M-14 7.62mm RifleThe M-14 rifle was a direct successor to the World War II M-1 Garand, upgraded with selective automatic fire. It was heavy and of traditional design, not destined to last long as the standard service rifle. Warfare was changing and in Vietnam the M-14 was replaced by the M-16, a weapon better adapted to counterinsurgency war in the jungle or urban environments. The M-14 continues in service for limited roles.
More photos and videos of the M-14 7.62mm Rifle are available at the linked page.
U.S. Rifle, Caliber 7.62MM, M-14The M-14 rifle is a magazine-fed, gas operated shoulder weapon, designed primarily for semi-automatic fire of the NATO 7.62 mm cartridge. After World War II the Army began the search for a lightweight replacement for the M-1 Garand and the M-1918A2 BAR. The Army selected the M-14 rifle in 1957. In January 1968, the U.S. Army designated the 5.56mm M16 as the Standard rifle, and the M14 became a Limited Standard weapon. The M16 also replaced the M-14 as the Table of Organization rifle for the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Production of the M-14 rifle was halted in 1964 after 1,380,874 were procured. During the Vietnam War and continuing until the late 1980s, the M-21 7.62mm Sniper Rifle was produced from an accurized M14 National Match (NM) rifle equipped with a Leatherwood 3X-9X Adjustable Ranging Telescope (ART). The USMC DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) is another sniper version of the M14, hand built at Weapons Training Battalion, Quantico, VA. It is capable of precise, semi-automatic fire out to 1,000 yards with M118LR special ball 7.62mm ammunition. The DMR is equipped with a fixed ten power scope attached to its modular M1913 MIL-SPEC rail, a fiberglass stock adjustable for length of pull and with an ambidextrous, adjustable cheek piece, a 1/12 twist stainless steel barrel with six lands and grooves, a detachable twenty round box magazine, and a removable bipod.
After its replacement by the M16 as the standard Army and USMC rifle, the M-14 was used primarily in the Competition in Arms program, or for drill and ceremonial purposes. The M14 returned to combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan, refurbished and updated to mission standards as part of a program instituted by the U.S. Army to provide small teams with designated marksman support. Characteristics of the M-14 Rifle
Models of the M-14 Rifle
The M-14 was basically an improved M-1 Garand, and performed well as an infantry rifle. The M-14 had an effective range of 500 yards (460m), using a standard NATO 7.62mm cartridge in a 20-round magazine. Some M-14s were equipped with a bipod for use as a squad automatic weapon. However, the M-14 displayed an erratic dispersion pattern, excessive recoil, and muzzle climb when fired as an automatic rifle.
Bayonet: The M-14 rifle used the M-6 bayonet, not interchangable with any other bayonet or rifle. Thanks to SPC Johnathan Howard of the 42nd ID Eng Bde (Fwd) RROC for help with this page. Find More Information on the InternetThere are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there. For good results, try entering this: m14 rifle. Then click the Search button. |
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