M-14

[svnmag]

Hey DB or anyone else: What's your experience with the M-14? Watched Gun Stories the other night and their position was it was dropped because it was too heavy and uncontrollable on auto. They also maintained the average soldier couldn't shoot it accurately. If true, I further maintain the peep sight is a poor choice for combat and bolstered pussification of shooting discipline due to recoil aversion.

In the Farce I carried the M-16 A1 (without forward assist?!) until about the 2000 transition to the A-2...big time bullshit push against interchanging M193 and 855 ammo. Both guns featured the obvious retard desk engineer flip "long range" peep. I guess the pin hole "long range" was just as "effective" as the standard in combat. Now the M4 has a version of the dumbassed ghost ring which takes a back seat to a dumbassed red dot(debatable) which still requires looking through a device for target acquisition.

The peep sight has cost American lives as much as the AK. Sgt York used an '03 for a reason.

The episode I mentioned is not yet available:

https://youtu.be/6e7o1Dygtao



https://youtu.be/LYZ9mOBBpvo


It's a "shotgun" dumbass:


https://youtu.be/VAABMvmaGWQ

 

[db-2]

Train with the M-14 in basic.
Love it and part due to ammo. Never fail just like the M-1. But army wanted lighter gun and ammo so one could carry more. To sight the rifle in one needed to have 3 shots under a nickel at 25 yards/meters not sure on distance but one did not quit until one had that group. The holes were touching or on top of each other.

Peep sight to keep one from shooting high. Open sights tend to only use front sight (not sure if anyone used the sights at that point). Got top medal on rifle range with the M-14 so accurate not a problem for me but could not shoot the M-16. Those 350 meter targets went right down with the M-14. db

 

[AR-15]

Have had a lot fun with the peeps over the years, maybe more fun then with scopes

 

[NDbowman]

I sure like peep sights.

The tanker versions of the M14 would have made an excellent battlefield rifle.

I often wonder if the mini 14 should have been selected over the M16 way back then. I really like my minis.

 

[sl1000794]

Train with the M-14 in basic.
Love it and part due to ammo. Never fail just like the M-1. But army wanted lighter gun and ammo so one could carry more. To site the rifle in one needed to have 3 shots under a nickel at 25 yards/meters not sure on distance but one did not quit until one had that group. The holes were touching or on top of each other.

Peep site to keep one from shooting high. Open site tend to only use front site (not sure if anyone used the sites at that point). Got top medal on rifle range with the M-14 so accurate not a problem for me but could not shoot the M-16. Those 350 meter targets went right down with the M-14. db

db - I was in basic at Ft. Lewis in Sep/Oct '68 and we trained with the M-14. Loved shooting until everyone got a bruised cheek from recoil. Actually during rifle range the Drs. medicalled me out. I should not have been given a pass on my induction physical, so I never ended up serving. Instead I took a job with MK in VN and worked over there for 42 months building everything that the COE and SeaBees couldn't/didn't want to do. The company was actually called RMK-BRJ for Raymond International, Morrison Knudsen, Brown & Root and JA Jones. MK owned 40% and the other 3 each had 20% but MK supplied all the management and supts. Good job - all income was tax free.

 

[SDMF]

I'll take a peep/ghost-ring over a notch any day. Longer sighting plane and easier to shoot w/both eyes open, though I can and do shoot everything w/both eyes open. That said, my life has never depended upon a peep/ring being occluded or not. I can see occlusion being "a thing".

 

[db-2]

Ma kept everything and i guess i kept a lot.
Got my scrapbook from my army days out.

Had the scoresheets in there for grenade throwing and shooting the m14 in basic training.

Grenade score 45 out of 60 so not the best as the throws were good but the target was not on. Thought with a grenade all one had to be was close.

M14 was 61 out of 84. Targets were from 50 to 350 meters shooting in various positions with 5-10 seconds to shoot once target came up. Some spots had 15-20 seconds to shoot. That was enough to be in top range. Never did qualify with the m16 but did shoot at the range and no way could i hit the close targets with that rifle. But had a 20 round clip and full auto, so the game was to get as much out as possible. I do not think over seas i ever did shoot the whole clip out once before in jammed. But i was artillery and not infantry, thank God. But then sometimes with the 175 mm the goal there was also to get shells out quickly.

So for me svnmag, the M14 was accurate, never fail, had a great shell, never notice the weight or the recoil and hope to have one by this fall. db

- - - Updated - - -

Look up on internet. Not sure if one can get a m14 but a m1a. Last time i look they were 11-1200. Now $2000 and some said 1600. I have four rifles i would still like to buy in my life time so maybe this one will need to wait another year. db

 

[Tymurrey]

I never served and have no experience with the m14 but I love shooting my M1A and it is plenty accurate. I used to be decent with open sights but I don’t quite have the skills anymore to really make it shine. That and my M1 garand are two of my favorite rifles. They are heavy pigs especially with a full mag and I can imagine they might be difficult to control on auto. It’s Lots easier to shoot my reproduction m16a1 accurately when firing fast.

 

[fireone]

We shot the M-14 in boot camp and ITR. Five positions at the range from 200 to 500 meters. The only ones I saw in VN were carried by the spotter in the scout-sniper teams. The 14 was for targets out to 500 meters and the big rifle past that. If I remember right it weighed like 9 lbs without the magazine so the recoil was not bad at all on single shots.

 

[svnmag]

I still maintain the notch is twice as fast as the peep and just as battlefield accurate. The peep does not lend itself to accurate instinct shooting. The high shooting could be practiced out. Sorry, it's a bug I have in my ass. Grew up with a Powerline 880 and could shoot it like a shotgun and a rifle. Always wanted to try my shit with a .22 or 30/30 but too dangerous. I know my truth. Going to light a sandalwood candle, crank some Celine and draw a rose petal bath.

 

[db-2]

svnmag:

i shot a 175 MM cannon and have very limited experience shooting at someone with a rifle when they are shooting back at me.
But aiming was not in the cards at that point other than looking down the barrel, make sure it was pointed in the right direction and then watching the tracers if you have an auto.
I feel one can get on target faster with open sights but at that point in time one will shoot high. I believe most military guns since WW1 have had peep sites.
For us shooting in our home environment no reason why one cannot shoot just as well with either. For me sometimes harder to zero in on target with peep sights. db

 

[svnmag]

FUN FACT: At one time the Army trained with sightless Daisy BB guns.

BTW: I found the M16A1 extremely "accurate" and controllable out to 50m on silhouettes--shoulder and hip. You had to keep the burst to 4-5 rds (like shooting your garden hose at the kid's basketball). And yes, I shaded low and centered the post (fine bead) just above the aperture.

During my last night fire in the Farce (M4) a kid's red dot died before the burst course (25m). Wanting to get the hell home I told him to take it off and just use the post. In a show of solidarity I did the same. We did fine (simulated slap flare then NODs). Peep sights are for target shooting.

That is all.

 

[sl1000794]

When I was in basic at Ft. Lewis in Sep/Oct '68 we used BB guns to hit pennies thrown in the air. Guess it was to get our quick responce time up.

 

[svnmag]

When I was in basic at Ft. Lewis in Sep/Oct '68 we used BB guns to hit pennies thrown in the air. Guess it was to get our quick responce time up.

Maybe that's why I can reply to you. THANK YOU. Peep sights are for target shooting.

- - - Updated - - -

https://youtu.be/FFy-j1_l5ck

 

[db-2]

Used the same BB gun at Fort Lewis.

Last week decide i needed to get my Red Ryder and model 25 from the fifties but in shooting condition. Order parts and got this morning for the Red Ryder. Need the back bracket of a 300 Daisy scope and cannot find. May try and make one unless someone has one to sell. db

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

Qualified with the 14 in the Navy.(200yds) Single shot was no problem, even for a little guy like I was back then. During underway practice a guy put it on full auto after gunnie had warned everyone not to. First shot straight, second shot 10 degrees high, third shot 45 degrees and he was two steps back. Thankfully there were only three shots in the clip as he was almost over on his backside. That guy never held a gun onboard again.