Is there a way to buy used Army rifles, like the M16?

Question

I just wondered after I finish basic training, it would be great to own one. Any legal ways to do so?

Answer 1

As a civilian, no I'm sorry you cant. however, you can get the AR-15. The only difference between the two is that the AR-15 is only semi auto

Answer 2

The Army destroys firearms when they are no longer serviceable. They do not sell them.

As others have pointed out, the AR-15 is as close as you are going to get to owning an M-16.

Answer 3

Only if you are a foreign country .  

Answer 4

You cant buy a M-16 per say, you can by a Ar-15 which is the civilian version of the m-16, its identical in every way minus full auto

Answer 5

All official military rifles that is not in use are normally "de-milled" after its use and is no longer a true weapon and more of a wall decoration. Most of the time it is simply returned back to the supply system and never to be seen again except in repair parts for other rifles.

If you are seeking a M-16A2 you will have to head to your local Pawn shop and pick up an AR-15, it is the same rifle, and you can put the same attachments on it as the M-16A2. The big difference is the selector switch. The M-16A2 is a semi automatic or three round burst weapon and your AR-15 is just a Semi-automatic. Looks that same though.  

Answer 6

I think the closest you will get is an AR-15.

Answer 7

You can try here: http://www.aimsurplus.com/ but you won't be able to get the M-16. Certain guns are restricted for civilians.

They are constantly updating their new and used gun inventory for both pistols and rifles. They have cheap ammo too, but I don't get any ammo that isn't American, it can ruin your gun.

Answer 8

No.  The Army doesn't sell its old full-auto rifles to the public.  They still sell old (World War II surplus) semi-automatic rifles through the Army's Department of Civilian Marksmanship so civilians could practice using military weapons in a national emergency.  But you have to be a competitive target shooter in the National Rifle Association to get that deal.

You can't even buy any of the small number of civilian-legal versions of the M-16/M-4 family (which were sold to various police agencies or owned by registered automatic weapons dealers) unless you have a special permit called a Class III permit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  Even getting that is a major hassle that costs a whole lot of money and can take up to a year.

But if you pay $200 for BATF to make sure you're not in Al-Qaeda or a lunatic, AND if you get the senior law enforcement official - the chief of police or the county sheriff, usually - to sign a paper saying he's comfortable with you owning fully-automatic weapons... then yes, you can own one of the few full-auto versions of the Colt M-16/M-4 family of rifles which civilians may legally own.  After local and Federal fees that can exceed $400 total, the rifle itself is apt to cost between $800 and $2,000 depending on the condition of the rifle.

It's a lot cheaper and almost as cool to own an AR-15 "sporter" or another semi-automatic only rifle that is exactly the same as the Army rifle except it only fires one bulled every time you pull the trigger.  And besides the coolness factor, why would you NEED a fully-automatic (or 3-rouind burst) assault rifle?

Just whatever you do, hurry up before Obama makes EVERYTHING illegal.  You have until January 20th next year.