In all fairness, the Global War on Terror presented a combat theater the U.S. Ruggio, scout sniper, Scout Sniper platoon, Headquarters and Support Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fires his MK-11 sniper rifle in the first stage of a three-day platoon competition in Djibouti March 25. Which is why the M14 EBR's replacement, the Mk-11, is built off an AR-10: the 7.62 big brother of the M16.Ĭpl. The Army noticed the problems and prohibitive costs associated with maintaining M14s in country, which lead to the solicitation of a replacement rifle to meet new specifications for the Semi-Automatic Sniper System program.įunny thing, the Army decided the M16 was more accurate, and more easily tuned into a sniper rifle – except for the caliber. While the M14's 7.62mm round is great for this, the gun is not.Ĭamp Perry shooters have long since abandoned the M14 because of the difficulty in accurizing the rifle compared to the M16 – and they aren't alone.
Yet, according to military standards, acceptable accuracy from the M14 is 5.5 inches at 100 yards – a full inch larger than the M16's standards. Given that a DMR must, by definition, extend the effective range of a squad, its DMR needs to reliably hit targets beyond the reach of the infantryman's standard rifle or carbine. Therein lies the biggest problem with the M14: accurizing the rifle and holding on to that accuracy.Īccuracy is a measure of consistency when it comes to rifles. Seriously, disturbing the gun's bedding – the way it's glued into a stock - doesn't just shift point of impact, it reduces overall accuracy. So, if soldiers love the gun, it must be pretty decent, right? Sure, so long as the rifle is clamped into a very heavy, expensive chassis and the soldier carrying it never drops it, or touches the handguards. Infantrymen from every branch fielding a DMR in combat have nothing but praise for the guns' performance in the vast expanses of Iraq and Afghanistan. The vaunted DMR bridges the gap between the M4 and dedicated sniping weapon systems like the M24. It's the design itself – especially for the role it has been shoehorned into: the Designated Marskman Rifle. On a side note, carrying a combat load of 7.62 isn't much fun, and doesn't offer the average infantryman nearly as much firepower as the same weight in 5.56 rounds.īut that's not what makes the M14 so awful. While the rifle's hard-hitting 7.62x51mm NATO round is vastly superior to the M16's 5.56mm at defeating light cover and the dense foliage found in South East Asian jungles, it also makes the rifle very tough to control. Like the AK, the M14's action can tolerate debris and fouling better than the direct-impingement M16. It's a long-stroke, piston-driven action that's very similar to the most prolific, assault rifle in history: the AK-47. All rifles are built to meet customer requirements using the finest parts and accessories available.The one thing the M14 has going for it, is its method of operation. These are but a few of many variations built by Ted Brown at Shooters Den. Shooters Den Built Rifles in LRB Arms Shot Show Display
LRB M14SA with ARMS Mount and Smith Muzzle Break Note that Hawk is holding one of LRB Arms M14SA rifles and Ted is holding the new M25 in a JAE100 stock.Ī RACK OF LRB ARMS M14 RIFLES BUILT AT SHOOTERS DEN This was taken during one of Fred's Appleseed shoots held on Long Island.
Pictured from left to right: Tony (Hawk) of the M14 Firing Line Forum, Lou from LRB Arms, Fred of Fred's M14 Stocks, Lee (Different) Author of the M14 Rifle History and Development, Ted from Shooters Den.