IMFDB Info: The History of M16s in Film and Television

Note: This is a non-categorized page that I'm working on. please don't make changes. It's just a test page I'm using to collect relevant data for an FAQ page for IMFDB. This is a work in progess so if anyone sees goofs, don't touch it. I'm going to complete before publication.

The M16 Rifle : the beginning

In the early 1960s, on license from Armalite, Colt Firearms began building the AR-15 rifle for sale to both the U.S. Military, Foreign Armies and the civilian market. Their first rifle was the Colt AR-15, which had the slab side upper receiver, original rear sights, large receiver pin holes, slab side lower receiver (with no protective ribbing around the magazine release button). The first rifles adopted by the Military was the U.S. Air Force.

1964

The original M16 also known as the AR-15 Model SP1 - 5.56x45mm

Military usage: Thousands of full auto AR-15 rifles were shipped to Vietnam for USAF security forces (ground units designated to defend Air bases in South Vietnam). Also M16 rifles were shipped to ARVN forces for testing. The first pattern was called the Colt Model 601. A slightly different three pronged flash hider was designed and Colt called this rifle the Model 602, but except for the slight cosmetic changes in flash hider, the rifles are the same.

Movie Usage: Colt then prepared their semiautomatic only version of the AR15 rifle for sale to the general public. Colt initially was going to name the rifle "Commanche" but opted to go for the more generic AR-15 Model SP1 rifle (SP a shorthand for Sporter). Since one was able to convert semiautomatic rifles into full auto ones relatively easily via ATF form and Tax Stamp, many were converted to full auto and blank adapted for movie use. Unfortunately, there were not that many AR15s in movie inventory until the 1970s, since many films opted not to use the rifle.

1965

XM16E1 with 20 round magazine - 5.56x45mm. What distinguishes it from the M16A1 was the Three prong flash hider and hard chrome bolt carrier. This image is built from MoviePropMaster2008's images. It is also wrong, the XM16E1 did not have a rib around the magazine release button. That change was not seen until the A1.

Military usage: The U.S. Army had still not technically adopted the AR-15, since it saw some immediate design deficiencies that they wanted changed immediately. The Air Force, however, felt comfortable with the original design but was willing to test the new rifle. The U.S. Army requested an upgrade. They wanted a birdcage flash hider (now known as the A1 flash hider) since they felt that the three pronged flash hider would catch on branches and bushes. They also requested a chromed bolt carrier for ease of cleaning (this action led to the disastrous urban myth that the M16 did not require cleaning, that and the fact that the rifles were not issued with cleaning kits, led to the deaths of many American soldiers until the Defense Department figured out the problem). They also asked for a forward assist button, to push the bolt forward when fouled. The Army ordered 85,000 XM16E1 rifles in Nov 1964 (they would not hit the battlefield until late 1965). The Air Force ordered 19,000, however the USAF would still use and keep the original AR-15 in inventory. The interim rifle was called the XM16E1 and is correct for any U.S. Army soldier between 1965-1968. In 1965, specifically all first shipments of the rifle were sent to special forces, Airborne or Air Mobile troops. All other infantry and non-infantry units received their rifles later, which is why photos still show the M14s in general use as late as 1967 in rear echelon forces.

Rule of thumb for HISTORICAL usage of the gun is:

Army Soldiers used the XM16E1 between 1965-1967/68.

U.S. Marines used the M14 until 1967 when doctrine forced them to stop using the 7.62x51mm rifles. Some Marines were issued XM16E1s prior to 1967 but the majority of them still used M14s.

U.S. Airforce used and continued to use the original M16 (SP1) throughout the war and even after the war.

U.S. Naval Forces used whatever the Marines were using at the time.

Movie Usage: Despite making a major change in the rifle, Colt (at the time the only manufacturer of Eugene Stoner's design) only sold the SP1 to the general public. Some models were made available to federal and local law enforcement, but these were not that common. The 'militarization' of America's police force (unlike now where there is a SWAT team in every department) had not occurred yet, and many Police and Sheriff departments did not use military weapons. The only M16/AR15 one would see in the movies is the SP1.