Sorry, I don't really know if the AR-15 the military is using is still called the M-16 or has it picked up another designation. Anyway, a good friend of mine and I were talking AR. He tends to get all starry eyed over Colts, which I think isn't warrented. The other day he told me Colt was the sole supplier of M-16's to the use military, or something along those lines. I am pretty much sure he is wrong and if memory serves, both DPMS and FNH supply the military. So in a effort to find the answer, I found an article from the New York Time from 1988 about the US military dropping Colt as their supplier and awarding the contract to FNH. I never found a list, which is what I am looking for. Does one even exsist?

This all started because he bought a Bushmaster and shortly their after the lead fire arms instructor for the county he's a reserve deputy for talked the Colts up, over the Bushmaster. His has never failed him and we've shot some pretty crappy ammo out of it.

We had M16's made by several different manufacturers, not just Colt. Some outfit in Cocoa Beach Fl made a lot of them - forgot the name. All our M4's were Colt stamped, but that may have just been a coincidence because they came from the same order.

M4's are made by Colt. FN Herstal is the primary supplier of M16's, as well as M249's.

For the Army-correct, all M4s are from Colt.
Each branch has it's own purchasing

M16, M16A1, M16A2, M16A3 all come from a variety of manufacturers. None of which are DPMS, Bushmaster.
FN and Colt made all of the A2s I ever saw.

you can find some history here:

http://www.thegunzone.com/556dw-1.html

Just because it's made for the military doesn't always mean it's the best either. Tell that buddy of yours to go choke on a Cult, err Colt. Decent guns, not worth the hype.

Just because it's made for the military doesn't always mean it's the best either. Tell that buddy of yours to go choke on a Cult, err Colt. Decent guns, not worth the hype.

Yup, already brought it up. Right now it's just to satisfy my own curiosity and try to educate myself more.

Just because it's made for the military doesn't always mean it's the best either. Tell that buddy of yours to go choke on a Cult, err Colt. Decent guns, not worth the hype.


Yes sir. Generally, the winner is the lowest bidder that meets spec.

Yes sir. Generally, the winner is the lowest bidder that meets spec.

Dumb trivia - an M9 Beretta costs Uncle Sam more than a Colt M16.

Dumb trivia - an M9 Beretta costs Uncle Sam more than a Colt M16.


Which is only around the $100 mark last I heard. Didn't verify it tho, so maybe Guns was full of shit, dunno.

Nah an M-16 is only a couple hundred bucks, approximately $400-$450 per copy.

Nah an M-16 is only a couple hundred bucks, approximately $400-$450 per copy.


I saw that same figure on a GAO report.

M4's are made by Colt. FN Herstal is the primary supplier of M16's, as well as M249's.

Don't forget the 240s.....:p

I'm not going to go through our arms room to verify, but as far as I know every one of our M4's and M16's are colts. I don't remember seeing any others.

Don't forget the 240s.....:p

It was a happy day when the truck showed up with crates of M240D's. :grinpimp: I never really liked the M60.
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2345/m240daj4.gif

I have heard a few places on the internet (gotta be true then) that some of our guys (SF I guess?) have the H&K 416s in small numbers. But FNH and Colt have the contracts for the M4/M16

I've seen photos of a few HK416s in the military's hands...