Posted on 11/14/2014 6:18:16 AM PST by C19fan
Critics said the M-14 was what happened when the U.S. government took many years and spent millions of dollars designing a rifle that was really just a glorified M-1 Garand from World War II.
The M-14 was the U.S. military’s last battle rifle. It appeared in 1959—the contemporary of the Pentagon’s first jet fighters and ICBMs. With its heavy steel parts and walnut stock, the M-14 looked positively archaic.
It was hardly a Space Age weapon. And it only endured as America’s battle rifle until 1970, when the M-16 completely superseded it—the shortest service record of any U.S. military rifle in the 20th century.
Yet, the M-14 has come and gone and come back again. Its accuracy and power—it fires the 7.62 x 51 millimeter NATO round—have given it a new lease on life as a weapon for snipers and designated marksmen.
The M-14 refuses to surrender.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
Perhaps, but the M-14 was not a 30-06. It’s a .308 Winchester, a 7.62mm x 51 mm round. It’s is shorter than the 30-06 by 12mm’s.
Oh, and the FN FAL is a 7.62mm, like the M-14.
M14 Marine salute!
The rest is history.
"On full-auto, the M-14 fired 750 rounds a minute, leading to complaints that it was nearly uncontrollable as a select-fire weapon."
An older neighbor said he was in the N.G. in the early 60s and had to qualify on the B.A.R.
Only weighing 120 lbs, he got on the firing line in the prone position, fired a burst, the stood up, walked back to the firing line again and shot another.....Ha
I would like to obtain one.
I like them.
M1A1 bump
Sadly, I will not live to see the day when the Marines adopt the M4A1 Pulse Rifle as their primary weapon.
I could have bought a BRAND new M-14 (in box never fired manuals everything)in the 1980’s for 400 bucks. Why didn’t I do that?
In the spring of 1970 I found six virtually unused M14’s (with resin stocks) in our battalion supply when I became support platoon leader. They had probably been used for cermonial purposes only and weren’t on the property list.
I took the best one and that’s what I carried for the next year or so. When I got transferred to the 1st Cav I took it with me. Nobody said a thing. (Try to imagine that happening in today’s Army.)
The Cav’s sniper school gun smiths at Bien Hoa accurized it for me. It was a tack-driver. They also put a selector switch on it. Mastering full auto with it took some practice but I did it.
It was a boat anchor compared to the Car-15 I had carried but it was a true rifle. Loved the damned thing.
Only regret was I couldn’t figure out a way to sneak it back home.
I guess the xmlr-1a and 3a are too far off as well.
Disassemble and ship in several packages.
Thats no M-14
I thought the Johnson M1941 had the shortest service.
Yeah, it was heavy, so was the ammo load.
But it never jammed on me, it was not a time hog, as the M-16 was in demanding that I clean it every ten rounds.
It kicked like a mule...but when the fecal matter is striking the rotating ventilation device, one never feels such things.
The cyclic rate of fire was relatively slow, compared to the Mattel, er, uh the Colt AR-16, I mean M-16, but I have personally observed one round take out three bad guys.
I have also personally observed one M-16 round bounce off the belt buckle of a bad guy.
Not saying that all M-16 rounds bounced off, but I do know from first-hand observation, that the 7.62 round fired from the Springfield M-14, did much, much more damage than the 5.56 round fired from the Mattel, er, uh, the Colt M-16.
I really don't know what the reasoning was for replacing the M-14, I'm sure there were good ones, such as weight, ease of manufacturing, economy of maintenance, something of that nature, anything other than how well the soldiers using it liked it.
I was just a Snuffy then, but later, when the whiz-kids decided the venerable 1911A-1 was not suitable for our modern forces, I submitted several missives in support of it, but I assume the fix was in by then, by the Beretta family, to supply that piece of crap 9mm shooting boat anchor.
That's a whole 'nother story.
I learned the Manual of Arms on the M-14.
Done correctly, it is a thing of beauty. I once captured a Soldier of the Year award with it and I am convinced it was the most precision Manual of Arms presentation the board had ever seen.
I practiced for hours and hours with that damned thing.
Have you ever seen a decent rendition of the Manual of Arms on a Mattel, er, uh, Colt M-16?
Why does the Old Guard and the USMC Drill Teams still use the M-14?
Why is the M-14 still in the inventory of Special Operations units?
Why is the 1911 still in the inventory of Special Operations units, for that matter?
I didn’t quite do that but did buy a M1A in 1986 for $650.00. Then there was the horrible TBA. In 1968 I shot Expert in Officers’ Basic with a M14. I’d have bought it on the spot if I could have.
Well....not really:
Inland M1A1
Select fire (single/full auto) M14 with selector switch up and behind trigger group next to the receiver. You can see the wooden notch for the "go fast" switch".
Semi Auto M1A
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