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M14E1 Type V Experimental Folding Stock


firstdefense1
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firstdefense1

Here's a real unicorn that I recently acquired. It's a M14E1 Type V folding stock from the army's T&E program.

 

I have probably the only one in private hands in the world. It is an M14E1 version V experimental folding stock. Only a handful of these were ever produced and only for the Army T&E program. None were ever put into service and the ones that remain are in museums. Below is a synopsis of the M14 folding stock program.

M14E1 - Between September 1961 and January 1963, Springfield Armory developed five versions of a folding stock designated as the M14E1. This was done at the request of the U.S. Army. Such a rifle was to be carried by paratroopers, tank crews and vehicle drivers. The designs included both under-folding and side-folding stocks for the M14 rifles as follows:

MODEL DESCRIPTION
M14E1 Type I - no information available, tool room folding style model.
M14E1 Type II - under folding stock with left side mounted front and rear sling swivels.
M14E1 Type III - under folding Soviet AKM style with left side mounted front and rear sling swivels.
M14E1 Type IV - under folding style with folding front and rear pistol grips and hinged butt plate.
M14E1 Type V - left side folding style with folding front and rear pistol grips and hinged butt plate.
The M14E1 Type IV was outfitted with a clip on muzzle stabilizer that was also capable of mounting a bayonet.

One M14E1 Type V rifle was made in January 1963. The Type V stock had an aluminum bar stock arm, aluminum butt plate and swivel bracket. However, the difficulties encountered in producing forged aluminum stock arms were not resolved due to a lack of funding. The M14E1 Type V was shown to the Army and Marines at Fort Belvoir, Fort Knox, Fort Campbell, Fort Benning and Marine Corps Base Quantico by representative of the Springfield Armory during the first six months of 1963. Fort Benning recommended that the Type V stock be changed to a right side folder and that the front pistol grip fold to the rear instead to the front. The Marines Test Center recommended acceptance of the M14E1 but it was not meant to be.

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Fantastic stock, thanks for sharing. Did you get the stock alone or is it a complete rifle? If complete is it a real M-14 or is it an M1a?

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firstdefense1

Fantastic stock, thanks for sharing. Did you get the stock alone or is it a complete rifle? If complete is it a real M-14 or is it an M1a?

The stock is on a complete H&R transferable M-14.

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