M14 Forum

jerrywh918

What were the build specs on TRW manufactured national match M14's in 1965?

jerrywh918

M14 Rifle Development and History by Lee Emerson

M14 NM
A development program to turn the M14 into a competition match rifle was begun at Springfield Armory in 1959. This effort originated with Colonel Joe Smith, U. S. Army. Colonel Smith was the Director of Civilian Marksmanship from 1958 until 1971. Colonel Smith was the driving force in convincing the U. S. Army to spend the funds to develop and produce the M14 NM (NSN 1005-00-678-9828). He promoted the use of the M14 rifle in competition shooting to the National Rifle Association. Springfield Armory and TRW made M14 NM rifles from scratch. The competition match M14 rifle was designated M14 NM. Additionally, Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal converted some M14 rifles to M14 NM models. M14 NM rifles received the same welding operation as the M14 M rifles. The last complete set of drawings for the M14 NM was made in 1979 at Rock Island Arsenal. The drawing number 7790189 R N has been observed on TRW M14 NM serial number 1473XXX. U. S. Army and National Guard match armorers had to pass the M14 NM armorer school at Rock Island Arsenal before they were allowed to work on match grade M14 rifles. By the 1980s, the National Guard MTU established an annual M14 NM armorer’s school at Camp Robinson (North Little Rock, AR). At least one M14 NM, a TRW model, was issued in 2004 to a U. S. Army soldier on active duty in Iraq as a rack grade rifle.

M14 NM Production – At least 18,325 M14 NM rifles were produced from 1962 to 1967 with 6,500 of them produced in 1962 and 1963 by Springfield Armory. 4 Springfield Armory was tasked to deliver 3,000 M14 National Match rifles by August 01, 1962 and it reportedly delivered 3,550 new National Match rifles the following year. 5 This makes one accounting of Springfield Armory production number fifty more rifles than another accounting for 1962 and 1963. A third source states 7200 M14 NM rifles were manufactured in 1962 and 1963 at Springfield Armory. 6 Additionally, the National Rifle Association reported 4,874 M14 NM rifles made by TRW. 7 However, TRW reported production of 7,609 M14 NM rifles. 8 Using the smallest numbers available, the minimum number produced was 18,325. 9 The maximum number produced would be 21,760 (7200 built for ’62 and ’63 + 7,609 built for ’64 + 6,951 rebuilt for ’65, ’66 and ’67).

M14 NM Distinctive Features - The receiver heels were stamped M14 NM. The NM stamping appears just to the right of M14 or on the flat surface next to the rear sight. The major differences between the M14 NM and the M14 were: 1) NM barrel is held to half the tolerances of the rack grade barrel and is not chromium plated 2) NM rifle receiver is glass bedded to the stock 3) specific parts are hand fitted and assembled 4) NM rear sight is adjustable in ½ MOA increments through finer threads in the sight base and windage knob, and through half-turn rotation of a hooded eccentric rear sight aperture and 5) select fire parts are welded to prevent operation. The M14 NM rear sight is the same as what is used on National Match modified M1 Garand rifles. Both walnut and birch stocks have been used to build M14 NM rifles. M14 NM rifles were required to group no more than 3.5 ” at 100 yards after three ten shot groups using M118 match ammunition.

M14 NM and M21 Gas Piston - The gas piston for the M14 NM and M21 has a groove cut on the top of cylindrical portion, according to drawing number 9352724. The groove was made part of the M14 NM and M21 specifications as a result of the efforts of Picatinny Arsenal. Civilian draftsmen and engineers from Picatinny Arsenal interviewed National Guard Marksmanship Unit shooters and armorers to develop standardized build specifications for the M14 NM and M21. From this development effort, the M14 NM and M21 rifles were given the gas piston groove and medium weight match grade barrels. The gas piston groove equalizes the gas pressure inside the cylinder resulting in gentler stroking of the operating rod. The groove also aids in breaking vacuum so that the competition shooter can determine if the gas piston is free to move inside the cylinder by tilting the rifle up and down with the bolt held open. Members of the National Guard Marksmanship Unit, as well as some competition shooters, thought the piston groove also reduced the force impacting the operating rod. The perceived result was a smoother and more consistent cycling of the operating rod. Match armorers also polished the gas piston in M14 NM and M21 rifles with crocus cloth to reduce the friction between the gas cylinder and the gas piston. Some competition shooters had the groove cut on the bottom of the gas piston. Two very credible sources interviewed for this work favor the piston groove on the bottom for the match grade M14 type rifle. By no later than 1984, the U. S. Marine Corps Shooting Team had access to match conditioning documents that specified two grooves to be machined in the gas piston for match use.

M14 NM Operating Rod Spring Guide – The standard USGI operating rod spring guide performs its function of guiding the operating rod spring but not without noticeable binding and twisting due to its thin cross-section (see Miscellaneous Notes on USGI Parts). This is acceptable for a rack grade M14 rifle. However, the U. S. Army MTU realized the operating rod spring guide could be improved upon as an aid to M14 NM accuracy. By no later than mid-1967, the AMTU had created the National Match operating rod spring guide. It was made of two pieces, a section of un-heat treated drill rod welded to a cutoff magazine catch portion of a USGI operating rod spring guide. The drill rod section was tapered at the forward end like the issue operating rod spring guide. The benefits were a straight operating rod spring and smoother operation of the gas system. Unfortunately, this style of National Match operating rod spring guide was not hardened by heat treatment after the welding procedure. Consequently, the magazine catch portion of the NM operating rod spring guide wore out much quicker than the issue spring guide. In the 1980s and 1990s, the National Guard Marksmanship Training Unit attached the magazine catch portion to the slotted drill rod by silver soldering. This method of attachment kept the magazine catch from softening. Often, a hold was drilled through the rod and a pin inserted to secure the magazine catch as well.

jerrywh918

M14 Rifle Development and History by Lee Emerson

M14 NM Issue – Shooters were introduced to the M14 NM rifle at the 1963 National Rifle Matches. M14 NM rifles were a regular issue item at the 1964 and 1965 Matches. The M14 type rifle was popular in competition shooting until the early 1990s. The M14 was used by the U. S. Marine Corps at Camp Perry as late as 1996. However, U. S. DCM shooting clubs such as the Alabama State Service Rifle Team and the Connecticut State Rifle and Pistol Association still inventoried M14 NM rifles in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Civilian Ownership of the M14 NM - The 1980 court case, U. S. v. One U. S. (TRW) 7.62mm M-14 National Match Rifle, Serial No. 1453711, is worthy of mention. This federal court case was not appealed, and is not “controlling legal authority” for other situations, even within the Southern District of Ohio. Though this case applies only to this particular M14 NM rifle, it does establish that one court has determined that the M14 NM rifle as manufactured by TRW and Springfield Armory is not capable of and is not designed for automatic fire. The rifle in question was originally manufactured as a M14 National Match model, in contrast to rack grade M14 rifles converted into M14 NM configuration.

Robert Sauerman purchased the TRW M14 NM rifle serial number 1453711 in 1973 or 1974. It was not registered as a National Firearms Act machine gun. In order to set the question of the rifle’s legal status to rest, Mr. Sauerman informed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) that he was in possession of the TRW M14 NM. This TRW M14 NM was confiscated from the owner, Robert Sauerman, by the BATF on September 27, 1977 at his gun shop near Dayton, Ohio. The trial court made findings of fact that included a ruling that this TRW M14 NM was not a machine gun under the National Firearms Act, and ordered to be returned to Mr. Sauerman. The TRW M14 NM serial number 1453711 was sold by Mr. Sauerman around 1986 or 1987 to the current owner. Later, Robert Sauerman met an untimely death when a drunk driver crossed lanes and hit him head on at a stoplight. The current owner of TRW M14 NM serial number 1453711 also possesses the court case documents and a Springfield Armory M14 NM.

m1sniper

Very interesting info,,thanks for posting. Just want to add a foot note of interest. A friend of mine was a US Army sniper in Nam,1969 era.He was issued an XM21 rifle with the Redfield AR-Tel scope. He and his partner were given specific orders that they were NOT allowed to even clean the rifle.It HAD to only be done by certified armorers ONLY.

Ted Brown

TRW factory built National Match rifles were most interesting in what they didn't do.
I inspected three NIB TRW NM rifles sent from the DCM for my state association back in 1979. They were significant in that they did not have all the NM modifications found on other rifles at that time. Omitted were trigger adjustment, modified recoil spring guides, unitized gas systems, flash suppressor reaming, and the extensive glass bedding normally found. Very minimal glass bedding was done which did not give the receiver full support. The only other things done included a NM barrel (standard weight) and NM sights.
So, basically very little was actually done to make these National Match Rifles. Todays standards for NM modifications and accuracy are much improved.

jerrywh918

Interesting.....unmodified USGI parts hand selected and hand fitted with only the addition of NM front and rear sights.

BlackArrow

If Mr Sauerman had a TRW M14 he would have won that battle in Lord of the Rings

jerrywh918

Nah......M60 would have done the trick nicely

BlackArrow

Yeah, that's for sure. The "Pig" would of ate up some folks.

jerrywh918

Yeah you can never go wrong with a pig

jerrywh918

Where's a good source to get the correct NM front and rear sights from?

Different

jerrywh918, the text you quote above is copyrighted material. Under the Fair Use doctrine of 17 USC 107, you're probably okay to reproduce it. I'm not an attorney so this is not legal advice. However, it's common courtesy to cite the title of the work and the author when quoting from copyrighted material.