A 7.62 mm
The M16A1 assault rifle was introduced into Australian Army service in 1967 as a section weapon for use by scouts and section commanders. It was used during the Vietnam War by Australian and American forces.
During the Vietnam War, the SLR was the standard weapon issued to Australian infantrymen. Many Australian soldiers preferred the larger calibre weapon over the American M16 because they felt that the SLR was more reliable and that they could trust the NATO 7.62 round to kill an enemy soldier outright.
The M14 remained the primary infantry rifle in Vietnam until it was replaced by the M16 in 1967, though combat engineer units kept them for several years longer.
The M14 shoots 7.62x51 ammo and that is one of the primary points of contention when claiming the M16/AR15 is the better gun. The M14 delivers more punch and, according to its many fans, is better suited for urban fighting environments where obstacles such as steel doors, vehicles and sand bags are a serious concern.
After modifications, the new redesigned rifle was subsequently adopted as the M16 Rifle. (The M16) was much lighter compared to the M14 it replaced, ultimately allowing soldiers to carry more ammunition.
The harsh jungle climate corroded the rifle's chamber, exacerbated by the manufacturer's decision against chrome-plating the chamber. The ammunition that accompanied the rifles sent to Vietnam was incompatible with the M16 and was the principal cause of the failure to extract malfunctions.
Abstract. The standard U.S. military rifle (M-16) is substantially more destructive than its Russian counterpart (AK-47) when fired at short range into clay blocks, despite the fact that the AK-47 is of larger caliber and fires a much heavier bullet with a kinetic energy (muzzle) 25% greater when compared to the M-16.
The M16A2, adopted by the U.S. military in the early 1980s, replaced fully automatic fire with a three-round-burst capability that was intended to increase accuracy and reduce ammunition consumption.
In the summer and fall of 1967, all Viet Cong battalions were reequipped with arms of Soviet design such as the AK-47 assault rifle and the RPG-2 anti-tank weapon. Their weapons were principally of Chinese or Soviet manufacture.
Among the most effective and feared weapons of the communist North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong insurgency during the Vietnam War was the rocket-propelled grenade, commonly known as the RPG. These were simple weapons originally designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union.
Captured AK-47/AKM was widely used by US Special forces groups in Vietnam.
They found that the M16 with stick powder had 3.2 malfunctions and . 75 stoppages per 1,000 rounds. The same rifles, loaded with the army's ball powder, faced 18.5 malfunctions and 5.2 stoppages per 1,000 rounds—a failure rate almost six times as high.
In Vietnam the L1A1 was the standard personal weapon of the Australian soldier. With a full 20 round magazine it weighed 4.96Kg.
produced a number of the almost-identical Model 720 riot guns and training guns. Some of these shotguns saw combat use in most theaters of the war and, as was the case in World War I, they proved to be highly effective for close-range combat applications.
The legacy of the AK will forever be that it has killed more men than any other weapon. Even though it has been 70 years since the gun's creation, it is estimated that more than 250,000 people are still killed every year by AKs, and that number isn't necessarily decreasing.
The M16 had a higher rate of fire, 700-950 rpm compared to the 600 rpm of the AK-47, and most shooters — including those that have used the weapons in combat — have tended to agree that the M16 is the more accurate.
Most weapons from the M16 forward are lighter than that. The AK-47 is good at short range, but not longer ranges, as it is not accurate at longer ranges compared to other weapons. With an M16, a soldier could carry about twice as many rounds as a soldier armed with a AK with the same weight.
M16. The M16 would become the standard service rifle for U.S. troops during the 1960s, seeing widespread use in Vietnam and largely replacing the M14. The weapon was in many ways revolutionary, though not without problems.
SUMMARY. Vietnam War troops hated the M16 and dubbed it the “Mattel 16” because it felt more like a toy than a battle rifle. “We called it the Mattel 16 because it was made of plastic,” said Marine veteran Jim Wodecki in the video below.…
The M4, along with the M16A4, has mostly replaced the M16A2 in the Army and Marines. The U.S. Air Force, for example, has transitioned completely to the M4 for Security Forces squadrons, while other armed personnel retain the M16A2. The U.S. Navy uses M4A1s for Special Operations and vehicle crews.
The M14 is a magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic 7.62mm (. 30-caliber) rifle still used by the Navy SEALs. It deploys a 20-round magazine, and has an effective range well beyond 500 meters at a rate of 750 rounds per minute.
The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) is a 5.56mm select-fire assault rifle, based on the HK416 by Heckler & Koch. It is used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and is intended to be issued to all infantry riflemen as well as automatic riflemen.
In the early 1960's, U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam used the AR15 and it was given glowing reports. Although opposed by the Ordnance Corp, the Armalite AR-15 was adopted by the Secretary of Defense as the 5.56mm M16 rifle.