M15 rifle

Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14
Type	Battle rifle, automatic rifle, sniper rifle, designated marksman rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1959–present 1959–64 (as US standard service rifle)
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designed	1954
Produced	1959–64
Number built	1.3 million
Variants	M14E1, M14E2/M14A1, M14K, M21, M25, Mk 14 EBR, M1A rifle
Specifications
Weight	9.2 lb (4.1 kg) empty 10.7 lb (5.2 kg) w/ loaded magazine
Length	44.3 in (1,126 mm)
Barrel length	22 in (559 mm)
Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in)
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	700–750 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	460 m (500 yd) 800+ m (875+ yd) (with optics)
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Aperture rear sight, "barleycorn" front sight

The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle that fires 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) ammunition. It gradually replaced the M1 Garand rifle in U.S. Army service by 1961 and in U.S. Marine Corps service by 1965. It was the standard issue infantry rifle for U.S. military personnel in the contiguous United States, Europe, and South Korea from 1959 until it was replaced by the M16 rifle in 1964 although some remained in service. The M14 was used for U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps basic and advanced individual training (AIT) from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

The M14 was the last American "battle rifle" (weapons that fire full-power rifle ammunition, such as the 7.62×51 mm) issued in quantity to U.S. military personnel. The rifle remains in limited service in all branches of the U.S. military as an accurized competition weapon, a ceremonial weapon by honor guards, color guards, drill teams, and ceremonial guards, and sniper rifle/designated marksman rifle.

The M14 is the basis for the M21 and M25 sniper rifles which were largely replaced by the M24 Sniper Weapon System. A new version of the M14, the M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle has been in service since 2002.

The M14 was developed from a long line of experimental weapons based upon the M1 rifle. Although the M1 was among the most advanced infantry rifles of the late 1930s, it was not an ideal weapon. Modifications were already beginning to be made to the basic M1 rifle's design during the last months of World War II. Changes included adding fully automatic firing capability and replacing the eight-round en bloc clips with a detachable box magazine holding 20 rounds. Winchester, Remington, and Springfield Armory's own John Garand offered different conversions. Garand's design, the T20, was the most popular, and T20 prototypes served as the basis for a number of Springfield test rifles from 1945 through the early 1950s.

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