The U.S. military’s basic rifleman combat loadout is 210 rounds of 5.56x45mm NATO ammo carried in seven 30-round magazines. However, if you actually inspect those magazines, you may find that…
Attachment rails, officially known as the rail integration system (RIS), can nowadays be found on most weapons. They enable adding attachments and also function as handguards. Some people like to…
The ArmaLite AR-15 and its military derivatives, the M16 rifle and M4 carbine, are some of the most influential small arms designs in modern history. Even the M16/M4 replacement, the…
The Medal of Honor is America’s highest military award for valor. The citations often include overwhelming odds, ingenuity, dedication to their comrades, and disregard for personal safety. Air Force Captain…
In 1983, Rangers were on the point of the spear during a mission to protect American citizens in Grenada in 1983, attacking a key airfield that was being expanded by Cuban engineers. When the Rangers began to fight the engineers, the Rangers hotwire…
The M4/M16 family of rifles has been in service with the U.S. military and many of its allies since 1964. Since then, many programs have attempted to replace the rifle,…
Your average armchair historian may not be aware that it wasn’t just the United States fighting in Vietnam for South Vietnamese independence. A host of other countries joined in the…
The M16A4 was the standard service rifle for the Marine Corps until October, 2015, when it was decided that the M4 Carbine would replace them in infantry battalions. For whatever reason, civilians tend to think the M16A4 is awesome when, in reality,…
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.…
Throughout history, the U.S. Military has used a wide variety of guns to win its battles. Prior to the M16, there were several weapons used across the service throughout some of the most devastating wars the world has ever seen.
Here are some…