M16A4

The M16A4 is an assault rifle, featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Semi-automatic with three round burst fire. Effective at medium to long range."

- Weapon description

Campaign
In campaign, it can only be found in "War Pig". It is occasionally dropped (sometimes with the M203) by dead Marines. The M16A4 in Campaign is fully automatic, though the multiplayer version has a three-round burst. The M16A4 is also used by Lt. Vasquez.

If the Infinite Ammo cheat is enabled and an M16A4 is picked up with the M203, the fully-automatic rate of fire of the grenade launcher is very fast and greatly surpasses that of the M4A1, having a RoF of approximately 600 RPM. Curiously, the M203 on the M4 Carbine and the GP-25 on the AK-47 have much slower fully-automatic rates of fire, about 280 RPM.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the M16A4 is available at level 1, in a default class. It can be fitted with a Silencer, Red Dot Sight, ACOG Scope, and M203 Grenade Launcher. It is worth mentioning that it has one of the fastest draw times of any weapon (0.35 seconds) (just faster than the G36C at 0.4 seconds), rivaling even the speed of sidearms. This means that switching to an M16A4 is nearly as fast as switching to a handgun, with arguably much more killing power.

It is often recommended to use this weapon from a distance, as it is not considered effective in close quarters combat. When fired from the hip while moving the M16A4 is wildly inaccurate. The M16A4 has a forced delay between bursts. This delay effectively lowers the rate of fire, meaning that at close range if the first burst misses, the user probably will be dead before getting off a second burst. However, Steady Aim shrinks the hipfire reticule to sizes comparable to SMGs, making the weapon fairly accurate from the hip, even while moving. Thus, even at close range, an M16A4 with Steady Aim and Stopping Power can still be very effective.

The M16A4 is exceptionally powerful because each bullet in the burst does 40-30 damage, meaning most of the kills will be from one burst without Stopping Power if the target is within range, or two bursts at farther ranges. When used with Stopping Power, the M16A4 is able to kill in one burst at any range provided that all three shots hit the target, and only two are needed at medium and close range, as long as the target is not behind a wall or using Juggernaut.

Double Tap decreases the delay between the firing of each of the three bullets in a single burst. With Double Tap, all of the rounds fired in a single burst are now fired with hardly any delay between shots. This can be somewhat useful in many situations, as there is a higher chance of all three bullets hitting the target and the shorter time between bursts makes the weapon more effective in CQB. However, Stopping Power is still considerably better as it will almost always kill faster while using less ammo. The only exception to this is in Hardcore, where Stopping Power has no effect on the M16A4, as it only needs one shot to kill from any range, assuming the target is not behind cover.

The M16A4 is widely considered to be one of the best assault rifles in the game due to its high power, low recoil, lack of sway, quick reload, high rate of fire per burst, and easy conservation of ammunition due to its burst fire.

Weapon Attachments

 * M203 Grenade Launcher
 * Red Dot Sight
 * Silencer
 * ACOG Scope

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS)
In the Nintendo DS version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the M16A4 appears as one of the two assault rifles in game. The M16A4 bears a vague resemblance (though it can still be identified as a M16) to the one in the console versions, though it is fully automatic (like the M16s in Call of Duty 4 campaign mode). It has a much slower rate of fire, but it does more damage per bullet to compensate for this. In single player, the M16 is only found with a Holographic Sight, as opposed to iron sights in multiplayer. This does not matter, since the iron sights are just as accurate as the Holographic, and provide a better peripheral view. In single player, the M16A4 is most effective at long range, though it is still effective at close-medium range.

In multiplayer, it is only effective at long ranges. Its low rate of fire prevents it from being effective at close range, unless the enemy does not see the player. The M16 A4 also has the third slowest melee speed, making it even less effective in close encounters.

Campaign
In the Campaign, the M16A4 is seen in both Rangers and Task Force 141 missions. It can be found on dead Task Force 141 members on TF141 missions as well as dead Rangers outside the White House. It fires in bursts in both single player and multiplayer, unlike its Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare counterpart, which is fully automatic in the Campaign.

Multiplayer
The M16A4 returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It behaves similarly to the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare version with some small differences.

It is unlocked later on, at level 40, and has an identical reload animation to the M4A1. A rail has been added to the carrying handle, but goes unused. The rear sight aperture is thinner than the Call of Duty 4 version, which gives a less cluttered sight picture. Camouflage is now only applied to the rail covers, the stock, the magazine, separate optics, and the Heartbeat Sensor.

The M16A4 damage-wise performs identically to the FAMAS, having the same damage and multipliers, and the same rate of fire per burst. However, it has slightly faster damage drop-off, but has a faster reload time. It also has higher recoil, but using a Holographic Sight lowers its recoil significantly, making it slightly more accurate at range than the FAMAS.

Weapon Attachments

 * Grenade Launcher
 * Shotgun
 * Red Dot Sight
 * Holographic Sight
 * Silencer
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * ACOG Scope
 * Thermal Scope
 * FMJ
 * Extended Mags

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
"The M16A4 fires highly accurate 3-round bursts for precision takedowns. Its semi-auto fire performs best in mid to long-range skirmishes where you have the time and space to carefully target enemies. A single burst kills if all three shots land, so it's best to attack from a stationary position to avoid straying off target."

- Call of Duty ELITE description

The M16A4 was first seen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ' s Special Ops Trailer. It fires in three-round bursts, like in previous games, but with a lower rate of fire. It is a starting weapon in Tier 4 Survival Mode maps, and is equipped with a Red Dot Sight.

Campaign
The primary use of the M16A4 is in "Goalpost", where it is used by the dismounted crew of Rhino 2. The M16A4 is also used by Sandman in the mission "Iron Lady".

Multiplayer
The M16A4 is unlocked at level 4 along with Create-A-Class, and retains its low recoil, fast reload and relatively long range, and can be customized with a wide range of attachments and proficiencies. The Red Dot Sight, Holographic Sight, and Hybrid Sight are good attachments, as they provide a much clearer sight picture when compared to the M16A4's bulky Iron Sights. Rapid Fire is also useful, as it increases the weapon's close range effectiveness and lowers its time to kill.

Compared to the other burst rifle, the Type 95, the M16A4 is less reliable in close quarters, requiring all 3 rounds to land from a burst to kill, but is more effective at longer ranges where the Type 95's damage drops much more drastically. However, since the M16A4 features slightly higher range than the Type 95, it can also more easily land one-burst kills at medium to long range. The greater recoil when compared to the Type 95 can cause bullets to stray off at these ranges, however, which may give the Type 95 the edge due to the quicker refire rate. The Kick Proficiency can remedy this, but out of long ranges is not necessary, making other proficiencies, like Focus or Attachments, a better option.

It should be noted that the Rapid Fire attachment does NOT decrease the time between bursts, and only increases the rate each burst is fired. The Marksman perk may be useful at long range combat and counter-sniping. Quickdraw can also come in handy, as firing first may prevent issues with flinching throwing bullets off target and causing the user to have to use another burst (provided they survive). Scavenger can also be effective, because despite being a three-round burst weapon, it can whittle through ammunition quickly and leave the user relying on their secondary weapon.

Infinity Ward has stated to increase the weapon's effectiveness via a future patch. The release date or more information on the patch are yet unknown.

Special Ops
The M16A4 is available for both Survival and Mission modes.

Mission Mode
The M16A4 is an alternate weapon in the Mission Mode challenge Stay Sharp.

Survival Mode
The M16A4 is the starting weapon for Tier 4 (Insane) Survival Mode missions, along with the Five Seven, and is also unlocked by default from the Weapon Armory for $3000.

The M16A4 is a solid overall weapon for Survival, especially on maps where you will be trying to hold an area with long sightlines, due to it's good accuracy and low recoil. However, as the rounds continue to increase, it would be of best interest to swap it for a higher powered weapon or a LMG, as it will take multiple rounds to kill enemies in later waves.

Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight - Unlocked at weapon level 2.
 * Suppressor - Unlocked at weapon level 5.
 * Grenade Launcher (M203) - Unlocked at weapon level 8.
 * ACOG Scope - Unlocked at weapon level 11.
 * Rapid Fire - Unlocked at weapon level 12.
 * Heartbeat Sensor - Unlocked at weapon level 14.
 * Holographic Sight - Unlocked at weapon level 17.
 * Shotgun - Unlocked at weapon level 20.
 * Hybrid Sight - Unlocked at weapon level 23.
 * Extended Mags - Unlocked at weapon level 26.
 * Thermal Scope - Unlocked at weapon level 29.

Proficiency

 * Kick - Unlocked at weapon level 4.
 * Impact - Unlocked at weapon level 9.
 * Attachments - Unlocked at weapon level 12.
 * Focus - Unlocked at weapon level 16.
 * Breath - Unlocked at weapon level 22.
 * Stability - Unlocked at weapon level 28.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

 * The words "BLUE4" and "Property of U.S. Government, Caliber 5.56x45mm NATO, M4A1 Carbine" in bold blue letters is visible on the side of the M16A4. This is because Infinity Ward used an M4A1's texture for the M16A4.
 * The M16A4 will always have a grenade launcher on the pickup icon in multiplayer.
 * The M4A1 and M16A4 share the same serial number.
 * The fire selector is on semi-auto, not three-round burst.
 * Optics mounted on the M16A4 remove the front sight and gas block.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS)

 * The M16A4 in multiplayer lacks part of its rear sight.
 * The M16A4 is the only primary weapon in DS-download multiplayer.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 * The markings on the side of the M16A4 say, "Made By Infinity, Tool For Victory, U.S. No Refunds".
 * When acquiring ammo from a Care Package, the sound heard is the empty reloading of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare M16A4.
 * When rotating clockwise with a high sensitivity (10) or aiming through the sight, the player can see that on the right side of the gun there is no rail cover or receiver textures. This is most likely to save memory.
 * In campaign, its pick-up icon will always be seen with an under-mounted grenade launcher, even if one is not attached.
 * The M16A4, M4A1, WA2000, M14 EBR, and the AK-47 all have the same cocking sound.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

 * The M16A4 has a unique pickup animation in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, unlike previous installments, where the pickup animation would be the same as the swapping animation. It is similar to the M4A1's pickup animation, with the gun held down at an angle and the charging handle being pulled.
 * In Survival Mode, all of the Delta Squad members will use M16A4s without any attachments.
 * The M16A4 with Hybrid Sight or Heartbeat Sensor has no sound for an empty reload.
 * In the campaign, when found with an M203, the weapon uses the same model as the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 version of the M16A4.
 * The M16A4 has a much slower rate of fire compared to its predecessors, firing at 780 RPM per burst and 420 RPM overall, whereas in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the M16A4 fires at 925 RPM per burst and 460 RPM overall.