Lrb m14 2016
See “The Complete Book of US Sniping” by Peter Senich if you want all the details. The procedure to turn an M14 rifle into the M21 or the National Match service rifle is so long and complicated I have little desire to try to repeat it here. So they had been working on the National Match M14 for a while. Indeed the AMU knew that the Army would need a sniping weapon even before the officers in charge did. The USAMTU had been working with the M14 for years for use in competition and sniping. Of course, many systems were tested by the Army during the Vietnam war, including the USMC M40 sniper weapon, For debatable reasons, the Army decided the M14 was the way for them.
![lrb m14 2016 lrb m14 2016](https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2012/01/DSC05002-1.jpg)
For this post, I will be talking about the current niche the M14 is still hanging on to.Īfter the M14’s near-complete death of cutting-edge combat use, the Army still wanted it as their sniper rifle. The story of the long tax money gobbling nightmare of the M14 is known to those who study the deep history of military weapons, and I encourage anyone interested to look into themselves but I am not going to go into that this time. The cost of the weapon rose beyond claims of being able to produce it cheaper and with the same machinery used to make the M1. Production of the M14 was long and troubled.
LRB M14 2016 PDF
Does not sound much like a hard use fighting gun…įull PDF of the honest technical Report that does not paint the M14 in a rose colored light, can be found here. The design of the flash suppressor was singled out as a cause of inaccuracy.Īn M14 Rifle Cost Analysis report that gave rounds used and overhaul schedules from rounds fired states M14 annual usage is 3,500 rounds to overhaul and 599rds MRTF. This also reduced the variation in the center of impact. Shutting off the gas port in the M14 rifles resulted in an average 20% reduction in extreme spread compared to those groups fired with the gas port open. NATO testing was quoted indicating that the Canadian C1 (FN FAL) and German G3 were less sensitive to variations within and among ammo lots. During accuracy testing, the M14 rifles produced greater group dispersion and variation in the center of impact than the control rifles (two T35 and two AR10). The H&R barrel also failed the surface-finish requirements. The chrome lining was out of tolerance (uneven and on average too thin) in all three barrels. One rifle had a misassembled flash suppressor, which was actually contacting bullets during live fire tests.Ī barrel from each manufacturer was sectioned for examination of the bore and chrome lining. One rifle was found to have a broken safety while another had a misassembled safety spring. Only three rifles had an average bore diameter that fell below the accepted mean diameter. Three rifles had barrels that exceed the maximum bore dimensions. Examination and testing of the 21 rifles uncovered the following:Īll of the rifles from Winchester and H&R exhibited excessive headspace.ĩ0% of the rifles had loose gas cylinders.ħ5% of the rifles had misaligned op rods and gas pistons.ĥ0% of the rifles had loose op rod guides.ĥ0% of the rifles had op rods that rubbed the stock. “Report on Tests for Ad Hoc Committee on Accuracy and Testing of 7.62mm Ammunition and M14 Rifles.” Seven rifles each from batches accepted from H&R, Winchester, and Springfield Armory had been shipped to Aberdeen for testing to find and cure the causes of the M14’s inability to meet its accuracy requirements. – ARPAĪlthough analyzed less thoroughly, the M14 also appears somewhat inferior to the M1 rifle of WW2 and decidedly inferior to the Soviet combat rifle. Furthermore, the available cost data indicate that is also a cheaper weapon. The report, therefore, concludes that in combat the AR15 is the superior weapon. The study indicates that the AR15 is decidedly superior in many of the factors considered. The famous Hitch Report stating the AR15, the M1, and the AK47 superior. The M14 was having major problems even before ARPA’s Project AGILE and a Defense comptroller reported the AR15 superior to the M14. One truth is, it was never really liked as much as people think they remember.
![lrb m14 2016 lrb m14 2016](https://i.imgur.com/GNSI0dZ.jpg)
Powerful as a bolt of lightning, and how well loved it was by those early users who refused the M16 because they wanted a “real” weapon made of wood and steel… But, is all that really true? Maybe it is a triumph of nostalgia over common sense and reality. How accurate, like a laser, tough as tool steel with no need to baby it or clean it. Go on to any gun forum, and it won’t take you long to find people willing to tell you how great the M14 is. Photo above is the M14 with its Technical Data Package.