Why is the Army starting to use the M4 more then the M16 Assault rifle?
The M4 is a small, lighter, and cheaper weapon to build than the M16. It’s main advantage is the shorter length of the barrel (14.5″ vs 20″) and a telescoping buttstock, allowing for it to be adjusted to any shooter. Also, when you say there is no close combat fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, you couldn’t be more wrong. What do you think room clearing is? When you go around that corner into the unknown, having a shorter and lighter weapon that has less of a chance of getting snagged on something is always an advantage. What you say in terms of range for the M16 vs M4 is actually correct. The M16 has a maximum effective range of 550 meters on a point target while the M4 is listed at 500. However, this is not a significant difference and the extra 50 meters do not outweigh the other benefits. As to it being more accurate, it really isn’t. Both weapons share similar accuracy characteristics within their respective effective ranges.
