John Cole broke into an amputee's home and was met with hot lead from a .357 mag. He was later arrested.
FERNDALE, Mich. — Ferndale police said a 72-year-old man with an amputated leg shot at an intruder who was in his house early Thursday morning.
Police said the victim hear was woken up by noise inside his home at about 3:40 a.m.
The victim grabbed a .357 revolver and shot at the intruder when he came to his bedroom door, police said.Police said the victim missed the man, who he identified as a man from the neighborhood.
John Robert Cole, 56, was arrested at a nearby 7-Eleven store, and officers found the victim's wallet in his pocket.
Police said Cole has been arrested several times in the last year and convicted of various misdemeanors. Read more
Officer Timothy Brenton killing thought to be assassination.
Investigators on Sunday fielded tips, interviewed potential witnesses and scoured through video tapes for evidence that would lead them to the assailant or assailants. They have not yet identified a suspect or the suspect's vehicle, nor have they determined what kind of weapon was used.
Killed in the Saturday night shooting was field training officer Timothy Brenton, 39. Rookie officer Britt Sweeney, 33, suffered a minor injury.
The two were discussing a routine traffic stop while parked in downtown Seattle when their police cruiser was suddenly struck several times by gunfire shortly after 10 p.m., officials said.
Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said Brenton died instantly. Sweeney ducked, and a bullet grazed her back. She then called for help and returned fire, Pugel said.
“This is an assassination, and every resource is being used to bring it to a conclusion,” Pugel said.
Brenton became the city's first officer killed in the line of duty since 2006, and Saturday's shooting was the first intentional homicide of an officer since 1994, police officials said.
Pugel said there had been no threats against Brenton and no indication the assailants were looking for him.
Sweeney was taken to the hospital but was later released and is at home. She joined the force about six months ago, and had graduated from the academy just weeks ago.
Brenton is survived by his wife and two children, ages 11 and 8, officials said. His father and uncle are retired Seattle police officers.
“Everybody loved him,” the officer's uncle, Jon Brenton of Kingston, Wash., told The Seattle Times. “I don't think there was any reason anybody would come after him.”
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels described the shooting as “cold-blooded.” Read more
Having lost its seacoast to Chile during the ill-fated War of the Pacific, 1879-1884, Bolivia, nursing its wounds in the Andes, set the stage for the Gran Chaco War of 1928 to 1935. The Gran Chaco originally belonged to the same Spanish Colonial District as Bolivia, so Bolivia assumed the Chaco was subject to the Spanish administration successor government.
Bolivians did not live in the Chaco and had virtually no connection with the Chaco or with the people who inhabited it. Paraguayans, mainly the Guarani, who were the indigenes of Paraguay, were nevertheless part of the Chaco by culture and language. Paraguay had claimed the territory when Spanish rule collapsed in 1810, its real claim resting upon the fact of use and occupation.
Over the years, Bolivian soldiers had gradually encroached upon Paraguayan territory in the Gran Chaco area of Paraguay. In the meantime, the country of Bolivia, with the aid of its huge tin revenues, had embarked upon a vast rearmament program.
On the lazy, very hot morning of December 5th, 1928, Bolivian Lt. Lozada, commander of the detachment at the fortin (fort) Vanguardia in the Chaco, was taking his ease in his quarters, waiting for the troopers under him to prepare the morning coffee. Suddenly, several of them saw what they thought was a flock of ostriches in the thick brush, but realized as they drew closer that they were mounted men. One came forward under a flag of truce. He was a Paraguayan trooper!
He gave Lt. Lozada a typewritten message which read: “The Paraguayans, knowing that you have occupied our territory, we allow you ten minutes to stack arms and be ready for us, one hundred meters south of the barracks. Otherwise we shall open fire.”
Paraguayan infantry was advancing from all sides, and Lt. Lozada passed out the single case of ammunition to his men, which amounted to a mere fifteen to twenty rounds per man. In ten minutes it was all over, with five Bolivians dead and two officers and nineteen men captured. These were indeed shots heard round the world! Long before the age of television, what happened in a few short minutes caused a little-known, minor league South American dispute to make international headlines around the world.
Outside collaboration and mediation led to a compromise solution of the incident without war….but only for the moment! The basic problems remained and flared into full war in 1932. Under the hand of Major, later General, Hans von Kundt, Chief of Staff, the Bolivian military establishment had been under the influence of a German Military Training Mission from 1911 forwards. The Bolivian army was organized along pre-WWI lines, but due to the poor quality of officers, proved to be generally inefficient.
Based upon loans collateralized by Bolivian tin exports, funds from US and Canadian banks were obtained to rearm the Bolivian army, with the contract going to the Vickers conglomerate.
VZ24 rifles and ZB26 Light Machine guns were subcontracted from Brno in Czechoslovakia, while Vickers equipped the Bolivians with machine guns and artillery. In Paraguay, armed conflict was the usual manner in which a change in government was effected, and by 1924 there were less than 4000 serviceable rifles available to the Paraguayan military.
Both countries could avail themselves of Model 1891 Argentine Pattern rifles in moderate supply (these are still available now and then on the collector’s network and, in excellent condition, can fetch from $250 to $300). Both countries early in the century had decided upon weapons based on the Mauser Model 98 action; the Bolivians chose the Model 1908 long rifle and short rifle.
The Paraguayans bought an unknown number of Mauser Model 1907 rifles and carbines. (These are rarely seen outside of Paraguay as the Paraguayans have not released their obsolete weapons from this period. If found in good to excellent condition, these weapons will fetch prices of $195 to $300). A number of Model 1903 Turkish pattern rifles may also have been purchased. The Paraguayans also purchased many Italian VV71s in 6.5mm, following the old maxim, “if it shoots, we can use it!”
After the war commenced in earnest, the Bolivian army inadvertently became the biggest supplier of arms to the Paraguayan army! At Campo Via, on 11 December 1933, the Bolivians lost 8,000 Mauser VZ24 rifles, 25 Stokes-Brandt mortars and approximately 500 machine guns to the Paraguayans, as well as Solothurn 15mm anti-tank rifles.
After firing the first shot, brace the butt of the shotgun on the ground. The hand comes up to the forend to cycle the empty shell out of the chamber.
While the handgun is an easy firearm with which to learn shooting skills, it is not the most powerful defensive weapon one may choose. The home defense shotgun lays claim to that title.
The handgun comes first to mind in discussion of defensive firearms because the pistol’s small dimensions provide the portability and concealability valued by the individual legally entitled to carry a concealed firearm for personal defense. Other defensive functions, including home defense or protection of a place of business, may be served as well or better by a light rifle or a shotgun.
As the second shot fires, the recoil has opened the action slightly on this old, well-worn Remington 870.
Shotguns have many great characteristics for the ensconced defender — that is, for one who must remain in position and fight instead of fleeing. The shotgun is a common home-defense and sporting firearm that not so many years ago also saw extensive use in police service. We benefit from the shotgun’s long history since it provides many, many variations from which to choose, lots of ammunition options, and can fine tune the shotgun’s fit with a wealth of accessories.
Terminology
With shotguns, the term “gauge” is similar to our use of “caliber” for handguns and rifles. Unlike caliber, with gauge the larger the number, the smaller the bore. Historically, gauge was defined by the number of solid balls the same diameter as the inside of the barrel that could be made from a pound of lead. Thus, the 10-gauge shotgun is larger than the 12-gauge, which is larger than the 20-gauge. Even smaller are the rather uncommon 24- and 28-gauges. The exception is the smallest of all, the .410 shotgun, which is expressed by the measurement (caliber) of its nominal bore size.
The most common shotgun gauge is the 12-gauge, the dominant shotgun choice in law enforcement. For home defense, the smaller 20-gauge shotgun does the job just fine, and this smaller shotgun is often found in use by smaller-statured birdhunters, as well.
The shotgun is unique in its ability to fire shells containing varying numbers of pellets, different sized shot, slugs, and in some guns even shells of several lengths for a magnum or standard charge. It is really quite a versatile defense tool that can be a lot of fun to train with.
The great advantage of the home-defense shotgun is its simultaneous delivery of multiple projectiles at reasonably high velocities. The effect of 20 .25-caliber pellets of #3 buckshot moving at around 1200 fps from a 20-gauge shotgun is vastly more devastating than firing nine single shots of .25 caliber handgun ammunition into an assailant.
When innocent life is threatened, the overwhelming concern must be to stop the attack quickly. At that instant, we are not worried about the eventual survival or demise of the assailant; seeking only an immediate cessation of the attack. Used to stop violent attack, the shotgun is effective indeed when fired with accuracy and skill.
Pros and Cons
The home-defense shotgun is best employed when the home’s occupants can take refuge in a prearranged, protected area, and defend themselves from a single point. The multiple projectiles that make the shotshell so effective are equally dangerous to innocents if they miss the intruder and penetrate walls of occupied rooms. Handgun ammunition poses the same danger, of course, but this hazard is compounded by the multiple projectiles each shotshell contains. Later, we’ll discuss shot patterns, how they spread over varying distances, and the penetration potential of various shotgun loads.
As a defensive weapon, the shotgun seems best suited to childless couples or single occupants, or in home layouts where those to be protected are sure to be clustered behind the defender. The shotgun works well if those responsible for home defense take their position at the head of a hall that precedes all other bedrooms, or can defend the family from the top of a staircase, if all the residents are ensconced on the upper floor.
In any home-defense plan, the downfall of the shotgun will be its weight and length. If you must hold a home intruder at gun point with the shotgun for more than 10 or 15 minutes, its weight will become tiresome indeed. 12-gauge shotguns weigh around 7 lbs.; 20-g. shotguns average 5 lbs. Compare that weight to your 1- to 2-lb. handgun when deciding which home-defense tool will work best for you.
Shotgun Myths
You may have read elsewhere that the shotgun can be fired accurately without taking time to align the sights. This is not true. At home-defense distances like five yards, it is entirely possible to completely miss a human-sized target if the sights are not used! Skill with the shotgun, like any other defensive firearm, requires competent instruction, dedicated practice, sighted fire and trigger control. When these skills are mastered, it becomes a devastating weapon.
Others have written that one big disadvantage of the shotgun is that it requires two hands to operate. This is not entirely true, either. Certainly, with only one hand, it is faster and easier to fire a pistol than a shotgun. Still, with advanced training, one can operate the shotgun with just one hand, including cycling a pump shotgun.
Shotgun Selection
(Top to Bottom) Youth sized Mossberg Model 500 20-gauge pump shotgun, bird hunter’s Winchester Model 1400 16-gauge autoloading shotgun and police-style Mossberg Model 590 12-gauge pump shotgun.
Just as handgun fit is crucial to accuracy, the shotgun must also fit the shooter. Women face a challenge in finding shotgun stocks that are sufficiently short. One great advantage to the 20-gauge shotgun is the ready availability of “youth models,” short-stocked shotguns that operate just like the full-sized models. Most full-sized shotguns have a 14″ or longer length of pull (the measurement from end of stock to trigger), while youth models usually go at 13 inches.
When the shotgun’s stock is too long, the shooter’s support arm is nearly hyperextended, instead of bent at the elbow for strength needed to hold up the shotgun and pull it in tightly into the shoulder. Without strong support from the non-shooting hand, the shooter leans back at the waist, attempting to balance the weight of the shotgun over her hips. If merely holding the gun was required, this would succeed; however, when firing the shotgun, a shoulders-back stance is disastrous.
When strong stance is compromised, the recoil’s effects are intensified. If the overlarge shotgun is a pump action, working the slide can pull the shotgun out onto the shoulder joint, where it must be repositioned before the next shot, or it will recoil painfully into the joint.
By now, you can see the necessity of proper stock fit. As a general rule, when the butt of the shotgun is held in the elbow crook of your bent arm, the first joint crease on your index finger should fully contact the trigger. The 20-gauge youth shotguns fit this dimension perfectly for many women and should be seriously considered when buying a home-defense shotgun.
If a youth model is too short, you can add a recoil pad like the Pachmayr Decelerator, which not only dampens the felt recoil enormously, but also adds length to the stock.
Alternatively, the entire stock can be replaced with one with a 13″ length of pull, like those sold by SPEEDFEED®2 or the rubber overmolded 12″ stock by Hogue.
Requiring no gunsmithing to install, replacement stocks screw onto the Remington pump or semi-auto shotguns with relative ease. A more expensive alternative is to buy a full-sized shotgun with a wood stock, then pay a gunsmith to cut the stock to size. I have done both, and swear by my short little Hogue stock.
Learn how to shoot back: Order the new Personal Defense for Women book. Click here to buy now.
Alabama — Mobile police say a possible burglar was shot and killed while he was trying to break into a home. Police say they received a call of a burglary in progress on Louise Drive around 6:45 Tuesday night.
Details are scarce, but police say the man was attempting to break into the home when he was shot in the chest by a female inside. Read more
“Everybody, at every level of law enforcement, federal, state and local has always known that the gun show loophole is a major source of guns getting into the hands of criminals.”
Really? Well, no. And yet Feinblatt was allowed to blather on unquestioned about his obvious lie, and unchallenged in any way about the rest of his allegations, for more than eleven minutes.
Because he started with such an obvious lie, truly nothing else he said deserves discussion. But a flub on the part of Feinblatt in an answer to one of Moulthrop's softball questions was also revealing.
After playing a short segment of audio from the undercover video, Moulthrop asked Feinblatt to “tell us a little bit about your own response to this video from our investigators.”
“When we told investigators…uh..when we heard the tapes we were surprised by how brazen the responses were.”
One would expect that, if Bloomberg's cronies had evidence of actual crimes being committed, that their response would have been and should have been to tell actual law enforcement investigators.
And yet the reason that Feinblatt stopped himself after saying “when we told investigators,” and the reason we know he is lying when he claims that “everybody, at every level of law enforcement” agrees with them, is because Bloomberg's cronies have apparently NOT told investigators anything.
Indeed, in preparation for his segment on the show, Irvine confirmed with the City of Sharonville, OH, where some of Bloomberg's minions went undercover, that Bloomberg had not turned over to them any evidence of any alleged crimes. Law-enforcement officials in other cities and states that received visits from Bloomberg's minions have been quoted as saying the same.
Another interesting claim uttered by Feinblatt amidst his false claims and twisted statistics was this:
“We think that most gun sellers obey the law. We think that gun shows are good events where people with like-minded interests come together and share their common enthusiasm for hunting.”
Gun shows are all about hunting? Really? Well, no. And if they truly believe that most gun sellers obey the law, then why won't they agree with gun rights proponents that the problem is one of enforcement, rather than something that demands new laws which will strip away the rights of what they agree are the majority of law-abiding sellers? Unfortunately, Moulthrop never asked. Read more
As you remember, the ObamaCare bill would dump your gun-related health data into a federal database. It would also put your (government mandated) insurance at risk if you keep a loaded gun for self-defense.
But there was a problem: The anti-gun health bills cost too much, and Obama had promised to pass a bill which would not raise the deficit by “one penny.”
So what Obama, Reid, and Pelosi did was to try to pass a separate bill (S. 1776) which would fund the anti-gun ObamaCare bill by raising the deficit another $247 billion dollars.
But, they would argue, because S. 1776 was a “separate bill,” the ObamaCare bill itself would not raise the deficit.
In a Senate not known for morality, this rose to a level of sleaze and corruption that embarrassed many Democrats, in addition to all Republicans.
With gun owners responding vigorously to our alerts on this issue, the motion to invoke “cloture” (or shut off debate) on the bill failed by a 47-53 vote — 13 votes short of the 60 votes the anti-gun socialists needed.
The victory on S. 1776 means that it will be much harder for Obama, Reid and Pelosi to pick up the somewhat fiscally-minded Blue Dog Democrats they so desperately need to get their anti-gun ObamaCare legislation passed.
So congratulations! It is true that this is only the first battle… but, if we continue battering Congress as we have, it will be the first of many victories.
Amtrak is raising serious objections to a proposal that would allow passengers to stow unloaded guns in their checked baggage, saying the train operator cannot screen passengers' bags the same way airlines do.
The Senate passed a measure last month that would allow passengers to declare and check a weapon on the trains, something airline passengers can do now, provided the weapon is unloaded and in a hard and locked case.
But Amtrak and some House members are against the idea. The House did not include the provision in their version of the bill approved by the Senate.
“That could jeopardize the operations of Amtrak because … we don't have the monies to invest in the protocol necessary to guarantee that these weapons won't be used against the traveling public,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
Amtrak Police Chief John O'Connor said it's possible the system's random bag inspections could catch someone with an illegal weapon, but that Amtrak does not even have baggage cars on every train.
He said he does not want any weapons, checked or unchecked, on his trains.
But supporters see the measure as way to keep Second Amendment rights from being restricted. Read more
Police responded to a call of someone trying to break into a home in the 700 block of Oscar Smith Drive. Three residents were inside when a man forced his way into the home through a back door.
The suspect was armed with a BB gun resembling a real pistol. One of the residents fired numerous shots from a handgun, striking the intruder. The man fled on foot.
Shortly after the 9:50 p.m. incident, a man arrived at Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) with several gunshot wounds. He received primary treatment at the CTMC Emergency Room and was transferred to the University Medical Center at Brackenridge in Austin. Read more
“Lawmakers previously barred local governments from passing ordinances that restrict firearms, and Schmidt wants to apply the same law to public universities and colleges.”
“The question is who ultimately determines where you can or cannot carry,” Schmidt said. “My view is the state legislature should be the ultimate authority on that … not local colleges.”
“State law currently bans the carrying of concealed weapons inside college classrooms, dormitories and sports arenas,” the Record-Eagle noted. “Schmidt said his bill wouldn't change that, but he won't rule out dropping those restrictions, either Schmidt, a member of the National Rifle Association, said his bill's primary goal is to make sure people with concealed carry permits don't have to worry about facing arrest as they cross into certain areas.”
“The main purpose of it is to clarify the law and put everyone on the same playing field … I just want to make sure responsible, law-abiding gun owners know what the law is throughout the state of Michigan, and that they don't get caught up in one difference here and one difference there,” Schmidt explained.
The botched home invasion robbery ended quickly when one of the suspects sustained a nonfatal gunshot wound to the stomach, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have arrested one man, and intend to charge the other upon his release from a Fort Myers-area hospital in connection to the attempted robbery at the 21000 block of Beaverton Avenue.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. as Peter L. Gilmore, 69, and his 25-year-old son, James S. McGlone sat inside their home.
The Sheriff’s Office said McGlone went to answer the front door when it was kicked open by two men wearing stockings over their faces.
The men, later identified as Keith Sowers, 32, of Punta Gorda, and Port Charlotte resident Joshua Eugene Becerril, 29, entered. Becerril reportedly held a large knife at Gilmore’s face and threatened to kill him.
McGlone, however, ran into his father’s bedroom, where Gilmore kept several guns.
Sowers, toting a tire iron, chased him.
Detectives say McGlone pointed a handgun at Sowers and told him to leave, a Sheriff’s Office report said.
Sowers allegedly hit McGlone over the head with the tire iron, at which point McGlone shot Sowers in the stomach.
Sowers reportedly hobbled out of the house with Becerril. Read more
Broken forearms are common on the Remington 1100 due to the thin wall of the stock, so check things over before you buy.
Hundreds of thousands of these popular shotguns have been sold over the decades, and the reason for that is simple: they are good guns. But is that used Remington 1100 being sold for a song, or to a sucker? Here are a few things to check.
Remington’s 1100 self-loading shotgun has seen a lot of changes over the years, some fairly major and some minor, though important nonetheless. If you’re in the market for a used one during the current Obama-pression, it’s a good idea to check on a few things before you hand over portraits of my favorite president, Ben Franklin.
Here’s what to look for Before You Buy:
Getting Started
As you unscrew the magazine cap, always be prepared for the magazine-spring retainer to be missing. If it is, the magazine spring can shoot the cap more than 20 feet and damage whatever it hits. Even if the retainer is in place, the spring has been known to come out on its own after the cap is removed. Something to watch for.
Rust in the extractor-plunger hole can create ejection problems and ultimately cause the destruction of the breech bolt. It’s worth checking early in the evaluation process. Rust doesn’t mean the gun is a dud, but it is a concern.
A Hard Kicker?
Excessive recoil from an 1100 can be a sign of improper mating between the barrel and the rest of the gas system. The problem can be caused by either too much gas pressure or too little.
Excessive pressure will open the breech too quickly while there is too much pressure still in the barrel, allowing the breech to blow back so hard that it gives excessive kick. Swelling of the fired shell is a sign of the breech’s opening early and showing excessive gas flow.
Insufficient gas pressure allows the breech to remain locked too long, giving the shooter the same recoil of a pump or other locked-breech shotgun. Low pressure often leads to a short stroke of the action. This will show up as improper or soft ejection and other feeding problems. Cleaning the gas ports will sometimes take care of this.
Seal Check
Always check the barrel seal to be sure the piston and piston seal are on right. The piston seal goes on first, with the flat base fitting snug against the front face of the action-bar assembly and the angle cut facing the muzzle.
The gas piston goes on next, with its angle cut facing into the matching angle of its seal. The rubber barrel seal then goes on, and should fit the magazine tube tightly. When slipped down to the notch in the magazine tube, it will still be tight. These seals need to be replaced if they are frayed, flattened, or stretched. Many owners will stretch these onto the front flat edge of the piston, or put them on in the wrong assembly order.
Check the Operating Handle
A common complaint of 1100 owners is that the operating handle comes out too easily and gets lost, or that it sometimes is too hard to get out. It is the operating-handle plunger that holds it, and this is part of the action bar.
Make sure the operating handle is cut or slotted to fit the bar; it may have been changed. Next, check the slots or cup-shaped hole in the bottom of the operating handle to make sure they are clear and clean.
Slip the handle into the action bar and see how much play it has. If it is too loose, it will need to be replaced with a thicker one. If it is tight, but still comes out too easily, the operating-handle plunger is not holding it tightly enough. The cup-shaped hole will need to be cleaned.
Doggin’ It
Some of the more common problems are stuck carrier-dog followers, which will lead to failures to feed. A bent carrier latch will not lift a second shell to the chamber when the shotgun is fired, even though it may work fine while working it by hand.
When the carrier dog is worn or loose on the base of the carrier, it will get the shotgun out of proper cycle and jam the action. If the front edge is worn excessively or bent, it will keep the trigger from engaging as it is supposed to, and will create jams.
Taking Stock of the Gun
The 1100 generally has the same types of external features as other shotguns and its ribs, beads, stocks, and forearms need the same maintenance and care.
Stocks are often replaced on these shotguns without the stock-bearing plate being properly reinstalled between the receiver and the stock. This creates chipped or broken stocks that must be repaired or replaced. Leaving off the action-tube spring nut washer or lock washer prevents the stock from properly fitting.
They were a mixed group of women, from their early 20s to mid-60s, all prepared mentally and emotionally for the next step.
Most had come to learn how to defend themselves. Others feared losing that right some time in the future.
“Get the gun up. Take a breath. Halfway out, hold it, and you will have a nice, steady shot,” Zeidler said in the practiced way of a National Rifle Association-certified gun instructor.
Women take aim at concealed weapon class
The women fired on command, some flinching, some squinting, some closing their eyes, but round after round found the paper targets.
Crissy Klemkosky was smiling when she finished using a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol.
“I love it,” Klemkosky said. “Last week, I shot with the .22, the 9 millimeter, the .38 and .45. I shot best with the .45. It seemed to fit me.”
Zeidler was not surprised.
“It's the gun with the most knockdown power,” he said. “(The women) are scared in the beginning and start with the .22 and 9 millimeter, but they find out the .45 won't hurt them. It points easy and is fairly accurate. Most say they feel empowered.”
Klemkosky is among 50 women who signed up for the required course to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun in Michigan. The female-only class was sponsored by Great Lakes Outdoors Foundation, a 2-year-old nonprofit organization with Zeidler as executive director. Read more
Gun Digest is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. Readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews and practical how-to instructions. Subscriptions are the First Amendment way to stand up for your Second Amendment rights. Click here to begin your subscription to Gun Digest.
Inside This Issue:
• More Detroit residents are carrying pistols…with good reason
• Editor Kevin Michalowski sets things straight in his “Editor's Shot” column.
As a sniper platform the M-14 is designated the M-21 and serves very well.
The M-14 is the shortest-lived “official” standard service rifle in the history of the United States. It survives in military service as the M21 sniper rifle in some reserve units, in the U.S. Navy and in special operations units. The rifle is still the weapon of choice in the U.S. military when a 7.62mm NATO combat rifle is required and thousands of them remain in storage. Despite the fact that the M-14 was officially replaced throughout the US Army by the M-16 in the early 1970s, there are those who still prefer it over the lighter rifle. The M-14 forms the basis for the Marine Corps’ Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) and special operations’ Mark 14, Mod 0 modular rifle.
The history of the M-14 begins in 1945. Ordnance Engineers at the Springfield National Armory had completed development of a new select-fire rifle designated the T20E2. The T20E2 appears to be very similar to an M-1 Garand except for a muzzle brake, a 20-round magazine and a selector switch on the receiver under the rear sight. By late summer of 1945, the new rifle was considered ready for service. The T20E2 was not as reliable as the M-1 and the recoil of the .30-06 cartridge in fully automatic fire made the rifle almost impossible to control. Regardless, the Army ordered 500,000 T20E2 rifles for the invasion of Japan, but the end of the war in August caused the order to be canceled.
The Army was developing a shorter .30 caliber cartridge that would reduce recoil, while maintaining ballistics similar to those of the .30-06. Improvements in smokeless powders accomplished in World War II along with engineering assistance by Winchester resulted in a .308 cartridge that was one third smaller and lighter than the .30-06 but with nearly identical ballistics. The new cartridge would eventually be standardized by the U.S. Army and NATO as the 7.62 x 51 mm cartridge.
A series of trials for a replacement for the M-1 Garand began in August 1952. There were two American rifles, the T44 with a modified Garand gas system and the T47 that used a falling bolt mechanism. The Belgian Fusil Automatique Leger (FAL) and the British EM-2 bullpup rifle were also evaluated. When the tests were completed in December 1952, the FAL proved superior to all other candidates. The British EM-2 and the American T47 were dropped from consideration. Development of the FAL, designated T48, and the T44 rifles continued.
Final testing was conducted in 1956 and included a series of shoot-offs between the T44 and the T48. To this day, the testing is controversial and the fact that the FAL went on to be adopted by the military forces of more than 90 countries, while the T44, type classified as the M-14, was adopted by fewer than 10 nations calls to question the objectivity of the test personnel. On 1 May 1957 the Army announced that the T44 would become the standard U.S. Army rifle and type classified as the M-14.
For long-range work, the M-14 is still the choice of military men who want a reliable and accurate rifle.
Despite being beloved by millions of GIs, the M-1 experienced minor problems throughout its service life and the M-14 seemed to have cured most of those. The M-1’s bulky gas cylinder near the muzzle was reduced in size and moved back 8 inches. The way in which the gas was used to operate the action was also modified. When a cartridge is fired in an M-14, some of the expanding gases that drive the bullet forward are bled away through a port in the barrel like the M-1.
With the M-14, however, the gases expand into a short gas cylinder via a vent in the wall of a hollow gas piston rather than against the front of a solid piston connected to an operating rod. When the piston is filled, it moves to the rear, pulling the gas vent out of alignment with the gas port and shutting off the further gas flow. As the piston travels to the rear it uncovers an orifice in the cylinder bottom that vents the gases trapped in the hollow piston out of the gas cylinder. The M-14’s milder action all but eliminated most parts breakage. The M-14 gas flow can be shut off for launching grenades by rotating a spindle valve on the side of the gas cylinder block.
The M-1’s eight-round en block clip was replaced by a 20-round detachable box magazine. This allowed the soldier to “top up” his magazine via stripper clips or loose rounds at any time. This was impossible with the M-1’s clip. And there was no spring steel clip to bounce out of the breech with a distinctive “ding” that could alert an enemy to the fact that the rifle was empty. Further, when a 20-round magazine was empty, it could quickly be replaced.
The basic M-14 is a select-fire weapon; that is, it can be fired in semiautomatic mode or on full automatic. Soldiers quickly discovered that the M-14 in full automatic was impossible to control and was virtually useless tactically. This was partly because of the M-14’s traditional stock design that directed recoil forces to a point above the shooter’s shoulder, forcing the rifle down at the rear and up and to the right at the muzzle. Even the M-14A1 with its modified stock assembly that helped redirect recoil forces and its muzzle brake/compensator was virtually uncontrollable on full auto and the barrels overheated very quickly. As a squad automatic rifle, the M-14A1 was rendered almost useless by its design and the fact that it was never designed or intended for sustained automatic fire. These ineffective weapons were soon to be replaced by the 7.62x51mm M60 machine gun. Other than the M-14A1, virtually all other infantry M-14s had their selector switch removed. The M-14A1 was never fully satisfactory and production was terminated in January 1963, well before production of standard M-14s ceased.
Although the M-14 was type classified in early 1957, no production rifles were manufactured until July 1959.
The M-14 received its baptism by fire in Vietnam in 1961. U.S. Army advisers to the Republic of Vietnam Forces used the M-14 extensively in combat against the Viet Cong. The rifle was considered too large and heavy for the slightly built Vietnamese soldiers to use effectively, although the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers were equipped with M-1 rifles weighing even more. Because of availability issues, M-14 distribution was generally limited to Americans.
Questions also arose regarding the M-14’s accuracy. Rumors began to circulate, some regarding the various manufacturers’ ability to build accurate rifles, others regarding the 7.62x51mm cartridge. It was eventually determined that a combination of factors led to the M-14’s accuracy issues and once the causes were determined, they were rectified with relative ease. The M-14 today is considered to be an accurate and reliable rifle and the 7.62x51mm cartridge itself is considered one of the most inherently accurate cartridges ever produced.
At the time that the M-14 was still in early stages of fielding, the Army was investigating ArmaLite’s AR-15 rifle, developed by Eugene Stoner, Jim Sullivan and Robert Fremont. The Army staff, however, wanted no part of the AR-15 and was stalling its development. Proponents of the M-14, having taken years to get the rifle into service, were actually preventing further development of the AR-15 concept.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara eventually demanded a full investigation not only of M-14 versus AR-15 testing but of the M-14’s overall performance in combat. The Army’s inspector general found that several tests had been rigged to show the AR-15 in a poor light, although the AR-15 had outperformed the M-14 in almost every category. In January 1963, Secretary McNamara announced that when that year’s production contracts for the M-14 were fulfilled, production of the rifle would be terminated. At the same time, he announced what was expected to be a one-time buy of 85,000 AR-15 rifles for the Army and 19,000 for the Air Force. The new rifle was type classified as the M-16.
A total of 1,380,346 M-14s was manufactured over approximately four years. Harrington & Richardson built 537,582; Springfield 167,100, Winchester 356,501 and TRW 319,163. The M-14 would remain the “Standard A” rifle until January 1968, but the M-16 was fast replacing the M-14 in Southeast Asia. When the M-14 procurement was canceled, the Marine Corps had been equipped with the M-14 for only a few months and the Army had never been completely reequipped.
The program to develop a National Match M-14 rifle began in 1959 and the first rifles were produced in 1962. In the first two years, 7,200 National Match rifles were manufactured at Springfield. TRW made 4,874 for the 1964 matches and the final 2,094 for the 1965 matches were rebuilt from existing service rifles at Springfield as production of new rifles had ceased. As it turned out, the National Match M-14 rifles made an excellent platform for a sniper rifle. The Army discovered that the National Match M-14 fitted with a range-finding telescopic sight served very well as a sniper weapon. After experimentation and field-testing the new sniper rifle was type classified as the M21.
As of the time of this writing in mid-2009, the M-14 is still playing an active, if limited, role in the U.S. military. As mentioned, it is in use by several special operations units as the Mk 14, Mod 0 and forms the basis for the Marine Corps DMR. The latter rifle is modified in such a way that it is extremely difficult for the rifle to be converted to select fire. Some units have deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq armed with M-14 rifles.
The civilian versions of the M-14 for the most part use commercial receivers with no capability to accept select-fire components and since the original M-14 was rarely used in full automatic, commercial versions might well be considered for purchase if supplies of government-owned M-14s ever become exhausted.
Despite being replaced as the military’s standard Infantry rifle in the early 1970s, the M-14 will continue to “soldier on” for the foreseeable future. There isn’t any other rifle that does anything appreciably better and there is a substantial inventory of M-14 rifles and components for repair parts.
The Gun Digest Book of Classic Combat Handguns is an absolutely unique compilation of articles celebrating the greatest combat pistols of all time, as they originally appeared in the world's greatest firearms annual, Gun Digest, from 1944 to present.
Gun Digest Senior Editor Kevin Michalowski comments: “I particularly like the idea of government-supplied firearms. We should use this as an argument to make CMP rifles more accessible and affordable,” he said.
Should the government supply everyone with healthcare … and a gun?
Three thoughts…
First
If we have a right to health care and they are going to take my money to provide universal health care, then when do I get my gun? Now our government is in the buisness of aquiring funds to secure rights, then lets provide for all rights. The Constitution guarantees my right to a owning a firearm. That is a lot firmer guarantee than some political hack's opinion of what constitutes a right.
Second
The Civil War was fought over an Amendment to the Constitution (the 10th) The Obama birth certificate issue is over a ARTICLE…. Its not unreasonable for people to be concerned. You don't have to agree, but we are tolerant of other American's opinons are we not?
Third
If we don't make our beliefs known now, when all we face is ridicule, wait until our opinions are outlawed and we have to wear little felt stars on our jackets because of our beliefs.
If you think it cannot happen, break out a history book.
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