Had no idea they were still issuing the m-14 in 1969. Obviously you know much better than me (I was born in ‘78) that the m-16a1 has all sorts of issues that have been since engineered out. I’m. I’m with you though, I’d much rather have an m-14 than an m16a1.
I run AR-15’s in all sorts of competitions and made up training scenarios and have virtually 100% performance in these situations. I’ve custom built all my rifles and hand load all my own ammo, so that’s a factor too.
Thank you for your service!
My post #11 above Caribou is from 1969 Vietnam. This was sitting on Nha Trang AB getting ready for a flight to Pleiku.
The M16 was first issued to grunt units. Support units kept the M14 until enough M16’s could be manufactured. Some M16’s were actually made by the Mattel toy corporation, which when combined with the jamming issues, further degraded the reputation of the M16.
Little known is that M1 carbines could be bought on the black market in Vietnam for as little as $50. A few men in my unit bought them and were allowed to keep them. I recall watching Nung mercenaries train with the M1 at Nha Trang, being light and short they were quite effective. The Nung were said to be bred as merciless fighters which was why they were the people of choice to be trained by the SF as mercenaries. Just “kill them all and let God sort them out” was a often quoted motto during that war.
The M1 carbine is on my favorite weapons list.