It definitely was a flattop and definitely said auto, I however did not inspect the internals but was very jealous nonetheless :o
Are the M16s making a comeback or is this just a blip on the radar? I thought that everybody was going to the M4 and M4A1.
I found an M16A3 buy the bus on Crossfire. COD4…
:laugh::p:cool:
Shut up. XD
I thought that everybody was going to the M4 and M4A1.
I thought everyone in the ARMY was doing that, so this req comes as a surprise to me. The USMC is still standing by their M16A4s (hopefully soon to be A5s) as a primary issue weapon.
What would an M16A5 configuration look like?
Note: The following is total hearsay.
I had a friend who was in the USAF Security Forces (Military Police of the Air Force). He guarded nuke sites, and whatever else he was told to guard. Apparently they were issued mostly M16A1s, but he said there were a few M16A3s floating around in the Security Forces.
No idea if it’s true or not, or if he was mistaken.
I wouldn’t be surprised. The AirForce has a history of non-standard configurations and one-offs as issued items. Definately not a stretch of the imagination to replace a 20" auto with an improved 20" auto.
PlatoCATM and Redhat both work for/with the AirForce, they might be able to confirm or deny.
When I first came in, we had the M16 (AR-15) with no forward assist and 1/12 barrels…the AF as I know never issued the M16A1 although I have seen some uppers throughout the years.
AF went from the M16 to the M16A2. The only M16A3s I’ve ever seen were in the hands of USN personnel.
Like I said, only hearsay. 
The M16 vs M16A1 was probably my mistake. He did specifically mention they were auto with 1:12 barrels. He didn’t say anything about the flash hider or forward assist.
But, F2S mentioned, the USAF isn’t exactly known for perfect conformity, and the Security Forces even more so, so no one can definitively say such an instance doesn’t exist. Just the same, no one can believe one person that says ‘well I saw this, so it was definitely real’. My friend may have been mistaken.
I’ve heard a lot of people refer to the M16 as an A1 over the years.
Indeed. A4s and A5s will be identical except for the collapsible stock.
Mostly everyone is going with the M4, but my unit for example is still sitting on hundreds of A2’s and A4’s. We’ll deploy with them unless we get attached to door kickers, in which case, we get M4’s
All the strategic guys get 20" models, but all the tactical guys will get M4’s with M11’s or M9’s. Mostly its about money and budget constraints
little hijack…what’s the M11? the SIG?
According to google/wikipedia, it’s the US designation for the P228…
What is surprising about it? The Army has been responsible for M16 procurement for all of the service branches since 1963.
Is it possible that the A3 flattops came from the factory as carry handle A3’s but the lowers found a A4 upper sitting on them after some passes to/from the armory?
What is surprising about it? The Army has been responsible for M16 procurement for all of the service branches since 1963.
Somehow that factoid, if true, has eluded me all these years.
I am not sure why, but I sure want to build one of these… Thanks for posting.