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The M14 "In Country"

First weapon I ever touched in the Marines. In country it was a heavy hitter & Im glad I wasn't around when they replaced them with the "other thing". At 11.4 pounds compared to the M1 9.5 it was heavier. Our selector knob was removed hence the hole. Carried luber plate everywhere. In retro if they would have come up with a stock other then wood it would have been a big improvement, but we never thought about it.Full auto it was tough to control. Never had to hit a target 3 or 4 times to put it down "like that other rifle" Wish I had one now. Remember sitting on a bucket in boot camp field stripping & reassemble. Eyes shut.good thing ! I had a jam one night & had to do a tear down in the dark.
 
I joined the army in 1965, and we used the M-14 for Basic Training. A year later, with a Combat Engineer Co, I took my M-14 to Vietnam. The first thing we did was add a selector switch, and a few guys got new stocks, which had a front pistol grip to add controllability when fired full auto. (That was rare, as you rapidly lose accuracy).
We supported the Infantry, and as we got to know other troops, sometimes we shot each other's weapons. At the time, I was not impressed with the M-16. The low recoil made it feel like a toy, and though it was only taking target shots, I didn't think it had the stopping power it would need.
One night our lines were overrun, and I was on perimeter guard. An infantry Lt. came by to check on us at our bunker, then asked me if I would volunteer to walk with him to the next bunker. That is when he shared with me his disdain for the M-16, which had a jamming problem at the time.
I now own 2 AR-15s and an original HK-91. I would love to trade the HK for a Springfield M1A because it is a higher quality, and I never achieved the accuracy I enjoyed with the M-14 and open sights.
 
I served in "never never land" ( our name for Vietnam) from 1966-67 carrying a M-14 (non- selective fire) working at duty's ranging from placing light sets ( trailers with a 5kw generator and three 1000 watt bulbs mounted on a retractable pole) to clearing perimeter jungle with a TD24 bulldozer around the largest ammo depot in that country. During our first explosion ( I believe a 155 pad ) someone from the newly arrived 60th Ord.Co. saw movement on the road between them and the salvage yard across that road. A blaze of M-14's brought that movement to a halt and during that cease fire a MP M151 was dispatched. The monkey's remains were held by the tail in the headlights.
I requested a selector for my M-14 and it arrived two days before my exit from Never Never land.
I now own a Springfield Armory M1A Scout with Arc Angel stock and a soon to be put on a Burris AR-IX Prism sight.
My son has a HK-91 that he has tricked out and loves, I however love my M1A which would have made one hell of a jungle weapon but will work just as well as a urban defense weapon I feel.
 
Bloodknight said:
First weapon I ever touched in the Marines. In country it was a heavy hitter & Im glad I wasn't around when they replaced them with the "other thing". At 11.4 pounds compared to the M1 9.5 it was heavier. Our selector knob was removed hence the hole. Carried luber plate everywhere. In retro if they would have come up with a stock other then wood it would have been a big improvement, but we never thought about it.Full auto it was tough to control. Never had to hit a target 3 or 4 times to put it down "like that other rifle" Wish I had one now. Remember sitting on a bucket in boot camp field stripping & reassemble. Eyes shut.good thing ! I had a jam one night & had to do a tear down in the dark.
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Semper Fi. When I joined the Corps after high school in 1976 all we had were M16-A1s. Before the A1 I had grown up shooting Remington bolt actions in 308 and 30-06 so the A1 felt like a toy (still does...I have a Ruger AR556 with Magpul furniture.).

I got trained by a few Vietnam Vets they kept us on our toes. I'm adopted and in 1990 I found my bio family. One of my biological brothers is a fellow Marine who served in Vietnam in 66-67 in Motor Transport. We had a good time catching up on our blood brotherhood and Marine Corps brotherhood..:)

I've shot a few M14s over the years, even a Garand. Great rifles. A while back I picked up a M1-Enforcer (M1 Carbine with the barrel cut down to 11 inches and with a pistol grip...all legal). Sometimes when I get it out of the safe I think about all the non-M16 rifles the Marine Corps used.

I forgot to mention that I also shot a 1903 Springfield in 30-06. Another fantastic basic rifleman's rifle.

This is my rifle,
This is my gun.
This one is for shooting,
This one is for fun...:)

Semper Fi to all the fellow Jarheads out there...:)
 
The M14 in another country

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I would give my left nut and half a titty to get my hands on an M14 EBR, but I doubt that’s gonna happen anytime soon.
I joined the army, the first time, in December of 1992, so I grew up with the AR15/M16 and love shooting them. I own several. I was also a SAW gunner in Iraq in 04-05, and I’d much rather carry an M14 because the SAW weighs 25 pounds with a 200 round belt. I took all my weapons and gear (body armor, ammo, rucksack etc) and put it on a scale one day after patrol. 110 pounds. It ruined my body, but I’m glad I wasn’t a 240 gunner, because that bitch is almost 30 pounds without ammo.
My point is this- the AR15/M16/M4 are lightweight and you can carry a shitload of ammo for them, but once the range gets beyond 400 yards or so, you definitely want something with more power and range and the M14 is just what the doctor ordered. It’s still relatively heavy, but the extra range and power make it well worth carrying into combat.
 
I joined the Army in 1965 when all we had for a issue rifle was the M-14, I missed expert with it by two rounds ( I was used to shooting my dads Remington single shot. 22 rifle- a huge difference)!
I never saw a M-16 until riding back from Saigon in the back of a 3/4 ton with a 101st Airborne Staff Sgt. with a very short and neat looking M-16.
Since then I have owned/traded/shot all types of weapons and so far the favorites are the M-14 and the HK-91 in the 7.62x51 and the Sig Sauer 556Ti in 7.62x39 - Used to go Jack rabbit hunting in the Mojave Desert and found the 55 grain .62x39 5.56x45 AR-15 would knock them down only to have them get off and beat feet where the AK-47 or SKS ( also M1-carbine out to 200-300 yards) would do the job, these were using surplus full metal jacket ammo which was easy on the pocket book in the 70's and early 80's.
 
I was a USN Seabee in the 60's. Since the Seabees get their military/combat training from the USMC we all had M-14s. When I was selected to join a Seabee team and go to Vietnam, the battalion armory installed selector switches on our rifles. Soon found out that accurate rife on full auto was darn near impossible unless you held the rifle by your hip and put your non trigger hand on top of the upper hand guard to hold the muzzle "kinda down".
We worked for a US Army Special Forces Team that had weapons from all over the world. Our M-14s were the best in the camp.....I did get to use a Swedish K for some time and loved that wonderful "sewing machine" but nothing in the armory could match the accuracy and knock down of the M-14 except maybe the bolt action sniper rifles or a good old fashioned BAR .
I've had a Springfield Armory M1A for many years and ended up changing out the walnut stock for a fiberglass one. With the good scope I have on the rifle and the right ammunition it will shoot with many bolt guns I've seen and owned.
 

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GIJOOOOOE said:
I would give my left nut and half a titty to get my hands on an M14 EBR, but I doubt that’s gonna happen anytime soon.
I joined the army, the first time, in December of 1992, so I grew up with the AR15/M16 and love shooting them. I own several. I was also a SAW gunner in Iraq in 04-05, and I’d much rather carry an M14 because the SAW weighs 25 pounds with a 200 round belt. I took all my weapons and gear (body armor, ammo, rucksack etc) and put it on a scale one day after patrol. 110 pounds. It ruined my body, but I’m glad I wasn’t a 240 gunner, because that bitch is almost 30 pounds without ammo.
My point is this- the AR15/M16/M4 are lightweight and you can carry a shitload of ammo for them, but once the range gets beyond 400 yards or so, you definitely want something with more power and range and the M14 is just what the doctor ordered. It’s still relatively heavy, but the extra range and power make it well worth carrying into combat.
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Thank you for your service. And thank you for sharing the information about your gear.

I was a Jarhead '76-'79 after Vietnam in a Marine Amphibious Unit running/jumping out of UH and CH-46 Hueys. We trained and patrolled in Asia. Aside from the occasional flareups around the Korean DMZ things were mostly quiet.
 
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