I never really liked the M16A1. It didn’t feel right, it wasn’t accurate at distance, and I never had one that was really reliable.
The M16A2, on the other hand, was a whole different world.
The AK47, OTOH, is a piece of shit. Yes, the design is reliable, but both range and accuracy suck. At the ranges at which an AK works, an SMG would do just as well.
I want accuracy and reliability. And the M16A2 and M16A3 gives that. (I’ve never used an M4, but it has the feel of a bad compromise. I’ve heard complaints of low penetration and lack of accuracy. You just can’t stabilize a 5.56mm in a barrel that short. Again, I’d rather have an SMG.
Seems to me that a squad would be better served to have some carrying 7.62mm battle rifles and some carrying .45ACP SMGs than having everyone carrying M-4s.
The latest and greatest version of the M16 is the M16A5 “Designated Marksmen Rifle.” It looks like an A4, but it has a better barrel, better trigger, and an ACOG 4x sight on the flat top.
Snipers are reporting first round kills at 800 yards when firing the 77 grain Black Hills ammo.
Doesn’t get much better than that.
BTW, tricked out AR-15s in 5.56mm have been cleaning up the thousand yard competitions for years now.