Save M-14's from being scrapped

[RickG]

http://www.petitiononline.com/M14CMP03/petition.html
Some of you are very familiar with these weapons . I was fortunate to be assigned to an S-2 company in Viet Nam in '68 that issued M-14's to their scouts . Yes , we had the selector to make it fully automatic . These are excellent weapons and should be made available to responsible citizens

[Gunlovingvet]

That would be very sad.
Just the Loss of History would be criminal.

Oh and welcome to the forum Rick

[RickG]

Thanks . Yeah these were great drill rifles . Slapping the stock of an M-16 just doesn't give a good sound .

[Fronty Owner]

That "darn plastic gun" has been around longer than I have.
Its a fine rifle. I like the 7.62X 51 over the 5.56 X 45 and think its a better round for military service. The 5.56 is a round for the way the military shoots. It allows an individual soldier to carry more rounds to miss with.
While I agree the M-14 was a good rifle, its time to retire it just like the Garand had its day and was retired...

[tightgroup]

Thanks for the link, I submitted a petition.

I have always wanted an M1A but have never found a good enough deal on one. It would be great if a group like the DCM could get a hold of these and turn them into M1A's.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by Fronty Owner

That "darn plastic gun" has been around longer than I have.
Its a fine rifle. I like the 7.62X 51 over the 5.56 X 45 and think its a better round for military service. The 5.56 is a round for the way the military shoots. It allows an individual soldier to carry more rounds to miss with.
While I agree the M-14 was a good rifle, its time to retire it just like the Garand had its day and was retired...

We had plenty of ammo available as there was always an M-60 crew nearby . But the M-60 is long gone also . No , I take that back . Research shows civilian semi-automatic M-60's could be bought for $13,000 . I can't imagine firing a chain fed semiautomatic weapon .

[Fronty Owner]

for $13,000, you can get a full auto in something else...

the majority of the ammo used by soldiers today is the 5.56 X 45. I think the only reason the M2 has survived is because it fills a unique roll.

[MikeyB]

I read somewhere that the USMC sucked up all the M14E2's for use in Afghanistan. That forced the Army to go with the Stoner SR-25 to replace the M21's. Don't if this is true or not though.

MikeyB

[RickG]

Originally Posted by MikeyB

I read somewhere that the USMC sucked up all the M14E2's for use in Afghanistan. That forced the Army to go with the Stoner SR-25 to replace the M21's. Don't if this is true or not though.

MikeyB

Keep a sharp eye on news photos from Afghanistan and see what the Marines are carrying .

[Equalizer_2]

Yes, the majority of the rounds today are 5.56 but they still have the M240B which replaced the M60. While I agree that the 5.56 is wanting I believe that there are better choices than the 7.62x51. One that comes to mind is something on the order of the 6.5 or 7 mm. A lot of militaries have used these with good effect. When the SAW was being developed I said I wished they would use some round in the 6.5 Swiss class. Funny that about 2004 they come up with the 6.8 SPC and it has had a good record in its limited use from what I can find.

Also there is a need for special calibers such as the 7.62x51, .338 Lapua, and .50 cal but they are not needed for everyone. With the advancements in metalurgy and chemistry we can develop better performing rounds for the everyday rifleman.