M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.10 kg
- Introduced
- 1966
About
What it is, and why it matters
The M14A1 is the squad-automatic-weapon variant of the M14 battle rifle, originally fielded as the M14E2 in 1963 and redesignated M14A1 in 1966. The rifle was developed at the U.S. Army Infantry School to provide controllable full-automatic suppressive fire from a magazine-fed shoulder weapon. To tame the M14's recoil in automatic fire, the variant added an in-line straight-stock layout with a vertical pistol grip, a folding front handgrip adjustable in five one-inch increments, an M2 bipod, a muzzle stabilizer fitting over the slotted flash suppressor, a hinged buttplate over a rubber recoil pad, and a modified BAR sling. Despite these changes the platform remained difficult to control, the 20-round magazine offered limited suppressive volume, and the rifle overheated quickly in sustained fire, leading to its rapid replacement by the belt-fed M60 in the squad automatic role.
When U.S. troops in Vietnam complained that the M14A1 was nearly impossible to control on full-auto despite all its add-ons, the Pentagon's solution was characteristically pragmatic: stop trying to make a battle rifle do an LMG's job and just issue more M60s. The M14A1's reign as a frontline squad automatic lasted barely four years.
Approximately 8,300 rifles produced - extremely rare today. Some M14E2/M14A1 rifles were transferred to ARVN units; documented use among ARVN Rangers during the Tet Offensive. The platform was officially considered obsolete in U.S. Army service by 1970 as the M16 and M60 took over its roles.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Springfield Armory (US Government)
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1966 to 1970
- Variant of
- Automatic squad support
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Overall length
- 1120 mm
- Sight radius
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.10 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 5.76 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Trigger pull
- 22.0 N
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 850 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3430 J
- Effective range
- 460 m
- Maximum range
- 3725 m
- Rate of fire
- 700 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
In line pistol grip stock
Folding vertical foregrip
M2 bipod- Muzzle stabilizer
Select fire
Rubber recoil buttpad
Hinged buttplate- BAR sling
Synthetic handguard
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 86 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 5.10 kg | 4.30 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 1120 mm | 1025 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 559 mm | 458 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle
How much does the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle weigh?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle weighs 5.10 kg (11.24 lb) empty and 5.76 kg (12.70 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle hold?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle is 1120 mm (44.1 in) long overall, with a 559 mm (22.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle is made by Springfield Armory (US Government) (United States). It was designed by United States Army Infantry School.
When was the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle introduced?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle was introduced in 1966 and discontinued in 1970.
How does the M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle operate?
The M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- 1966
- Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
- Vietnam
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
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Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/m14a1' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "m14a1", "name": "M14A1 Squad Automatic Rifle", "manufacturer": { "id": "springfield-armory-us", "name": "Springfield Armory (US Government)", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1777, "website": "https://www.springfield-armory.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "b9dd0910a7c8bee7c58786e8b0a8f572a1d60da9a0b15c41d155cb38023c6bd8" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1966, "barrel_length_mm": 559, "weight_empty_g": 5100, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}