Manufactured by Harrington & Richardson c.1962-1963 on government contract, this is a factory original M14 battle rifle; not a reweld, not a converted M1, not a commercial "M1A" with machine gun parts, but the real deal. Developed as the follow-up to the famous M1 Rifle, the M14 was conceived as a multi-role universal weapon in the same vein as the German FG-42, accurate and powerful enough to serve as a main infantry combat rifle, maneuverable enough to replace the sub-machine gun, and capable of acting as a squad automatic weapon as well. This "everything to everyone" approach hamstrung what was otherwise a perfectly suitable combat rifle, leading to a relatively early retirement of the weapon. No longer burdened with trying to be all things to all people, the M14 found new life as a specialist weapon, finding an audience with special forces units and snipers, as well as undergoing a renaissance in recent years with the emergence of the "designated marksman" concept. The M14 also found users abroad and on the home front, being adopted by the Border Patrol and National Park Service; this particular M14 was attributed by a previous owner as having formerly been in the inventory of the Department of Energy. Responsible for the management (and if needed, defense) of America's nuclear resources, the DoE retains and operates a variety of small arms; they had around 300 M14s in their inventory, but only about 15 are believed to have been released to the public instead of being transferred to another agency or destroyed. This is fairly typical for the M14, with the lion's share of them being destroyed at the end of their service instead of reaching the civilian market. Post front and adjustable peep rear sights, with "HRA-W" windage and "WC-E" elevation drums, "H-R 7790190 2 62-Y" barrel, "7790186/HRT A12/AGB" bolt, "7267030-HR-N" trigger housing, "H&R" safety, "5546008-HR-N" hammer, "7267064 HRA" operating rod and a "HR-R" marked magazine. The fire control components are all present and accounted for, and the hardwood stock is marked with the Department of Defense cartouche on the left side and a circled unserifed "P" on the wrist, with a green canvas sling and a folding shoulder rest covering the buttplate. Included with the rifle is a "GERMANY" marked M6 bayonet (11 1/4" OAL, 6 5/8" blade, black plastic grip, green plastic sheath).