M-16 :: essays research papers

The development of the M16 rifle began with the research conducted at John Hopkins University in September of 1955. Research was conducted to question infantrymen, who fought in Korea, about their battle experiences as they pertain to firing their weapon. It was found that 95% of their firing was within 300 yards. Also, there were just as many lethal hits from un-aimed shoots as from aimed ones (it so happens that most of the interviewed were soldiers of the US Army, which may explain the inaccuracy). This information led the military to the conclusion that a .22 caliber rifle capable of selective fire would be most conducive to current battle tactics. The small caliber provides more control, and selective fire would enable a soldier to better control their RPM. With this information the military went to Eugene Stoner, a Marine Corps Veteran who started to design rifles after being decommissioned, and asked him if he was interested in designing a weapon based on their research. This was one of the better decisions that Uncle Sam made; get a Marine to make a rifle that even Army boys can shoot. The requirements for the new weapon were that it had to weight less than 6 pounds loaded, it had to be a .22 caliber, it had to be selective fire capable and it had to be able to penetrate a steel helmet out to 500 meters. The rifle the military was using up to that date, the M14, was a heavy, .308 caliber, selective fire capable rifle. The benefits of a large caliber like the .308 NATO, which are longer range and greater penetration, were no,longer needed for close combat. The rifle has actually some major disadvantages (other than the fact that it weighed about as much as a bicycle). Due to its large caliber, when fired in full-automatic mode, the rifle recoils so much, that only the first one or two bullets hit the target. Secondly, the large caliber means that the ammunition itself is quite heavy and large compared to an M16 round. This proved to be very heavy for the individual carrying the weapon. Its large size and heavy weight make it difficult for soldiers to use during combat situations. The M-14 isn’t all bad, though, it could literally blow somone’s head off, if you could hit him. It was very popular among soldiers due to its great reliability, It could be compared to an old t ruck; loud, powerful, but damn hard to live with.