Fifty years after its official end, the Vietnam War remains one of the most tragic, controversial, and divisive wars in ...

and even field commanders in Vietnam all bear some culpability in creating the debacle. The primary defect, a failure to extract spent rounds, was corrected by chroming the rifle’s chambers and ...

Despite early controversies and setbacks in Vietnam, the M16 proved its worth. The rifle's design has evolved, leading to variants like the M4 and specialized models used by special operations forces.