M16

American  

[em-siks-teen] / ˈɛmˌsɪksˈtin /

Or M-16

Trademark.

1. a lightweight, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle with a caliber of .223 inches, used for fully automatic or semiautomatic fire: a U.S. Army combat weapon for mobile units since 1963.

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Etymology

Origin of M16

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Many young men carried M16 rifles slung over their shoulders.

From BBC

The photo stood between M1 and M16 rifles with two green helmets resting on top of them, a symbol of a fallen soldier in battle.

From Los Angeles Times

The 5.56, commonly used in standard-issue service rifles like the M16, is built to military specifications and bears a small symbol of NATO.

From Seattle Times

Chess, by and large, is a war game played by nonmartial people who would have trouble identifying the business end of an M16 or explaining the difference between an embrasure and a sally port.

From Washington Times

Stoner was intensely apolitical but a 2nd Amendment believer; he was proud of inventing the M16 but uninvolved in the debates over the gun’s civilian usage.

From Los Angeles Times