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THE M-14 SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE
"It ain't heavy. It's my rifle."
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This was our rifle in Germany in 1965-68, and
many of us, in retrospect, feel cheated because we never experienced
the new M-16, with its lighter weight and higher volume of fire.
Although it entered service in Vietnam in 1965, the M-16 did
not arrive en masse in Europe until the early 1970's. Yet the
older M-14 remains unique among US military rifles in that it
has never officially been made available to the public by either
the U.S. Government or a Federal contractor. Why, you ask? (continued
below) |
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Above two diagrams are from
Dept. of the Army Field Manual #FM 23-8, published in May, 1965,
and entitled "7.62mm M-14 and M-14E2 Rifle." |
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(continued from top paragraph:)
While the Government won't say, most gun experts believe that
the reason is the M-14's high power and accuracy at long distances
(up to 1,000 yards). In fact, the M-14 was reportedly still in
the Army inventory as recently as 1999 as a sniper and match
rifle. The standard magazine carries 20 rounds (7.62 mm). Fully
loaded, the rifle weighs 12.5 lbs., as compared with the 7.6
lbs. of a fully loaded M-16 with 30 rounds of smaller 5.56mm
ammo. |
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