M14

The M14 rifle is a United States battle rifle chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO. It was developed in the 1950s to replace the M1 Garand and was adopted in 1959 as Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, entering service in the early 1960s. The M14 served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps’ standard infantry rifle for a brief period in the early Vietnam War before being largely replaced in frontline service by the M16 in the mid-1960s. It remains in limited use for designated marksman and sniper roles and as the basis for several civilian-market variants.

Design and mechanism: The M14 is a gas-operated, rotating-bolt rifle with a long-stroke gas piston. It feeds from a detachable 20-round box magazine and has a redesigned stock, improved sights, and accessory mounting points. It preserves the M1 Garand’s general layout while using a lighter stock and a modernized handguard. The rear sight is adjustable to ranges up to about 1,000 meters. Some early production offered a select-fire configuration; most common military versions are semi-automatic.

Variants and service: The M14 family includes the standard M14 and the M21 Sniper System, a designated marksman/sniper variant issued with a scope, especially during the 1960s–1980s. Other derivative configurations and modernized variants have followed, including civilian-market versions such as the M1A.

Legacy: The M14 is notable for its reliability, power, and influence on later rifle designs. It remains a popular collector’s item and a platform for precision shooting roles, while most modern frontline troops use other rifles such as the M16 family and its successors.