The M14 rifle: A brief history

[handejector]

Arguably one of the best battle rifles ever produced. I love it. I met my first one in 1968. They do perform admirably.

It is interesting that the US spent so much time and effort developing the M-14, while the rest of the free world simply adopted the FN FAL in one version or the other.

FAL or M-14?
I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite as long as we are talking metric FAL. With either, I'd feel adequately armed for any possibility.

 

[TACC1]

Trained with both M1 and M14 in '64. I didn't know squat about
firearms, (still don't), but I could see that the M14 was a modified M1.
Of the two, I prefer the M14, as I shot better for me, and reload was
easier. I've never shot an iron-sighted rifle as well as the M14.
Way out of my league, pricewise, and the Corps won't let me back in
to shoot it, either!
The above article on this fine rifle is right up there, to your usual
high standards, thanks for reposting. TACC1

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I trained on the M-14 in BCT, had to fight with the M-60 (yes!) and the M-16 (no!). As other noted there were some quality control problems and the notion of a 9 pound rifle taking the place of the M-1 AND the BAR..?
Let's just just say it looked good on paper. In Ezell's book he says the M-14 vs M-16 tests were weighted to heavily in favor of the M-14 which ledt to automatically assume that the M-16 perforce was better.

 

[cmort666]

Had we had to invade Japan, the bulk of the counterinsurgency operations would probably have been fought with the .30-06 version and the .30-06 version of the MG42.

 

[Bob R]

My last tour before I retired I was on the base rifle/pistol team. I was issued a match prepped Colt 1911A1 and a match prepped Winchester M14.

I loved those guns, and all of the ammo they gave me to shoot.

By far the finest set of guns ever used by the military (IMO).

bob

 

[semperfi71]

Great article and good luck on the story. Thanks for posting.

Qualified marksman, sharpshooter, and expert with the M14 from 1971 to 1975 each year. My most proud moment was in boot camp. I had never fired a center-fire rifle in my life. I bore down and worked hard at "snapping in" and dry firing. I shot expert on Pre-Qual day and sharpshooter on Qual day, missing expert by two points.

I should have bought an M1A as soon as I found out about them, but military rifles no longer interest me as to owning one.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I missed the old M1 and air cooled Browning Mc, when we had to box them up and send them back to the states.

The M14 and M60 were the new "Nato weapons" that we had to use.........
Those of us that had to fix, repair and clean them had a saying......
"Made by Mattel, they're swell" ..............

The wood stock was not as good as the M1 and the blue job was not to good. First thing to rust was the butt plate...
and we were kept busy with the "Star gauge" keeping that darn flash depressor on that rifle.

The fire selector was a slick idea though.............. and it did do well in the accuracy department. Only got to fire it one time on the range after asking the top Gunny several times.
100 to 500 yards with no "Maggies drawers" .......... Scored expert with a rifle I put together with a few "Selected" parts from the 400 plus that we had on hand.

It served well.

Never got to get to shoot the M16...........got my traveling papers.

 

[semperfi71]

I can tell you how heavy the M14 was.

One fine day our Drill Instructor, S/SGT J.A. Varela (yes, a Marine never forgets a D.I.)....one fine day he decided we needed indoors "recreation" for some offense now forgotten.

He had the entire platoon form ranks in the "squad bay" (the open area where you first walk into the barracks) its an area about the size of a double wide pickup truck or so.

We then were ordered to hold our M14s out at arms length with two hands. And to hold them there a LOOOONNG time. As we got tired and arms started to droop S/SGT Varela was in our face, yelling of course.

My buddy Gilberto Chavarria found out that HIS M14 was three times as heavy as everyone else's. This because S/SGT Varela ended up stacking 2 M14s onto his outstretched arms which held his original M14. And then yelled and punched on Gilberto to not drop his arms or the rifles.

What a bully......................

We all laughed about it later, even though Chavarria couldn't lift his arms for a while.................

 

[J. Galt]

"My FFL has a beauty, appears to be all original WW2 Winchester, but, though it is in great shape, it is much rougher than, say, a Springfield or H&R. In fit and finish, that is.

He's out of his mind on the price-$2500."

If it is indeed an all original Winchester M1 he is out of his mind. He should have it priced higher. Go back and grab it! And if it turns out to be a Win-13 you really have found a gem. After you get it home you can go back and tell the dealer. Then watch him cry.

 

[nawilson]

In the last century, I was a cadet at North Georgia College, one of the nation's six senior military colleges. Then, we had maybe 500 or so M14s in the Arms Room. I spent a lot of time at right shoulder arms with mine, and a lot of time walking through the mountains loaded with blanks. My M14 was a great, if heavy, rifle, but I never got to fire any live ammo from it.

Jump ahead a few years... I was back at the college as ROTC cadre, in fact as the advisor to the Combat Shooting Team. The school was down to a lot less M14s. They were replaced by M16A2s. I did get to take the old M14s out one day though. The Cadets, most of whom had not fired a 7.62 before, got to shoot about 1000 rounds of ball ammo. The ammo was on 5 round stripper clips. The inside of the crate was stamped 09/60. That stuff sat in an earthen bunker since the Eisenhower administration. I told the Cadets that it was built to shoot Russians in Germany.

We were shooting 50 year old rifles, with 50 year old ammo, and 50 year old magazines... 1000 rounds fired with no malfunctions. That is a tribute to the design.

After we shot up the 7.62, we went back to the M16s. They felt like pop guns after the M14s. I also started getting double and triple feeds. As an aside, most of those were magazine or maintenance related. ROTC is about dead last in priority for repair parts. I can certainly understand why the old timers held their M14s in such regard. They are both reliable and powerful.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

The M14 rifle: A brief history

John,

Thanks for sharing your article with all of us.

I was first issued mine at Parris Island in July 1965. Used it in Vietnam. It beat me to death on the old three mile physical fitness tests with full combat gear. Those iron sights are the best in the world, and the hit accuracy is right there with it. Many Marines, myself included, have wished that the M-14 was still the standard issue for their T/O weapon.

I bought a new Springfield Armory M-1A two years ago. Spent almost three months sanding and finishing that stock with Formbys, then with about six coats of satin finish poly. I'll never sell it!!

BTW-I copied your article and pasted it in to a Word document to keep with all of my documents that accompany this outstanding combat rifle!

Semper Fi!

 

[the ringo kid]

The gun store that took in my P2000 had 3 on hand...a Scout, socom and Loaded...I really want a Scout and it was 1600...a pretty good price...took all my might not to hand over my credit card after playing with it....

I know what you mean, ive always wanted one as well--probably one of those National Match--or whatever they are properly called?

 

[rojodiablo]

"This is my rifle...this is my gun".

Man, talk about bringing back old nightmares. I carried that damnable thing over many, many miles. Actually, I qualified expert with the thing, so, besides being heavy, I have to admit it was accurate.

Now that I think about it, thanks for the memories, it really was a dependable rifle.

We were set for a full gear hike, maybe a 15 clicks. And one of our squad had to run his trap to the DI, who was a Gunny, about how the M4 was going to get heavy.....

"Wait right here. No, better yet, you little truckers can march down to the armory, and we will fix your snitching."

We got there, and in a blink of an eye, we were trading in the M4 for M14's for the hike. Yeah, we had just double-timed it a mile or so in the wrong direction, and now we had rifles that weighed in at about 70% more weight.

As our DI put it: " You are going to do this like I did at Perris Island. You are going to do it like real men did it; like your grandfathers did it. If I had enough M1's to haul around, you'd be carrying those. Now ladies, you have made me an hour late for my lunch. So, get moving, you are also 1 mile off course, and you have not gotten a thing done all day. The Navy makes some worthless Marines, I tell you."

As I recall......... Steve was his name. Steve was not real happy about carrying the heavier rifle. And....... no one was friendly with Steve for several days after that.

The M14 is HEAVY.

 

[Bat Guano]

The M14/M1A's iron sights are the principal reason that I regret aging eyes. We no sooner learn how to shoot well that we forget how to SEE.

I've fooled with some optics but the rifle isn't well adapted to them; and by the time you get the glass, a mount, a full mag and a leather sling on it you're bumping 13 pounds. But what lovely, lovely rifles!

 

[Cyrano]

Superlative post, John. Amazing how you've crowded so much information in such little space. GREAT article.

Geat gun, too: I only carried one for a couple of years and only qualified with it once: shot Expert.

Now I have a Springfield Armory M1A, NM version, circa 1970s. Also a great rifle and uncanny accurate. The 168 gr Sierra MatchKing bullet and some 4895 powder can't be beat. A French friend who has shot a lot of everything shot it and said it's better by far than the Dragunov.

 

[Mydogmax]

Qualified Marksman in boot camp & then Expert in Okinawa with the M14. Carried it while in Chu Lai. Good rifle. Very accurate.
Nice post there Mr Paladin.

 

[steelslaver]

I to was issued several M14 and wish I had one. I still remember my service number and my boot camp M14 serial number. I ran a lot of mile with it at port arms and a zillion up and on shoulders with it. Many people find it hard to believe that as part of qualification we fired them accurately at 500 YDS.

Nice article about a truly great RIFLE

 

[labworm]

1966 Basic Training, Fort Gordon GA

Qualified with the M14 and never seen another one while in the Army, the M16 became the new kid in town.

Yup, the DI would shoot the M14 with the butt between his legs, what a show off, but back then I wouldn't dare make any comments.

 

[jimmyj]

Only 13 pounds ????
I lifted one a few years ago at age 71, and I know it weighed at least 125 pounds !

The M14/M1A's iron sights are the principal reason that I regret aging eyes. We no sooner learn how to shoot well that we forget how to SEE.

I've fooled with some optics but the rifle isn't well adapted to them; and by the time you get the glass, a mount, a full mag and a leather sling on it you're bumping 13 pounds. But what lovely, lovely rifles!

 

[LoboGunLeather]

"My FFL has a beauty, appears to be all original WW2 Winchester, but, though it is in great shape, it is much rougher than, say, a Springfield or H&R. In fit and finish, that is.

He's out of his mind on the price-$2500."

If it is indeed an all original Winchester M1 he is out of his mind. He should have it priced higher. Go back and grab it! And if it turns out to be a Win-13 you really have found a gem. After you get it home you can go back and tell the dealer. Then watch him cry.

One in my collection is a Win 13, however was arsenal overhauled (SA 1952 barrel, other parts mixed as usual). Even at that the "Winchester" name on the receiver makes for a premium price, and the serial number in the "Win 13" range ups the value again. I figure its market value at no less than 50% over other similar period pieces.

I don't think that $2500 is entirely out of line for an original and all correct Winchester M1, assuming condition is in the upper range of "good to very good". Frankly, I would be interested.