Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino delas Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite
COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Criminology Department
Course: FITT 8 Fundamentals of Marksmanship
Instructor: Marco Victor P. Mendoza
MODULE 6
INTRODUCTION TO M16 RIFLE
i. OVERVIEW
In the early 1950s, the United States Army was looking to replace its M1 Garand rifle,
which had served as the standard-issue rifle since World War II. The Army wanted a
lighter, more reliable, and more accurate rifle that could fire a higher rate of fire than
the M1 Garand.
ii. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Understand M16 rifle components and operation.
2. Demonstrate safety procedures.
3. Learn historical background and applications.
4. Apply Field stripping an M16 rifle
iii. DISCUSSION
Definition
I. Brief history of the M16 rifle
M16 rifle, assault rifle developed as the AR-15 by American engineer Eugene Stoner of
ArmaLite Inc. in the late 1950s. The rifle received high marks for its light weight, its accuracy,
and the volume of fire that it could provide.
The AR-15 was developed as a more portable alternative to the 7.62-mm (.308-calibre)
battlefield rifles of the day, but ArmaLite had limited success in marketing it to the U.S. military.
The AR-15 design was licensed to Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company (later Colt’s
Manufacturing LLC) in 1959, and upon its adoption by the U.S. Air Force in 1962, the AR-15
was designated the M16 by the Department of Defense. Modified versions of the AR-15
(designated the XM16E1) were used by American combat troops in the Vietnam War in the
mid-1960s.
Despite its advantages, it was prone to jamming because of a convergence of factors.
Improved training, wider distribution of cleaning kits, and a change in the composition of the
powder used in the rifle’s ammunition dramatically reduced the rate of malfunction. With some
minor adjustments based on recommendations from the field, the rifle, now designated the
M16A1, was adopted as the standard infantry weapon for the U.S. military in 1967,
superseding the M14 rifle. Colt subsequently marketed a semiautomatic version of the rifle to
civilians and law-enforcement personnel as the AR-15, and upon the expiration of various
patents in the 1970s, other companies followed suit. That resulted in the application of the
term AR-15 both to a specific type of semiautomatic rifle and to the broader family of selective
fire rifles based on the original ArmaLite platform.
US 5.56mm M16 Rifle
II. CHARACTERISTICS
US 5.56mm M16 Rifle
➢The basic rifle of the Philippine Army
➢Widely used in the Infantry Battalions
➢Introduced during the Vietnam War in the late 1960's
A. Functioning:
[Link] fed
[Link]-operated
[Link] weapon
[Link]-cooled
[Link] or Automatic fire
[Link]
Features:
1. The rifle is equipped with a flash suppressor which can also serve as an adapter for
grenade launching. (CAUTION: Use of this weapon for grenade launching is not currently
authorized).
2. Barrel is surrounded by two aluminum line fiberglass hand guards which also adapter for
grenade as the forearm of the rifle. The hand guards are notched to permit air to circulate
around the rifle barrel, and further serve to protect the gas tube.
3. A hard rubber recoil pass is attached at the butt of the stock to partially reduce the effect of
the recoil.
4. A forward assist assembly is located at the upper right rear of the upper receiver. This is
used to close the bolt when closing is not done by the force of action of spring alone. 5. A
dust cover is provided to prevent dust or dirt from getting into the rifle. This opens
automatically when the rifle is fired. (NOTE: The dust cover should be closed at all times
except during firing or maintenance).
III. PARTS OF THE M16 RIFLE (Insert Parts)
Bolt Carrier Assembly
Upper Receiver Group & Lower Receiver Group
IV. GENERAL DATA
A. Weight (Pounds) M16A1 M16A2/A3
Without Magazine and Sling 6.35 7.78
With Sling & loaded:
20 - Round Magazine 6.75 8.48
30 - Round Magazine 7.06 8.79
Bayonet Knife, M9 1.50 1.50
Scabbard 0.30 0.30
Sling, M1 0.40 0.40
B. Length (Inches)
Rifle with bayonet knife 44.25 44.88
Overall rifle length 30.00 39.63
C. Operational
Muzzle velocity (fps) 3,250 3,100
Cyclic rate of fire (rds per min) 700-800 700-900
Maximum Rate of Fire
a. Semi-automatic (rds/min) 45-90 45
b. Burst; rds/min) N/A 90
c. Automatic (rds/min) 150-200 150-200A3
Sustained Rate of Fire (rds/min) 12-15 12-15
Maximum range 2,653m 3,600m
Maximum Effective Range:
a. Point target 460m 550m
b. Area target N/A 800
III.
V. CYCLES OF OPERATION - M16 RIFLE
1. Feeding - placing the cartridge in the receiver.
2. Chambering - placing the cartridge in the chamber.
3. Cocking - returning the firing mechanism to cock position
4. Locking - sealing the cartridge in the chamber.
5. Firing - occurs when the firing pin strikes the primer of the cartridge.
6. Unlocking - unsealing the breach of the barrel.
7. Extracting - removing the empty cartridge from the chamber.
8. Ejecting - removing the empty cartridge from the weapon.
1. FEEDING
As the bolt carrier group moves rearward, it engages the buffer assembly and compresses the
action spring into the lower receiver extension. When the bolt carrier group clears the top of
the magazine, the expansion of the magazine spring forces the follower and a new round up
into the path of the forward movement of the bolt. The expansion of the action spring sends
the buffer assembly and bolt carrier group forward with enough force to strip a new round from
the magazine.
2. COCKING
The rearward movement of the bolt carrier over rides the hammer, forcing it down into the
receiver and compressing the hammer spring, cocking the hammer in the firing position. The
action of the rifle is much faster than human reaction; therefore, the firer cannot release the
trigger fast enough to prevent multiple firing. Cocking.
3. CHAMBERING
As the bolt carrier group continues to move forward, the face of the bolt thrusts the new round
into the chamber. At the same time, the extractor claw grips the rim of the cartridge, and the
ejector is compressed.
4. LOCKING
As the bolt carrier group moves forward, the bolt is kept in its most forward position by the bolt
cam pin riding in the guide channel in the upper receiver. Just before the bolt locking lugs
make contact with the barrel extension, the bolt cam pin emerges from the guide channel. The
pressure exerted by the contact of the bolt locking lugs and barrel extension causes the bolt
cam pin to move along the cam track (located in the bolt carrier) in a counterclockwise
direction, rotating the bolt locking lugs in line behind the barrel extension locking lugs. The rifle
is ready to fire.
5. FIRING
With a round in the chamber, the hammer cocked, and the selector on SEMI, the firer
squeezes the trigger. The trigger rotates on the trigger pin, depressing the nose of the trigger,
and disengaging the notch on the bottom of the hammer. The hammer spring drives the
hammer forward. The hammer strikes the head of the firing pin, driving the firing pin through
the bolt into the primer of the round. When the primer is struck by the firing pin, it ignites and
causes the powder in the cartridge to ignite. The gas generated by the rapid burning of the
powder forces the projectile from the cartridge and propels it through the barrel. After the
projectile has passed the gas port (located on the upper surface of the barrel under the front
sight, and before it leaves the barrel, some gas enters the gas port and moves into the gas
tube. The gas tube directs the gas into the bolt carrier. It passes through the key downward
into a space between the rear of the carrier's bolt cavity and the rear of the bolt itself. The gas
then expands. The bolt is locked into the barrel extension and unable to move forward, and the
carrier is thus forced to the rear by the expanding gas.
6. UNLOCKING
As the bolt carrier moves to the rear, the bolt cam pin follows the path of the cam track
(located in the bolt carrier). This action causes the cam pin and bolt assembly to rotate
simultaneously until the locking lugs of the bolt are no longer in line behind the locking lugs of
the barrel extension.
7. EXTRACTING
The bolt carrier group continues to move to the rear. The extractor (which is attached to the
bolt) grips the rim of the cartridge case, holds it firmly against the face of the bolt, and
withdraws the cartridge case from the chamber.
8. EJECTING
With the base of a cartridge case firmly against the face of the bolt, the ejector and ejector
spring are compressed into the bolt body. As the rearward movement of the bolt carrier group
allows the nose of the cartridge case to clear the front of the ejection port, the cartridge is
pushed out by the action of the ejector and spring.
VI. FIELD-STRIPPING THE RIFLE
Field-stripping is done without supervision and is adequate for normal maintenance. As the
weapon is disassembled, lay out the parts on a table or other clean surface in the order of
removal from left to right. This makes reassembly easier because you can assemble the parts
in the reverse order of disassembly. The steps infield-stripping are as follows:
1. Remove the sling, and place the rifle on a table or flat surface, muzzle to the left. 2. Turn
the weapon on its right side, keeping the muzzle to the left. Press the takedown pinto the
right (fig. 1) until the upper receiver swings free of the lower receiver (fig. 2).
Fig 1.-Pressing out receiver pivot pin. Fig 2.-Upper and lower receiver groups.
CAUTION
The takedown pin does not come out of the receiver.
3. Press out the receiver pivot pin (fig. 3-11). Separate the upper and lower receiver groups
(fig. 3-12), and place the lower receiver group on the table.
CAUTION
The receiver pivot pin does not come out of the receiver.
Fig 3.-Removing bolt carrier from receiver. Fig 4.-Removing the charging handle.
Figure 5.-Pressing out the firing pin retaining pin with the tip of a cartridge.
4. Pick up the upper receiver group, keeping the muzzle to the left. Grasp the charging handle;
press in on the latch and pull it to the rear to remove the bolt carrier from the receiver. Grasp
the bolt carrier and pull it from the receiver. When the bolt carrier is removed, the charging
handle frills free of its groove in the receiver. Place the receiver on the table.
5. Press out the firing pin retaining pin to disassemble the bolt carrier group. Elevate the front
of the bolt carrier, and allow the firing pinto drop from its well in the bolt. Rotate the bolt until
the cam pin is clear of the bolt carrier key. Remove the cam pin by rotating it 90 degrees (one
quarter turn) and
Fig 6.-Removing the firing pin. Fig 7.-Removing the cam pin. Fig 8.-Removing the bolt from
the bolt carrier.
lifting it out of the well in the bolt and bolt carrier. After the cam pin is removed, the bolt can be
easily removed from its recess in the bolt carrier.
Fig 9.-Removing the buffer assembly and action spring.
Remove the extractor by first pushing the extractor pin out with the firing pin. Then, while
maintaining pressure on the rear portion of the extractor with your index finger, withdraw the
firing pin from the extractor pinhole. Release the pressure from the extractor and remove. The
extractor should be disassembled only when necessary for cleaning. Disassembly of the
extractor should be supervised. Since the extractor pin is quite small, handle it with care to
prevent loss or damage.
NOTE: Do not remove the extractor spring from the extractor. If the spring falls out of its
recess, the battalion armorer should replace it.
6. Push in on the buffer assembly, using the index finger of the left hand. With the nose of a
cartridge or some similar object, push down on the buffer retainer (fig. 3-19, view A). To
remove the buffer assembly, press the hammer downward past the cocked position. After the
body of the buffer assembly has cleared the hammer, you can withdraw the action spring from
the lower receiver (fig. 3-19, view B).
NOTE: The action spring is under pressure; therefore, take care when you are removing it.
Step 6 should be performed only when absolutely necessary for care and cleaning.
B. Resources:
Text book
Guinayen, D. F. (2022). Essentials of Marksmanship and Combat Shooting, 1st edition
On-line Resources:
1. [Link]
2. [Link]
Video Resources
1. [Link]