The first shot had amazing accuracy but every single one after that would be thirty feet or higher above the target. The problem isn't that recoil harms the shooters its that it messes up people's shots even in bursts your going to have awful accuracy after the first round on the M-14. It also had a weight problem. Both it and the ammunition it used weighed too much for fast moving fully automatic use. It is still used as a Designated Marksman rifle in the marine corps and as a sniper by special forces units. It's fantastic in a semi auto capacity but sadly doesn't work as well as a standard infantry rifle. The M-14 also costs a lot more to make.JWAN said:I love the M-14 if you cant handle the recoil get it with a recoil assist stock. I shoot .300's and .308's all day long and I just wear 2 of those tank top undershirts under my t shirt. It takes awhile to get used to it. They had a bunch of them made fully automatic so basically it was a deadlier version of the BAR that shot superior rounds and had amazing accuracy. They turned it into 2 sniper rifles and used it up until the 90's. You could actually qualify with it (in the USMC) until the mid 90's but Clinton ordered them to be melted down so very few survived, that's truly unfortunate because I think we need to go back and relearn why light machine guns shooting fast bullets isn't always the answer. For my last viewpoint I think they should have turned it into a carbine and put 3 shock absorbers in the stock.Canid117 said:Those problems have all been fixed. Now it is an exemplary military rifle. As for what was wrong with the M-14 well... too expensive... too heavy and the recoil is just fucking awful on that fat bastard. Though it supposedly works beautifully as a sniper and semi-automatic battle rifle.brodie21 said:the M-16. considered the worst assault rifle in the world. any sort of melee with it would shatter the spring-loaded stock and the overly complex firing mechanism was a ***** to clean and jammed alot. the only reason it became the standard american infantry rifle was politics, "buy my gun and you get my vote". it was originally designed for MPs at stateside military bases
Worst gun? Desert Eagle, that thing is horrifically impracticable. Too heavy, nasty recoil, the bullets are too big and it has a horribly limited magazine capacity.