M14 rifle
The M14 assault rifle entered into service with the US Army in 1957 as the successor to the M1 Garand. The design was conceived during the final years of WW2, when soldiers wanted a weapon with the lightness and selective fire capabilities of the M1 carbine, but with the power of the M1 rifle. The M14 is an evolution of the M1, with improvements especially in the magazine. This rifle was the US Army's first to use the standardized 7.62mm NATO round.

By 1969 the M16 assault rifle had displaced the M14 in most Army and Marine units in Vietnam. Yet US Navy Seals used M14 rifles in "Desert Shield" and "Desert Storm" as their primary personal weapon.

Production: Approximately 1.4 million M14 rifles have been produced since 1957. A number of variants on the basic M14 were produced, but only one was adopted in any greater number--the M14A1, which is close to being a light machine gun. Many surplus M14 assault rifles were converted into sniper rifles, called XM21. The rifle is now produced only on a commercial basis by Springfield Armory Inc.

Manufacturer: US government (Springfield Armory), 1957-63; Springfield Armory Inc., Geneseo, IL

Service: Beginning in the early 1970s thousands of M14 rifles were given to several nations under military aid programs. In the 1990s alone, over 100,000 of these rifles have been given away to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.

Cartridge: 7.62mm

Operation: gas

Method of locking: rotating bolt

Feed: magazine

Magazine capacity: 20 rounds

Method of fire: (M14) self-loading, some selective; (M14A1) selective

Length: 1120 mm

Barrel length: 559 mm

Weight loaded: (M14) 5.1 kg; (M14A1) 6.6 kg

Muzzle velocity: 853 m/s

Rate of fire: cyclic, 700-750 rounds/minute