Of course it worked. The m-14 bring an updated Garand. The m -16 would have worked too if the politicians would have allowed it to be put out the way Stoner designed it. But they had contracts with Olin who made ball powder that was filthy and gummed up the works. Had they used DuPont as indicated by Stoner there would have been no jams. So they eventually chromed the chambers and installed that little round pusher button to overcome the powder problem.
Politics
Forward assist.