[brittanyshooter]

Hi all,

I hope you'll understand to me (my english is not the best).
In France, we can find some M14, sold like M14 in original semi-automatic mode. But the french (european) legislation forbids us to buy/own a weapon, which was before in automatic mode.
some question us a lot and their classification is ambiguous.
The rifles we can see on websites have a detail which i can explain (no present on my Springfield M1A). It's a hole on the right side of the receiver.

There is not this hole on original semi-automatic rifles. Is it a process of fabrication during military production?
Can we discriminate fully automatic vs semi-automatic production with this?

An other interrogation is about numbers we can see on the right on the receiver too like below:

Does this number prove military manufacture? What does it mean?

Thank you so much for all of informations you 'll partage with me.

Nice day

 

[The Wizard]

The hole has nothing to do with the select fire operation of the rifle. 7790189 is the drawing number of the engineering drawing for the receiver.

 

[JayKosta]

Who or What determines if a particular rifle is allowed to be owned / purchased?
Does the rifle have to be inspected by someone, and then a decision is made?

Is there a difference between
"which was before in automatic mode"
"which is not now is automatic mode"
"which could be changed to become automatic mode"

 

[brittanyshooter]

Who or What determines if a particular rifle is allowed to be owned / purchased?
Does the rifle have to be inspected by someone, and then a decision is made?

Is there a difference between
"which was before in automatic mode"
"which is not now is automatic mode"
"which could be changed to become automatic mode"

in France, a fire-weapon leaving the factory in automatic mode, even if it has been modified, can not be owned.

 

[lysander]

Almost all your M1As and civilian made M14s never were fully automatic, ie they left the factory as semiautomatic rifles.

 

[AbleArcher]

in France, a fire-weapon leaving the factory in automatic mode, even if it has been modified, can not be owned.

Then it is the same as in the US. All M1As are good to go, military M14s would not be unless something it getting lost in translation. Look for that lug on the rear of the receiver that is holding the selector pin as well as the maker. If it has the lug or the evidence of one that was cut off it would be illegal I think.

 

[mlin]

Once a machine gun, it will be a machine gun forever. But in US, there were some legit M14 auto circulating in the market before Johnson administration prohibited US military released surplus automatic rifles/machine guns. Also there were small quantities of commercially made automatic M1A manufactured by SAI prior to 1986 ban.

"Federal law prohibits the civilian possession of newly manufactured machine guns, but permits the transfer of machine guns lawfully owned prior to May 19, 1986, if the transfer is approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. As a result, a substantial number of machine guns are still in circulation. As of 2020, the national registry of machine guns contained registrations for 726,951 machine guns."

 

[unkola]

Another thing that is different between an M1a and an M14. The M1a op-rod dismounts from the rear of the op-rod track like an M1 Garand. The M14 op-rod dismounts from a notch in the middle of the op-rod track because of the fun switch being located at the end of the op-rod track. -Lloyd 🍻

 

[Sailormilan2]

I read something once that the hole in the receiver leg was to allow the receiver to be hung by wire, or hook, in the parkerizing tank.
I’ve only seen that once, so I have no clue how true it is.

 

[AbleArcher]

I read something once that the hole in the receiver leg was to allow the receiver to be hung by wire, or hook, in the parkerizing tank.
I’ve only seen that once, so I have no clue how true it is.

Probably true

 

[Phil “Murphy” McGrath]

The hole is for fixturing the receiver when it’s machined

 

[crazynoto]

I believe the hole may of had multiple purposes but the most obvious one to me is the hole adds a nice lead / chamfer to the edges of the broached groove on the inside of the receiver leg allowing the spline of the trigger group easier / quicker alignment during installation. I add the hole to all my commercial receivers that don't have it to ease trigger group installation.

 

[RAMMAC]

Phil posted the only correct answer about the hole in the receiver leg. According to Lee Emerson's book "M14 Rifle History and Development"...

Comparison of USGI and Springfield Armory, Inc. Select Fire Receivers - There are six minor differences between the commercial Springfield Armory, Inc. select fire receiver and a USGI receiver: 1) the commercial receiver has a rear dismount notch 2) receiver heel stampings reflect either USGI contractor or the commercial Springfield Armory, Inc. manufacture 3) the USGI receiver has the part number, 7790189, stamped underneath the operating rod rail forward of the center dismount notch 4) the USGI receiver has a machining fixture alignment hole in the right receiver leg 5) the commercial receiver selector lug is neatly welded on and 6) some, if not all, factory Springfield Armory, Inc. receivers have a small hemisphere machined on the outboard side of the receiver rear sight pocket right ear. Otherwise, they look the same. An examination of both select fire receivers under the heel, rear sight base and cartridge clip guide show almost identical underside machining cuts.

 

[crazynoto]

I would like to know where Lee Emerson referenced the info that the hole was used for fixturing ??
Maybe it was, used for fixturing but for what features? Maybe it was used for fixturing, parkerizing, and a machined chamfer / lead for the trigger group spline (what I believe the primary purpose of the hole was) to date I whenever this conservation comes up i have not heard anyone with factual documents explained the exact purpose / purposes for the hole. There is a possibility that the hole wasn't used for any of these purposes, but looking at it as a machinist, the chamfer seems like the most obvious reason for the hole.

 

[RAMMAC]

All I can do is quote what Emerson wrote in his book, if you want to argue with his information then talk to him.

 

[lysander]

It is an interesting coincidence that that 1/4 inch diameter hole is dead center on the slot for the trigger housing spline, and the start of that slot. And, another coincidence that on the M1 there is a 1/4 inch diameter hole in the exact same location relative the the slot for the trigger housing and it's start point even though there is quite a difference in the width an breadth of the receiver leg....

This gives great credence that the hole is related to the slot for the trigger housing spline. And, if you needed to cut a lead in chamfer for that slot, how would YOU do it?

I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to go over DWG 6528291 and prove it to themselves.

 

[lysander]

We can be sure that the hole was not put there as just a convenient hole to hang it on while Parkerizing. No one in their right mind would add a step in manufacture for a “hanger hole”. Especially, when there are at least half a dozen other places that can perform the same function that are essential to the design (rear sight holes, selector axis hole, clip guide hole, safety bridge, etc)

There is also the issue with the tolerances.

Plus or minus 0.005” on the vertical, and plus or minus 0.007” on the horizontal. That is way too loose if the hole is there as a fixturing point, and further, if it were a reference point it would be reference by more than just two dimensions. Look at the front face of the receiver, there are dozens of dimensions off that point, same for the barrel thread PD. To further drive home the point it is NOT a fixturing point, just look at the Quality Assurance Provisions (QAP) sheet. There are 253 dimensional inspections listed on the QAP, the location of that hole is not even mentioned once.