The list of M16 type rifles with various features was created to give you an Indea of the appearance of basic forms of these rifles that might be issued to U.S./NATO soldiers in the T2K world.
And I have been doing more reasearch on the M16A1 upper with shell deflectors. From what I have found Colt did make M16A1 recievers with shell deflectors but not until later just before M16A2 production began. So far I have seen comercial and export versions of rifles and carbines with shell deflector on them. I have also talked to a few armorer who were repairing A1's and they said they did reciev uppers as replacement parts very late that had shell deflectors. Colt did manufacture uppers for the C7 rifle and it was the last large scale production rifle that used the A1 upper with the shell deflector. This was the highest level that the M16A1 upper evovled into. Some of the M16A1E1 rifles prototypically had these very late reciever types and of course soon there after had the A2 type upper. I guess the best way to say is Most M16A1's do not have the shell deflector on the reciever...but some do. Typical of the way Colt does things. There were many models of rifles in the 70's and 80's that had a mish mash of old and newer parts. Especially when you get into the various carbines that they made before the M4 had become standardized. The Airforce as previously mentioned had some of the most frankenstien AR's in the GAU 5 series of carbines.
Also with the Magazine I simply put them there to give you an Idea what the rifles would originally been issued with when they first came out. 30 round magazines where issued to some units very late in vietnam. I haven't seen many pictures earlier than 1969 or 70 with 30 round magazines. Also many of the soldiers pictured with them only have one and this can be easily seen by there webbing and are carrying 20 roung mags in pouches. Colt had a lot of production issues with the early 30 round mags (mostly related to the followers) I have actually seen a very rare vietnam era picture with a soldiers with what appears to be a 50 round magazine! It is extremely curved and long and I have never had any eplanation of it from any AR historians.
30 round magazines would be the most common magazine in the Twilight war.
I totally believe M16 rifles would be a mixture of whatever repair parts could be had at the time. Armorers haven't always had the luxury of keeping strict conventions so you fix a rifle with the parts you have. I have seen many M16A1's with A2 round hand gaurds, pistol grips or busttocks. Personally I like the A1 the best but the A2 hand gaurds are much stronger than the old triangular ones. On the other hand I prefer the A1 buttstock and pistol grip.
If I was a NATO soldier in T2k world I would do what I could to aquire a good M16A1 and if I could get an A2 hand gaurd and I feel Id be pretty well equipped.
|