The Difference Between The Vietnam Era M16, XM16E1, and M16A1 (Redux)

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[@MasterVideoStudios]

Every single one of those rifles is gorgeous to look at!

[@TrainTracker911]

And to hold and shoot.

[@some_cool_random_guy]

yes

[@astragreen]

I prefer to compare these beauty’s as Picasso’s because they are indeed an extremely fine form of art, everyone (who likes to) everywhere should have one to admire just like the framed paintings!..

[@myusername3689]

M16: I am garbage. M16: *Gets chrome lined barrel* M16: I am great.

[@germancrusaderwhowants1ksu777]

Forward assist and a better feed ramp

[@johnemmert9012]

@@germancrusaderwhowants1ksu777 Forward assist predated the major issues. The XM-16E1 was mass issued before the powder and coroded chambers began to rear their head.

[@georgewhitworth9742]

@@germancrusaderwhowants1ksu777Eh, overrated

[@chickensurgeon3896]

This video was helpful.

[@MikeB128]

Good. Glad I could help.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

I trained with the "604" in basic at Lackland AFB in August/September, 1979. They were converted to chamber ten round .22 long rifle magazines. I felt cheated because I didn't get to actually fire the 5.56 mm round. I now own my own AR/M4A3 in 5.56 NATO.

[@BillBraskyy]

I was watching "Platoon" (again) sometime this past year and this time I noticed and payed more attention to the weapons being used and I noticed that Elias and Barnes carried different weapons than the rest of the guys, and at first I thought "I didn't know the M4 was around since then??" It struck me because when I was in my basic training/OSUT in 03, we all had M16's aka "the musket", and during the first tour in 04 we had em, and it wasn't till... I wanna say the 2006-2008 tour is when I remember carrying an M4, so my other thought was why were we using the musket for all this time when then "M4" has been around since the Vietnam war? So I googled it and of course the release date for the M4 didn't match, so with some more digging I found out these short, adjustable stock, carbines we're actually called the CAR-15/XM177. When I saw the thumbnail for this video, I saw that the XM16E1 was in the vid, and since the "XM" was there, I thought it was gonna be the XM177 (me getting mixed up and assuming shit), but now the video is going and the XM16E1 is a _totally_ different weapon of it's own; totally separate from the XM177. _THE MORE YOU KNOW!_ 🌠🌈

[@MarkiusFox]

The M16 lacked the chrome chamber and bore, it was quickly found to rust in the extremely humid environment that it was serving in. That was one of the changes made with the E1 with the addition of a chrome chamber along with the chrome BCG. I believe later iterations of the E1 would move to a chrome chamber and bore, and were marked on the barrel accordingly. The A1, as you said, lacked the completely chrome lined BCG; instead, only the areas that would come into contact with the propellant gasses would be chromed and the rest of the carrier would be given a phosphate finish. It was a combination of the lack of the chrome chamber and bore in the humid environment, along with the mucked up powder selection, that resulted in rifles that called for the issuing of cleaning kits and the changes to the rifle like the forward assist. The decisions to not issue kits, not chrome the chamber and bore, and use the wrong powder were all against what Stoner had said about the 601 that the USAF received (which had all the things the M16 lacked). In the end, the blame went to no one but was principally the fault of the engineers as Colt, the whiz kids at the Pentagon and the powder manufacturer for the ammunition. The whiz kids figured the cleaning kits were added cost that could be saved, the Colt engineers thought the rifles would function fine without the chrome lining of the barrels, and the powder company told the DoD that the required powder wasn't meeting the specification but they had another faster burning powder that would reach the same muzzle velocities as the required powder. One can imagine the perfect storm that created, particularly for the ammunition which was causing failures to extract, themselves not aided in the slightest by the non chrome lined barrels and lack of a cleaning kit to maintain the rifles.

[@MikeB128]

No, the E1 didn't have a Chrome chamber or bore, that was the issue with both the M16 and XM16E1. They experimented with a couple right before adoption the M16A1. That's about it. Literally the only difference from the M16 to the E1 being the addition of the forward assist, which they thought would mitigate the rust/debris in the chamber.

[@thomasschoon8407]

Hence the nicknames' 'Jammin'Jenny' and 'Matty Mattel'(after the Mattel toy company who came out with a plastic replica of it) and all of the plastic furniture that it was equipped with. Was cursed then, but now is the longest serving rifle type in US military history!🤔 ironic huh? One of the 'Wiz Kids' was defense secretary Robert McNamara who was appointed by President Kennedy and stayed on when Johnson took over. Up until that point his biggest accomplishment in life was bringing out the Ford Falcon when he worked for the Dearborn based company. He was nothing but a snafued fubared cluster-fuck from the beginning!👎🙁😤😡

[@MikeB128]

@@thomasschoon8407 Yeah I'm aware, I was issued one in 2008-2012 when I was in the Army. There's a reason I didn't go through the history of the rifle on the video. It's not worth me getting upset and frustrated about it.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

"You can tell it's Mattel-it's swell!"

[@brucecamparmament3728]

Great job Mike! You did well. The only thing I would add is that in reality, the hard chrome bolt/carrier would be phased out during production of the XM16E1, so some would have it, some would only have a chromed bolt, and eventually, some would have a phosphate bolt and carrier. This also applied to the flash hider, as later XM16E1's could be seen with a bird cage. Also, those dimpled selector and push-pins can usually be found on early XM's too. Early examples of the M16A1 might also be seen with a non-trapdoor buttstock. This is all the result of "new old stock" parts being used up at Colt during production, or in place of new-spec parts which weren't necessarily available due to production shortages in a given week. I guess we can go on and on about the nuances of Colt and the military supply chain, I know you wanted to just give a simple, easy to understand overview of these rifles, and you accomplished that perfectly!

[@xoloitzcuintle8150]

So much velocity and good ballistics out of those 20inch barrels 🖒🖒"

[@MrSniperdude01]

Those 20"ers will make mince meat out of AR500 armor. There's a video on here where a guy does a test -- a 20 inch & 16 inch. He wasn't using greentips either

[@Boeing727223]

The Colt SP1 was patterned after the model 602 and it was developed during the time the 602 was being manufactured in 1963. It became commercially available to the public around Jan 1964. Excellent job on the rifles!

[@joshy7759]

The wear on those uppers looks really nice! Sweet rifles.

[@brucebelvin2058]

Trained with the M16A1 in 1981. 300 meter silhouettes using irons. Piece of cake.

[@MacHamish]

Cool vid, thank you for the info and history review.

[@TheNisgaa]

Great video! Very informative& the uniform was a nice touch as well.

[@squidy4082]

This answered all my questions , thanks !

[@christopherfalcone6277]

Always loved the look of those og ‘Nam M16’s

[@mdc2296]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who put a 1:8 twist barrel on an A1 clone lol. Great video, man!

[@johnflynn9331]

Really informative, well done! :)

[@nhb_house_anakist]

(Use a translator to leave a comment. There may be some errors in interpretation. I ask for your understand.) While watching KZbin videos, I happened to see a review of your M16A1 rifle by an algorithm. I enjoyed the video. First of all, as a Korean who had been trained in the Korean Reserve and is now converted to civil defense, I feel new to the review of this gun. When I was an active-duty soldier (Korea is a conscription country, most men in Korea join the military around the age of 18). ) He was trained with a K2 rifle, served with that gun, and after two years of military service, he was deployed to the 'Hometown Reserve' for training at the reserve forces training camp, which is designated for about three days every season. It was my first time touching the M16A1 rifle. So I don't have many memories of this gun. However, my father was a soldier in the 1980s, so he often talked about this gun. So I and my father both had another connection with the M16A1 rifle. Currently, the South Korean military is still using the M16A1 rifle in some rear units or in the 'Hometown Reserve' unit mentioned earlier, and is proud to be the country with the most M16A1 among Asian countries. Sometimes, Korean men say about the M16A1 rifle, "If I look at it again now, I think PTSD will suddenly occur."He sometimes makes jokes. It's a gun that brings back memories of some people's PTSD and others' military days... and my country, Korea. Thank you again for letting me see a good review.

[@MikeB128]

Thank you! The translation was fine, I know what you're saying. That's really interesting, but not surprising about the M16A1 in use today in South Korea. Thanks for the comment!

[@danieldunn6284]

Didn't the charging handle change also. Between M16 & M16A1. I had a M16 in boot camp and a M16A1 when I got to infantry school. We moved to M16A2 in 85'

[@sdivine13]

I was issued an xm16e1 that was marked colt ar15, I had a new upper on it but the receiver was clearly an xm16e1

[@sdivine13]

That was 2 years ago

[@jeffreyreardon7487]

@@sdivine13 national guard?

[@germancrusaderwhowants1ksu777]

@@jeffreyreardon7487 no they still use em in the reserves and in basic & AIT

[@George-li2mb]

I bought the Troy XM177E2 I do like it a really good reproduction of the MAC V SOG rifle

[@K20GUY73]

Nice video, I am wanting to build one of these but was not sure about the differences. Didn't want to have a mismatch on a specific era rifle.

[@dieseldan92]

Colt 605 Carbine is what you're thinking!

[@MikeB128]

Yep, that's the one.

[@chevy327sm]

Thx. Great video. I learned alot

[@markhovscrch4050]

Only Good for me is Carrying handle being a Front sight and hate the Triangle handguard cause looks bulky i preffered the Long Slim one.

[@shinwary9111]

Hey bro very informative video I just want ask which 1 is better M16 A1 or M16 A2 ?

[@orlandoduran7740]

i never seen a picture of a A1 in vietnam with the trap door butt stock

[@WWIIman1942]

The first A1s had the older type D stock and the trapdoor buttstock was introduced in mid/late 1971 when the reduction of US forces in country was in full swing. So the trapdoor stocks never really saw use in combat operations in Vietnam except some being seen with Marines at the embassy during the fall of Saigon in 1975.

[@mattdamon2886]

Do you recommend Brownells M16A1 parts? I want something externally accurate but repro so I can use it during re-enactments and not worry about an original. Is the finish of the gray receivers good? What about the repro furniture? Thanks so much

[@elifoust7664]

Brownell have refined the reproduction,decent quailty,NODAK SPUD ,AERO PRECISION....

[@jackwebb5917]

awesome video! Did you "weather" the receiver to make it look more realistic, or was it from normal handling wear?

[@MrBlunt419_]

GREAT video on the variations

[@MikeB128]

Glad you liked it!

[@maganaco.7994]

nice job mike

[@redtra236]

I think some early M16A1s still had the 3 prong flash hider but not sure. I know I've seen pictures of soldiers with fully fenced lowers but 3 prong uppers, but they could have put an XM16E1 upper on an M16A1 lower I guess.

[@jagerthefox8162]

Is there a difference between the delta ring and the slip ring other than their look? Can you mount the triangular handguards with a delta ring?

[@kevinmorrow1733]

Great video, I like the details and explanation of each rifle. This video help me with my next purchase which will be the Air Forces m16. One question, did the upper and lower come in different colors on the same rifle?

[@timblack6422]

The early M16s didn’t have chromed bolt carrier group. We still had early M16s in northern Germany in 83 and some of the weapons with 4 digit serial numbers were a bitch to clean (without the chromed bolt carrier assembly). Much easier to clean the carbon off the chromed ones

[@NoGoBu]

Nice vid I never tire hearing about M16a1, I just love mine, I just wish it had the 'giggle switch' then I would be really out of ammo.❤👊A☝

[@jasonchenone]

Thanks for the video. Any info on a XM16E2? Thanks

[@thedeathwobblechannel6539]

So I had an a one in basic training I fired that thing so much the bolt was all covered with grudge and powder fowling etc et cetera and it's good and it's Chrome plated because it cleans really easy you could literally use a rag in the field to wipe the crude off of it and slam it back in and keep running. So the Chrome bolt and the Chrome chamber in the Chrome bore are a huge asset to cleaning it quickly.

[@MikeB128]

Yeah man, I wish they would have kept all of that. I had issues with magazines mainly in like 2008-2012, but also, had a lot of times where I used the forward assist just because of carbon buildup.

[@Droodog127]

gathering pieces now for a 604 original build sans lower , have upper , stock , barrel (mp12) , chrome bcg with fatty firing pin and milled retaining pin, edgewater buffer , just need dimpled takedown and selector - also doing a 601 but mostly retro parts

[@brucecamparmament3728]

Check ar15sport.com for the dimpled parts.

[@kimberlysteller2556]

My father used an xm16e1 in nam from like feb 67 to mar 68 at khe sahn attached to 3/26 at hill 881s.

[@FootOfOrion]

Great video! Could you make one on the A2 family as well?

[@MikeB128]

I only have a regular A2. I don't have a million different guns. Sorry.

[@dlam2864]

can it be used by a left-handed shooter, will the brass hit you?

[@gangstalkerofgangstalkers]

Nice one

[@sartainja]

Superb presentation.

[@MikeB128]

Thanks a lot There are still a few things I missed, but I tried to get all the absolute basic things out there.

[@Paradise_Arms]

How did you get your handguards and stocks looking shiny and worn? Mine are still new looking. Any ideas?

[@MikeB128]

Yeah, don't buy repros....

[@Paradise_Arms]

@@MikeB128 I ended up grabbing a set of issued handguards earlier as well as the d series stock for the 604 build I'm doing videos on.

[@grits_taste_good415]

7:44 a friend in me.

[@desantos1234]

Did the rifle go to 1/7 twist when the powder was changed with the A1? Or if not, at what point was the change over from 1/12 to 1/7 made?

[@MikeB128]

No. The 1/7 was done on the A2.

[@MarkiusFox]

The change to 1/7 was made with the M16A1E1 program which would be adopted as the M16A2 in 1983. The reason being to stabilize the then new M856 tracer which was designed to mimic the ballistics of the M855 ball round. Anything from 1/8 to 1/7 would have done the job of stabilizing the M855 just fine, but that little bit slower rate was required to get the M856 going correctly.

[@JuergenGDB]

I had an Air Force version M16, and sold it to an Air Force bloke, he was an armorer so thought it was a good fit, as I did not need it anymore. I wonder how much it's worth now?

[@seandahl8441]

You should do a tactical shooting video with full web gear, ruck and helmet. And a video on the different ways of attaching and using the sling, like jungle rig the sling and try shooting with the sling set that way fully loaded and your thoughts on each

[@seandahl8441]

I am truly enjoying this Vietnam series quite a lot

[@MikeB128]

Yeah I probably won't get that far in to it with the sling, but I will be gearing up and running a course this summer.

[@seandahl8441]

Awesome

[@seandahl8441]

Just adding ideas. you said the series is going to be never ending so you'll get to them eventually. Love the series. Keep them coming

[@MrSniperdude01]

Hey @MikeB Do you know when exactly the Burst Fire mode was introduced in the M16 series ? I got a couple guys in another thread who seem to think it didn't exist until the 80s (A2 variant). I know select fire existed in other weapons before then

[@MikeB128]

Watch my video on the difference between the A1 and A2....It was indeed the 80s....

[@MrSniperdude01]

Thank you !

[@noahgonzales7330]

"Dying" and what not

[@Truthoscope91]

Can you add the differences between these and the earlier 601s and 602s in a future video? Also I thought the 604s had a partial magazine fence and full fences and parkerized bolts by the latter part of the war?

[@jeffreyreardon7487]

Only difference in a 01 and 02 is the twist rate was changed from 1/14 to 1/12 on the 602

[@Liberty_76]

The Colt 604 had a partial fence on the lower the only difference between the lowers of the 604 and the XM16E1 is the roll marks (604 designated “M16” instead of “XM16E1”) also later XM16E1’s (66-67 era) the bolts and bolt carriers were phosphate and not chrome there were also full fence XM16E1’s

[@TommyboyGTP]

When did the shell deflector first appear?

[@MikeB128]

A2

[@stevenlennaman2073]

My M-16 E1 had A glow-in-the-dark front sight that when you aimed in the dark would mess up your night sight and bind you.

[@aphrodite_tv5807]

m16 looking fancy

[@videomaniac108]

We trained with the E1 and A1 when I was in the Army in 1969 and neither had chromed bolt carriers. Both rifles were notorious for jamming, failure to extract for me, despite being kept clean and lubricated with the authorized lubricant - LSA. The forward assist was of absolutely no use for me in trying to unjam my 16, as I had to break the rifle down and do a quick field strip on it to get it working.

[@MikeB128]

Everyone has a different experience. By 69, a lot of the Chrome BCGs would have been replaced with the A1 nitride style.

[@x-calibearusallc]

@@MikeB128 nothing was nitrited back then. Manganese phosphate aka Parkerized.

[@MikeB128]

Ok.

[@papi-champoo6033]

Where's your M203 mounted rifle with heatshield? You also need the dissipator.

[@bradleysharp5028]

The m16 looks so weird without being the foward assist

[@EnderBOT122]

I'd like all three

[@michaelmcbride1204]

Keep up the good work dude. I still say we should have gone with the F.A.L., and the FN MaG- 58 Med. Machine Gun.

[@MikeB128]

@Jeff Wilkins Absolutely. I was an M240B gunner for a decent chunk of my time in. Absolutely loved that heavy bitch.

[@johnemmert9012]

Mike, I like your videos. I will say that most good sources (Such as The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective by R Blake Stevens) indicate that the XM-16E1's forward assist predated large scale combat use of the M16 in Vietnam. The comment about the "lack of a forward assist getting people killed" is an urban myth that needs to die. The problems with the rifle were bad enough that misinformation on the internet doesn't help dispel the myths sourounding the rilfe and its derivitives to this day.

[@brianmaiden1185]

_"The 12 gauge autoloader."_ _"The .45 longslide, with laser sighting."_ _"Phased plasma rifle in the 40 Watt range."_ _"The Uzi 9 mm."_

[@mikewilcox9348]

My rifle in Basic Training in the mid-80s was marked as XM-16.

[@MikeB128]

Nice.

[@marcusdayungg2110]

One thing that I will always like about any AR platform rifle, is the easy to change upper receivers. Very simple and not much to do, especially when compared to an AK platformed rifle which involves way too many parts.

[@theonethatfliesfiller4098]

Say what? An AK rifle involves *more* parts? Lmao, nice joke

[@imperialbricks1977]

Oh wow, Mrgunsngear didn't comment on the video.

[@MikeB128]

Wouldn't care if he did.

[@imperialbricks1977]

@@MikeB128 Lol I was just joking because I've seen his comments on a lot of older gun videos

[@rileyfarrell180]

Have you seen the milsurp gun market lately in the last couple months it seems the mosin 91/30 went down some maybe there's still a little life in the milsurp gun market

[@MikeB128]

Maybe, I still wouldn't get your hopes up, or pay the insane prices they're still asking for those rifles.

[@rileyfarrell180]

@@MikeB128 o yeah there still insane but it's good to see there coming down some doubt it will last but you never know

[@jizzmonkey9679]

I did see a nice transferable 601 for sale this morning, if anyone has a spare $38,000

[@jeffreylally4722]

Flash Suppressor.

[@average2savage1]

Are they blank firing guns?

[@MikeB128]

Jesus Christ........

[@average2savage1]

Mike B 😂

[@vgrg7841]

The forward assist is useless.

[@testsubject2419]

Get up that hill Gardner.

[@cod73161]

Badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger Mushroom Mushroom

[@wilfredovela9047]

M16,sexy forever!❤

[@skinisdelicious3365]

Eugene stoner invented the iphone of rifles. Make one change. Sell a bunch. Make one change. Sell a bunch. Definitely overconfident in his design.

[@MikeB128]

It works well enough nowadays. But I don't think he was responsible for all the changes made.

[@Jew-Gi-Oh_419]

USA got 2 strikes and then a homerun with the M16A1. M16 and XM16E1 were garbage.

[@MikeB128]

Yep.

[@sid-lv3jl]

I see you are wearing jungle utilities,, don’t think you earned them. Don’t think you used an m16 in combat Like we did in 1970

[@MikeB128]

Yeah, you're right, I just used an M4 in Iraq in 2009. Relax, dickhead.......