M14

The M14 is a 7.62 mm caliber selective fire battle rifle. It is capable of fully automatic fire and uses a detachable magazine. It is chambered in the 7.62x51mm NATO round. The M14, designed for use by the United States Armed Forces, first saw action in the Vietnam war. It has a reliable service record and is less prone to jamming compared to the M16/AR15. However, the M14 was eventually replaced by the M16, but the M14, however, is still in active service. The M14 and M1 Garand are both used in ceremonial roles in the United States military in a full-metal design. M14 rifles modified for accuracy are produced as the M21, M14 Designated Marksman's Rifle (DMR), Mark 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR), and M39 Enhanced Marskman Rifle (EMR).

In Game
The M14 cannot be obtained in the Call of Duty 4 single player campaign. In multiplayer, the M14 is a modernized model, with a Picatinny rail, shorter barrel, and synthetic furniture compared to its wooden-stocked ancestor. The M14 in-game is featured as a semi-automatic rifle, with high stopping power, accuracy and recoil as well as a longer effective range compared to other assault rifles. It can be modified with a Grenade Launcher, Red Dot sight, Suppressor, and an ACOG scope. Like the G3, its semi-automatic nature makes it more similar to a civilian weapon, in this case the M14-derived M1A.

Multiplayer Tactics
The M14 is considered to be a "love it or hate it" weapon. Players will usually place the M14 on two extremes as a preferred (for high stopping power) or a non preferred weapon (for high recoil and manual rate of fire.) With Stopping Power, it can kill in two hits at any range, or one hit if shot in the head at close range. This is in part from the 1.5 head multiplier which outclasses any other assault rifle, along with the base 50 damage. Similar to the G3 in Hardcore mode, it is a popular weapon, due to the fact that it can drop any player in one shot. Unlike the G3, it will also, without Stopping Power, kill a Juggernaut in one shot at any range in Hardcore.

The biggest problem many players have with the M14 is the high recoil. Thus it is difficult to use when spamming the trigger. At long range the M14 can be hard to use because of this, and at short, it is hard to keep irons on the opponent. That's why it is looked down on as being a bad rifle. However, when taking shots, if the player can pull the trigger, and wait for the sights to reset, there will be a better chance of a kill. Another solution widely used is aiming low, near the legs or lower torso, and pulling the trigger repeatedly. This can cause the M14 to "climb" and connect shots going up the body, sometimes resulting in a headshot.

Another serious issue with the M14 that the G3 also shares is the manual rate of fire. The average player is capable of spamming the trigger for six to seven shots per second, and this is before fatigue. This is an effective 360-420 rounds per minute. At long range, the weapon's recoil further limits the rate of fire to around 2-3 shots per second, or 120-180 rounds per minute. Not only is spamming the trigger distracting to your aiming abilities and something no other main weapons besides the M14 and G3 ever have to do, it dramatically limits the damage per second the weapon is capable of putting out. The AK-47, is capable of a two-shot kill at close and medium range, but fires at 700 rounds per minute - which means it puts out almost double the damage of the M14 and G3 at close and medium range. Even the MP44 outclasses the M14 at close to medium range with its lesser recoil, lack of sway and higher fire rate of 600 rounds per minute. At longer ranges, the M14 takes one less shot to kill compared to the AK-47, but the AK-47 fires almost twice as fast, has dramatically reduced recoil and will kill in two shots if it gets a single headshot - not to mention that wall penetration and suppression capability remove the need for accuracy. The M14 is an extremely difficult weapon to use for players not accustomed to it, and is outclassed heavily at any range by better options.

The iron sights are quite bulky, and players will usually add the red dot sight attachment for the weapon. This somewhat changes the recoil from a "push back" to an "upward push". This means you will need to wait for the recoil to stop and put the weapon back into its original resting position, unlike if you were using the standard iron sight, in which you could repeatedly fire without having an upward push, however, the player may simply choose to aim lower in which the "upward push" will be at the upper body after the first shot.

Adding the ACOG Scope to the M14 makes it very similar to an M21 with ACOG, but with less damage and more recoil. For this reason the M21 with an ACOG Scope is considered superior by most, as its cons are lower hip accuracy and less ammo, which are worth lower recoil and higher damage for long range combat.

The M14 with a suppressor has been acknowledged by many players as being the closest gun to a silenced sniper rifle you can get. However, this tactic is more suited to mid-long range sniping as opposed to long range sniping due to the lack of an actual scope, the bulky iron sights, and the lack of a one shot kill ability. The suppressor can also be helpful with clearing the iron sights. When used it eliminates flash considerably, allowing experienced players to empty more rounds accurately.

Using the grenade launcher attachment makes the player reload the weapon differently.

Trivia

 * The M14 is the successor of the M1 Garand rifle, used in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
 * When you aim down the sights the M14 shares a striking resemblance to the M1 Garand rifle. This is because it was designed to replace the Garand, and based heavily on its technology. In fact, the M14's layout was designed to add a detachable box magazine on the M1, change its caliber, use a slightly modified action from the M1 Garand, and have a longer barrel.
 * The M14 is known as the "Comeback kid" because it was put into service, then was taken out after Vietnam, and was then put back into service because they needed a more reliable rifle while the M16's design was being modified so it wouldn't jam as often. Due to its superior stopping power, penetration, and range, the troops liked it so much that they kept it in service along with the M16.
 * It's used by the United States Marine Corps as a DMR (designated marksman rifle). Also used by the U.S. Army's Delta Force, 1st SFOD-D (1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta), as a training rifle for their snipers.
 * The mid-magazine reload animation is different for the M14 when a Grenade Launcher is attached.
 * Although the M14 looks exactly the same as the M21 without a scope and with shorter barrel, the M14 can attach a silencer in multiplayer whilst the M21 cannot. Interestingly, the silenced M21 found in Singleplayer is actually created from a silenced M14, equipped with the M21's sniper scope and shorter magazine.
 * It will appear in Modern Warfare 2 as the Mk. 14 EBR sniper rifle. This modern reboot of the M14 features a lighter frame, telescoping stock, and usually select-fire.
 * In real life the M14 would not be considered an "assault" rifle, but rather a "battle" rifle. This is because the M14 uses the full size 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round, instead of an intermediate cartridge of an assault rifle.

Gameplay montage
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