Brazilian 5.56mm Assault Rifl e
This innovative design emerged from Brazil in the early 1980s. The bullpup-confi gured weapon is made largely from plastic and uses standard M16 magazines.
One of the most innovative features is a double-action mode that can be selected in either automatic or semiautomatic settings.
This allows the action to work much like a double-action pistol: The hammer is held down on the cartridge and can be drawn back and
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fi red with a long trigger pull. This feature allows the weapon to be carried safely even with the safety catch off. A normal single-action mode can also be selected if desired, which uses a much lighter trigger pull for more precise fi re.
Damage: 2d8 Magazine: 30 box
Critical: 20 Size: Large
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 6 lb.
Range Increment: 80 ft. Purchase DC: 19 Rate of Fire: S, A Restriction: Res (+2)
M6 Scout Rifl e
American .22- and .410-Gauge Survival Rifl e
The M6 Scout Rifl e was designed to serve as a survival weapon for aircrews forced down in remote territory. It is an extremely simple single-shot design, with few moving parts. The metal stock folds out of the way for compact storage, allowing the M6 to be carried in a backpack. The stock also has a hollow space that holds spare ammunition. The oversized trigger guard can be used while wearing gloves. The action breaks open for loading.
The M6 has two barrels, located one above the other. The top barrel is rifl ed and chambered in .22 caliber, while the lower barrel is smoothbored and designed for .410-gauge shotgun shells. The idea was to give the user the capability to quickly engage a variety of different types of targets. Neither of these cartridges is particularly hard-hitting, and they are relatively ineffective against human-sized targets—the M6 is intended for hunting small game rather than for personal defense. It can also serve as a fl are launcher, since signal fl are cartridges are produced in .410 gauge.
M6 Scout (.22 Rifl e)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 1 int
Critical: 20 Size: Large
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 4 lb.
Range Increment: 60 ft. Purchase DC: 15 Rate of Fire: Single Restriction: Res (+2)
M6 Scout (.410 Shotgun)
Damage: 2d6 Magazine: 1 int
Critical: 20 Size: —
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: — Range Increment: 30 ft. Purchase DC: — Rate of Fire: Single Restriction: —
M14
American 7.62mm NATO Automatic Rifl e
The M14 was developed in the early 1950s to be the American service rifle in the new NATO-standard 7.62mm caliber. It is es-sentially a progressive development of the World War II–era M1
Garand, and its ancestry is apparent. It has been rechambered and redesigned as a select-fire weapon with a high-capac-ity detachable box magazine. The automatic capabilhigh-capac-ity proved troublesome and required that the action be considerably strengthened, making the weapon bulky and heavy overall, though it is reliable and controllable.
Variants: A number of folding-stock versions have been de-veloped over the years. A light machine gun variant, known as the M14A1, was also developed; this used a modified stock with a pistol grip, but it was never produced in quantity. A dedicated sniper variant, the M21, was also developed (and is covered in detail in Chapter Three). The Springfield Armory has produced a series of semiautomatic-only versions for civilian sporting use called the M1A. These are particularly popular in national match target shooting competitions, which involve military service rifles.
Who Used It: The M14 served with the U.S. armed forces from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s, when it was replaced by the M16.
It saw considerable action during the early part of the Vietnam War, where it lingered on in Marine service well after the Army had switched to the M16. The M21 sniper has lasted longer, and is still in limited use to this day. M14s are also frequently still seen in ceremonial use by color guard drill units.
Damage: 2d10 Magazine: 20 box
Critical: 20 Size: Large
Damage Type: Ballistic Weight: 9 lb.
Range Increment: 90 ft. Purchase DC: 17 Rate of Fire: S, A Restriction: Res (+2)
M16 Series
American 5.56mm Assault Rifl e
The M16 appeared in the late 1950s, and it was soon adopted by the U.S. armed forces. Though it suffered numerous development problems and was initially widely criticized, it has grown to enjoy success second only to the Russian Kalashnikov. The M16 has been used in virtually every confl ict of the past forty years, and it has been produced under license in great numbers in dozens of coun-tries. Today, nearly fi fty years after its original design, it is being adopted by more armies than ever before and is replacing the Galil in Israeli service.
The M16 is built around an innovative gas-powered select-fi re rifl e action developed by Eugene Stoner called the AR-15 (M16 is the weapon’s military designation). It features a distinctive carrying handle on top, which also holds the weapon’s rear sight.
The M16 was the fi rst major military weapon designed to fi re the 5.56×45mm cartridge. At the time, the U.S. was widely criti-cized within NATO for abandoning the then-standard 7.62×51mm round (which the U.S. had demanded be adopted in the fi rst place). The new cartridge was also thought by many to be too weak when compared to its hard-hitting predecessor. Eventually, the new round proved itself, and by 1980, it had been adopted as the new NATO-standard small-arms caliber, eclipsing the older 7.62mm round.
Cartridge aside, other problems surrounded the introduction of the M16. The all-plastic furniture, which some felt gave the M16 a toylike appearance, was questioned. Many soldiers felt that a solid wooden stock (like that on the older M14) was preferable, since rifl es sometimes need to be used as clubs in hand-to-hand fi ghting. A greater concern was reliability. The early M16s suffered severe problems in this area, and it quickly established a poor reputation. For several years, the wisdom of adopting the M16 was seriously questioned.
The U.S. military was determined to make the M16 work, how-ever, and set about refi ning and improving the design. Much of the
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reliability problem turned out to stem from poorly manufactured magazines and ammunition. New procedures for keeping the weapon clean were implemented. With these issues addressed, the M16 became much more dependable.
M16A1: In 1966, based on combat experience from Vietnam, an improved version known as the M16A1 was developed. The biggest advance was a manual bolt-closure device, which the shooter could use to push a round home into a fouled chamber if necessary. The M16A1 became the standard U.S. military service weapon shortly thereafter.
M16A2: In 1983, a new version called the M16A2 was adopted, replacing the M16A1. It incorporates a heavier barrel, rifl ed to fi re a new Belgian-designed NATO-standard variant of the 5.56mm round. A three-round burst setting was introduced, replacing the automatic setting. The grips and stock were redesigned and made from a new (and much stronger) plastic material. New sights were introduced. A spent-case defl ector was added for the benefi t of left-handed shooters so that empty brass wouldn’t hit them in the face. Collectively, these changes resulted in a vastly superior weapon, which remains the current service model to this day.
M16A3 and M16A4: Newer models of the M16 take the basic M16A2 and modify it to accommodate various standardized acces-sories. The M16A3 does away with the top-mounted carrying handle and its integral rear sight; instead, an accessory rail is machined into the top of the receiver, allowing a variety of sighting systems to be readily attached. The M16A4 goes a step farther. It also features the accessory mounting system developed by the Knights Armament Company (KAC) in the forward grip (see the sidebar). The M16A4 has been selected to replace the M16A2 in the U.S. Army and will enter service in large numbers over the next few years.
TABLE 2–4: M16 SERIES ASSAULT RIFLES
Damage Range Rate of Purchase
Weapon Damage Critical Type Increment Fire Magazine Size Weight DC Restriction M16 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 17 Res (+2) M16A1 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 17 Res (+2) M16A2 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80 ft. S 30 box Large 8 lb. 18 Res (+2) M16A3 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80 ft. S 30 box Large 8 lb. 18 Res (+2) M16A4 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80 ft. S 30 box Large 8 lb. 18 Res (+2) CAR-15 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 70 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 18 Res (+2) M4 Carbine (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 70 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 18 Res (+2) M4 CQB (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 70 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 18 Res (+2) Commando (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 60 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 18 Res (+2) Carbon 15 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 60 ft. S, A 30 box Large 7 lb. 18 Res (+2) AR-15 (5.56mm assault rifl e) 2d8 20 Ballistic 80 ft. S 30 box Large 7 lb. 17 Res (+2)
M16A1
M16A2
M16A4
CAR-15
M4 Carbine
M4 CQB
Commando
Carbon 15