Maximum rates of fire for the M14 rifle

D

Different

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Per FM 23-8 U.S. Rifle 7.62MM, M14 and M14E2 page 5

"Rates of Fire. (These can be maintained without danger to the firer, or damage to the weapon):

Semiautomatic mode (rounds per minute):

1 minute . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2 minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5 minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
10 minutes . . . . . . . . . . . 20
15 minutes . . . . . . . . . . . 20
20 minutes . . . . . . . . . . . 20
30 minutes (or more) . . . 15"
 
Different

I can be a little dense at times.:confused:

1 minute........40 rounds.
2 minute........40 rounds.
5 minute........30 rounds.

Does this mean I can shoot 40 rounds in one minute and the next 40 rounds in two minutes and the next 30 rounds in five minutes without taking a brake?

Dose this means I can shoot 110 rounds in 8 minutes at the intervals above?

One more question. This is for mil. spec. barrels . Do you know if Springfield or others us the same mil. spec. on the after market barrels?

Thank you for this info it is something that M14/M1A owners should know when/if the SHTF.
 
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It means that for the first four minutes, you can fire at a maximum rate of 40 rounds per minute. At five minutes (160 rounds) you must slow to 30 rounds per minute. At ten minutes (340 rounds) you must slow to 20 rounds per minute. At thirty minutes (740 rounds) you must slow to 15 rounds per minute. After 740 rounds in thirty minutes, the maximum safe rate of fire is 15 rounds per minute, an average of one round every four seconds.

Put another way, in the first hour, you can safely fire a maximum of 1190 rounds. After that, you can safely fire 800 rounds per hour at a rate of 15 rounds per minute.

This would seem to apply to chrome-lined G.I. barrels, not national match barrels or any M1A/M14 barrel with a stainless or carbon steel bore.
 
I would read it that if you are planning on shooting a LOT to hold your fire to a rate of 15 RPM or slower... from the start...
 
Springfield Armory puts USGI chrome lined barrels on their standard model M1As. Smith Enterprises has used USGI barrels for their rack grade models as well. Check your rifle clear. Pull the operating rod back and latch it open. Look under the hand guard on the right hand side. If you see a drawing number, a code date ( 5 62 or 2 61, etc.) and letters like H R, TRW, S A or 66118 you have a USGI barrel. 66118 is the manufacturer's code for Winchester.

Match barrels will have tighter chambers so they will fail to extract sooner under rapid fire. Chrome lined barrels also clean up faster. The standard model M1A is about one-half pound lighter than the loaded model M1A. IMHO, the SHTF model for the M1A / M14 is one with no bedding, a chrome lined USGI barrel, USGI trigger group, NM front sight, USGI synthetic stock, USGI nylon sling. Use USGI magazines and surplus FMJ ammo (Portugese, British, Malaysian, South African) or PMC FMJ.

I agree with Bogie, try to stay with 15 rounds per minute or less. The M1A / M14 will not fail you if you do your part.



:)
 
Well, SHTF rate of fire...15 Boogie's (not Bogie's) in 1 minute is a pretty good rate of fire.....As Civies we are not limited to FMJ rounds and NATO rules. Wing'em and leave them to wiggle and move on to the next. Remember....a wounded target takes 2 to get off the playing field. Hence you would have 2 more targets. Then after that you would have 6...should they care :confused:
So if one person put down 3 targets at 400-500 yards, air support, long range shooters......I would dare say the battle would last a few minutes.

I like the quote someone had from Yamimoto, from WW2 it went something like..."invade the American Heartland and you shall find a rifle behind every blade of grass"

Just me

Karsten
 
Nothing wrong with SP or HP but the Portugese FMJ works so well, at least for me. Karsten, you are right, more wounded means more manpower tied up. I may have to test some of that Federal 155 grain Match Ammoman is selling.
 
Karsten, I imagine that if there ever is a SHTF situation, Bad Guys won't be the types who would worry about "playing Medic". It also seems to me that such a crowd would be readily deterred from continuing any efforts against a reasonably well-defended target zone. Rapid fire from potent weaponry--particularly if your neighbor is helping--should be pretty discouraging...

Semi-auto ARs or .308s; 12-gauge shotty-guns...

:), Art
 
FWIW for those who believe everything they read.

No combat troops ever stopped to carry off their wounded. They take the casualties and carry on with the mission. The medics will clean up later if there is a chance. If not, tough luck.

That nonsense about taking two people to tend one wounded came from someone who read a book, probably written by a war hero like Bill or Al.

Jim
 
Well...never the less, help or no help 15 rounds per minute of consentrated fire from a M14/M1A should equal a few downed BG's.
 
Ya know...after all that is 1 round every 4 seconds not taking into consideration mag changes and target accusition......I Figure 15 well placed rounds should be better than 30 spray and pray in 60 seconds.

Just an opinion.

Karsten
 
All I can add is "damn" that barrel is going to be plum hot in about 3 minutes!

I know when I shoot my M1A's, a few hundred rounds in a morning is about all 2 of them can handle without burning your hands holding them.
 
I'm too sedated ;) to look at the moment, but in R. Blake Stevens M14 book, he mentions the military M16 vs M14 full auto trials. If I remember right, the M14 went something like 470+ rounds in under 8 minutes before the barrel burst, not quite making the 500 round limit the trials were set up for.

The M16 did finish off 500 rounds full auto, but with numerous problems and a drooping barrel at the completion of the tests. Of course the 223 is an entirely different animal than the 308. I bet an M16 (AR10) chambered in 308 wouldn't have been able to reach 500 rounds in a "fast as you can shoot it full auto" test either. Too much heat build up from the larger powder capacity 308 ctg.
 
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