Yes. The lever action repeater is considered the first assault rifle.
The M-16 has several variants, one of which is a .30 caliber. A 5.56 round is OK for the jungle but not much good at penetrating cars, doors, walls, etc.
At the time the lever action rifle was developed, it was much better than the breech loading single shot rifles of it’s day. (Better to have one or two guys reloading rifles and the better shots doing the shooting.) Plus, the rounds for certain types of the repeater, could also be used in the Colt revolver, which meant a soldier could carry more rounds.
A bolt action may be more accurate, but in close quarters combat of, say, 50 yards, the lever action was accurate enough. And they were Winchesters, which is nothing to sneeze at.