M16a2 Carry Handle - What do briefcases, suitcases and automatic firearms have in common? All have carry handles! Or, most of them do. The carry handle on the gun is very unusual. They have many guns ranging from M16 to M240. These carry handles look great for your average infantry rifle.

Machine guns weigh tens of pounds and their grips are often on the barrels. The barrels are nice and hot, so the handle makes it easy to remove the barrel and replace it easily. So why did Eugene Stoner put a handle on his designed AR 10 and later the AR 15? That's the question we intend to answer today, and along the way, we'll answer why most guns have these handles.

M16a2 Carry Handle

M16a2 Carry Handle

Armed with the Colt 5.56mm M16A2 rifle, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Lance Corporal (LCPL) Timothy Williamson of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, moves cautiously through a field of tall grass while on security patrol in the Daly area. Airfield, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (USMC)

Gun Question: What Is A Carry Handle And Why Do Rifles Have Them?

That's not the older models of the M16 - specifically the original M16, M16A1, and M16A2. Weapons like the G36 and VHS also have carry handles. Those big, obnoxious shaped things sit on the receiver of the gun.

However, even though they are called carry handles, I would never recommend carrying a gun with a carry handle. Not because it damages the armor in anyway, but because some NCO walks off the tree line and tears your soul from your body. Although it is called a carry handle, it is an unusual way to use it in today's tactical environment.

We found that you definitely can't use one to carry your gun. So why? Why did the M16 have a carry handle and seems to have been omitted with the A3/A4 variants and all modern cabinets?

Let's start with the basic design of the M16. The early model AR 15 and AR 10 featured a charging handle on the receiver. It looks like a bit of a trigger, but that's what the weapon is designed for. A carrying handle protects this exposed charging handle.

Colt Acr (advanced Combat Rifle) M16a2 5.56mm Nato Duplex Transferable Machine Gun W/ Experimental Serial Number

By the time the AR 15 became the M16, the rifle ditched the top charging handle for the earlier mounted model and we all know it today. However, the charging handle remained there.

When looking at the design of the AR 15, notice how perfectly the barrel fits into the stock. This in-line design makes a big difference in how you aim the weapon. Due to the internal structure the channels have to sit higher. On the M16, the sights sit inside the carry handle. The extra length is needed to ensure that the visuals can be used properly.

If they are short, it will be impossible to establish a good cheek weld. That gun line design serves a purpose. This makes the gun more controllable and allows the user to skilfully reduce recoil and muzzle rise.

M16a2 Carry Handle

Armed with its 5.565 mm M16A2 gun, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Lance Corporal (LCPL) Stanley Brown, Lima Company 3rd Battalion 7th Marines (3/7), Twentynine Palms, California, participates in a company patrol wearing his M40A1 Chemical-Biological. Masque at Camp Ripper, Kuwait. (USMC)

Le6920scmck Kac M4 Ras/removable Carry Handle

This is why almost all guns with carry handles have them. Check out the AK for a second. See how much lower the stock is than the barrel. This design allows the steel sights to sit low and negates the need for a carry handle.

Nowadays the M16A3/M16A4, M4, Mk 18, etc., all have a flat-top upper receiver. This flat-top receiver features a universal mounting system for attaching accessories to the Picatinny rail and weapons. Accessories, including sights, now dominate the modern firearms world.

These optics must have a specific length to use, and that length is usually the same or close to the handle.

Although they stick to machine guns, they completely disappear from rifles. It's a sad day to see a little bear disappear, but that's the way the world goes.

Colt/diemaco Light Machine Gun Upper Receivers

Travis Pike is a former Marine machine gunner who served 5 years with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and a record 11 months at sea with the 22nd MEU (SOC) in 2011. They have been trained by the Romanian Army, Spanish Navy, Emirate Navy and Afghan National Army. He serves as an NRA certified pistol instructor and teaches concealed carry classes.

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M16a2 Carry Handle

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Ncstar Ar15 Detachable Carry Handle

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