Why did the M16 jam in Vietnam?
The rationale was that Vietnamese soldiers were too short and slight to handle rifles with full-sized ammunition. The reports were glowing, especially about the phenomenal reliability of the weapon. There were no broken parts reported in the firing of 80,000 rounds during one stage of the tests.
Were ar15s used in Vietnam?
In the early 1960’s, U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam used the AR15 and it was given glowing reports. Although opposed by the Ordnance Corp, the Armalite AR-15 was adopted by the Secretary of Defense as the 5.56mm M16 rifle. … The M16 was selectable for full and semi-automatic fire.
What ammo did they use in the Vietnam War?
Standard issue for infantrymen in Vietnam was the M-16, a gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle that could fire 5.56 mm-caliber bullets accurately over several hundred yards at 700-900 rounds per minute on its automatic setting; it could also be used as a semi-automatic.
Was the M16 a good rifle in Vietnam?
According to a 1968 Department of Army report, the M16A1 rifle achieved widespread acceptance by U.S. troops in Vietnam. “Most men armed with the M16 in Vietnam rated this rifle’s performance high, however, many men entertained some misgivings about the M16’s reliability.
What did soldiers think of the M16?
Vietnam War troops hated the M16 and dubbed it the “Mattel 16” because it felt more like a toy than a battle rifle. “We called it the Mattel 16 because it was made of plastic,” said Marine veteran Jim Wodecki in the video below. “At that time it was a piece of garbage.”
Is an AR-15 the same as an M16?
The AR-15 is basically the civilian counterpart to the M16. The AR-15 came first, in 1947; the M16 a decade later. They have the same magazine capacity: 30 rounds. The former is heavier, with a shorter range and slower rate of fire, but these are subtle differences.