M1A (M14) Rife

The M14 rifle was the standard issue military service rifle, issued to the military in 1957 and became the standard issue rifle for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps.  In 1958 the M14 replaced the M1 Garand rifle in service with the U.S. Army.  In 1965 the M14 replaced the M1 Garand rifle in service with the U.S. Marine Corps.

The M14 was designed to replace the M1, M2 carbines, M3 and M3A1 submachine guns.  It was an upgrade from the M1, with a magazine-fed design and automatic fire capability.

The M14 was phased out by 1968, and the M16 was ordered as its replacement in 1964.  The M14 was the last U.S. military rifle to be produced at the Springfield Armory in Springfield Massachusetts.

The M14 replaced the M1 Garand and its 30/06 ammunition as the military service rifle, however, Special Operations forces use M14 Sniper variants, such as the M21 and M25 as designated marksman weapons.

M14’s Effectiveness

The M14, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, has a maximum range of 3,725 yards (3,406 meters).  Its maximum effective range can be up to 800 meters when used by a trained shooter.  During my time in the Marines, we qualified once a year with our service rifle, M14 or M16, at 200, 300 and 500 meters, without optics, just iron sights.  The peep sight is adjustable for windage and range in 100-meter increments up to 1,000 meters.  The M14 standing alone with iron sights was extremely accurate at 500 meters, take it from someone who knows first-hand.  Now add a top-of-the-line scope, and WOWWZZAAA!

Leatherwood M1000-PRO 2-10×42 ART Scope

The earlier sniper scopes in Vietnam had the Automatic Ranging Trajectory (ART).  But it was preset for the ballistic data of the ammunition being used at the time.  This automatically calculated the bullets trajectory allowing the shooter to quickly adjust to varying distances quickly without adjusting the elevation turret to manually compensate for bullet drop.

Technology has come to age.  The Leatherwood M1000-PRO 2-10×42 ART Scope allows the shooter to set the Automatic Ranging Trajectory (ART) to any ammunition the shooter may be shooting according to firearm by using ballistic tables provided, dialing in data to the scope itself.  Once set, adjustments to the elevation turret are not needed, just a simple “dial in” of the known distance will automatically compensate for bullet drop.  This allows quick and easy target accusation in the field.

If the distance isn’t known, framing the target within the HR1 reticle will also automatically adjust for trajectory.  Once the target is framed, the ART scope will automatically compensate for bullet trajectory from 200 to 1000 yards.  This means no hold over or guess work.

More on the Leatherwood M1000-PRO ART 2-10×42 Scope

The M14 paired with the Leatherwood M1000-PRO ART 2-10×42, in my opinion, is top notch not only as a hunting rifle, but in competitive marksmanship and recreational shooting as well.  I do have this combination in my shop for sale.  It also includes a U.S. cheek pad and bipod.

For questions, please contact us.

Be Safe Out There