher and leaf sight, while the M16 used by the Medic has no attachments at all. Also, the Assault Kit M16 will have 6 extra magazines while the Medic Kit M16 will only have 4.

Battlefield: Bad Company
In Battlefield: Bad Company's singleplayer campaign, it can be taken from dead mercenaries in the final assault on Serdar's palace, in the mission Par for the Course.

In multiplayer, the M16 is an unlockable issued to the Assault kit. The M16 is fully automatic and has a 50 round magazine with 150 rounds in reserve. It has a low rate of fire compared to other assault rifles, but this is balanced by high damage and accuracy. It is arguably the best assault rifle in the game as it has very good accuracy and damage, and, with all weapon in Battlefield: Bad Company being void of recoil, it can allow consistent fire on a target even at long ranges. Even with its low rate of fire, it high damage can best most automatic weapons in the game. It also has the default M203, which has a faster reload than most grenade launchers.

M16A2
Only available in multiplayer, the M16A2 is the 7th and last assault rifle issued to the Assault kit requiring 47000 points to unlock. It has 30 round magazine size, a 3-round burst fire mode, an M203 and can also accept a Red Dot Sight or a X4 Rifle Scope, like all kit specific weapons in Bad Company 2. Although being limited to burst fire, its fire rate is quite high. It can mainly be used like the AN-94, especially to disrupt snipers at long ranges. However, due to its three-round burst, fire rate, and accuracy it can be very effective against other assault rifles and even SMGs at medium to close range as well. This weapon is easier to make fully automatic, or at least close to it, than the AN-94. The weapon is very common online among experienced players because of its high power, accuracy, and low recoil. It is usually seen with a X4 Rifle Scope. Because of this, it might be looked down upon because it is easy to kill with. The M16A2 is also commonly seen with Magnum Ammo, which effectively makes it like a sniper rifle (when used with the X4 Rifle Scope) that can be used at close range.

M16A2 SA
The M16A2 SA is also available to those who have purchased the SPECACT DLC. It is basically the M16A2 customized with Woodland, Desert or Artic camouflage depending on the environment the player is in. The M16A2 SA is obtainable on XBL (Xbox Live) for 160MS points, through Dr. Pepper as a promotion, or purchase through the PlayStation Store. A player using this weapon can, optionally, also be equipped with a special uniform. The M16A2 SA, along with the rest of the SPECACT DLC will eventually be released as downloadable content for the PC.

Trivia

 * In Battlefield Vietnam, Battlefield 2, Battlefield: Bad Company and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the weapon is reloaded by pulling the charging handle at the top of the receiver back. This is unusual, as the M16's bolt release is used to chamber a new round, lacking the need to pull the charging handle back. Still, pulling the charging handle is also another valid method of reloading, but one that takes more time.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, this rifle is incorrectly named as the "M16A2" as it has a removable carrying handle, which is only seen on the M16A3 and A4 variants. In most cases, to fit the Meprolight RDS and Trijicon ACOG 4X Scope one would use a more stable Picatinny rail that can be mounted on the carry handle although the ACOG was designed to be mounted directly to the carry handle via a one hole hand screw.
 * As mentioned above, this variant may very well be an M16A4 with an M16A2 variant handguard.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the ejection port and much of the gun's components are placed on the left side of the gun. The same goes for the M416 in both games. While models with ejection ports on the left of the gun do exist in the civilian market, the military uses the more common right ejection port.
 * In Battlefield Vietnam, the M16 has some rust due to the humid environment.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company, the M16 has a removable carrying handle, evident by the Picatinny rail under the sights. Along with its automatic fire mode, this makes it specifically the M16A3 variant.
 * In Battlefield Vietnam, the M16 is the M16A1 due to its automatic fire mode and the era of the game.
 * In Battlefield Vietnam, the M16 is issued to US and South Vietnamese forces even in maps depicting battles before 1969, when it was standard issue.
 * The M16 appears to have no firing cap, unlike the AN-94