The M16 was first introduced in 1958 and was revolutionary for its time as it was made of lightweight materials including special aluminium and plastics, which had previously not been used in mainstream weapons. It was first adopted by US Special Forces and airborne troops in 1962 before it was issued to Army and Marine units serving in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Its use spread throughout the following decades and a number of variants including submachine and carbine versions were also fielded. It was not only the rifle itself that proved revolutionary. The 5.56x45mm cartridge was also ground-breaking and was eventually adopted as the standard NATO cartridge. As a result it is now amongst the three most used combat cartridges in the world while over 10 million M16s and variants have been produced making it one of the most successful American handheld weapons in history . But despite its undeniable success the M16 is not without its detractors. Indeed, the "black rifle", as it is known, is one of the most controversial rifles ever introduced with a long history of design defects, ruggedness issues, cleaning difficulties and reliability problems leading to endless technical refinements. The story is not over either. The M16 is still in production to this day ensuring that its use in future conflicts as well as its impact on world affairs is assured. This volume, written by a Vietnam Special Forces veteran, provides a technical history of the M16 and the struggle to perfect it together with an assessment of its impact on the battlefield drawing on over a decade's combat experience with the rifle.
The M16 (Weapon)
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"Author Rottman does a superb job of covering the idea, development and manufacture of the M16, a gun that has easily seen over 8,000,000 units produced both here and overseas... It all makes for another fine book and if you are interested in weapons, then this book would make a fine addition to your library." - Scott Van Aken, Modelling Madness
About the Author
Gordon L Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969-70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a Special Operations Forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet 16!!
Dec 23 2011
By wpapac
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Once again Gordon Rottman and Osprey present a great book. This is the short version of all the M16 books out there including the Black Rifle. It has new pics, great short to the point history, faces the trials and tribulations of the M16 well and has a true user's opinion in Rottman. I have many books on the M16 but this is one of my favorites. Osprey is the place to start for a beginner on any military history subject. Definitly a winner!!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The first military rifle I learned to shoot
Jan 17 2012
By James D. Crabtree
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a great book on the M16-series of weapons, discussing not just the M16 itself but its immediate predecessor (the M14) and various offshoots. It also discusses the 40mm grenade launchers used in conjunction with the basic M16 rifle.
The book is filled with photos and original artwork, which makes it a handy reference. It also includes a discussion of early issues with the weapon, dispensing many foolish myths regarding the poor design of the M16. In fact, there were problems with the initial ammunition batch provided to troops in Vietnam but the "fact" that the M16 is a bad rifle has been perpetuated for decades.
He discusses many practical points of the M16 but he misses one, or at least doesn't belabor it. As teenage soldier I recall that the most frustrating feature of the M16A1 was the retaining ring for the handguards. I was not alone in this. When you totally disassembled the M16A1 it was easy enough to get those handguards off but God help you when you had to get them back on again. The first one would go on after applying some pressure but it seemed almost impossible to get the second one on with the first pushing down on the ring. There just didn't seem to be enough give. I watched soldiers clean their rifles and end up spending more time on the handguards than on the rest of the rifle. The handguards on the M16A2 were a pleasant surprise!
Still, this is a great book and I look forward to keeping it on my shelf.
The book is filled with photos and original artwork, which makes it a handy reference. It also includes a discussion of early issues with the weapon, dispensing many foolish myths regarding the poor design of the M16. In fact, there were problems with the initial ammunition batch provided to troops in Vietnam but the "fact" that the M16 is a bad rifle has been perpetuated for decades.
He discusses many practical points of the M16 but he misses one, or at least doesn't belabor it. As teenage soldier I recall that the most frustrating feature of the M16A1 was the retaining ring for the handguards. I was not alone in this. When you totally disassembled the M16A1 it was easy enough to get those handguards off but God help you when you had to get them back on again. The first one would go on after applying some pressure but it seemed almost impossible to get the second one on with the first pushing down on the ring. There just didn't seem to be enough give. I watched soldiers clean their rifles and end up spending more time on the handguards than on the rest of the rifle. The handguards on the M16A2 were a pleasant surprise!
Still, this is a great book and I look forward to keeping it on my shelf.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Review Of the M-16
Mar 15 2012
By Thomas Spruck
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
As a soldier I did learn all about the M-16 or I would have died in Viet Nam. My M-16 saved my life and my CAR-15 also did save my life with my LRRP Team.
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