Norinco M14S
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Introduced
- 1988
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Norinco M14S is a Chinese-made semi-automatic rifle that copies the American M14 battle rifle, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Manufactured by Norinco (China North Industries Corporation) at State Arsenal 356 and exported through Norinco and Poly Technologies, it is a gas-operated, rotating-bolt design fed from a detachable box magazine. Sold on the commercial market as the M14S (Sporter) and under the M305 designation, it became especially popular among sport and hunting shooters in Canada in both the original 22-inch and shortened 18.5-inch barrel lengths.
Norinco is reported to have produced M14 rifles by the early 1970s, reverse-engineered from captured specimens or built using acquired technical data, originally intended to arm communist rebels abroad. To disguise their origin, early rifles copied U.S.-made M14s down to their markings before the design was revived as a commercial export product.
Importation into the United States began in 1988 but the M14S was among 43 models named in the March 1989 import ban, and a May 1994 executive order halted all Chinese firearm imports. The rifle remained widely available in Canada. Commonly marketed under the M305 model name.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Norinco
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- China
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1988
- Variant of
- Licensed copy
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Overall length
- 1126 mm
- Sight radius
- 660 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 5.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 853 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3467 J
- Effective range
- 460 m
- Maximum range
- 3725 m
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.
Gas operated rotating bolt
Detachable box magazine
Adjustable aperture rear sight
Wood or synthetic stock options
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 1,612 rifles | 4.50 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1126 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 559 mm | 584 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 10 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Norinco M14S
How much does the Norinco M14S weigh?
The Norinco M14S weighs 4.50 kg (9.92 lb) empty and 5.20 kg (11.46 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Norinco M14S?
The Norinco M14S is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Norinco M14S hold?
The Norinco M14S holds 10 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Norinco M14S?
The Norinco M14S is 1126 mm (44.3 in) long overall, with a 559 mm (22.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Norinco M14S?
The Norinco M14S is made by Norinco (China). It was designed by Norinco (based on M14 by Springfield Armory).
When was the Norinco M14S introduced?
The Norinco M14S was introduced in 1988.
How does the Norinco M14S operate?
The Norinco M14S 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
- Civilian sport shooters
- Canada
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/norinco-m14s' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "norinco-m14s", "name": "Norinco M14S", "manufacturer": { "id": "norinco", "name": "Norinco", "countryCode": "CN", "foundedYear": 1980, "website": "https://en.norincogroup.com.cn", "logoUrl": null, "description": "China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), a state-owned enterprise founded in 1980 and headquartered in Beijing. Among the world's largest defense contractors, producing firearms and military equipment.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "5286c8a850a565bc4d9bd2e7a8e4b18084a491b62d93d828ac7de90983853065" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "CN", "year_introduced": 1988, "barrel_length_mm": 559, "weight_empty_g": 4500, "action_type": "gas_operated"}