I would like to purchase a rifle as close to the M16 as possible. i am seriously considering enlisting, and would like to be proficient enough to score the 39-40/40 to qualify as a sniper, and possibly go to the sniper school.
what rifle would most accurately represent the m16? i would like to keep it as least costly as possible, so no colt
thanks

Colt A2.  But any A2 will do.  

what about the trigger?
match, or standard?
i assume a fixed butstock?

singe stage if possible.  A2 got the fixed carry handle, 20" barrel and A2 stock.

If you want one close to what you will qualify with, beat the hell out of it.

tell me about it.  just shot this weekend with rack grade and man is that trigger horrible.  

I  hate to say this, as it's almost sacrilige on this website, but I think you would be better off buying a cheap little .22lr, specifically a bolt action one, and about a gazillion rounds of ammo.
If your goal is to become a good enough shot to qualify for sniper school, spend some time where it counts. Marksmanship.
You'll need to be a capable shot on more than just an M16, so forget about getting a "Kewl" rifle and just get something that you can shoot acuratly...ALOT.
Given a finite cash flow, you'll do better at bootcamp if you practice breathing,trigger squeeze, and conistant check weld with a .22 and a lot of bullets, than if you bought a cheap AR.
If you have unlimited funds, and can afford to shoot 5.56mm in great quantities, then sure, go that way, but it sounds from your post as that might not be the case.
The rifle doesn't make a good shooter, practice does. Physical and mental.\

B.R.A.S.S. - "Breath, Relax, Aim, Stop...Squeeze!"  That's what will get you to qualify "expert", not some fancy, shiny, nifty AR-15, which, as stated above, won't have a whole lot in commen with the ratty, worn out rifles you'll get in fruitcamp.

If you aren't a good enough marksman to shoot that well at this point, it's going to take practice to get there, and the best way to do that is to learn some good marksmenship habbits and PRACTICE them.

That's why I say get a bolt action .22lr. The ammo is cheap, so you can shoot lots. They are accurate enough for training well, and you won't have to worry about learning bad habits with a semi-automatic rifle. I've seen that too many times. "Oh, I flubbed that shot, no biggie, I have 29 more...28 more, 27 more...Damn. Still not hitting right. Maybe I need to shoot faster..."

This is just my oppinion, but if you were my kid, I'd beat it into you. Shoot. Shoot lots. Shoot correctly, and hit the target! Let Uncle Sam buy you the M16. He gets them cheaper anyway.

^^ good advice.  shooting a 10/22 will teach you proper sight picture, proper cheek weld, reading the wind, etc for cheaper than an AR15.  some people are natural and have raw shooting talen but you still need to learn how to read the wind.  shooting the 10/22 will teach you that real well.

the army quals at 300m and under i believe.  wind isn't too much of a factor with the .223 at that range.  also, shooting with the gas mask sucks.

Yeah get yourself a good bolt action .22. With a bolt action you learn to make every shot count. If you get a semi auto you may pick up the habit of just throwing shots down and hoping you hit something.

I'm assuming you're thinking about the Army because you're using Army terminology, i.e. 40\40 is a perfect score. A word to the wise, only CMF 11 Soldiers, (infantry), get to go to the Army sniper school at Ft. Benning. MP's attend a different course geared more to the law enforcement end of things. Sniper is not an enlistment contract guarantee. You will need to complete AIT and then begin to compete within your unit for any available sniper slot.

The advice on using a .22 rifle is right on the money. Sniping is all about making every shot count, and nothing makes your mistakes look large than those small bore targets. The '10' ring is the diameter of a .22 bullet. Good luck.

Quoted: I would like to purchase a rifle as close to the M16 as possible. i am seriously considering enlisting, and would like to be proficient enough to score the 39-40/40 to qualify as a sniper, and possibly go to the sniper school. what rifle would most accurately represent the m16? i would like to keep it as least costly as possible, so no colt thanks

I second the .22 bolt action advice.  Learn trigger control, sight picture, breathing control, etc. and practice, practice, PRACTICE!  A kazillion rounds of .22LR will not set you back much at all, you can practice to your heart's content without "disturbing" other shooters at a range, and you WILL get plenty of opportunity to practice the basics.

When you get to Basic, the Army will teach you the way THEY want you to handle the rifle.  It might just be good for you NOT to have your own particular habits with an AR that you may have to break in Basic.

Originally from par0thead151

I would like to purchase a rifle as close to the M16 as possible. i am seriously considering enlisting, and would like to be proficient enough to score the 39-40/40 to qualify as a sniper, and possibly go to the sniper school. what rifle would most accurately represent the m16? i would like to keep it as least costly as possible, so no colt

This is a classic post .One of those"if I only had a nickel everytime someone asked this " kinda post

Do you self a favor..if your REALLY serious about joining, just go do it and don't get wrapped up in all the fantasy wish list crap. The last thing your gonna need to worry about is weapons qualification. Get out and start running and PT you ass off (In other wards stay off the computer and go work out) no body gets booted for failing to qualify... they get booted for not passing their APFT.


and save the " I wanna be a sniper" BS until you have a couple of years of on the job experience in and Infantry MOS and then Others will decide for you based on your abilities if your "Sniper" grade material. you don't get to decide if YOU want to go to schools like that.

Sound Harsh....  if I sound harsh and you don't like it...reconsider Military service it's not for you. theirs your reality check for the Month.... Your first hurtle is getting over the " I'm seriously considering enlisting" phase of your young little 18 year old exisitence and go down and get your self a Contract for 11B with Airborne and RIP option and then slap you signature on it.  Do that and we'll have something to talk about.....

+1

Go do PT, it will be of far more benefit to you.

Quoted: I  hate to say this, as it's almost sacrilige on this website, but I think you would be better off buying a cheap little .22lr, specifically a bolt action one, and about a gazillion rounds of ammo. If your goal is to become a good enough shot to qualify for sniper school, spend some time where it counts. Marksmanship. You'll need to be a capable shot on more than just an M16, so forget about getting a "Kewl" rifle and just get something that you can shoot acuratly...ALOT. Given a finite cash flow, you'll do better at bootcamp if you practice breathing,trigger squeeze, and conistant check weld with a .22 and a lot of bullets, than if you bought a cheap AR. If you have unlimited funds, and can afford to shoot 5.56mm in great quantities, then sure, go that way, but it sounds from your post as that might not be the case. The rifle doesn't make a good shooter, practice does. Physical and mental.\ B.R.A.S.S. - "Breath, Relax, Aim, Stop...Squeeze!"  That's what will get you to qualify "expert", not some fancy, shiny, nifty AR-15, which, as stated above, won't have a whole lot in commen with the ratty, worn out rifles you'll get in fruitcamp. If you aren't a good enough marksman to shoot that well at this point, it's going to take practice to get there, and the best way to do that is to learn some good marksmenship habbits and PRACTICE them. That's why I say get a bolt action .22lr. The ammo is cheap, so you can shoot lots. They are accurate enough for training well, and you won't have to worry about learning bad habits with a semi-automatic rifle. I've seen that too many times. "Oh, I flubbed that shot, no biggie, I have 29 more...28 more, 27 more...Damn. Still not hitting right. Maybe I need to shoot faster..." This is just my oppinion, but if you were my kid, I'd beat it into you. Shoot. Shoot lots. Shoot correctly, and hit the target! Let Uncle Sam buy you the M16. He gets them cheaper anyway.

Good Advice...