SHOULDER WEAPONS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe the operation of the M14 and M16 rifles in terms of controls, loading, and unloading. Explain the routine maintenance procedures for the M14 and M16 rifles.

Shoulder weapons are designed to be held with both hands; they are braced against the shoulder to absorb the force of recoil and to improve accuracy. Included in this group are the M14 and M16 rifles.

M14 RIFLE

The M14 rifle (fig. 8-9) is a lightweight air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed shoulder weapon. It is designed for semiautomatic or full automatic fire at the cyclic rate of 750 rounds per minute. The rifle is chambered for 7.62-mm cartridges and is designed to accommodate a 20-round cartridge magazine, the M2 rifle biped (fig. 8-10), and the M6 bayonet (fig. 8-11).

M14 Rifle Controls

Figure 8-12 shows an M14 rifle equipped with a selector for automatic operation. Position it as in A for automatic fire and as in B for semiautomatic fire. In firing for semiautomatic fire, squeeze the trigger for each round fired. For automatic fire, squeeze the trigger and hold. Most of the M14 rifles issued to the Navy will not be equipped with the automatic selector, so only semiautomatic fire will be possible.

The safety is shown in figure 8-9. To prevent firing, press the safety back from in front of the trigger guard. To permit firing, press it forward from inside the trigger guard.

If a magazine is in the rifle, press the magazine latch (fig. 8-13) and remove the magazine. Pull the operating rod handle (fig. 8-9) all the way to the rear and check to see that the weapon is free of ammunition. Then ease the operating rod forward to the locked position and move the safety (fig. 8-9) to the rear (safe position).

Figure 8-10.-The 7.62-mm M14 rifle with bipod installed.

Figure 8-11.-The 7.62-mm M14 rifle with the M6 bayonet knife attached.

There are two methods of reloading an empty magazine. Figure 8-14 shows the method with the magazine in the rifle. (This method should only be used in the field, since it creates a possible accidental firing situation.) After the last round is fired from a magazine, the magazine follower will engage the bolt lock and hold the bolt in the rear position. If this fails to happen, make sure you do not have a misfire, then pull the operating handle to the rear and manually depress the bolt lock (located on the left side of the

Figure 8-9.-The 7.62-mm M14 rifle and controls - right-front view.

Figure 8-12.-Selector for automatic and semiautomatic fire.

Figure 8-13.-Installation and removal of magazine.

_{receiver), and ease} the bolt down against it, then _{engage the safety.} Insert a 5-round clip into the _{cartridge clip guide,} as shown in figure 8-14, and push _{the cartridges down} into the magazine. Four 5-round _{clips will fully load} a magazine. After the last clip is loaded and the clip removed, pull the operating handle to the rear to release the bolt lock, and then release the

Figure 8-14.-Loading the magazine through the cartridgeclip guide.

Figure 8-15.-Loading magazine when out of rifle.

handle. This will let the bolt go into battery, stripping and feeding the top round into the chamber. The weapon is now ready to fire.

When the magazine is out of the rifle, reload as shown in figure 8-15.

To load a full magazine into a rifle, insert the front end of the loaded magazine well into the front catch until the front catch snaps into engagement, then pull rearward and upward until the magazine latch locks the magazine into position (fig. 8-13).

The rear sight controls consist of a windage knob and pinion assembly (fig. 8-9). The function of the windage knob is to adjust the sight laterally. To move the sight to the right, turn the knob clockwise; to the left, counterclockwise. The pinion assembly adjusts the sight aperture vertically. Turn the pinion clockwise to raise, counterclockwise to lower.