At least there are fuzzy pictures of flying saucers.Folks claim space aliens also
The True Story Behind the Mattel M16 Rifle
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
The M-16 A1 I was issued was new in the cardboard box with five magazines and the cleaning kit. This was in 1969. It reminded me of a Daisy air rifle I had with the box and BB's and Oil. Why I got a brand new one I never found out, but that rifle never malfunctioned once in the year I carried it. The M-16 got a lot of bad press, some of it deserved, but by '69 if a rifle was malfunctioning it was probably the fault of the owner. Just to throw my 2 cents in I never saw or heard of any parts being made by Mattel.
The Night Rider
Hellcat
Why five?
I have no idea. In a white box from the factory I would imagine. This brown cardboard was box identical to the one the Colt Ar-15 I bought came in. The rifle, the magazines, a sling, and the cleaning kit.
The Night Rider
Hellcat
Weird. I'm sure you know the basic load is seven. You'd think they'd ship them with 7
It didn't matter, our basic load was twelve, I carried twenty. Eighteen rounds in the magazine's.
The Corps had us Officers spend a month on the small arms ranges in 68. Divided between pistol and rifle (M14 & 1911). When I was the Range Officer at USMCAS Yuma in 1970-71, I ran a week refresher course on the M-16, 1811 and shotgun. All the ammo I could shoot after qualms. I MISS that job!SFC Coody, there is also iron in your words of alloy and plastic, and I thank you for your service to our country.
Confession time: I did not qualify my first time firing the M16 for record, either. It was the first centerfire rifle I had ever shot (the first centerfire ANYTHING, in fact), and the first semiautomatic. I had to re-shoot to make it even by the lame-*** USAF standards. (I clearly remember my basic buddy Murph, a graduate of Ole Miss, telling me, "Don't feel bad--our glorious Dorm Chief (an enormous man who had been an LAPD officer) didn't qualify either."
I eventually picked up the skills to shoot damn-near "possible" size groups from prone, sitting, and kneeling, but the standing eluded me for years. In fact, I earned my fourth stripe (USAF Staff Sergeant) before I earned the USAF Small Arms Expert Ribbon with the M16. Well, that's not exactly true--I mean until I earned the Oak Leaf for the Expert Ribbon I earned the very first time I shot the USAF M15 for record (Smith & Wesson Model 15, Target Hammer, Target Trigger), and that was the very first handgun of ANY kind I'd ever shot. The years of reading and rereading Jeff Cooper's Complete Book of Modern Handgunning and Chic Gaylord's Handgunner's Guide and other such since elementary school really paid off there, but that's another story.
I remember in the mid-50s having a replica 1917 machine gun. You turned a crank and it spanked wooden rounds 10 meters out. Musta had more, but other than a Stallion 45 cap gun it is are hidden in a mist!!!I know that gun! I positively coveted that gun as a kid.
And they're still being made! And still available! Although, like everything else these days, at an absolutely eye-watering price.(Well, what do expect in a world where a 10c bottle of Testor PLA model enamel now costs $2 or more.)
McNameta’s Morons was the official term. All I know was that in early 1969, the Marines were issued junk M-16s. Jams galore, even after cleaning, with THE squad cleaning rod. As a FO, I carried a Stevens shotgun, not the best, either…but it functioned. ASAP, I traded a Polaroid camera to an ARVN for his M-2 carbine. Best weapon I ever carried, bar non.
Next time you visit your father’s grave, give him a Semper Fi from a Nam vet! Still a lot of Korean vets in while Ai was wearing Marine Green.You're lucky. Dad never let me have a BB gun in the house. "Guns are not toys". I did get a Mi Carbine for my 6th birthday with one 5rd clip for hunting. YES CLIP! Back then the words clips and magazine where interchangeable like a pistol could be a revolver or an auto. Get over it. FYI dad was a WWII vet and one of the Frozen Chosen. He always referred to it as a clip. Still miss him maybe that's why nit pickers twist my tail, or maybe I'm just a grumpy old, Fudd SOB
As for Mattel, I know what I saw with my own eyes, and that all I got to say.
I always thought the "Matty Mattel" was just a take off on Mattel because they made so many plastic toy's: it never occurred to me that they were at least part of the manufacturing process. It seems we have a real good dilemma going here. Some swear they saw or held M-16's made by Mattel or at least parts made by Mattel, other's say BS. I never saw not heard of either in two years in the Army. One year in the war. Now to add fuel to the fire I heard a Nam Vet swear he had a left handed M-16. All firing controls and ejection port on the left side. That one has to be wrong, doesn't it?
bc22wm
Professional
Will do. thanks
I sure do. I remember it very clearly. The reason I even noticed was because my dad was a gun collector. Otherwise, most people don't pay attention to that kind of thing. And it was definitely the Mattel logo.
I didn't even know this was a conspiracy until the other day when I saw the topic on a youtube video. My guess is it was some short time when Mattel had some kind of probational contract for a very short time. Being that they make toys, I can see where denying it would be a marketing decision. Because of the Viet Nam war maybe.
I did some further searching, and if you go to youtube and search: Did Barbie Company Make M-16s? look at a couple of comments.
And i also remember one of the Drill Instructors saying the M-16 jammed easily when it got muddy. He even said he preferred the AK-47 over it.
I agree with one of the commenters of this video, that it may have only been visible when you take the gun apart ie: break it down.
I just watched a youtube video about it. The gentleman says Mattel only had a one year long contract. Mattel based in El Segundo CA. Seems legit to me. (especially since I remember having one in boot camp). His youtube is titled: Shooting a Mattel M16A1 rifle.
Now I have given it more thought, because my rifle had both Mattel and Colt on it. I'm thinking after a while the parts got mixed and matched. I haven't done the numbers, but there were probably very few Mattel rifles compared to the Colt and other makers.
Belt Fed
SAINT
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Grayfox
Professional
When I was in the Army (1972-75) we were issued the M-16A1. I never saw one marked Mattel, but it was long rumored that they made the plastic parts.
I do know that many were made by General Motors as I carried a couple of them.
Frankly, guns made by a toy company and a car company didn't instill a lot of confidence in them.
I can also attest to the fact that the M-16A1 was a POS! Wonderfully accurate "IF" you could keep it working. Failures were a common occurrence.
I do know that many were made by General Motors as I carried a couple of them.
Frankly, guns made by a toy company and a car company didn't instill a lot of confidence in them.
I can also attest to the fact that the M-16A1 was a POS! Wonderfully accurate "IF" you could keep it working. Failures were a common occurrence.
Another thing I remember that Drill Instructor saying, was his complaining that the Marines had a smaller budget than the army. I think he suggested that we were issued refurbished M-16's, while the Army got new ones.When I was in the Army (1972-75) we were issued the M-16A1. I never saw one marked Mattel, but it was long rumored that they made the plastic parts.
I do know that many were made by General Motors as I carried a couple of them.
Frankly, guns made by a toy company and a car company didn't instill a lot of confidence in them.
I can also attest to the fact that the M-16A1 was a POS! Wonderfully accurate "IF" you could keep it working. Failures were a common occurrence.
So I speculate that plastic Mattel parts were used to refurbish Colt M-16's. This was 1980, so maybe the rifles we were issued were refurbished from the Viet Nam War. I know all three Drill Instructors were in that war.