Some thoughts about the M14 mag.

[Evil Monkey]

I see that the M14 mag doesn't have locking lugs that extend greatly as seen on, for example, AK mags.

I wonder, could a rifle be built with a magwell that can take M14 mags UNMODIFIED utilizing an AR style "straight lock" design.

Armalite has ar-10's that take modified m14 mags, which lead me to believe that the initial idea of simply using unmodified m14 mags was a failure. However, if Bushmaster and Rock River got away with using FAL mags in their 308 rifles with out having to "rock and lock" them, why couldn't it be done with M14 mags?

 

[H2O MAN]

Armalite now uses new mags made by CMI. They are not modified USGI M14 mags.

I don't see a way to get away from the current "rock and lock" set-up on the M14.

 

[HorseSoldier]

However, if Bushmaster and Rock River got away with using FAL mags in their 308 rifles with out having to "rock and lock" them, why couldn't it be done with M14 mags?

Didn't the AR-10s using FAL mags have serious reliability and feeding issues?

 

[30Cal]

I don't see a way to get away from the current "rock and lock" set-up on the M14.

Not on the M14. If you were designing something new, you could do it, but you'd need to add 3-5 parts above the rock-and-lock baseline to link the rear and forward latches to the mag release.