Editing M16 rifle (section)

===M16===
[[File:USIA 64-116.jpg|thumb|An early M16 rifle without forward-assist. Note: "duckbill" flash suppressor and triangular handguard.]]

This was the first M16 variant adopted operationally, originally by the U.S. Air Force. It was equipped with triangular handguards, buttstocks without a compartment for the storage of a cleaning kit,{{sfnp|Ezell|Pegg|Smith|Smith|1993|pp=746–762}} a three-pronged "duckbill" flash suppressor designed to preserve the shooter's night vision by disrupting the flash, full auto, and no forward assist. The M16 has a safe/semi/auto selective fire trigger group. Bolt carriers were originally chrome plated and slick-sided, lacking forward assist notches. Later, the chrome-plated carriers were dropped in favor of Army-issued notched and [[parkerized]] carriers, though the interior portion of the bolt carrier is still chrome-lined. The barrel rifling had a 1:12 (305&nbsp;mm) [[Rifling#Twist rate|twist rate]] to adequately stabilize the M193 ball and M196 tracer ammunition. The Air Force continued to operate these weapons until around 2001, at which time the Air Force converted all of its M16s to the M16A2 configuration.

The M16 was also adopted by the [[Special Air Service|British SAS]], who used it during the [[Falklands War]].{{sfnp|Special Operations.Com ''SAS Weapons''|2000}}