The M1903 is arguably the finest bolt-action rifle ever fielded.
Few military experts suspected that U.S.
Ordnance would seek to find an improvement over the beloved Springfield rifle.
The Soldier Focus of the Chaplain’s Ministryby B. Keeler, reflects the M14’s tradition of service and duty. Image: NARA
General George Patton called it the greatest battle implement ever devised.
Again, most military experts did not predict that U.S.
Ordnance would seek to improve on a combat-proven veteran.
The military’s M14 rifle featured a full-auto fire option. Image: NARA
And once again, those experts were mistaken.
By 1946, serious efforts to upgrade the M1 rifle were already underway.
Also, several internal parts were interchangeable between the M14 and the M1.
TheM14E2(left) and M14 rifle (right) pictured along with thenew M60 machine gunat Fort Leslie during May 1957. Image: NARA
A new gunpowder formulation created by the Olin Chemical Corporation allowed U.S.
Ordnance to retain most of the ballistic characteristics of the .30-06 cartridge in a shorter and lighter round.
Both are excellent rifles, and both used the new 7.6251 NATO cartridge.
Before the M14: The experimental T-47 rifle. Image: SANHS
The Belgians even offered their rifle with no licensing cost.
As fine a rifle as the FN FAL was for its time, it was not an American design.
That simple fact made it unacceptable to most U.S. military leaders, the architects of the Arsenal of Democracy.
Eight rounds of .30-06 for the M1 Garand (left) compared to 20 rounds of 7.62x51mm NATO for the M14. Image: SANHS
Ordnance logistics had become complicated and cumbersome.
The M14 introduced a new cartridge and a new concept to Americas arsenal.
The 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge was considered intermediate, and at the time of its introduction, it was.
The then-new M14 rifle’s statistics, from 1961. Image: SANHS
That idea did not work out.
Thankfully, the massive global conflict that the M14 was built for never materialized.
Unexpected Conflicts
The abilities of the American rifleman are not myths or legends, they are facts.
The old and the new: .30-06 M2 round (left) compared to the 7.62mm NATO round. Image: SANHS
Americans are great riflemen, and that is our heritage.
The M14 rifle built on that world war-winning legacy.
Even though closer in style to the M14, the SKS carbine made little impression on U.S. As for the AK-47, U.S.
Ordnance documents describe it as a submachine gun until the early 1960s.
The image of the AK-47 would quickly become an icon of communism and rebel forces around the world.
However, the M14 would continue to soldier on in specialized roles in the U.S. military through to today.
The M14’s primary competitor: The Belgian-designed FN FAL (designated T48 for testing in the United States). Image: NARA
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M1ATMSeries
The M14 (top) shown with the legendary M1 Garand. Image: SANHS
U.S. Marine equipped with an M14, posing in Vietnam War-era gear. Image: NARA
The M14 in action at the U.S. Army base Long Binh during the Tet Offensive, January 1968. Image: NARA
The M14 in service with the USMC in Vietnam during July 1967. Image: NARA
The M14 during the Marine battle for Hue City, February 1968. Image: NARA
Marines sniping with the M14 during the defense of Khe Sanh, February 24, 1968. Image: NARA
U.S. Navy sailors with M14 riflesdeliver a 21-gun salute in 1983. Image: NARA
With the Old Guard: A soldier of the 3rd Infantry Regiment carrying an M14 stands guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. May 2007. Image: NARA
The M14 has been in service longer than any other U.S. rifle. This example is seen in Afghanistan during 2011. Image: DoD
The semi-auto M1A from Springfield Armory is a civilian-legal version of the classic M14.
