M4A1

The M4 (or M4A1) is a firearm tracing its origins to a variant of the CAR-15 which is based on the M16 and all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2, with 80% parts commonality with the M16A2. The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and full-auto. It fires the 5.56x45mm NATO round, and is suitable for C.Q.C. Although the M4 has a shorter effective range than the longer M16, many military analysts consider engagement with a non-specialized small arm above a range of 300 meters (330 yd) to be unnecessary. It is effective at ranges of 150 meters (160 yd) or less and has a maximum effective range of about 500 to 600 meters (550–660 yd).