M14
The M14 rifle
Type	Service rifle
Place of origin	United States of America
Service history
In service	1957–present
Used by	Estonia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Philippines, Taiwan, Turkey, Venezuela, United States
Wars	Vietnam War–present
Production history
Designed	1954
Produced	1959–1964
Number built	~1.38 million
Variants	M14E1, M14E2/M14A1, M14K, M21, XM25
Specifications
Weight	4.5 kg (9.9 lb)
Length	1,118 mm (44 in)
Barrel length	559 mm (22 in)
Cartridge	7.62 × 51 mm NATO
Caliber	7.62 mm (.308 in)
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	700–750 round/min
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective range	460 m (500 yd)
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Aperture rear sight, "barleycorn" front sight

The M14 rifle (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14) is an American selective fire battle rifle firing 7.62 × 51 mm NATO ammunition. Although largely superseded in military use by the M16 rifle, it remains in limited front line service with the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. The M14 also provides the basis for the M21 and XM25 sniper rifles (not to be confused with the XM25 grenade launcher). Image File history File links Rifle_M14_PE.jpg Source: http://212. ... The service rifle (also known as standard-issue rifle) of a given army or force is that which it issues as standard to its soldiers. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~520,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead... The M14 rifle (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7. ... The M14 rifle (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7. ... The M14 rifle (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7. ... M21 can refer to various things, including: Messier object 21, see Messier 21 The M21 sniper rifle, see M21 (rifle) The M-21 variant of the SR-71 Blackbird Michigan State Highway 21 BSA m21 ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... The M25 rifle Close-up on the Bausch & Lomb Tactical scope and his BPT Advanced Scope Mounting System mount on the M25 rifle. ... The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. ... It has been suggested that Firearm brass and Casing (ammunition) be merged into this article or section. ... NATO 7. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... There are many cartridges which use 7. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... The gas-operated system for implementing automatic reloading of a firearm is one of five such systems, the others being recoil-operated, gatling, chain, and blowback. ... Rotating bolt of a Sig 550 rifle. ... The Rate of fire is the speed at which a specific firearm or artillery piece can operate. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... A 30-round STANAG magazine. ... A selective fire weapon can be fired in either of at least two modes, depending on the position of the selector switch. ... The term battle rifle can have different meanings. ... NATO 7. ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... M16 is the U.S. military designation for a family of rifles derived from the ArmaLite AR-15 and further developed by Colt. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The United States Navy (also known as USN or the U.S. Navy) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The M21 is the semi-automatic sniper rifle adaptation of the popular M14 rifle. ... The M25 rifle Close-up on the Bausch & Lomb Tactical scope and his BPT Advanced Scope Mounting System mount on the M25 rifle. ... M40A3 US sniper rifle US Marine Corps sniper team, with a M40 Sniper Rifle (2004) A sniper rifle is a somewhat vague class of rifle used for sniping. ... The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM-29 OICW. It fires 25 mm grenades that can be set to explode in mid-air after traveling a certain distance. ...

History

The M14 was developed from a long line of experimental weapons based upon the M1 Garand. Although the Garand was one of the most advanced infantry rifles of its day, it was not a perfect weapon. Modifications were beginning to be made to the basic M1 rifle's design since the twilight of the Second World War. Modifications included adding a fully-automatic firing capability and replacing the 8-round "en bloc" clips with a detachable box magazine holding 20 rounds. Winchester, Remington, and Springfield Armory's own John Garand offered different conversion designs. Garand's design, the T20, was the most popular, and T20 prototypes served as the basis for a number of Springfield test rifles from 1945 through the early 1950s. The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... A rifle is a firearm with a stock and a barrel that has a spiral groove or grooves (rifling) cut into its interior. ... This article is becoming very long. ... M2 machine gun An automatic firearm is a firearm that will continue to load and fire ammunition as long as the trigger (or other activating device) is pressed or until it runs out of ammunition. ... Full M1 Garand clip A clip is a device pushed into the magazine of a firearm to load the magazine in one action. ... A 30-round STANAG magazine. ... From 1794 to 1968 the Springfield Armory was a center for the manufacture of U.S. military small arms and the site of many important technological advances. ...

Earle Harvey of Springfield Armory designed a completely different rifle, the T25, for the new .30 Light Rifle cartridge. The latter was based upon .30-06 brass cut down to the length of the .300 Savage cartridge. The .30 Light Rifle eventually evolved into the 7.62 × 51 mm NATO and the commercial .308 Winchester round. In the background, Lloyd Corbett was tasked with developing .30 Light Rifle conversions for the M1 rifle, and later, the T20 prototypes. After a series of prototype designs, the T44 surfaced. The earliest T44 prototypes used the T20 receivers rebarreled for 7.62 mm NATO, and replaced the long operating rod/piston of the M1 with the T25's shorter "gas expansion and cut-off" system. Later T44 prototypes used newly fabricated receivers shorter than either the M1 or T20; the new action's length was matched to the shorter 7.62 mm NATO cartridge instead of the longer .30-06. The T44 competed successfully against the T47 (a modified T25) and the FN FAL (T48). This led to the T44's adoption by the U.S. Military as the M14 in 1957. Springfield Armory began tooling a new production line in 1958 and delivered the first service rifles to the U.S. Army in July, 1959. However, long production delays resulted in the 101st Airborne Division being the Army's only unit fully equipped with the M14 by the end of 1961. The Fleet Marine Force finally completed the change from M1 Garand to M14 in late 1962. It has been suggested that Firearm brass and Casing (ammunition) be merged into this article or section. ... Eight . ... NATO 7. ... NATO 7. ... The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) —nicknamed the Screaming Eagles— is an air assault division of the United States Army mainly trained for air assault operations. ... The Fleet Marine Force is a combined command of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which comprises a combination of permanent afloat personnel, stationed on U.S. Navy ships, and ground units of the United States Marine Corps infantry branch. ...

U.S. troops from the 101st division equipped with M14 variants in Baghdad, Iraq

The rifle served adequately during its brief tour of duty in Vietnam. Though it was unwieldy in the thick brush due to its length and weight, the power of the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge allowed it to penetrate cover quite well and reach out to extended range, developing more than 2,400 ft·lbf (3,250 J) of muzzle energy. The weapon also proved to be very reliable and continued to function even under adverse conditions. However, there were several drawbacks to the M14. The traditional wood stock of the rifle had a tendency to swell and expand in the heavy moisture of the jungle, adversly affecting accuracy. Fiberglass stocks were produced to resolve this problem, however, the rifle was discontinued before they could be distributed for field use. Also, because of the M14's powerful 7.62 × 51 mm cartridge, the weapon was virtually uncontrollable in fully-automatic mode. The M14 was developed as a means of taking the place of four different weapons systems — the M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, the M3 "Grease Gun" and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). It was thought that in this manner the M14 could simplify the logistical requirements of the troops if it took the place of four weapons. Although it proved to be an impossible task to replace all four, the weapon excelled as a replacement for the M1 rifle, fixing many of the previous rifles shortcomings. The cartridge was too powerful for the SMG role and the weapon was simply too light to provide as a light machine gun replacement for the BAR. The M60 machine gun better served this task. Image File history File links TroopBaghdadM14s. ... Image File history File links TroopBaghdadM14s. ... In physics, a foot-pound force (symbol ft·lbf) is most of the time incorrectly abbreviated to foot-pounds, is from the English Engineering System and U.S. customary unit of mechanical work, or energy, although in scientific fields one commonly uses the equivalent metric unit of the joule (J). ... The joule (symbol: J) is the SI unit of energy, or work with base units of kg·m²/s² (N·m). ... A stock or buttstock is present in many firearms and some crossbows to transfer the recoil from firing the weapon into the shooters shoulder. ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber . ... The M3 Grease Gun (more formally United States Submachine Gun, Cal. ... The Browning Automatic Rifle (commonly known as the BAR; properly pronounced bee ay are) is a family of automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and other countries during the 20th century. ... The M249 SAW, one of the most popular 5. ... The M60 (also seen M-60, formally Machine Gun, 7. ...

The M14 remained the primary infantry weapon in Vietnam until replacement by the M16 in 1966–1968. The M16 was ordered as replacement by policy change of Defense Secretary McNamara over the objection of Army officers who had backed the M14. Though production on the M14 was officially discontinued, some disgruntled troops still managed to hang on to them while deriding the M16 as a frail and underpowered "Mattel toy" or "poodle shooter". (The early M16 also suffered from reliability problems which tarnished its reputation long after these were corrected.) The U.S. Army also converted several M14s into the M21 sniper rifle, which remained standard issue for this purpose until the adoption of the M24 SWS. Some M14/M21 were later converted to XM25 sniper rifles for use by special forces. M16 is the U.S. Military designation for a family of rifles derived from the ArmaLite AR-15. ... Mattel Inc. ... The M21 is the semi-automatic sniper rifle adaptation of the popular M14 rifle. ... M40A3 US sniper rifle US Marine Corps sniper team, with a M40 Sniper Rifle (2004) A sniper rifle is a somewhat vague class of rifle used for sniping. ... The M25 rifle Close-up on the Bausch & Lomb Tactical scope and his BPT Advanced Scope Mounting System mount on the M25 rifle. ... Special forces or (sometimes colloquially and incorrectly) special operations forces (general term) are military units formed and trained to conduct missions of unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action, and foreign internal defense. ...

USMC U.S. Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle in action during a training exercise

The M14 is still used as a sniper rifle and/or a designated marksman rifle in many armies, due to its excellent accuracy and effectiveness at long range. The United States Marine Corps still use an updated M14 as their Designated Marksman Rifle for infantry squads. This rifle has seen duty in both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The United States Air Force Honor Guard and Base Honor Guards use the M14 for 3-volley salutes in military funerals. The well-known account of the United States' battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, Black Hawk Down, records that one of the elite Delta Force soldiers, Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart, used an M14 in preference to the much more modern weapons of his colleagues. us army photo of M-14 rifle (not copyrightable) File links The following pages link to this file: M14 (rifle) User:Avriette/My Images Categories: U.S. military images ... us army photo of M-14 rifle (not copyrightable) File links The following pages link to this file: M14 (rifle) User:Avriette/My Images Categories: U.S. military images ... The United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR, NSN 1005-01-458-6235) is a semi-automatic gas-operated rifle chambered for the 7. ... Several branches of the US military maintain a Designated Marksman Rifle. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR, NSN 1005-01-458-6235) is a semi-automatic gas-operated rifle chambered for the 7. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... This is a salute performed at military and police funerals as part of the drill and ceremony of the Honor Guard. ... A military funeral in the United States is a funeral given by the military for a veteran, a soldier who died in battle, a member of a law enforcement agency or a fire department who dies in the line of duty, or another prominent military figure. ... Mogadishus location in Somalia Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar; Arabic: ‎ ; Italian: ), is the largest city in Somalia, and its nominal capital. ... Black Hawk Down is a 2001 film by Ridley Scott, based on the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden. ... The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne) (1st SFOD-D (A)), commonly known as Delta within the U.S. Army or as Delta Force by the general public (officially recognized by the Pentagon as the Combat Applications Group), is a Special Operations Force (SOF) and an element of the... United States Army Sgt. ...

Though the M14 still has advocates, it also holds the dubious distinction of serving as the standard infantry rifle of the U.S. Army for a shorter span of time than any other weapon.

M14 production tooling was sold in 1967 to the Taiwanese, who in 1968 began producing their Type 57 Rifle.

During the Clinton administration, 479,367 M14 rifles were destroyed by Presidential Executive Order. The BATFE considers the M14 receiver to be a "machine gun". William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF or BATF or BATFE) is a federal agency, a special federal police service within the United States Department of Justice. ...

The commercial, semi-automatic-only version available to the general public is sold by Springfield Armory, Inc. of Geneseo, IL and other manufacturers as the M1A, M14S, and other model names. A semi-automatic firearm is one that requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired, unlike a single-action revolver, a pump-action firearm, a bolt-action firearm, or a lever-action firearm, which require the shooter to manually chamber each successive round. ...

Production

Standard service rifles were produced from 1959 to 1964.

• United States Armory, Springfield, MA
• Harrington & Richardson Arms Co., Worcester, MA
• Olin Mathieson Chemical Corp. (Winchester-Western Div.), New Haven, CT
• Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge Inc.(TRW), Cleveland, OH (considered the highest-quality variant, TRW marked parts often command a premium when they come up for sale)

The purpose-built National Match version was produced in 1962 and 1963 by Springfield Armory, and in 1964 by TRW. Springfield Armory upgraded a number of service rifles in 1965 and 1966 to National Match specifications. Upgrading for 1967 was carried out at U.S. Arsenal, Rock Island, IL. These M14 variants are to this day capable of extreme long-range accuracy. H & R Firearms is a Marlin Firearms-owned manufacturer of firearms, especially single-shot shotguns . ... The Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN) is a major manufacturer of copper alloys (through subsidiary Olin Brass), ammunition (through the Winchester Ammunition), and chlorine and sodium hydroxide (Olin Chlor-Alkali Products). ...

Springfield and TRW delivered more than 11,000 National Match rifles in the 1962–1964 period. Roughly 8,000 service rifles were modified to NM standards during 1965–1967.

Variants and related designs

U.S. Army photo of M14 rifle variants

us army photo of M-14 rifle (not copyrightable) (showing markings) File links The following pages link to this file: M14 (rifle) User:Avriette/My Images Categories: U.S. military images ... us army photo of M-14 rifle (not copyrightable) (showing markings) File links The following pages link to this file: M14 (rifle) User:Avriette/My Images Categories: U.S. military images ...

M14E1

• The M14E1 was tested with a variety of folding stocks to provide better maneuverability and the like for armored infantry, paratroopers and others.
• No variant was standardized.

M15

Main article: M15 rifle

• Selective fire, heavy barrel version of the standard M14, intended to replace the BAR as a squad automatic weapon.
• Never issued. The M15 was declared obsolete prior to entering production.

The M15 was developed as a replacement for the Browning Automatic Rifle for use as a squad automatic weapon. ... A squad automatic weapon (SAW) is a light or general-purpose machine gun, usually equipped with a bipod and firing a 7. ...

M14E2/M14A1

• Selective fire version of the standard M14 used as a squad automatic weapon.
• Successor to the short-lived M15 rifle. The developmental model was known as the M14E2.
• First designated as M14E2 when it was issued in 1963 and redesignated as M14A1 in 1966.

M14 SMUD

• Stand-off Munition Disruption, used by Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel to destroy unexploded ordnance.
• Essentially an M14 National Match rifle with scope.

View through a 4x rifle scope A telescopic sight, commonly referred to as a scope, is a device used to give an accurate point of aim for a firearm. ...

M14K

This variant was designed by La France Specialities of San Diego, California, and produced by Smith Enterprise of Tempe, Arizona. The prototype actually used the M60 machine gun parts for the gas system; however, production models had the system custom-manufactured so the rate of fire could be controlled.

Mk 14 Mod 0 EBR

Main article: United States Navy Mark 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle

Shorter, more tactical version of the M14, with a retractable stock and multiple rails for more accessories. The United States Navy Mark 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR) is an American select-fire military rifle chambered for the 7. ...

Types of sights

• Rear peep, front blade, metric
• Rear National Match peep with hood, front National Match blade, metric

Rifle design

Receiver markings

Stamped into receiver heel:

• U.S. Rifle
• 7.62-MM M14
• Springfield Armory (or commercial contractor name)
• Serial number

Stock

The M14 rifle was first furnished with a walnut stock, then with birch and finally with a synthetic stock. Original equipment walnut and birch stocks carry the Department of Defense acceptance stamp or cartouche (an arc of three stars above a spread-winged eagle). These stocks also carried a proof stamp, a P within a circle, applied after successful test-firing.

Rifles manufactured through late 1960 were provided with walnut handguards. Thereafter synthetic, slotted (ventilated) hand guards were furnished but proved too fragile for military use. These were replaced by the solid synthetic part still in use, usually in dark brown, black or a camouflage pattern.

Rifling

Right-hand twist, 1:12 inches, 4 grooves A 35 caliber Remington, with a microgrove rifled barrel with a right hand twist. ... Twist rate refers to the rate of twist of a gun barrels rifling grooves. ...

Accessories

• M6 Bayonet with M8A1 sheath
• Bandoleer
• Sling (M1 web (cotton or nylon) or M1907)
• Cleaning kit
• M5 winter trigger and winter safety
• M12 blank-firing adapter and breech shield
• stripper clip and stripper clip guide
• M1961 ammunition magazine pocket
• M2 bipod
• M76 grenade launcher
• M15 grenade launcher sight

The M6 Bayonet with scabbard The M6 Bayonet is a bayonet used by the U.S. military for the M14 rifle. ... A bandolier is a pocketed belt for holding ammunition. ...

See also

• List of firearms
• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
• M1 Garand
• M21
• M25
• U.S. Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle
• Mini-14
• SOCOM 16

Located below is an extended list of personal firearms, ranging from pistols to machine guns and even to large handheld devices such as grenade launchers and anti-tank rifles. ... Individual weapons by type and current level of use. ... The M1 Garand (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ... The M21 is the semi-automatic sniper rifle adaptation of the popular M14 rifle. ... The M25 rifle Close-up on the Bausch & Lomb Tactical scope and his BPT Advanced Scope Mounting System mount on the M25 rifle. ... The United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR, NSN 1005-01-458-6235) is a semi-automatic gas-operated rifle chambered for the 7. ... The Mini-14 is a small, lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger. ... The SOCOM 16 is a shortened version of the Springfield Armory M1A Rifle. ...

References

• Duff, Scott A, Miller, John M and contributing editor Clark, David C. The M14 Owner's Guide and Match Conditioning Instructions. Scott A. Duff Publications, 1996. ISBN 1-888722-07-X
• Stevens, R. Blake. U.S. Rifle M14 — from John Garand to the M21. Collector Grade Publications, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-88935-110-4
• Murphy, Edward F. The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh. New York: Presidio Press, 2003. ISBN 0-7393-1834-9
• Pisor, Robert L. The End of the Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. ISBN 0-393-32269-6

External links

• New-era M14 alleviates reliability issues
• Nazarian's Gun's Recognition Guide
• Modern Firearms Site
• SurplusRifle.com
• M14 Type Rifles
• M14 Firing Line Forum

Video links

• Nazarian`s Gun`s Recognition Guide (FILM) M14 "Squad automatic weapon" (.wmv)