M 16: Tradition, Innovation, and Controversy

Invented in 1957, the M-16 rifle represented a sharp break with tradition for the United States Army. It was made of revolutionary lightweight materials (aluminum and plastic), was a smaller caliber than any previous military rifle, featured a maximum effective range of 500 yards, and perhaps most importantly, was not invented within the Army's weapons procurement system. Each of these issues caused strong resistance in the pre-Vietnam US Army, which valued its long-standing commitment to long-range marksmanship. This resistance curtailed the development process normally given a new weapon. Ultimately, the M-16's troubled development would cause severe malfunctions in Vietnam and many deaths of infantrymen unable to return enemy fire. The resulting congressional investigation discovered near-criminal negligence by both the Army and the M-16's manufacturer, Colt.