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History of the M-14

timbgtm

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.... I think another thing that prompted the Army to develop the M14 was the universally good reviews that another automatic rifle got-- the 1918 Browning BAR. This gun was select fire (semi or full-auto) used 20-round magazines of .30-06, and had good accuracy. Troops liked it when it first came out in WWI (but didn't get much time to use it before the war ended.) They loved it in WWII and Korea.

BUT, the BAR was a 20-lb weapon. The M14 was less than half that weight, and fired a cartridge that was nearly as powerful. So there was a lot more recoil from the M14. It was less successful as a light machine gun than the BAR was, even when the M14 was fired from the prone position using a bipod and with the back butt plate flipped up on the shooter's shoulder.
 
.... I think another thing that prompted the Army to develop the M14 was the universally good reviews that another automatic rifle got-- the 1918 Browning BAR. This gun was select fire (semi or full-auto) used 20-round magazines of .30-06, and had good accuracy. Troops liked it when it first came out in WWI (but didn't get much time to use it before the war ended.) They loved it in WWII and Korea.

BUT, the BAR was a 20-lb weapon. The M14 was less than half that weight, and fired a cartridge that was nearly as powerful. So there was a lot more recoil from the M14. It was less successful as a light machine gun than the BAR was, even when the M14 was fired from the prone position using a bipod and with the back butt plate flipped up on the shooter's shoulder.


Yep, the M14 was a disaster as a machine gun. As a Semi automatic firearm it is one of the best rifles ever made.
 
.... I think another thing that prompted the Army to develop the M14 was the universally good reviews that another automatic rifle got-- the 1918 Browning BAR. This gun was select fire (semi or full-auto) used 20-round magazines of .30-06, and had good accuracy. Troops liked it when it first came out in WWI (but didn't get much time to use it before the war ended.) They loved it in WWII and Korea.

BUT, the BAR was a 20-lb weapon. The M14 was less than half that weight, and fired a cartridge that was nearly as powerful. So there was a lot more recoil from the M14. It was less successful as a light machine gun than the BAR was, even when the M14 was fired from the prone position using a bipod and with the back butt plate flipped up on the shooter's shoulder.

I saw a show where the military was training to fire the m-14 from the hip, not much on accuracy but I imagine it saved some shoulder's.
 
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