The M14 was designed in 1954 and officially became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. Armed Forces from 1959 to 1964, with over 1 million units produced over that relatively short span of time.

Overall, the positive assessments of the M14 seem to far outweigh the negative ones. That legend began with the M1 Garand, a rifle that had served American GIs so faithful during both World War II ...