the forward assist was added to the m16 in 1967.
the forward assist was added to the m16 in 1967.
when was the forward assist added to the m16?
1967
bullet::::- m16, xm16e1, and m16a1 – m16 was issued in 1963, but due to reliability issues, it was replaced by the m16a1 in 1967 which added the forward assist and chrome-lined barrel to the rifle for increased reliability.









































bullet::::- car-15 – carbine variant of the m16 produced in very limited numbers, fielded by special operations early on. later supplemented by the improved xm177.









































bullet::::- xm177 (colt commando)/gau-5 – further development of the car-15, used heavily by macv-sog, the us air force, and us army.









































bullet::::- stoner 63 – used by us navy seals and usmc.
weapons of the vietnam war
after modifications (most notably, the charging handle was re-located from under the carrying handle like ar-10 to the rear of the receiver), the new redesigned rifle was renamed the "rifle, caliber 5.56 mm, m16". inexplicably, the modification to the new m16 did not include a chrome-plated barrel. meanwhile, the army relented and recommended the adoption of the m16 for jungle warfare operations. however, the army insisted on the inclusion of a forward assist to help push the bolt into battery in the event that a cartridge failed to seat into the chamber. the air force, colt and eugene stoner believed that the addition of a forward assist was an unjustified expense. as a result, the design was split into two variants: the air force's m16 without the forward assist, and the xm16e1 with the forward assist for the other service branches.
m16 rifle