[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

Hey I finally remembered to bring my new digital camera with me to the range so I could get some pics of my M14 and meager highpower gear!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/ET1ss_McCrackin/000_0029.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/ET1ss_McCrackin/000_0031.jpg

[Onmilo]

Hey, you travel light for an M14 shooter!

Question is, what's with the enbloc full of cartridges?

[homeka45]

If that's meager I must be anorexic. Nice color stock, your paint or factory?

[KriegHund]

Nice! Bet it shoots better than you can...er, no offence meant!

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

No 1, the grey is a fiberglass stock. No 2, the en bloc is because as a member of a command sponsored Navy shooting team we not only get issued Gov. match weapons but we get to shoot Gov ammo. For matches we use M118 Special but for practice we shoot standard M80 ball which for some reason comes in the en bloc clips. The term "my" is a little misleading, but I use it because the weapon does have my name on it. No 3, my gear, compared w/my teammates, is pretty sparse. This sport is a little expensive for married E6 pay. It helps, as you can imagine, not having to buy a rifle, getting free ammo, and I actually won the stool at last years PACFLT match. ;)

[carebear]

Do you get to keep the clips? Or do they have to be turned in with the brass or something?

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

I hate to tell ya guys :uhoh: .......I get to keep as many as I want! :evil:
I already have around 30 or so, and I don't even have an M1. Yet....

[Trebor]

Do you get to keep the clips? Or do they have to be turned in with the brass or something?

I was just going to ask that. If you do get to keep them, and don't want them, you'll find lots of people here who would put them to good use.

[nico]

Nice!

Not to jack the thread, but how is the M14 different from the M1A?

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

The difference is that little rotary lever shown just below and slightly behind the operating lever on the right side of the stock, below the rear sight. That's the rock-and-roll switch.

M1A is the designation for this rifle as produced in the civilian world without that lever. M14's have da switch, M1A's don't.

Beautiful rifle, Phil. I'm jealous, but I don't care to enlist to get to fire one. Thanks for your service.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[nico]

I didn't realize M14s were select fire. . . you learn something new every day :)

[45R]

Thats a nice looking M14!!! I love the color of the stock!

[homeka45]

Battleship gray? Pleasure to see an M14 that hasn't been demilled, I didn't know that's where the selector switch was. You learn something new each day. Thanks for your service to the country.

[mbs357]

Man, I love M14s.
But let me get this straight.
M1A = En bloc and semi auto only.
M14 = Detachable box and select fire, but from what I can tell M14s can also accept en bloc?
I might have learnt something too. =o

[carebear]

Not quite mbs,

M1 Garand = .30-06, En bloc 8 round clip

M14 = 7.62 NATO, detachable 20 rd. box magazine (inserted magazine can be top loaded through action with single stack stripper clip a la Enfield), select fire

M1A = civilian version of M14, same loading method(s), no select fire option

[Onmilo]

If I had looked a little closer I would see those are indeed 7.62X51 cartridges in that clip.
I guess they ground up all the .308 Garands and never bothered to break the ammunition down eh?
Keep your seat dry and your bullets in the black sailor!

[mbs357]

Alrighty, thanks Carebear!

[30Cal]

FWIW, the rifle pictured doesn't have a selector switch. The selector lock that it is equipped with makes this M14 semi-auto only. Most were issued like this.

That sure is a minty looking sling! Are you a coner or EngDept type ET? Glad to see that they are finally issuing weapons and ammo to the team. When I was there, they had to beg Dillon for a press to build up ammo with. I used to be a junior O-div'er on 732(G). I did stints as NavOps, CRA, DCA/QAO, Torp/Sonar/FT and Commo.

Ty

[chickenfried]

Sweet!!! Free ammo, just have to yank it out of enblocs. The black handguard looks pretty cool.
Shouldn't the definition be?
M1A - Springfield Armory Inc.'s semi-auto version of the M14

[carebear]

There are others?

Just kidding. In the day, I had a Polytech.

[moa]

I understand the full auto selector on the M14s was rarely issued. On full auto supposedly the M14 is near impossible to control because of the recoil. I was in the Army in NATO 1966-68 and I do not recall ever seeing an M14 with the selector.

I think the M14 was meant to replace the M1 Garand, the Browning Automatic rifle, the Thompson sub-gun and the M1/M2 Carbine. The BAR, Thompson and M2 were all capable full auto fire. If M14 was the replacement, then it was a bit of a failure because of the lack of useful full auto function.

But, the M14 is a great shooter. Loved mine.

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

Thanks for the positive comments guys! Oh I'm definitetly a coner .30cal, Orlando NNPS was a little too math intensive for me at the time. (Although my recruiter said than a math background topped with basic algebra would not be a problem.. :rolleyes: . I Became an EM3 but during power school, heat transfer and fluid flow made my brain leak out my ears!) And yeah, the sling is brand new. I retired my old one last year, (still have it though) but if you talk real sweet to the Crane guys at the matches, you can get a new sling and couple of mags still in the wrappers!

[Bob R]

That sure does bring back some memories. About 12-15 years ago the navy loaned me one of those rifles. Mine was a Winchester, in a brown stock. They also loaned me a match prepped 1911 .45 for the times we were'nt doing rifle matches.

The sweetest deal was the free ammo for both of the guns. I can not begin to calculate the amount of ammo I burned up, but it was a lot.

I was fortunate, as a Chief on shore duty, I got a lot of range time.

bob

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

Yeah, I've got a match .45 at the armory too. It is a pretty darn good deal if you can get it. Being on a command team like this is the only way I can afford to compete. I mean, weapons, ammo, gear, AND entrance fees can bust a guys bank!

[Nitram68]

very nice. I don't see many m-14 (M1a1 I guess) at the range. Wish I did.