Can you help understand the transition between the M14 to the M16 in Vietnam?

PO3 Aaron Hassay — Sun, 09 May 2021 15:59:05 -0400

My dad RIP 11LIB in 66-68 recalled the transition. He said one of them would jam due going through swamp or overheating. HE said he's best weapon was the the sawed off shotgun.

NAM Guys have really picked me up.... Peace to all You Guys man....

( I might be getting the M4 and M14 mixed up. Actually thought he said m4. But I think my memory is a bit off and he said the m14. )

1)
HASSAY, MICHAEL A
PVT US ARMY VIETNAM
B: 01/02/1948 D: 10/19/2017
AH SITE 19
SOUTHERN NEVADA VET CEMETERY

SON OF

2)
HASSAY, ALBERT, J
S1 US NAVY
WORLD WAR II
B: 1927 D: 1998
SAINT JOSEPH CEMETERY
NANTICOKE, PA 18634

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made May 9 at 2021 4:00 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sun, 09 May 2021 16:00:44 -0400

Excellent family share shipmate PO3 Aaron Hassay

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2021 5:03 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 May 2021 17:03:19 -0400

The M16 replaced the M14 because it was thought to be a superior weapon. I was in Vietnam in 1969 - 1970 and the M14 was still widely used.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made May 9 at 2021 5:46 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Sun, 09 May 2021 17:46:27 -0400

Sure that wasn’t his M16 jamming

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made May 9 at 2021 6:54 PM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Sun, 09 May 2021 18:54:44 -0400

The early M14's had a reputation for having receivers that cracked and the bolts would also deform. The gun is not controllable on full auto, I believe that most were left in semi auto mode because of that issue.
The M16's big issue was that the change in powder in the round by the Ordinance Dept. increased the cyclic rate and chamber pressure and fired considerably dirtier than the powder the weapon was designed around. The issue is often sited as lack of cleaning equipment, but the change in cyclic rate would let the round fire before the bolt locked, splitting the neck of the casing. The only way to fix it was to drive it out with a cleaning rod.

Response by SFC Ralph E Kelley made May 9 at 2021 6:57 PM

SFC Ralph E Kelley — Sun, 09 May 2021 18:57:42 -0400

Never had an M14 jam but the M16s with the aluminum bolts jammed all the time from the swelling of the bolt from heat. Plus until 1969 when the M16A1 (with the forward assist added) officially began to replace the M14 there still were fewer and fewer jams with the upgrade from the M16 (without forward assist) to the M16A1.
The biggest reasons for the switch to the M16 style of rifle was:
1. The ease of usage of in the close environment of jungle compared to the longer M14.
2. The lighter weight of the M16's 5.56 cartridge compared to the M14's 7.62 cartridge. You could carry roughly twice as many magazines of ammo for the M16 over the M14.
(The M16's 5.56 x 100 rounds = 2.7 lbs. VS the M14's 7.62 x 100 rounds = 5.6 lbs.)
3. The 5.56×45 cartridge brings several hundred more feet per second (3,110 ft/s) of velocity over the 7.62 round's velocity (2,800 ft/s) However the M14's round is heavier so its is preferred for sniper rifles as environmental conditions have less affect on its ballistic path.
.
After20 years in the military I've purchased several AR15s over the years (no veteran will ever confuse a semi-automatic AR rifle with the Army's M16A1/M4 series of Main Battle Rifles). I do insist my ARs be having the forward assist and dust covers. I am so used to them, I buy the AR15s as my main hunting rifle because I can shoot and hit my deer without effort.
I have a M1A1 for game that is further away, such as in West Texas, Wyoming, and Colorado.
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I believe you were misremembering you father's M16 over the M14 information.
For someone not familiar with rifles its an easy thing to do.
Hope this helps.

Response by SFC Juan Santiago made May 9 at 2021 9:16 PM

SFC Juan Santiago — Sun, 09 May 2021 21:16:52 -0400

I was in Vietnam from 1965 to 1970, I went to Vietnam by ship with my regt.
I had the M-14 then a real good wpn never jam, now when we got the AR 15 it was a nightmare because it jam most of the times.
After they came out with the M-16 then things got better.
I was infantry for 2 1/2 years and Aviation door gunner for 2 1/2 yrs on gunships and also crew a U- 21.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made May 9 at 2021 11:12 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Sun, 09 May 2021 23:12:27 -0400

It was a logistical decision to move to a lighter weapon platform. It’s a given that the transition was plaqued with issues due to the original design and also the instruction on how to clean and maintain the weapon. Issues were reduced with improvements and better training.

But the reason they moved was because there is a major difference between the weight of the weapons. M16s are way lighter. And the ammunition is way lighter. Which means it’s easier for troops to carry lighter weapons and lighter ammo means you can carry more of it. If you are fighting an enemy with little to no armor or protective clothing the 5.56 round makes a lot of sense. Plus you can ship more weapons and ammo at a lighter weight which amounts to a cost savings.

It was all about logistics

Response by MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. made May 10 at 2021 2:47 AM

MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. — Mon, 10 May 2021 02:47:14 -0400

I was in the last BCT cycle at Ft. Ord, CA, to train with the M14. All classes starting after 1 Jan. 1970 trained with the M16. The M14 was heavy as hell, especially with ammo. While more accurate at longer ranges than the M16, that wasn't an issue with the M16 as most contact was at close range (usually less than 50 meters in thick jungle). At that range, amount of fire was far more important than accuracy.

Because I arrived in Vietnam in the summer of 1970, I was never exposed to an M16 that didn't have a forward assist. It's my understanding that the changes employed in that later model did away with the near-constant jamming experienced with the earlier version. In any event, I never had any problems when carrying an M16 in combat.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made May 10 at 2021 5:26 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Mon, 10 May 2021 17:26:56 -0400

You got the weapon they issued you. Otherwise you would have a platoon all carrying shotguns and no one with a rifle. I was usually carrying whatever the unit I was with had. That way I could get ammunition.

Response by SGT Lorenzo Nieto made May 10 at 2021 5:51 PM

SGT Lorenzo Nieto — Mon, 10 May 2021 17:51:42 -0400

The m16 was junk,

Response by MSG Mark Popelka made May 10 at 2021 7:13 PM

MSG Mark Popelka — Mon, 10 May 2021 19:13:25 -0400

Failure to geed was ancommon problem with the forst M16 rifles. Originally the M16 didn’t have a charging forward assist. This was added due to the issues of the bolt not seating all the way forward.

Response by MSG Mark Popelka made May 10 at 2021 7:14 PM

MSG Mark Popelka — Mon, 10 May 2021 19:14:10 -0400

Sorry just saw all the typos using my iPhone. Mark

Response by MSG Mark Popelka made May 10 at 2021 7:15 PM

MSG Mark Popelka — Mon, 10 May 2021 19:15:26 -0400

Failure to feed was a common problem with the original M16. The forward assist was added to rectify this malfunction.