While its service as the U.S.'s main battle rifle was short, the M14 has played an important specialized role, especially in recent conflicts serving as the fast shooting, accurate tool of designated marksmen.
#Federal ordnance m1a full#
Perhaps this is why the selector of the M14 takes such conscious effort to dial to full auto. After that, it’s anyone’s guess-usually high and to the right, ineffectively or dangerously so. When flipped over to rat-a-tat-tat and moving some 750 bullets downrange per minute, it proved more than the average soldier could wield to any effect. Stopping power abounds, and so does recoil. The 7.62 is a rifle cartridge, not an intermediate rifle cartridge, but a full-fledged, centerfire rifle cartridge fit for taking down any North American game or enemy soldiers and is still favored by many precision shooters. The rub with select-fire, the M14 was about as agreeable as an angry badger, particularly fired from an unsupported position. And more notoriously, it was select-fire. The flipside, it was large, weighing more than 10 pounds loaded. Adding on the same rear aperture sight and buttstock as the M1 meant you knew the M14 if you knew the Garand, and found some much-wanted upgrades along the way. 30-06 Springfield, but a more efficient cartridge in a semi-auto/full-auto system. It also boasted an excellent 22-inch barrel and was chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO, a ballistic twin to the Garand’s. To this, the Ordnance Department added a removable box magazine-a 20-round job that rocked in similarly to an AK-which gave it more capacity, as well as, theoretically, a faster reload time. Built around the gas-operated rotating bolt similar, but not a mirror of the Garand’s, the rifle proved extremely reliable. And what it was was an improved M1 Garand. The M14 did.įirst off, to understand why the rifle succeeded and struggled we have to look at exactly what it was. One gun to rule them all was only going to lead to disappointment. The M14 was set up with an almost impossible task: take the reins not only from the Garand, but a host of other proven weapons systems-M2 Carbine, M3 submachine gun and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), among others. Meant not only to succeed the M1 Garand, but a host of other military firearms, the M14 had a load of expectations heaped on its shoulders.Įxcept replacing the “greatest battle implement ever devised” was only the start. Leave it at that the M14 would have fared well on most counts. “Jam proof” is a bridge too far, but overall it could chew through ammo in the nastiest of circumstances. Confirmed kills at 500-yard-plus, the M14 was an out-and-out killer in a studied marksman’s hands and as reliable as its predecessor. For the most part, the M14 did a solid job stepping into the Garand’s shoes. When your pop whipped the Germans and Japanese in one fell swoop and has battles such as Normandy, Bastogne, Monte Cassino, Tarawa and Iwo Jima on his resume, it’s fair to say you have a lot to live up to. Which to some extent may have also set it up for bumpy road from the start. A Much Too Small Thumbnail Of The M14īlood blue as a Boston brahmin, the M14 is a direct descendant of perhaps America’s most cherished battle rifle-the M1 Garand. And even if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool AR, AK, FAL, G3, or what-have-you man or woman, if you’re honest with yourself, you’d make room in your gun safe for this throwback icon. Cornerstone to the gunmaker’s catalog, its semi-auto rendition of the M14-the equally iconic M1A-keeps the legend alive. No matter what banner you hoist in the fray, there’s no denying the M14 won’t soon be forgotten.īarbershop-worthy ponderations fuel one part of the rifle’s longevity. Did the M14 get the short end of the stick in as the country’s infantry spear point? Or only was it only there due to politics and nostalgia? When not flaming each other in the comment section of a post, honestly, both sides have valid points to the worthiness of the rifle. Today, the rifle spurs debate hot enough to cook off a freshly chambered round. The M14 is a decided exception.Īmong the briefest runs (1957-1964) as the American military’s main battle rifle, the steel and birch (sometimes walnut) beast has all the makings of a historical footnote. Short service typically doesn’t equate to legendary. While the short service life of the M14 should have made it a military footnote, the design remains as popular as ever thanks in part to the Springfield Armory M1A. Springfield Armory M1A National Match … still a favorite among those going the distance.
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