Is the M4 or M16 considered to be the primary indivisual combat weapon of the US Army soldiers ?

Answer 1

Yes, the M-4 and the M-16 series, (there are several variants) are the primary US. service weapon in all five services.
,,,and NO, The Mattel Toy company never made parts for the M-16, That's a Urban Legend started by soldiers in Vietnam that did not like it compared to the trusty M-14.
But, to back them up, several plastic parts of the rifle were stamped with a designation for the US Material Command, the people that buy the parts and rifles for the military.
The Acronym "MATL" can still be seen on some parts on older M-16A1 rifles with the older hand guards.

Answer 2

The M16 will continue to be the standard weapon for US Army soldiers for quite a while. The reason is not because it is a better weapon, but because of the incredible financial cost of replacing even the majority of M16s with M4s. And since both weapons share almost the same functions and capabilities, a shift to the M4 is not a very high priority in the Army budget.

Answer 3

The U.S. Army switched to M4's as the official service weapon, they still train with the M16, but in the field they are handed M4's. The Marine core however, still works with the M16, they switched to A4, the version with the removable carrying handle, and a Marine told me that the A3, which is the full auto version, slowly is being distributed.

It all comes down to skill. The M4 is shorter, lighter, easier to operate than the M16. It is for regular soldiers who barely completed 6 weeks of boot camp. But for that, it compromises from accuracy. The Marines, the better trained personnel, are fitted with the, longer heavier, but for that, the more accurate M16, fore they know how to handle it.

Answer 4

The M16A4 acualy costs more than the M4A4.And the military is slowly replacing the M16 with the M4 in major combat units.As I was clearing my Battalion in Germany to PCS stateside our whole Battalion was in the hassle of signing for the M4A4's and turning in the M16A4's on a 1 for 1 swap.

And Toy Mattel did produce M16A1's,I and several others in my basic training unit(1986) was issued 1,1 guy even had a Deawoo made M16A1.

Answer 5

M16.

Its old, and its not really good looking, but its a great gun.

Will it be replaced as the standard anytime soon? Its possible, but with all the upgrades and options that are available now, it is a stable and effective weapon.

Interesting fact: at one point in Vietnam, the Matel company made some of the M16's in service. So, the company that makes Barbie also made M16's.