M-14- The Most Iconic Rifle In History

The American rifle with the shortest 1st line service life in Army history.

BSW

An outrageous claim followed by a load of tripe.

The video is absurd,

It's a cool rifle but... the most... Iconic rifle... in history?

Yeah, naw.

Maybe the “Most Ironic Rifle in History”...

It taught me I could hit at longer distances than I thought possible. It was a real confidence builder. It was also designed to fight WWII. It was too heavy in rifle weight, magazine and ammunition. When you left the Helicopter you pretty much fought with what you carried. No trucks running ammunition to the Front. Think about three hundred rounds in magazines I get the sweats thinking about hauling that. Nobody I knew could control it on full automatic. Iconic? No. .

I like mine a lot.
But, iconic it's not.

bwahahahahaha

briansmithwins said:

The American rifle with the shortest 1st line service life in Army history.

BSW

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The M-14 was obsolete 10 years before it went into service. It never should have existed.

Cool rifle but I think I would place it lower on the list than the M1 carbine as far as being iconic.

My dad's friend used one when he was in, think I have a picture of him with it somewhere. Don't think there iconic but saw a cut up h&r on that place that's sells cut up guns, kinda made me sick.

Now, now, OP may have a point.

Can we agree that the M14 was an iconic manifestation of Army Ordnance’s ego?

BSW

Some guys think the 57 Chevy is the most iconic car, some the Corvette etc. To each their own.
I can appreciate an M14
EDIT After watching the video HA!
Funny

MAKster said:

The M-14 was obsolete 10 years before it went into service. It never should have existed.

Click to expand...

As a civilian shooter I'm glad it does though in the M1A config.

Shouldn't have said "most" iconic though.

My thoughts, most iconic rifle ever is a Winchester lever action. Most iconic military rifles in modern times, the M-16 and AK-47 for a tie. The most iconic military rifles before them in the 20th century, the Mauser and Enfield equally followed by the Garand.

You all heard at the end of the video "this video was made as historically inaccurate as possible, we apologize for any accurate details". Or something close to that.

Most iconic rifle In history? Mauser!!
Most iconic weapon in history Brown Bess. Almost 200 years of service vs less than 20 for the M-14.
Best combat weapon AK-47, M-16, FAL. You pick'em.

I get the feeling that only a few people here have watched the video. If you haven't watched it. I suggest that you do.

Whats today's date April first. He got a bunch of you.

MistWolf said:

What's ironic are all the comments made without even watching the video. The facts presented are irrefutable.

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There are NO facts in the absurd video. It's a confabulation of nonsense suggesting that the M14 was developed specifically to fight the Viet Kong, for example. It's the opposite of fact. It"s the version of facts that would accompany a NYT article about the M14.


Oh, wait. Yes, you got me

The M14, I had experience with as a Marine in Viet-Nam. It was not the best in application in a four man fire team as the automatic rifleman's rifle. The M16 was problematic when introduced into Marine Corps service. Reference the Hill Fights thus dead Marines with nonfunctional rifles because of ammunition problems.

The US should have adopted the FN FAL instead of the M-14 and the FN MAG instead of the M-60.

I didn’t particularly enjoy my time with the M14 in basic training (1968) but I did come to terms with it finally... It made me really appreciate that M16 when I had to qualify with it a few years later. It was so much easier in every to score with. I was never a grunt so I was never in combat at all. Take it for whatever my opinion is worth...

Hangingrock said:

The M14, I had experience with as a Marine in Viet-Nam. It was not the best in application in a four man fire team as the automatic rifleman's rifle. The M16 was problematic when introduced into Marine Corps service. Reference the Hill Fights thus dead Marines with nonfunctional rifles because of ammunition problems.

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C.J. Chivers book The Gun (history of the AK47 series) has a chapter on the adoption of the M16 and the problems it had that did get Americans killed.

My short version of the story is that the M14 was so grossly unsuited to the reality of warfare in Viet Nam that the M16 was rushed through and adopted before it was ready.

The culprit was Army Ordnance and their ‘not invented here’ mentally. It’s the same reason they jammed the 762NATO down the throats of the NATO countries and prevented the adoption of a 6.5 or 7mm intermediate* cartridge.

BSW

*Like the British .280 or the modern 6.5, 6.8mm intermediate cartridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.280_British