M14 automatic rifle
| United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14 | |
| Type: | Service rifle |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Designed: | 1954 |
| Used by: | United States, Estonia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Philippines, South Vietnam, Taiwan, Turkey, Venezuela, Iceland |
| Number built: | Over 1.38 million |
| Specifications | |
| Weight: | 5.2 kg (11.5 lb) |
| Length: | 1,181 mm (46.5 in) |
| Barrel length: | 559 mm (22 in) |
| Cartridge: | 7.62x51mm |
| Rate of fire: | 700-750 rounds/min (however, usually operated in Semi-Automatic) |
| Muzzle velocity: | 975.4 m/s (3,200 ft/s) |
| Effective range: | 460 m (500 yd) |
| Sights: | Aperture rear sight, "barleycorn" front sight |
The M14, officially called the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14,[1] is an American-made automatic rifle chambered in the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) cartridge.
The M14 is a selective fire rifle meaning, in common parlance, it is a "machine gun".
The M14 is a center-fire, magazine fed rifle that is essentially a modernization of the legendary M1 Garand used in World War II and the Korean War.
The M1 Garand was eventually replaced by the M14 by 1961 in the U.S. Army and by 1965 in the U.S. Marine Corps. From 1959 until it was replaced by the M16 automatic rifle in 1970, the M14 was the standard issue infantry rifle for U.S. military personnel in the contiguous United States, Europe, and South Korea.[2]
The last American "battle rifle" issued in mass to U.S. soldiers was the M14. A battle rifle is a rifle that fires full-power rifle ammunition, such as the 7.62×51mm as opposed to low-power ammunition such as the 5.56mm used in the fully automatic M16 and M4 or the semi-automatic AR-15.
The M14 is still in limited service in United States military as a sniper rifle, as an accurized shooting competition rifle and as a ceremonial weapon by honor guards. The M25 and M21 sniper rifles are based on the M14.
Contents
Variants
The M14, along with its military variants (M14, M21, M25) and civilian market variants (the Springfield Armory M1A and others), is semi-automatic for the civilian market and fully-automatic (meaning select fire) for the military market.
Appeal for Home Security
The M14 (and its semi-automatic variant called the M1A manufactured by Springfield Armory and others), is popular mostly for its accuracy. The weapon's iron sights and construction make it extremely accurate, especially for a semi-automatic weapon. The rifle is also common, making parts and accessories readily available.
Automatic weapons (machine guns), such as the M14, M16, FAL, HK91, AK47 and AK74, are legal for civilian use in the United States. Hence, automatic weapons, such as the M14, are both legal and popular for in most states of the Union by passing a BATF background check and paying a $250 tax stamp as stipulated by the National Firearms Acts of 1934 (NFA34).[3]
Certain states such as New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and California have banned sale of automatic weapons except to law enforcement and military (and gangs and criminals of course since they never follow laws). Some people argue that American citizens may keep and bear personal firearms of same level as the military. Automatic weapons are still a popular purchase among conservative gun enthusiasts, despite being quite expensive since the Reagan Administration McClure-Volkmer Act of 1986 (MV86 - signed by President Ronald Reagan in May 1986) and the Bush Administration Import Ban of 1990 (IB90 signed by George H. W. Bush in November 1990)."[4]
According to the Idaho Automatic Weapons Collectors’ Association in the American Redoubt, "Idaho and 39 other states permit ownership of machine guns by non-dealer civilians. While some states have various prohibitions or restrictions, Idaho does not. Within the 40 states permitting machine gun ownership, there are cities and towns which have various local prohibitions or restrictions. As of 1998, Idaho has no such local restrictions or prohibitions."[5]
See also
- Battle rifle - fires full-power rifle ammunition, such as the 7.62×51mm as opposed to low-power ammunition such as the 5.56mm used in the M16, M4 and AR-15.
- Essay:Why do conservatives own firearms?—According to Thomas Jefferson it is as the final deterrent against potential tyranny of government
Bibliography - Further Reading
- Party, Boston T., Boston's Gun Bible. Wyoming American Redoubt Javelin Press, 2009 revision to 2002 edition, 848 pages, ISBN 1888766069, ISBN 978-1888766066. Contains a whole chapter dedicated to M14
- Party, Boston T., Molon Labe!. Wyoming American Redoubt Javelin Press, 30 January 2004, 454 pp (first edition, paperback), ISBN 1-888766-07-7 - Conservative Christian Libertarian dystopian fiction novel entirely based around the issue of States' rights and the Tenth Amendment's connection with the Second Amendment right to armed citizen defense against federal tyranny. Contains plot that is tied to the M14.
- Kyle, Chris, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. New York: Harper, January 29, 2013, 454 pp, ISBN 0062238868, ISBN 978-0062238863. Number 1 New York Times Best-Seller. Book on Amazon.com
- Kyle, Chris, American Gun - A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms. New York: William Morrow Paperbacks, May 27, 2014, 336 pp, ISBN 0062242725, ISBN 978-0062242723. New York Times Best-seller author. Book on Amazon.com
- Duff, Scott A., John M. Miller, and contributing editor David C. Clark. The M14 Owner's Guide and Match Conditioning Instructions. Export, Penn.: Scott A. Duff Publications, 1996. ISBN 1-888722-07-X. Book on Amazon.com
- Rose, Alexander. American Rifle: A Biography. New York: Bantam Dell Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-0-553-80517-8. Book on Amazon.com
External links
References
- ↑ Headquarters, Department of the Army. TM 9-1005-223-10, Operator's Manual for Rifle, 7.62-mm, M14, W/E (1005-589-1271); Rifle, 7.62-MM, M14A1, W/E (1005-072-5011); Bipod, Rifle, M2 (1005–71 1–6202) w/ Change 2. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1973
- ↑ FM 23-8, 1969
- ↑ "You must be 21 to purchase a machine gun in the US. The following states allow private ownership of machine guns if registered with ATF: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WV, WI, WY. Some states have their own registration requirements, but most just say you have to have it registered with ATF. Any machine gun that can be privately owned has to have been manufactured and registered prior to May, 1986." Ask Yahoo, Accessed January 24, 2016
- ↑ Fate of Destinee, Full Auto is Legal, Accessed January 24, 2016
- ↑ Full Auto FAQ at the Idaho Automatic Weapons Collectors’ Association. Accessed February 12, 2015
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