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 U.S. rifle of the Vietnam War by 1969 replacing the M14 rifle in that role. The U.S. 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 U.S. 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 M16A1 (simply M16 in-game) 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 w/ 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 4x 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 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 singleplayer, the M16 can be taken from dead mercenaries in the final assault on Serdar's palace, in the mission Par for the Course.

In multiplayer, it is an unlockable issued to the Assault kit usable by any faction. Unlike Battlefield 2 the M16 is fully automatic and uses 50 round magazines. It has a low rate of fire compared to other assault rifles, but this is balanced by high damage and low recoil.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Only available in multiplayer, the M16A2 is issued to the Assault kit. It requires 47000 Points to unlock, and is the last unlock in the Assault kit. it has 30 round magazine size, a 3-round burst fire mode and can also accept attachments, like most 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. Some players can actually fire it fast enough so that it's practically automatic (or as least very close to). The weapon is very common online among experienced players because of its high power, accuracy, and low recoil. It is usually seen with an ACOG scope. Beacuse 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 a sniper (when used with the ACOG scope) that can be used at close range and has a Grenade Launcher

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 (Europe only). A player using this weapon can, optionally, also be equipped with a special uniform. The M16A2 SA will eventually be released as downloadable content for the PC.

Trivia

 * In Battlefield Vietnam, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company, the weapon is reloaded by pulling the charging handle back. This is unusual, as the M16's bolt release is used to chamber a new magazine 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 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.
 * In Battlefield: Bad Company and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the ejection port and much of the gun's components are placed on the wrong side of the gun. The same goes for the M416 in both games. Both weapons cannot be left handed versions because the forward assist is on the right side of the gun.
 * In Battlefield Vietnam, the M16A1 has some rust due to the humid environment.