Long Guns
The M14 National Match
How This Classic Rifle Was Built
Friday, 25 June 2010
Image
A classic blend of steel, wood and old-school technology, the M14 National Match is both highly accurate and extremely reliable. (Photo: David M. Fortier)
I'm sure most readers are quite familiar with the standard M14 battle rifle, but many might not be aware of the development of the National Match version. And while the M14 National Match may not be state-of-the-art for Service Rifle competition anymore, it's still a wonderful rifle.

It's interesting to note work on this model began in 1959 at the now-closed US military Springfield Armory facility. A Lieutenant Colonel by the name of Joseph Smith was actually the man who got the ball rolling. LTC Smith was at the time the director of the Civilian Marksmanship Program. In July 1960, the Springfield Armory engineering-division chief ordered 200 M14 rifles be removed from production and rebuilt into the first match rifles. One hundred were built in 1961 and the other 100 the following year.

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