M14E1
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Introduced
- 1959
About
What it is, and why it matters
The M14E1 is an experimental battle rifle developed at Springfield Armory as a folding-stock variant of the standard M14. Chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and fed from a 20-round detachable box magazine, it retained the M14's gas-operated, rotating-bolt action and selective-fire capability while replacing the fixed wooden stock with one of several side-folding metal stock and pistol-grip configurations. The folding stocks were intended to shorten the rifle for airborne, armored-infantry, and other roles requiring a more compact weapon. Five stock types were trialed, but none was selected or type-classified for service.
The M14E1 grew out of the U.S. Army's search for a more compact version of its new standard rifle. Springfield Armory engineers tried several side-folding stock designs to make the M14 suitable for paratroopers and armored crews, but the rifle's length, weight, and recoil in 7.62mm NATO worked against the concept, and the project was ultimately shelved as the M14 itself was overtaken by the M16.
Five M14E1 folding-stock designs were tested (a tool-room Type I plus Types II through V). None was standardized; the program ran in parallel with other M14 improvement efforts. Specifications below reflect the M14E1's M14 mechanical baseline, with overall length and weight differing by folding-stock type.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Springfield Armory, Inc.
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1959 to 1964
- Variant of
- Folding stock
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Overall length
- 1181 mm
- Sight radius
- 660 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 5.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 850 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3440 J
- Effective range
- 460 m
- Maximum range
- 3725 m
- Rate of fire
- 750 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.
Side folding stock
Pistol grip
Selective fire
Rotating bolt
Gas cutoff valve
Adjustable aperture sights
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 | 4.50 kg | 4.30 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 1181 mm | 1025 mm | Among the longest tenth |
| 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 M14E1
How much does the M14E1 weigh?
The M14E1 weighs 4.50 kg (9.92 lb) empty and 5.50 kg (12.13 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the M14E1?
The M14E1 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the M14E1 hold?
The M14E1 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the M14E1?
The M14E1 is 1181 mm (46.5 in) long overall, with a 559 mm (22.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the M14E1?
The M14E1 is made by Springfield Armory, Inc. (United States). It was designed by Springfield Armory.
When was the M14E1 introduced?
The M14E1 was introduced in 1959 and discontinued in 1964.
How does the M14E1 operate?
The M14E1 uses a gas operated 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
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
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/m14e1' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "m14e1", "name": "M14E1", "manufacturer": { "id": "springfield-armory", "name": "Springfield Armory, Inc.", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1974, "website": "https://www.springfield-armory.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "25f76dc992edbd0bbf9fcae464532e0cdea93a1bb7636f2858e213931d45a359" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1959, "barrel_length_mm": 559, "weight_empty_g": 4500, "action_type": "gas_operated"}