Accessories For The M14 Rifle
The M14 didn’t last very long as the US Army’s standard infantry rifle. However, it won immense popularity with civilian shooters and, despite being given away by the US Goverment in military aid packages and being cut up by the hundred thousand under Clinton, it went on to regain popularity in Iraq and Afghanistan. All four services now employ the M14 in various capacities from ceremonial to EoD disposal and the M39 and EBR are standard platoon weapons in the USMC and US Army in Afghanistan respectively. For almost four decades a variety of companies kept the Civilian market supplied with M14 clones, utilizing a varying percentage of the diminishing stock of Ex GI parts. Polytech, a Chinese company supplied many M14 type rifles to the US until Chinese imports were banned in the 1990s.
A whole industry has built up around supplying accessories for these excellent rifles. This is an accurate rifle and one that can be greatly enhanced by the addition of modern accessories that will make it a weapon equal to any other 7.62mm NATO battle rifle on the market today. These improve the handling of the M14, the way it copes with recoil and the ease with which you can fit the optics necessary to make the most of the weapon in CQB and long range engagements.
The M14 has always been difficult to mount optics on. If you are happy to forward mount or are willing to use a clip guide mounted rear rail, you can always use a handguard replacement rail system. The Amega Ranges mini scout is one such alternative. This M14 rail is machined from aerospace grade aluminium and clamps to the barrel, stiffening it and increasing its accuracy. The unit is versatile and you can add weaver or Picatinny side rail sections to take lasers or flashlights. You can use USGI iron sights with this handguard rail and it will not interfere with scope mounting systems attached to the receiver. This unit will not fit non USGI profile barrels, so it cannot be used on any Chinese production rifle or on any unit fitted with a heavy or stainless barrel.
The next step up is to purchase a replacement M14 stock. Arguably the most impressive stock on the market is the Troy M14stock or Modular Chassis System. The Troy M14 MCS is machined from a solid billet of aluminiun and takes any M14, M1A or SOCOM 16 rifle regardless of barrel weight. The system can be fitted in 20 minutes with regular hand tools and provides a rock solid bedding system with adjuster screws that obviates having your fiberglass bedded rifle rebedded every 1000 rounds or so. The Troy M14 MCS provides four rails – the top one of which runs the full lenght of the receiver on the same plane – the only M14 stock to do this. This ensures co-witnessing is easily accomplished and gives an exceptional flexibility in mounting. Cleverly, the Troy M14 stock puts the stock slightly above the axis of the bore, utterly eliminating muzzle climb. A rifle fitted with the MCS and a pistol grip and stock comes in at the same weight as a wood stocked rifle fitted with a side scope mount, so there no weight gain with this unit.
The Troy M14 MCS can take any folding or telescopic stock than can fit the AR15 rifle. For example the Magpul CTR stock. Troy battle sights are engineered to a high standard and make an ideal back up in the event of main optic failure. You can also mount a fore-grip like the Troy modular combat grip under the front of the weapon to aid controllability. The Troy M14 stock is quite expensive, but nothing of this quality is cheap and it is an investment in enhanced performance. Unlike other M14 replacement stocks, it also closely resembles an AR series weapon from a distance, making it less likely that you will be recognised as a designated marksman or sniper.
Springfield Armory “Operator” 1911: Going in Heavy