Difference bettween m4, m15 m16's?

[bens]

what are the differences?
please dont call me an idiot because u know it's true without sharing it to the world. i'm new so i could use da help.

[Lakonian]

M16 - burst, single, safe.
M15 - auto, single, safe.
M4 - " "

M4s are generally carbines, but are sometimes modified to suit marksman specs.

[cadpat_tact]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M16_rifle

Scroll down to "summary" and there is a comparison chart with specs for the M16 models and AR-15

[ancorp]

M15?

[Lakonian]

Barrel length doesn't really matter anymore. I've seen enough people with carbine length barrels on their A3s. The most distinguishing feature is the fire mode.

[Lakonian]

Originally Posted by ancorp

M15?

Armalite m15. M16 is colt's version.

[Drake]

Yeah you have to be weary of designations, too.

There's the Armalite M15 (5.56x45, looks like the M16), and a Springfield Armory M15 (which was a proposed automatic M14), and the Colt M16 which is a military designation (Colt uses its own designations -- Model 645 == M16A2, Model 927 == M4A1, etc)

So technically the airsoft M16A2 would be a Model 701 -- Export M16A2 with full auto trigger group instead of a 3 round burst limiter.

[ThunderCactus]

i thought it had to do with the fact CA didnt wanna pay to call it an M16?
same reason G&G has a UMG instead of a UMP

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

i thought it had to do with the fact CA didnt wanna pay to call it an M16?
same reason G&G has a UMG instead of a UMP

CA is licensed by Armalite

[LUTNIT]

Originally Posted by kos

Barrel length doesn't really matter anymore. I've seen enough people with carbine length barrels on their A3s. The most distinguishing feature is the fire mode.

But isn't the M16A1 auto, M16A2 and A3 burst, and M16A4 auto again? Not 100% sure except for the A1 and A2 but thats what I thought.

[Hunter Killer]

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

i thought it had to do with the fact CA didnt wanna pay to call it an M16?
same reason G&G has a UMG instead of a UMP

i thought so too

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by bens

what are the differences?
please dont call me an idiot because u know it's true without sharing it to the world. i'm new so i could use da help.

[Gryphon]

Let's start at the beginning with a bit of a history lesson.

Eugene Stoner, working for Armalite, first developed the AR-10 in .308 Winchester. It was bought by a few countries but was not a big success. After redesigning it for the US military's Small Caliber High Velocity (SCHV) program it became the AR-15 along with its .223 Remington cartridge. The AR stood strictly for Armalite as they had other weapons that were not rifles bearing the prefix, mainly the AR-17 shotgun.

M16 is the US military's designation for the AR-15 rifle. There have been several iterations of M16 which most of you know about so I won't bother reviewing them. The designation has since worked its way into a few manufacturer's model names (primarily Colt and FN) simply because they produce them FOR the military, and the US Army doesn't have an exclusive trademark on it.

M15 is what Armalite calls their version of the same rifle. Sans suffix such as A2, A3, etc. it is generic, but is exclusive to Armalite. Note that the modern company is NOT the same one from the 1950s that Eugene Stoner worked for, which essentially died after its parent company Fairchild Aircraft sold the manufacturing rights of the original AR-15 to Colt.

M4 is another US military designation for the Colt Model 727 "Abu Dhabi" carbine which was, as implied, designed initially for Abu Dhabi. Original M4 carbines had fixed carry handles, with the later M4A1 arriving with the familiar "Picatinny" flat top receiver. The term M4 has become almost universal, however incorrectly, in describing any 14.5" barrelled AR-15 rifle.

[Saint_blackhand]

Wow informative, I had been wondering this myself for sometime. Also I thought the "AR" came from the fact that they were used as Air Force Rifles.
Now I know better. Thanks again.

[Blackthorne]

People also think AR stood for "Assault Rifle"...