Are M-14's still in use by the military?

Question

I was on the Military.com Special Operations Center reading up on Army Special Forces and Rangers, and Navy SEALs and I saw a few pictures, and a couple of SF and Seal pictures the soldier was holding what looked like to me an M-14...not the updated sniper friendly version either, I'm talking the ones at the end of WW2 and trained with in Vietnam era boot camp. I heard they were highly accurate, but surely something new would be better?

Answer 1

The T44 rifle program began in the late 1940's however the M14 was not introduced into service until 1957. It remained the standard A service rifle until it was replaced nearly ten years later by the M16 series rifle. They are highly accurate having twice the maximum effective range of a M16 and a far more stable and deadlier projectile in the form of the .308 (7.62mm NATO) Winchester.

U.S. Forces having been using a great many weapons in the course of the war on terror, of which the M14 is merely one, the new Army sniper for an example is the M110 which is an upgraded and product improved AR10 the 7.62mm prototype that led to the M16 series of rifle. A lot of work and study is going into 6.8mm ammunition in the hope of replacing 5.56mm ammunition.

Just because something is old doesn't mean it is usless, the M1903, M1917 and M1 rifle all have better ballisic ability than the rifles that have since replaced them....

Answer 2

The navy S.S.D.F uses them to this day. I actually was issued one when I was in the Navy just a few years ago. The wooden parts have been replaced with a more durable plastic parts. And to answer your question they phased out the "14" because it was to heavy for a common infantryman. But it has a better range and is more accurate than an m16. The military still uses them outside of shipboard defenses but not on the scale of other weapons.

Answer 3

Yes; they were issued as a TO weapon to the "designated marksman" in Marine squads until the stockpile ran out; most were destroyed during the mid-90's. M-14 was not around at the end of WW2; was adopted until after the Korean War.

Answer 4

The M-14 is one fine rifle, holds 20 rounds, with a good and accurate 30 cal. punch at meaning full ranges. Yes the Army is reissuing them in Iraq.

Answer 5

Yes, I had 12 Standard M14 Rifles in Baghdad. Our SDM's (Squad Designated Marksmen) used them. We Purchased Scopes and Mounts for them. They werent M21's, Mostly Winchester, and Harrington & Richardson, a few Springfield Armory(Gov, not Civ M1A)

Answer 6

Some special forces soldiers prefer them to other guns because they have more stopping power than the standard issued rifles of today.

Answer 7

When I was deployed the last time to Bagdad we had several of them in our Enginner Company. We primarly used them as sniper riffles doing over watch on suspected IED hot spots. We were waiting to catch them in the act.

Answer 8

The M-14 is still used in the Army, our squad designated marksmen use them due to their caliber and accuracy.

Answer 9

Yes, very common shipboard weapon. Also used to launch monkey fist and line to recieving ships during underway replenishments.

Answer 10

When our boys in the war can get them. Some people prefer them for the knock-down power.