They don’t have M14s anymore??
M14 retrofitted with synthetic bull-pup stock with weaver rail and attachments. Assign to the designated marksman at each squad.
Limited usage but available.
Beat me to it. First thing I thought of.
“They don’t have M14s anymore??” [WKUHilltopper, post 2]
“Beat me to it. First thing I thought of.” [Bucky14, post 16]
DoD is said to be keeping some M14s in storage but does not disclose the exact number. Some were sent to allied countries, some were released to state & local law enforcement agencies or other official organizations. A very small number were released as marksmanship competition prizes.
The weapon was removed from the NSN system. Just what happened to the inventories of spare parts has not been made public.
Though it handles well, the M14 would be a poor choice. It bested the FAL in the original competition but results have been called into question repeatedly, since. Other contemporaries, such as HK’s G3 and AR-10 style rifles, would likely prove better.
General issue of M14s would be problematic as the Army Ordnance logistics/maintenance support organizations specializing in the arm no longer exist.
Re-issue of 7.62x63mm (US 30-06) would be a poorer choice. It was the longest military rifle round of its era and no modern rifle is long enough to handle it. Performance of 30M2 round is the same as 7.62x51 NATO. Though powerful, it wasn’t the greatest cartridge in its day: 7x57mm Mauser would have been better, 276 Pedersen better still.
In the early days of smokeless powder, several national military establishments opted for 6.5mm rifle rounds: France (limited), Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Imperial Japan. Russian designer Vladimir Fedorov chambered his AVF for a 6.5mm round of his own design, but later changed it to 6.5x50SR Arisaka.
Complaints surfaced about performance and effectiveness. The Swedes adopted 8x63 Bofors as a machine gun round. The Italians adopted 7.35 Carcano as a replacement for their 6.5x50, but never made the switch complete. Imperial Japan adopted 7.7x58 Arisaka, but did not go all the way in switching.
Yea, but they are OLD. The Army wants NEW rifles. Better change the law so that they can be made semi-auto and sold to the public.
Go Toppers (Class of '98)!
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
That platform or a variant could well be in the competition. They’re probably looking for something a bit lighter though.
See my immediately prior post. No, they basically don’t.