Originally Posted by
Circuits
Not according to the military - as noted above, the M16A3 is a fixed carry handle 20" rifle like the M16A2, but with full auto instead of 3rd burst.
The confusion arises from many civilian manufacturers "jumping the gun" and calling their flat-top variants "A3" before the Army standardized its A3 and A4 usages.
I think Colt started it, and some companies like Bushmaster went with the Colt mistake, while other companies, like Armalite, use the correct military "A4" designation for their flat tops.
