Here is an interesting photo I took yesterday at a US Navy family day / open house.  The unit are police reservists.  90% of their M16's in inventory are of this vintage.  They have changed out bolts, stocks, uppers, etc. but the lowers are quite telling.....

pic:

http://i43.tinypic.com/2z4h7iv.jpg

Thought the Board might find it amusing.  

Cheers.

FIFY

What am I missing? It's clearly an automatic lower (pin for auto sear visible)

1971-vintage...sweet!

Someone isn't fully infected with the RBRD virus yet.

jeffclay, glad you stumbled into our world.  I think the OP was excited because he sees some old-school AR-15/M-16 lowers still in service.  You might be too if you stick here.

I think perhaps the newb might not know that FN and Colt are cranking out M16's and M4's as quick as the machines and workers can get them assembled.  Being involved involved with the Military & LE Class III trade for some 10 years now, it is still interesting (atleast to me and to this retro forum) that there are in fact firearms still being used by our armed forces that are some 40 years old!  Not all our "War Fighters" have the new front line guns and gear that people "think" they have.  I know of 2 Mil Inventories that have firearms such as the one posted en mass.  That being said, the men & women of our military utilize what is available and make whatever is given to them work.

On a side note, a nephew just went to ROTC summer camp at Ft Polk in Louisiana.  During their firearms sessions, they were used M16A1's....they had a Ma Duece full of them.  Most had just the handguards changed out, still with their pencil barrels.  One according to an interested soldier (and his trusty iphone) turned out to have a lower dated 1969 !   Wow !

It is neat to see these old rifles used today. For example, the military is still using early 60's vintage m14's in Afghanistan with great success. Some things out there just can't be improved. The Browning M2 has been around since 1918 and still beats most designs of today. Some m2's in service date back to pre WW2.

Deuce and a Half?  (truck)?

Ma Deuce is a Browning .50  (M2HB)

LOL, Thats the same thing we SEABEES  "the old guys" ( avg age 38 in our battalion) carried in OIF III,  We had some GM Hydros also. They were just upgraded with new barrels and modern handguards. The young marines were only accustomed to the 3 rd. burst model, they really got a KICK out of our rifles. I,ll  look around to see if i can dig up some picks.

Yep...Duece in a Half.  My bad.  LoL  I had Ma Duece (50cal Browning belt fed mg) on the brain.   They did also had a Mcmillian 50cal bolt rifle on display.  Was suprised they had a 1971 lower M16A1 gun and a failry new McMillian sniper rifle......strange.   Thanks.

Guns is guns to Uncle Sugar.  I find it interesting that the .mil would specifically spell out the requirements for the A2 rifle's receiver, i.e. the reinforced areas, and still use the older standard. I mean apparently it doesn't make all that much difference to them.  Are these older receivers found mostly in USAF and USN inventory?
Ralph

I believe USAF

They're all over in the military, have had several come through my hands Army side.  

I suspect almost as much as cost it had to do with the speed with which A2 spec rifles could be put into troops' hands.  

Rather than waiting for Colt to produce all the parts of all the rifles, many "conversion kits" weren't Colt assemblies.  

~Augee

Is there a list of serial no. ranges somewhere I could use to date some of the M16's in my unit's armory?

I continue to be impressed by the durability and the longevity of the AR system.
Ralph