M16A3

"A 3rd generation assault rifle that excels in both efficiency and firepower. Can be equipped with a scope."

- The Arsenal

The M16A3 Assault Rifle is the default primary weapon in Combat Arms. Every player is granted one when they create an account so there is no cost involved to use it. Many people complain that the rifle it is too weak. Because of this, the M16A3 is used mainly by those who do not have enough GP or NX to spend on other weapons or those who want to save up GP. In-game, the M16A3 possesses both burst fire as well as an automatic firing mode.

Pros
When the user is not spraying or running around, the M16A3 is surprisingly accurate to the point that it has nearly the same long-range efficiency as the FAMAS (on the silo stairway in Snow Valley, this gun can reach the opposite hill on Alpha's respawn). As such, one can pick off enemies with headshots from medium to medium-long range with relative ease. In addition, the recoil pattern is set in a way that results in many unexpected headshots for the player. This works especially well at close range. Tap firing works well in mid-long range engagements, and even more so if a scope is attached. Do note that the damage drops off at longer engagements, making the weak M16A3 even weaker.

Alternatively, the M16A3 can be used as a free placeholder gun in players' backpacks. Since you can only pick up guns by swapping with one that you are already holding, it is not smart to carry just your main gun since you must give that up when picking up another gun. Having the M16A3 in the backpack allows you to pick up weapons without giving up your main weapon.

Cons
Since the M16A3 is the default weapon, it is significantly inferior to other weapons. The most glaring issue is its stopping power. With a borderline 5-6 shot kilthumb|right|272px|Grave Digger Combat Armsl, it is one of the weakest weapons in the entire game (including pistols). Not even its decent rate of fire can make up for the lack of damage output. This gun is definitely not meant for CQB because of its low damage and high spread.

Another drawback of this gun is its spread, which expands quickly but recovers slowly. This makes it very difficult for hip-firing. As one can conclude, the M16A3 is a terrible weapon for rushing as it cannot compete with other players with better weapons. Most players use a better gun because of all these disadvantages.

thumb|right|250pxStrategy
If one is using this as their main weapon, camping is advised unless the player is significantly better than everyone else. The player should be concealed in a path which the enemies frequently take, and attack them unexpectedly from behind. After ambushing a few people, the player should relocate to another position as the enemy will be aware of you. In direct combat, it is advisable to be engaged in a long-range engagement against other players with non-sniper weapons. The M16A3 is still a very accurate weapon. If a player capitalizes on this, their survival rate is much higher than if they were fighting in a short or mid ranged battles.

Variants
The M16A3 has several variants, which are all default upgrades. They are all rewarded after the player reaches a certain rank.

M16A3 ProfessionalM16A3_Professional_imge.jpg.jpg
Sent to the player's inbox once the rank of Command Sergeant Major III is reached, the only difference here is its slightly faster draw rate and the reskin. The stock and barrel is recolored with white feathers on a blue and black background, with a white base coat and a blue line cutting through the middle of the magazine.

M16A3 Veteran

Obtained at the rank of Captain/III, the Veteran comes with a built in ACOG TA1 scope as well as a reskin. Its stock and barrel is recolored with a brown, black, and white snake themed skin, while a the magazine has a white stripe running down. The main functional difference is that the Veteran has a decreased reload time.

M16A3 Elite

Obtained at the rank of Colonel/III, the Elite comes with a built in ACOG TA1. It follows the "Elite" set design with a tiger stripe pattern in various shades of brown and green on the stock and the barrel. A tiger head is seen on the stock as well as a tanned stripe running down the magazine. Additional differences between this and the normal M16A3 are a higher portability and improved firepower. Possibly, it has the same fast draw rate of the Professional as well as the reduced reload time of the Veteran.

M16A3 Champion
Considered to be of the most prestigious honors in the game; only will reaching the rank of General of the Army would one be given this weapon. Because so little people have had access to the Champion, it is not publicly known if the gun will disappear when a player loses their rank as the General of the Army.

Akin to all Champion items, it features a distinct red tint throughout the gun with a skull logo on the stock. The magazine has a vertical red stripe, and the gun is attached with an ACOG TA1 scope on the rail. The Chinese characters "死神" (pinyin: Sǐshén, meaning "God of Death", and "Death" as the literal meaning) are stamped onto the magazine well. Additional differences between it and the normal M16A3 is that it has all the improvements of the Professional, Veteran, and Elite variants plus improved firepower.

Currently, in Combat Arms North America, only Greatfullded, LiveFaster, SQUIDB00sT3R, Ricosnake, LoveStory-, Eat-A-Peach, J3SICARABBIT, -Route22-, and -TT_DigitaL have reached the required rank to obtain this weapon.

Currently, in Combat Arms Europe, only -SLR-, Scentiic, BurHunter1-, and BRoot have reached the rank required to obtain this weapon.

Trivia

 * The in-game skin is actually an M16A4 as the game originally called the gun the M16A4. Because the real life counterpart does not feature a fully automatic option, the name was changed to the automatic version of the M16A2; the M16A3.
 * The M16A3 is the least produced M16 variant in real life, yet it is the most common weapon in Combat Arms because of this renaming. Makes one wonder why Nexon didn't just rename it as the M16A1, a much more produced gun that also features automatic firing. Additionally, U.S. Military already phased it out which can then explain why there are so many M16 rifles in the game as they are no longer in use.
 * Even though the M16A3's carry handle can be removed to accommodate optics, any attachments in-game is merely attached on top of the handle without moving it.
 * The M16 is the U.S. designation for the AR-15 rifle, and has been the service rifle for the U.S. Military for nearly five decades. The M16 entered service during the Vietnam War in 1963. No cleaning kits were provided to soldiers under the assumption that the gun never needed to be cleaned, but they were wrong. It jammed frequently in the jungle enviroment of Vietnam. Later generations have improved on the issue.
 * This weapon, despite the bad accuracy and the spread, has a very good headshot ratio. If one can handle the spread skillfully, then he or she can make good use of this weapon, due to its power in long range combat.

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