Here's a little known factoid. Hydramatic division of GM made M-16 rifles! Never knew that. They had a contract with the government to make 295k rifles for the military. They actually make a current reproduction of the lower receiver. Go figure. Now I want one!!
All of our M2 .50 cal machine guns we went to Afghanistan with were GM built (during WW2)! I have an M1 carbine gm built myself. Never knew they built any M16 stuff. Pretty cool.
That's cool! So,The M-16 is basically an AR-15? The stamping doesn't specify rifle or pistol...can it be built as a <16" barrel pistol? ... I'm still wanting one of those.
When I hired in at gm I worked at the now closed willow run powertrain plant. That was the bomber plant at willow run airport during ww2. Huge facility....it would blow your mind to see how huge it was. Tunnels running everywhere under the plant. I was told at that time(2000) that the plant still had government artillery dies in the building and the presses to use those dies. It was said that the plant could be utilized for that purpose if need be. Lot of history at that plant. At one end they built the 4L80 trans and it was the same end that the bomber doors were located. They would open them in the summer when I worked there as they were still operational. The bombers would drive out of the giant doors when completed, make a turn and fire the guns into a giant dirt hill to test them, then taxi directly onto the runway. Pretty awesome stuff. That plant finally closed down in 2010.
An AR-15 is the civilian version of the military M-16 which came out about 1964. The M-16 is a full auto. The AR is a semi automatic. The external difference is an 1/8" hole in the receiver that secures the auto sear. Civilians can own a full auto M-16. You just have to live in the right state, buy one made prior to may 19th, 1986, be willing to shell out 50 grand and wait a year for the paperwork to clear the ATF.
Unless you work for a class 7 FFL/ SOT. You can build one for peanuts provided you fill out a form 2 with the ATF. But....you can only use it for demonstration purposes. It can only be sold to- a police agency, the military, another class 7 FFL or destroyed. If it's brought to a gun range, you need to ask if they allow it, bring the paperwork with you and have someone on the gun stores FFL present while your shooting it. Florida is an NFA, class 2 state. Basically anything goes down here
My father was a tool and die maker for a company in Reading Pa, Textile Machine Works, that made knitting machines. They also made the M1 during WW2, my father got a critical skill deferment until the end of the war.
Most factories were converted for the war effort. WW I and especially WW II. I wonder what Mr Musk would say if we end up with WW III?
Buick built aircraft engines for the B-24 during WWII. Buick in World War Two (usautoindustryworldwartwo.com)
