The History of a Rifle

[Jim Tarleton]

I suspect the cost will be a grave one. I was told it starts at $60, and goes up.

Jim

[maxcreigs]

I trained on the M14 in 1968, firing a perfect score with a TRW-made rifle that was so loose that when shaken it sounded like a bucket full of nickles thrown into a box car. My old drill sergeant just loved having a trainee who had fired a perfect score on the qualification range! He let me polish the marksmanship trophy in the day room every time my squad caught that detail.

While in Vietnam I was issued a M16 (made by General Motors Hydramatic Division), but I found a M14 in the possession of a Vietnamese Regional Forces unit. Our interpreter made the trade for me, and I don't remember all the details, but at day's end I had a real rifle again (and I'm sure the taxpayers only paid for it a couple of times).

I will always consider the M14 to be the finest combat rifle ever issued to US forces. The fact that these rifles are still deployed, after more than 40 years, bears this out..