Who invented the M16 rifle?

Eugene Morrison Stoner is credited with inventing the American M16 while working as chief engineer for ArmaLite. The M16 became the standard-issue assault rifle of the U.S. military in 1963.

The invention was inspired by studies that showed soldiers were not pulling the trigger during the pressures of combat, and Stoner determined to build a firearm that fired repeatedly with a single pull of the trigger. Derived from the basic AR-10 model he completed in 1955, the design was improved by his team at the urging of the armed forces and released as the AR-15, which was later adopted by United States military as the M16.