M16, AR15, and AK-47s For Dummies

M4 Rifle (M16) Visual Comparison to an AR15

Amid all the controversy mainly directed at the AR 15 rifles lately I thought I would provide some visuals for people. I understand most of my blog readers already know what they look. In the general public however there are a lot of people who are unfamiliar with these rifles.
AR-15 Stands for Armalite Rifle not Assault Rifle as some people assume. Armalite was the name of the company that first made the AR-15 before the design was bought out by Colt. The civilian version of this rifle is in almost all most cases semi-automatic.
The M-16  is a United States military adaptation of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle not the other way around as some people think.
The M4 is just a shorter and lighter version of the M16 assault rifle.
The AK-47 AK stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova, named after its designer this was and still is the primary rifle of the Russian Military and most other countries in that region. The modified semi-auto only version of these are sold in the U.S. as surplus weapons as well as new manufacture.

An M16 Compared To An M4 Rifle

A Visual Comparison of An M14 AR15 Type Rifle to an AK-47

.223/ 556 Compared to 7.62x39, 30/06, and 9mm

Above is a picture of a .223/ 556 which is used in AR15s And M16s, a 7.62x39 which is used in the AK-47, a 30/06 hunting round and, and a 9mm which is what most police carry. The .223 and the 556 are interchangeable, visually the same and can both be shot in an AR15 or M16. The 30/06 was the military's previous cartridge of choice in WWI and WWII (and is still in use) it is also a favorite hunting cartridge as well for deer sized game. The 7.62 x 39 is used in the AK-47 Russian military rifle. The 9mm Luger is the most common pistol round carried by law enforcement.