The Mattel M16...myth or real?...

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

While everyone knows the myth about Mattel making M16 rifles or at least parts for it...someone dived into the story for some facts.

Mattel and the M16

 

[John from MD]

Nice read. I do remember us calling it a Mattel rifle because it was made out of plastic.

 

[slsc98]

Thanks!

Barely got started into the story when my eye caught this …

 

[remrug]

I went to Parris Island USMC bootcamp in 1981, so it's been awhile. Until I watched the story posted I was 100% sure I saw "Mattel" somewhere on the M16 that was assigned to me. I would have bet BIG money on it. I'm not sure about that now. Maybe one of the DIs put that memory in my head???

 

[Huckleberry]

Mattel was always a myth to me but the real fact was GM's Hydra Matic division built the most accurate and reliable M16A1 of the 3 you could draw from an arms room rack

Now, as for the one about Harley-Davidson building components for Bell Helicopters, that is actually true.

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

H&R also built M16A1 rifles. That went unmentioned in the article...as was Colt and Armalite who designed the original AR-15 the M16 sprung from and from whom Colt bought the design and rights to.

 

[KJackson]

Just from seeing the thread title, I was thinking of this that was used for military training and made for Super Nintendo.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/03/09/us-army-macs-training/