Rise and Fall of M14 Rifle and Its M1A Comeback

We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Key Points and Summary: The M14 rifle, designed to replace multiple U.S. military weapons, had a short-lived service life due to reliability issues, cumbersome weight, and challenges in Vietnam’s harsh conditions.

-Despite being replaced by the M16 in 1967, the M14 found new life as the civilian M1A. Introduced in 1974 by Springfield Armory, the M1A retained the M14’s iconic design while adapting for modern sporting use. Today, the M1A enjoys enduring popularity among collectors and competitive shooters, with multiple variants and extensive aftermarket support.

-Its legacy as a civilian icon has far surpassed the M14’s troubled military history.

The M14 Rifle: A Vietnam Failure, A Civilian Icon

It’s probably safe to assume that we’re all familiar with the iconic M14 and its civilian counterpart, the M1A. Based on the beloved M1 Garand of WWII, the M14/M1A is a gas-operated centerfire rifle chambered for the powerful, and somewhat more affordable, 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Winchester cartridge. The rifle was initially designed to replace the M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, the M3 SMG, and the Browning BAR, all while providing enough firepower to punch out targets beyond 500 yards.

The M14 was elegant and practical. It offered incredible firepower potential and easily served multiple roles for every military branch. More importantly, it was a single firearm platform that could be manufactured in mass quantities, which the military hoped could eliminate the supply issues experienced during WWII.

However, despite remaining a prized legend among civilian shooters, the M14 didn’t live up to the hype. It was essentially a military blunder and is infamous for its short-lived military service before it was phased out in favor of the M16 rifle during the Vietnam War.

The Rise of the M14

In the years that followed WWII, the U.S. military wanted to consolidate the reliability and trusted firepower of the M1 Garand and the versatility of the external magazine-fed M1 Carbine with the select-fire capabilities of the BAR and M3 SMG into a single firearm. Eugene Stoner and his team of firearms engineers at Springfield Armory developed the M14, a select-fire-capable and magazine-fed rifle with a 22″ barrel and Garand-style gas-operated fire system. Further, the M14 chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO (designated as the M80), the same round adopted as a standard-issue round by NATO forces and officially adopted by the U.S. military in 1957.

On the surface, the M14 was everything the Army wanted and needed. But, as history shows, the platform’s acclaim was too good to be true, and trouble soon followed.

Early Issues with the M14

It wasn’t long after the M14 entered service that the rifle became a troublesome platform and a headache for service members, especially as the U.S. entered the Vietnam War.

The gas-operated Garand-style action, intended to reduce recoil and improve firing speed, had a tendency to malfunction under extreme battlefield conditions and was prone to failures and malfunctions that often cost soldiers precious time and, in many cases, their lives. Actions would seize entirely or fail to cycle reliably, forcing service members to stop and attempt to clear their weapons in the face of advancing foes.

Further, while the M14 had proven to be effective at long distances, the firepower of the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge and the overall length and weight of the rifle were ineffective and cumbersome in close-quarter combat. At nearly 9 lbs. unloaded, the M14 was incredibly heavy, often fatiguing infantrymen during long marches well before ever entering combat. The cumbersome weight was especially disastrous in the jungles and challenging terrains of Vietnam.

Lastly, the M14 utilized a wood stock, which was susceptible to swelling, twisting, and cracking in Southeastern Asian jungles, rice fields, and swamplands due to the constant heat and humidity. Later models were retrofitted with synthetic stocks, but the rifle’s reliability issues were compounded by the fact that American GIs were already fatigued by their heavy loads, and the synthetic stocks were too little too late.

Replacing the M14

By 1967, the M14 had largely been replaced by the M16. This lightweight, select-fire rifle was infinitely easier to handle and control, especially under full-auto fire, and was more suitable for the close-quarters combat and challenging environs of Vietnam. Though the M16 was not without its faults, especially early models, GIs were, by and large, happy to be ditching the heavy and clunky M14 for the softer-shooting and easier-to-carry M16.

The M14 did, however, remain in service for snipers and select special forces units. Some elite units continue to use a heavily modified version of the M14 today, which is a testament to the M14/M1A’s incredible firepower potential and the reliability of the Garand-style operating system.

The M14’s Revival and Lasting Impact as the Civilian M1A

Despite its troubled service with the U.S. military, civilian firearms enthusiasts and collectors recognized the M14’s potential as a sporting rifle. Capitalizing on the demand for an M14-style rifle, Springfield Armory introduced the M1A in 1974, which retained the look, feel, and overall operation of the M14 but without the select-fire capability.

The M1A was initially introduced to the civilian market using the same specifications as the original M14, complete with the same 22-inch barrel, bayonet lug, traditional walnut stock, and steel butt plate. Since its 1974 release, however, the M1A has continued to evolve. Today’s market includes multiple variations of the M1A, including the Standard Issue (closest to the original design), Loaded, SOCOM, and Scout Squad models. 

There is also plenty of aftermarket support for the M1A, with numerous well-known manufacturers, such as McMillan Stocks, GG&G, and Boyd’s, among others, offering a wide array of upgrades and accessories, from enhanced stocks and scopes to performance parts like precision barrels and match-grade triggers. This flexibility has helped the M1A retain its place in the modern market, continuously adapting to the changing demands of modern shooting sports without altering the platform out of existence.

M1A Rifle By Corey Ritter.

Having been in production for more than 50 years, the M1A is possibly more popular now than ever before, and its legacy in the civilian market has largely overshadowed the rocky military history of its predecessor. Many collectors and competitive match shooters still swoon over the M14/M1A platform for its elegance, firepower, and accuracy potential.

Not surprisingly, the M14/M1A carries a relatively hefty price tag – often fetching well above $1,600 for a used base model.

Yet, the guns seem to fly off dealer shelves at a record pace, further cementing the legacy of the original M14 despite its short-lived military service. 

About the Author: Corey Ritter 

With nearly 20 years of firearms education and professional firearms experience, Corey Ritter is a passionate 2A supporter and educationalist, avid sport shooter, firearms collector, and creative writer. When he’s not glued to his computer or scouring through the latest edition of the AP style book, he spends most of his time coaching his son’s sports teams, exploring our wonderful country, and traveling to European WWII battlefields with his family and dear Dutch and English friends across the pond. Corey is based out of Kansas City, Missouri, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from Drury University.