Although this site is (or was) dedicated to Colt civilian market AR-15 rifles. I decided that I needed to include this 1 June 1968 report that covered development of the M16 series rifle through the M16, XM16E1 and M16A1. There is some discussion of XM177 series as well. The content of this report provides significant insight into Colts development of the M16 series through the M16A1. There are twelve parts to the report. They are the base report, History of the M16 and eleven appendixes.

1: History of the M16 Weapon System

2: Small Arms Test Policies and Procedures (Appendix 1)

3: Audit Trail and Analysis of M16A1 Weapon and Ammunition System Tests (Appendix 2)

4: Review and Analysis of M16 Rifle Training (Appendix 3)

5: Ammunition Development Program (Appendix 4)

6: Procurement, Production, and Distribution History of the AR15-M16-M16A1 Weapon System (Appendix 5)

7: Review and Analysis of M16 System Reliability (Appendix 6)

8: M16 Surveys in the Republic of Vietnam (Appendix 7)

9: Review and Analysis of the Army Organizational Structure and Management Practices for the Development, Testing, and Product Improvement of Small Arms Rifle Systems (Appendix 8)

10: Audit Trail of Chief of Staff, Army Actions and Decisions Concerning the M16 (Appendix 9)

11: The Army Small Arms Program (Appendix 10)

12: M16 Product Improvement Modifications (Appendix 11)