[2336USMC]

If I buy an electric toothbrush and go around telling people that it's a genuine US military F16 fighter jet, what do I have? An electric toothbrush and a delusion. GI1

Now don't get me wrong, lots of folks are very interested in the history and the function of the US military sniper/DMR versions of the M14 rifle. I am one of them. Some of those folks will take an SAI commercial M1A rifle, bolt on a Tasco scope, and swear that it's a US Military M21 Sniper Rifle. Well, no, it's not. Others will take the time (and money) to collect all of the correct original US military parts and have a rifle built using the correct materials and techniques and say that they have a very very close civilian copy of a US military M14 sniper rifle. That's more where I stand.

If it's not a real original US military rifle, then it's not and it never will be. We as civilian owners will just have to be happy that even though the receiver says "LRB" or "Fulton Armory" or whatever, the closest we will ever come to an M21, M25, USMC DMR, etc. is to build a respectful, accurate copy. They will never be the real deal, we can't own one and none are for sale. DI5

 

[2336USMC]

Ok so there are class three m-14's out there, there is one up for auction on Rock Island. And not all sniper rifles were full auto. So I guess what I'm asking is how do you tell the difference from one someone put together with a kit and is claiming its a military issue.

Simple. If it's available for sale to civilians, it's NOT an original US military M14 sniper rifle. They just simply do not exist on the civilian market. Legal registration of machine guns was cut off in 1986. There are no more legal full auto weapons for sale to you registered after that date. That eliminates the M25 rifles. If there were a legit pre-1986 US Army XM21 or M21 sniper rifle legally owned in civilian hands, chances are someone on this forum would know about it.

I have seen descriptions of M1A-type semiauto rifles on Gunbroker that make me want to puke, they are so full of lies. Let me try to say this again: It doesn't matter what details or markings you look for, you can't buy a US military M14 sniper rifle because they don't exist in civilian hands. You are ripe to get ripped off if you think maybe they do.

All US military M14 rifles are full-auto machine guns (Except for one single NM rifle that was the subject of a significant court case, but that's neither here nor there...). They may have a lock installed that makes them semi-auto in use, and this includes all of the National Match rifles and most of the M21 rifles, but the lock can be removed and replaced with the full auto selector switch in a few minutes which is why all real M14 rifles are legally classified as machine guns, and why their numbers in civilian hands are very low, and why someone would know if one of the few registered M14 rifles in this country was an M21 sniper variant.

Hope this helps. Don't get burned, if someone tells you he has a US military M14 sniper rifle or M21 sniper rifle to sell you he is lying, and I can get you a great deal on the Brooklyn Bridge. DI5