Colt M-16

When Russia had already adopted the AK-47, the United States were still searching for an assault rifle of their own. The M14 was the standard service rifle between the Korean and Vietnam War and began service in Vietnam, however it was due to its weight, that a new weapon was needed. In came ArmaLite, with it's design for the AR-10, a rifle chambered in the same .308 as the M14, so a new weapon was designed based on the platform of the AR-10, but in the newer 5.56mm NATO round, allowing troops to carry more ammunition. Due to financial troubles however, , the design was sold off to the Colt Manufacturing Company, who modified it further and named it the Colt 601. It would later become known as the M-16 and formally adopted in January of 1962. While the M-16 proved its mettle in Vietnam, it did however suffer the unfortunate issues of jamming, due to troops being unfamiliar in the mechanics of the rifle, as well as some being told it was a "Self-Cleaning" rifle, which that wasn't the case. Another reason for it's malfunctioning on the field was that the ammunition was not compatible with the weapon and the harsh jungle also caused issues with corrosion in the chamber, as well as in the barrels, due to substitutions used in the ammunition. This was later rectified in later models and despite its flaws, has remained one of the best service rifles in existence today. It has even gone onto inspire other variants and models, such as the CAR-15, M4 and even the HK416.

The Colt M-16 is a select-fire assault rifle, designed by Eugene Stoner and L. James Sullivan, but manufactured by Colt Manufacturing Company, Daewoo Precision Industries, FN Herstal, etc. The weapon has a rate of fire of 45-60 rounds per minute for semi-automatic and up to 900 rounds per minute on full automatic. It as a muzzle velocity of 3,150 ft/s (960 m/s), an effective range up to 800 m (875 yd) and a maximum range of up to 3,600 m (3,937 yd). It's chambered in the 5.56mm NATO, in standard magazines from 20-30 rounds, but magazines up to 60 rounds are available and 100 round drums.