M16.

the traditional rifle is forged from iron furnished in wood it should kill a man in a single shot and kick like a mule in the process this one however was different the m16 is a definitive American weapon that dare to break tradition in the face of modern warfare controversial at first it managed to shed its bad reputation and became an institution so why did the u.s. abandon their 30 caliber tradition war problems did the new platform face and how did it go on to become the definitive flak rifle world war ii changed everything traditional tactics were outmoded combat was faster paced and close arranged this meant battles were no longer won by marksmanship instead victory correlates with sheer volume of fire armor lights was founded in 1954 as a division of Fairchild aircraft and design was led by American small arms designer Eugene stoner in response to the US need for a new rifle the ar-10 was developed making liberal use of modern materials for a lightweight automatic rifle design it's hollow core fiberglass furniture and aluminium receiver made for a thoroughly modern platform it retained the 308 Winchester cartridge of more traditional designs but despite excellent recoil control the full power cartridge was not well suited to full auto in such a light weapon the need for a smaller intermediate cartridge became clear the nato 5.56 millimeter round was born from an earlier commercial remington offering with an increased pounder load to meet minimum velocity and penetration requirements it allows soldiers to carry twice the ammunition for the same weight and despite the smaller projectile terminal ballistics remain impressive due to Ewing and fragmentation in flesh the Armalite ar-10 was adapted to fire this smaller cartridge and the resultant rival was dubbed the ar-15 the design rights were sold to Colt in 1959 and under their patronage the ar-15 was adopted by the US Army in 1962 with a new role came a new designation the m16 there would be no delay before the rifles first trial under the challenging political conditions of the mid-1960s deployed in the midst of the Vietnam War Mattel 16 poodle shooter the new rifle was not received well its small size and lightweight construction led to comparisons with a toy and it's less powerful cartridge made some doubt its literati however one unforgivable fatal flaw was the early rifles reliability in the field a change in powder type radically altered the ammunitions pressure curve with a drastically higher psi raising cyclic rate and leading to extraction failures the earliest issued rifles also lacked a chrome lined bore and combined with challenging jungle conditions and lacks maintenance based on a belief that the weapon was self-cleaning the m16 quickly gained a bad reputation its failures were widespread with 80% of soldiers reporting experience with stoppages and the effects potentially lethal a crisis no one needed at a time when public opposition to the war was nearing its peak it's not surprising swift action was taken the upgraded m16a1 was introduced in 1967 resolving most issues and helping to quickly rienne trust in the weapon by 1968 the rifle was well liked by those who used it and despite its shaky staff few bear any grudge against the platform today lightweight and easy to handle yet accurate and with a round that punches above its weight the m16 set the standard for modern military rifles and as a result it's easy to forget how revolutionary was upon its introduction it was very much a product of the space-age highly engineered materials an outlandish sci-fi appearance and sleek black exterior it set a fashion for all military rifles that followed now there was no place for wooden stocks in a truly modern fighting force aim service for over 50 years and still going strong no modern rifle is more American than this particular Patriot it's because of this long use by the world's most powerful nation that the m16 is a frequent site and games coupled with a decade of popular modern military shooters and fans of the rifle are spoiled for choice anywhere the American armed forces are present this weapon will follow it's the default option for US troops at least in those instances where it's not being usurped by its little brother the m4 quite often they will be depicted not as an automatic weapon but instead as one firing three round bursts the original m16 and m16 a1 were capable of fully automatic fire but the later m16a2 Varian replaced it with a three round burst instead this was done in an effort to preserve ammunition while still putting multiple rounds downrange otherwise it can be all too easy to empty a magazine without good discipline in games the burst fire helps to differentiate the m16 from the automatic rifles on offer burst rifles add variety and the potential for a new balanced tier easy to handle accurate and dropping targets with a single well emp'd burst the ar-15 platform might have half a century of experience but it remains as popular as ever both in military roles and civilian use steadfast in service in the face of potential replacements perhaps it didn't get off to the greatest star but all considered it probably doesn't matter it wasn't the rifle America wanted but instead the one they needed some things might be worth clinging to but ignore the evolution of the battlefield at your peril it dared to defy military tradition and established a new standard for assault rifles in the process the m16 lightweight space-age an American classic thank you very much for watching and until next time farewell

Channel: Ahoy

Views: 3,306,670

Keywords: xboxahoy, M16 Rifle

Id: yh2FGCYC63Q

Length: 7min 40sec (460 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 13 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/PIudo]

Ahoy could make a video about pissing out of my ass and would sound like gold to me ears, the guy is a fantastic commentator.

[u/Algebrace]

In regards to the jamming mentioned regarding the 1st M16, in "We Were Heroes... Once and Young" it mentions that in a foxhole 2 guys would be shooting while the 3rd would be permanently unjamming the rifles due to the way they jammed so often.

[u/BeefSerious]

I shed a tear when I saw Battlefield 2 footage.

[u/AskACapperDOTcom]

this guy makes Some of the best gaming related videos on YouTube.

[u/SuperFreedomBadger]

Ahoy really does make great videos, glad he's continuing with these. At this point though, the weapon's use in video games is just a footnote to its history (not that I mind, I find the history more interesting anyway). I wonder if he wouldn't make better videos by using footage of the real thing in action.

[u/whendoesOpTicplay]

This dudes voice is sex for the ears.

[u/sinlad]

Such a classic rifle, I personally can't wait to assemble my own Ar-15.

[u/Solid2k]

Ahoy's content is consistently remarkable.

[u/Chowley_1]

Watching those various game clips make you realize just how little game developers know about the basic functions of guns, the AR platform in this case.

I saw way too many game clips in that video that showed the character using the charging handle to release the bolt when reloading, which isn't necessary and should be avoided. Or pushing the bolt release when reloading a partially full mag. You only need to release the bolt if you're reloading from an empty magazine, otherwise the bolt is already forward and the button can't be pushed.