I'm no expert on this , but if he is the inheritor (not an executor of an estate) of a legally owned with papers M14(that is the big catch here) then legal possession of the firearm could possibly pass to him, pending transfer and all legalities.
Now go get a NFA versed lawyer. That rifle could be too valuable to destroy if you do not need too, or not valuable enough to spend 10 years of your life with bubba.