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ScubaSigGuy wrote:I just hope that he registered it before the NFA went into effect. Have fun.

Daltex1 wrote:I was just wondering how many Vets were able to keep theirs?

Daltex1 wrote:Well guys I shot the M16 my friends dad brought back from NAM, and I was told by his son beforehand that it was full auto. Much to my disappointment it was not! The thing that really amazed me that it did not have the forward assist on it which made the gun look really slim! I thought that all army personnel where issued fully automatics? Am I mistaken on this? The rifle was a Colt M-16. He proudly said that it did the job(many times to the head of the enemy) and did not have any problems with it after they FINALY sent them some cleaning kits!!!!

By 1963 US Army was purchasing the M16 for use in South East Asia and by various elite forces. The Army also ordered 85,000 rifles in 1963. An additional 35,000 were ordered in 1964, 100,000 in 1965, and 100,000 in 1966. These rifles were initially issued primarily to combat troops in the Dominican Republic and to Special Forces, Airborne, helicopter crews, Air Commando and other special category troops in Vietnam.

The M-16 was type classified standard A in 1965 and became the military's basic service rifle. By 1966 it was in widespread use. The M16 was called the "black rifle" and "Mattel toy" thanks to its appearance. Troops liked the light weight, but complained about insufficient range and lethality. While the M16 had been marketed as virtually "maintenance free, poor maintenance instructions (or even no instructions) and jungle climate together with the fouling-prone direct gas system caused trouble. Its high rates of fire in the jungle environment had a larger impact on increasing American morale than on actually inflicting enemy casualties. The move to high-velocity 5.56 mm was also subsequently adopted by the Israelis, the Soviets, and NATO allies. DARPA's most significant contribution to this program was its willingness to "think outside of the box" and try something new.

Daltex1 wrote:I read on the lower it read "Colt M-16" Just did not understand.

ArmaLite sold its rights to the AR-10 and AR-15 to Colt in 1959. Colt marketed the AR-15 rifle to various military services around the world, including the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps. The AR-15 was eventually adopted by the United States military under the designation M16. However, Colt continued to use the AR-15 trademark for its semi-automatic variants (AR-15, AR-15A2) which were marketed to civilian and law-enforcement customers. The original AR-15 was a very lightweight weapon, weighing less than 6 pounds with empty magazine, though later heavy-barrel versions of the civilian AR-15 can weigh upwards of 8.5 lbs.

Daltex1 wrote:Dang it I should have taken a picture. This thing was very slender and the fore end was really plastic looking nothing like what we see today. It had no forward assist button and the black on the gun was almost silver from age. Thats what really stood out to me. I am not trying to start anything but I gave it a good look-over and was "searching" for the full-suto or 3 shot burst selector switch. I was almost "growing" that switch on that gun, kinda like a doe when your hunting for a buck! I have no reason not to believe this man that he brought it back from NAM. He had to him I high security clearance but did not go much further on that issue. He did happen to say that he got a few head shots with it. I know the gun is old but it was in great shape. I will get pics next time.Maybe I am mistaken but I looked that gun over like a hawk.Maybe I can find a pic on the internet of it but will get a photo of THE GUN soon.