M14 Rifle

M14 rifle, shown here without a magazine.

M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It was the standard issue U.S. rifle from 1959 to 1970. The M14 rifle was used for U.S. Army and Marine Corps basic and advanced individual training, and was the standard issue infantry rifle for U.S. military personnel in the Contiguous United States, Europe, and South Korea, until it was replaced by the M16 rifle in 1970. The M14 rifle remains in limited front line service within all branches of the U.S. military, and is also used as a ceremonial weapon by honor guards, color guards, drill teams, ceremonial guards, and the like.

The M14 rifle was also the last American "battle rifle" (a term applied to weapons firing full power rifle ammunition, such as the 7.62mm cartridge) issued in quantity to U.S. military personnel. The M14 rifle also provides the basis for the M21 and M25 sniper rifles.

History

Early development

The M14 was developed from a long line of experimental weapons based upon the M1 rifle. Althought the M1 was among the most advanced infantry rifles of the late 1930s, it was not a perfect weapon. Modifications were beginning to be made to the basic M1 rifle's design since the twilight of World War II. Changes included adding 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 conversions. 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.

T25 prototype

In 1945, Earle Harvey of Springfield Armory designed a completely different rifle, the T25, for the new T65 .30 Light Rifle cartridge at the direction of Col. Rene Studler, then serving in the Pentagon. In late 1945 the two men were transferred to Springfield Armory, where work on the T25 continued. The T25 was designed to use the T65 service cartridge, a Frankford Arsenal design based upon the .30-06 used in the M1 service rifle, but shortened to the length of the .300 Savage case. Although shorter than the .30-06, with less powder capacity, the T65 cartridge retained the ballistics and energy of the .30-06 due to the use of a recently developed ball poder made by Olin Industries. After experimenting with several bullet designs, the T65 was finalized for adoption as the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. Olin Industries later marketed the cartridge on the commercial market as the commercial .308 Winchester round. After a series of revisions by Earle Harvey and other members of the .30 Light Rifle Group following the 1950 Ft. Benning tests, the T25 was renamed the T47.

In contrast, the T44 prototype service rifle was not principally designed by any single engineer at Springfield Armory, but ratehr was a conventional design developed on a shoestring budget as an alternative to the T47.. With only minimal funds available, the earliest T44 prototypes simply used T20E2 receivers fitted with magazine filler blocks and re-barreled for 7.62mm NATO, with the long operating rod/piston of the M1 replaced by the T47's gas cut-off system. Lloyd Corbett, an engineer in Earle Harvey's rifle design group, added various refinements to the T44 design, including a straight operating rod and bolt roller to reduce friction.

Infantry Board Service Rifle trials

The T44 participated in a competitive service rifle competition conducted by the Infantry Board at Ft. Benning, Georgia against the Springfield T47 (a modified T25) and Fabrique Nationale's "Fusil Automatique Leger" (French for "Light Automatic Rifle"), designated T48. the T47, which did not have a bolt roller and performed worse in dust and cold weather tests than either the T44 or the T48, was dropped from consideration in 1953. During 1952-53, testing proved the T48 and the T44 roughly comparable in performance, with the T48 holding a slight advantage in ease of field stripping and dust resistance, as well as a longer product development lead time. A Newsweek article in July 1953 hinted that the T48/FAL might be selected over the T44. During the winter of 1953-54, both rifles competed in the winer rifle trials at U.S. Army facilities in the Arctic. Springfield Armory engineers, anxious to ensure the selection of the T44, had been specially preparing and modifying the test T44 rifles for weeks with the aid of the Armory's Cold Chamber, including redesign of the T44, including redesign of the T44 gas regulator and custom modifications to magazines and other parts to reduce friction and seizing in extreme cold. The T48 rifles received no such special preparation, and in the continued cold weather testing began to experience sluggish gas system functioning, aggravated by the T48's close-fitting surfaces between bolt and carrier, and carrier and receiver. FN engineers opened the gas ports in an attempt to improve functioning, but this caused early/violent extraction and broken parts as a result of the increased pressures. As a result, the T44 was ranked superior in cold weather operation to the T48. The Arctic Test Board report made it clear that the T48 needed improvement and that the U.S. would not adopt the T48 until it had successfully completed another round of Arctic tests the following winter.

In Jume 1954, funding was finally made available to manufacture newly fabricated T44 receivers specially designed for the shorter T65 cartridge. This one change to the T44 design saved a pound in rifle weight over that of the M1 Garand. Test at Ft. Benning with the T44 and T48 continued through the summer and fall of 1956. By this time, the T48/FAL rifles had been so improved that malfunction rates were almost as low as the T44.

In the end, the T44 was selected over the T48/FAL primarily because of its weight (the T44 was a pound lighter than the T48), simplicity (the T44 had fewer parts), the T44's self-compensating gas system, and the argument that the T44 could be manufactured on existing machinery build for the M1 rifle (a concept that later turned out to be unworkable). In 1957, the U.S. formally adopted the T44 as the U.S. infantry service rifle, designated M14.

Production contracts

Initial production contracts for the M14 were awarded to the Springfield Armory, Winchester, and Harrington & Richardson. Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge Inc. (TRW) would later be awarded a production contract for the rifle as well. 1,376,031 M14 service rifles were produced from 1959 to 1964.

National Match M14

Springfield Armory produced 6,641 new M14 NM rifles in 1962 and 1963, while TRW produced 4,874 new M14 NM rifles in 1964. Springfield Armory later upgraded 2,094 M14 rifles in 1965 and 2,395 M14 rifles in 1966 to National Match specifications, while 2,462 M14 rifles were rebuilt to National Match standards in 1967 at the Rock Island Arsenal. A total of 11,130 National Match rifles were delivered by Springfield Armory, Rock Island Arsenal, and TRW during 1962-1967.

Deployment

Experimental T47 rifle

After the M14's adoption, Springfield Armory began tooling a new production line in 1958, delivering the first service rifles to the U.S. Army in July 1959. However, long production delays resulted in the 101st Airborne Division being the only unit in the Army fully equipped with the M14 by the end of 1961. The Fleet Marine Force finally completed the change from M1 to M14 in late 1962. Springfield Armory records reflect that M14 manufacture ended as TRW, fulfilling its second contract, delivered its final production increment in Fiscal Year 1965 (July 1, '64 - June 30 '65). The Springfield archive also indicates the 1.38 million rifles were aquired for just over $143 million, for a unit cost of about $104.

A U.S. soldier with an M14 watches as supplies are dropped in Vietnam during 1967.

The rifle served adequately during its brief tour of duty in Vietnam. Though it was unwieldy in the thick bush due to its length and weight, the power of the 7.62mm NATO cartridge allowed it to penetrate cover quite well and reach out to extended range, developing 2,470 ft lbf (3,350 J) of muzzle energy. 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, adversely affecting accuracy. Fiberglass stocks were produced to resolve this problem, but the rifle was discontinued before very many could be distributed for field use. Also, because of the M14's powerful 7.62x51mm cartridge, the weapon was deemed virtually uncontrollable in fully automatic mode, so most M14s were permanently set to semi-automatic fire to avoid wasting ammunition in combat.

The M14 was developed as a means of taking the place of four different weapons systems-the M1 rifle, the M1 Carbine, the M3 "Grease Gun", and the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). It was thought that in this manner the M14 could simplify the logistical requirements of the troops by limiting the types of ammunition and parts needing to be supplied. It proved an impossible task to replace all four, and the weapon was deemed "completely inferior" to the World War II M1 in a September 1962 report by the comptroller of the Department of Defense. The cartridge was too powerful for the submachine gun role and the weapon was simply too light to serve as a light machinegun replacement for the BAR. (The M60 machine gun better served this specific task.)

Replacement

The M14 remained the primary infantry weapon in Vietnam until it was replaced by the M16 in 1966-67, though combat engineer units kept them several years longer. Further procurement of the M14 was abruptly halted in late 1963 due to the above mentioned Department of Defense report which had also stated that the AR-15 (soon to be M16) was superior to the M14 (DOD did not cancel FY 1963 orders not yet delivered). After the report, a

A rare M14 presentation model, serial #0010

series of tests and reports by the United States Department of the Army followed that resulted in the decision to cancel the M14. The M16 was then ordered as a replacement for the M14, over the objection of those Army officers who had backed the M14 from the start (other factions within the Army research and development community had opposed the M24 and 7.62x51mm round from the start). Though production of the M14 was officially discontinued, some disgruntled troops managed to hang on to them while deriding the early model M16 as a frail and underpowered "Mattel toy" that was prone to jam. In late 1967, the U.S. Army designated the M16 as the "Standard A" rifle, and the M14 became a "Limited Standard" weapon. The M14 rifle remained the standard rifle for U.S. Army Basic Training and troops stationed in Europe until 1970.

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 in 1998.

Post-1970 U.S. military service

In the mid-1990, the Marine Corps chose a new rifle for DM use, an M14 modified by the Precision Weapons Shop in Marine Corps Base Quantico called the Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR). It is intended for use by security teams and Marine Scout Snipers in the cases where a semi-automatic rifle would be more appropriate than the standard bolt-action M40A1/A3 rifle. The USMC Rifle Team uses the M14 in shooting competitions. Although the M14 was phased out as the standard-issue rifle by 1970, M14 variants are still used by various branches of the U.S. military as well as other armed forces, especially as a sniper rifle and as a designated marksman rifle, due to its excellent accuracy and effectiveness at

An Army marksman in Fallujah, Iraq, using an LR/T 10x40mm M3.

long range. Special active units as the OPFOR units of the Joint Readiness Training Center use M14s. Few M14s were in use in the Army until the Afganistan and Iraq Wars. Since the start of these conflicts, many M14s have been employed as designated marksman and sniper rifles. These are not M21 rifles, but original production M14s. Common modification include scopes, fiberglass stock, and other accessories. A 2009 study conducted by the U.S. Army revealed that half of the engagements in Afganistan occured fron beyond 300 meters (330 yds). America's 5.56x45mm NATO service rifles are ineffective at these ranges; this has prompted the reissue of thousands of M14s.

A USMC Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) in use.

The 1st Battalion of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") in the Military District of Washington is the sole remaining regular United States Army combat field unit where the M14 is still issued as the standard rifle, along with a chromed bayonet and an extra wooden stock with white sling for military funerals, parades, and other ceremonies. The United States Air Force Honor Guard uses a version of the M14. The United States Navy Ceremonial Guard and Base Honor Guards also use the M14 for 3-volley salutes in military funerals. It is also the drill and parade rifle of the United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Air Force Academy, The Citadel, Norwich University, Virginia Military Institute, and North Georgia College and State University. U.S. Navy ships carry several M14s in their armories. They are issued to sailors going on watch out on deck in port, and to Backup Alert forces. The M14 is also used to shoot a large rubber projectile to another ship when underway to start the lines over for alongside refueling and replenishment.

A SEAL operator with an M14 rifle participating in maritime interdiction enforcement during Operation Desert Storm.

The U.S. Army Special Forces ("Green Berets") have made some use of the M25 "spotter rifle". The M25 was developed in the late 1980s within the 10th Special Forces Group, which was charged to support Special Forces sniper weapons as well as the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC). The M25 was first planned as a replacement for the old M21, but after the Army adoption of the M24 SWS as its standard sniper rifle, the M25 was intended to be used by the spotters of the sniper teams, while the snipers would use the bolt-action M24. Test had shown that the M24 and M25 have the same precision when using the same M118 ammunition.

A Gunner's Mate using an M14 rifle to fire a shot line from the USS Carter hall to USNS Lewis and Clark.

Though the M14 has remained in service longer than any U.S. infantry rifle with the exception of the Springfield M1903 rifle, it also holds the distinction of servicne as the standard infantry rifle of the U.S. Army for a shorter span of time than almost any other service rifle.

Service with non-U.S. nations

The Philippine government issues M14 rifles, as well as M1 Carbines, M1 rifles, and M16 rifles, to their civilian defense forces and to various cadet corps in their service academies. The Greek Navy also uses the M14.

M14 production tooling was sold in 1967 to the Republic of China (Taiwan), who in 1968 began producing their Type 57 rifle. The State Arsenal of the Republic of China produced over 1 million of these rifles from 1969 to the present under model numbers of M305 and M14S.

In China, Norinco, and Poly Technologies have produced M14 variants in the past for export, which were sold in the United States prior to the enactment of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. They are currently being sold in Canada and New Zealand only.

Rifle design

Receiver markings

Stamped into reciever heel:

• U.S. Rifle
• 7.62mm 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 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.

A U.S. soldier demonstrates shooting an M14 rifle to Iraqi Highway Patrol police officers during training in Iraq, 2006.

Rifles manufactured through late 1960 wre 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 a dark brown, black, or a camoflage pattern.

Rifling

Standard M14 rifling has right-hand twist in 1:12 inches with 4 grooves.

An International Security Assistance Force soldier scans for for activity during a combat patrol in Afganistan, 2009.

Accessories

Although M14 rifle production ended in 1964, the limited standard status of the weapon resulted in the continued manufacture of accessories and spare parts into the late 1960s and beyond.

• M6 bayonet with M8A1 sheath
• M2 bandolier
• sling [one-piece cotton or nylon webbing or M1907 (two piece leather)]
• Cleaning kit (butt-trap) included a combination tool, ratchet chamber brush, plastic lubricant case, brass obre brush, four cleaning rod sections, cleaning rod case,and cleaning rod patch-holding tip.
• M5 winter trigger and winter safety
• M12 blank firing attachment and M3 breech filler for charging magazines
• Cartridge clip (five cartridges) and magazine filler for charging magazines
• M1961 ammunition magazine pouch
• M2 bipod
• M79 grenade launcher
• M15 grenade launcher sight
• Mk 87 Mod 0/1 line (rope) throwing kit

Types of sights

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

Variants and related designs

Military

M15

The M15 was a modified M14 developed as a replacement for the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle for use as a squad automatic weapon. It added a heavier barrel and stock, a hinged buttplate, a selector switch for fully automatic fire, and a bipod. The sling was from the BAR. Like the M14, it was chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO.

Firing tests showed that the M14, when equipped with the selector switch, hinged buttplate and bipod, performed as well as the M15. As a result, the M15 was dropped and the modified M14 became the squad automatic weapon. Accuracy and control problems led to the addtition of a pistol grip, a folding rubber covered metal forgrip and a muzzle stabilizer. The final design was designated the M14A1.

M14E1

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

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.

M14M (Modified)/M14NM (National Match)

The M14M is a semi-automatic only version of the standard M14 and was developed for use in civilian rifle marksmanship activites. M14Ms rifle were converted from existing M14 rifles by welding the select-fire mechanism to prevent full-automatic firing. The M14NM (National Match) is an M14M built to National Match accuracy standards.

The M14M and M14NM rifles are described in a (now-obsolete) Army regulation, AR 920-25, "Rifles, M14M and M14NM, For Civilian Marksmanship Use," dated Feb. 8, 1965. Paragraph 2, among other things, stated that the Director of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury (predecessor to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) had ruled that M14M and M14NM rifles wo modified would not be subject to the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA) and, as such, could be sold or issued to civilians. Hoever, with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, the NFA was amended to prohibit sales of previously modified automatic weapons such as the M14M and M14NM to civilians.

M14 SMUD

Stand-off Munition Disruption, used by the Explosive Ordnace Disposal personnel to destroy unexploded ordnance. Essentially an M14 NM rifle with scope.

Mk 14 EBR

Shorter (18 inch barrel), more tactical version of the M14, with a retractable stock and multiple rails for more accessories.

M14 Tactical

Modified M14 using the same stock as the Mk 14 but with a 22 inch barrel and a Smith Enterprise muzzle brake, used by the U.S. Coast Guard.

M14 Designated Marksman Rifle

Modified designated marksman version of the M14, used by the U.S. Marine Corps. Replaced by the M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle

M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle

Modified M14 DMR fitted with the same stock as the Mk 14, used by the U.S. Marine Corps. Being replaced by the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System.

M89SR Model 89 Sniper Rifle

An M14 in bullpup configuration first introduced by Sardius in the 1980s. Later produced by Technical Equipment International (TEI) for the IDF.

AWC G2A Sniper Rifle

Modified M14 with bullpup stock designed by Lynn McWilliams and Gale McMillan in the late 1990s. Produced and delivered for testing at the Fort Bragg sniper school.

Commercial Production

Armscorp M14

From 1987 to 1994, Armscorp of America aka Armscorp USA produced investment-cast semi-auto M14 receivers. During the first year of production, Armscorp receivers were supplied by Smith Manufacturing of Holland, Ohio, which were heat treated and finish machined by Armscorp. From 1988 to 1994, Armscorp made its own investment cast receiver castings of AISI 8620 steel. A few receivers with an 'S' serial number prefix were made of stainless steel. From approximately 1994 until 2008, Armscorp receiver castings were suppled by the Lamothermic Corporation of Brewster, NY.

CAR 14

A product of Troy Industries, the CAR 14 (Carbine Assault Rifle 14) is a smaller and lighter tactical version of the M14. Its barrel is 12.5 inches long and it weighs 7.9 lbs. The rifle has select fire ability, a threaded flash suppressor for a silencer, a tactical rail on top for sights and other attachments, and the operating rod cover.

A U.S. Border Patrol Agent with M14 during a law enforcement memorial service.

La France Specialties M14K

The M14K is a commercial version of the M14 designed and built by Timothy F. LaFrance of La France Specialties of San Diego, California, most using forged receivers made by Smith Enterprise of Tempe, Arizona. This rifle has a custom-made short barrel with a custom made flash suppressor, shortened operating rod, and employs a unique gas tube system. Fully automatic versions have a removeable flash suppressor. Semi-automatic versions (of which very few were made) have a silver-brazed flash hider to comply with the requirement that Title I firearms have a 16" long barrel. Most M14Ks employ the M60 gas tube system. Some late-model M14Ks employ a custom-made gas system. Both are intended to control the rate of fire in fully automatic mode. The rear sight is a custom-made National Match type aperture, and the front sight is a custom-made narrow blade, wing-protected sight to take advantage of the additional accuracy afforded by the special barrel.

The stocks and handguards on M14Ks are shortened versions of the GI birch or walnut stock, but make use of the original front ferrule. The front sling mount is relocated slightly to the rear, to accomodate the shortened stock. Most handguards are of the solid, fiberglass variety (albeit shortened), but a limited number were made with shortened wood hanguards. The steel buttplate was deleted in favor of a rubber recoil pad, that greatly reduces percieved recoil. A limited nuber of M14Ks were manufactured with the BM-59 Alpine/Para folding stock. These too had the shortened stocks and hanguards, making for an extremely compact package especially suited to vehicular and airborne operations. A couple of M14Ks were built for SEAL Team members using the tubular folding stock assembly on a cut-down M14E2 stock found on some of the Team's full-size M14s prior to the adoption of the Sage International EBR stock for M14 applications. These are by far one of the rarest variants of the M14K.

A soldier with an M14 equipped with a Sage M14ALCS chassis stock.

Springfield Armory

Springfield Armory, Inc. of Genesco, Il, produces a semi-auto only version of the M14 rifle. The standard rifle is known as the M1A. The company produces several variations of the basic rifle with different stocks, barrel weights, barrel lengths, and other optional features. The Springfield M1A and its model variants have been widely distributed in the U.S. civilian market and have seen use by various law enforcement agencies in the United States. Springfield Armory also produces the SOCOM series and the Scout Squad Rifle, based on the short-barreled version of the M14. The SOCOM 16 comes with provisions to mount a red dot sight, and the SOCOM II adds railed hanguards to the package. Springfield Armory's M21 tactical is a civilian version of the M21 Sniper Weapon System currently in use by the U.S. military.