when was the forward assist added to the m16
1967
title: M16 rifle text: M16 rifle The M16 rifle, officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16, is a United States military adaptation of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle. The original M16 was a 5.56mm automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine. In 1964, the M16 entered U.S. military service and the following year was deployed for jungle warfare operations during the Vietnam War. In 1969, the M16A1 replaced the M14 rifle to become the U.S. military's standard service rifle. The M16A1 improvements include a bolt-assist, chrome-plated bore and a 30-round magazine. In 1983, the U.S. Marine Corps adopted the M16A2 rifle and the U.S. Army adopted title: M16 rifle text: chrome plated and slick-sided, lacking forward assist notches. Later, the chrome plated carriers were dropped in favor of Army issued notched and parkerized carriers though the interior portion of the bolt carrier is still chrome-lined. The Air Force continued to operate these weapons until around 2001, at which time the Air Force converted all of its M16s to the M16A2 configuration. The M16 was also adopted by the British SAS, who used it during the Falklands War. The U.S. Army XM16E1 was essentially the same weapon as the M16 with the addition of a forward assist and corresponding notches in title: Forward assist text: be used to fully close the bolt. Doing so will produce a very distinct "click" rather than the loud sound of the bolt slamming forward. The original use was partway through the firearm's use in the Vietnam War. Before the forward assist, the M16 was often carried "Locked and Loaded"—that is, cocked with a round in the chamber, and with the safety on—because the noise made by a platoon of some 30 men pulling back and releasing the bolt handle would alert the enemy of their location. The assist allowed soldiers to carry a firearm without a round in the title: M16 rifle text: raised lower engagement surface. The bolt hold open device had a slanted and serrated surface that had to be engaged with a bare thumb, index finger, or thumb nail because of the lack of this surface. The U.S. Air Force continued to use the ArmaLite AR-15 marked rifles in various configurations into the 1990s. This was the first M16 variant adopted operationally, originally by the U.S. Air Force. It was equipped with triangular handguards, butt stocks without a compartment for the storage of a cleaning kit, a three-pronged flash suppressor, full auto, and no forward assist. Bolt carriers were originally title: Forward assist text: Forward assist Forward assisting is the practice of moving the bolt or bolt carrier of a firearm fully forward when the return spring has not done so (or there is a chance that it will not have done so). Some firearms have a dedicated device to allow forward assisting; on others it is simply a procedure performed on the cocking handle. The forward assist on a firearm is a button found commonly on AR-15 rifle derivatives, such as the M16 rifle, and is usually located near the bolt closure. When hit, it pushes the bolt carrier forward, ensuring that the