Pooka - Yes the AR-15 is a Colt product. "M-16" is just the U.S. military designation for the AR-15. The military version is basically a machine gun. Civilian versions can be anything some gun nut wants to make out of them, including a sniper rifle. I just mentioned it so folks would realize that the gun the cops found in the guy's place was of the correct caliber. Probably a moot point now though, isn't it?