M14

The M14 7.62mm rifle is a magazine-fed, gas operated shoulder weapon, designed primarily for semi-automatic fire. It was the standard U.S. military service rifle until it was replaced in the late-1960s by the 5.56mm M16A1 rifle.

M14 Specifications

Articles on the M14

M14 Rifle History and Development

This work is an honest and reasonable attempt at capturing the history and development of M14 type rifles. The reader is encouraged to check the facts for himself. Development of the M1 Garand into the M14, gunsmithing procedures, match conditioning, stock refinishing, hand loading ammunition, rifle marksmanship, close order drill, and other such topics have purposefully been omitted. Discussion of optics for the M14 rifle is only touched on lightly. Those subjects have been addressed at length by others much more capable.

Collecting and Shooting the 7.62-MM Rifle M14 and M1A - History

The M14 was conceptually designed during the latter part of WWII when the Garand was being evaluated due to perceived shortcomings. The M1 Garand is a fine and functional battle rifle, one of the finest. The U.S. military wanted a lighter weapon with a detachable, higher capacity magazine (20), the ability to launch grenades, utilize a bipod, and have full-auto capability.

Collecting and Shooting the 7.62-MM Rifle M14 and M1A - Operations