M656

Factions	Weapon	Icon	Classes	Ammo
					US	M656		Sniper	20 / 40

Damage Base	Headshot ×	Chest ×	Stomach ×	Leg ×	Arm ×	Bayonet	Rifle Grenades	Reload Speed
								Partial	Empty
37	×2.5 = 92.5	×1.2 = 44.4	×1.15 = 42.55	×0.8 = 29.6	×0.75 = 27.75	YES	NO	2.366 Seconds	3.166 Seconds

Designation	Weapon Type	Fire Modes	Fire Rate	Bullet Spread °	Range Modifier	Muzzle Velocity	Projectile weight	Weight
				[[]]	Sniper Rifles	Semi	750 RPM	8.07° & 0.15° ADS	0.975	960 m/s	12.3 g (189.81 gr)	2.89 kg (6.37 lbs)

Full name	Caliber	Place of Origin	Date	Manufacturer	Barrel Length	Total Length	Weapon Script Name
								FN	5.56mm	USA	1967	ARM	in ( mm)	in ( mm)	weapon_m656

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The Colt Model 656 (often described as the M16A1 Special Low Profile) is an experimental 5.56×45mm/.223 rifle based on the M16A1 pattern, developed by Colt during the Vietnam War era for evaluation as a light sniper or designated marksman rifle. It uses a heavy 20-inch barrel and a special upper receiver without a carry handle, incorporating a low-profile rear sight and an integral Weaver-style base for mounting optics. The design is best known as an early “flat-top” concept that anticipated later rail-equipped M16-family receivers.

HISTORY

With U.S. requirements expanding during the Vietnam War, Colt developed the Model 655 and Model 656 as purpose-built M16-pattern rifles intended to improve precision and optic mounting over a standard M16A1. The Model 656 differed most visibly in its “low profile” upper receiver: the carrying handle was deleted and replaced by a low-profile sighting arrangement plus a Weaver-type scope base, while retaining an M16A1-style layout and a heavy barrel intended to support more consistent accuracy. Period descriptions commonly associate these evaluation rifles with contemporary variable-power optics such as the Leatherwood/Realist ranging scope, and some examples are noted as having been paired with specialized muzzle devices.

Despite the concept, the Model 656 was never standardized as an issued U.S. sniper rifle and appears to have remained a limited evaluation pattern rather than a broadly fielded weapon. In Vietnam-era practice, U.S. sniping and precision roles were typically filled by other systems, while the Model 656’s main legacy is technical: it foreshadowed later developments in low-profile/optics-ready upper receivers and the eventual growth of designated-marksman style configurations within the broader M16-family ecosystem.

Sources

• WorldCat — The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective (Stevens & Ezell)
• Osprey Publishing — The M16 (Gordon L. Rottman)
• List of Colt AR-15 and M16 rifle variants

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