Though not quite as famous or controversial as either the M16/M4/AR-15 series or Avtomat Kalashnikova, i.e., the AK-47 platform and its variants, the M14 is a plenty famous and historically ...

In a way, there is precedent. While the M4/M249 was introduced to the Army in the mid-1990s, it did not become the standard-issue Army rifle until 2010, ultimately replacing the M16.

Great believers in the M14’s reliability and the 7.62x51 mm NATO cartridge’s lethality, they wanted a shortened version with a pistol grip and adjustable-length buttstock for close-quarters use.

Funny thing, the Army decided the M16 was more accurate, and more easily tuned into a sniper rifle – except for the caliber. Which is why the M14 EBR's replacement, the Mk-11, is built off an AR ...

The M14 rifle, with its 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge, is considerably more powerful than the M4 and XM5. But its recoil, maneuverability, and weight don’t make it versatile enough for infantry.

In the early 1990s, the Army purchased a limited number of M4 carbines. The M4 had a collapsible stock and a shorter, 14.5-inch barrel, as opposed to the longer twenty-inch barrel of the M16A2.

The M14 uses a 7.62 mm cartridge that is a larger caliber than the 5.56 round used by the M16 and has a longer range. Variants of the M14 are used as sniper rifles by some law enforcement agencies.

Marine grunts, who will now use the M4 instead of the M16, said the weapon is a better fit for the type of combat they face today. Photo Credit: Sgt. Christopher Stone/Marine Corps ...

The gas block functions as an important part of the M4 and M16’s direct impingement system; it funnels gas into the tube and back into the bolt carrier group in order to cycle the weapon.

Army engineers and scientists optimized the EPM to work with the M4/M4A1, M16 rifle, and standard military 5.56mm small arms round, the M855A1. The M855A1, known also as the Enhanced Performance ...