From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Does Ban Include M1A's?
Date: 8 May 1994 13:14:06 -0400

Andrew T Piskorski (atp@christa.unh.edu) wrote:

: There were full-auto M14's.  What exactly "version" means is very, very 
: vague...

I think it's quite clear what the M1A is derived from.  M14 NM (the National
Match version) made by TRW some years ago does not have the capability
for the full-auto conversion kit to be installed.  These rifles were made
for military competition rifle teams; in no way were they originally
designed for full-auto fire.

In fact, TRW chose to honor their M14 NM production manager for doing
such a great job with these rifles, they had a presentation-grade one
made with beautiful wood, deep blued metal parts, etc.  After the manager
was given this semiautomatic-only rifle, seems the ATF folks got word of
it and immediately began arrest/confinement stuff because this civilian
had, in ATF's mind, a full-auto-capable M14 service rifle and no legal
reasons were made about it.  So, ATF arrested the TRW manager, confiscated
the M14 NM, and later they showed up in court.  When TRW proved the M14 NM
was not full-auto capable, the judge, in so many words, gave the ATF folks
a tongue-lashing the likes of which was not equalled until ATF goofed again
in Waco, Texas.

So, the TRW manager got his presentation rifle and was allowed to keep it.

Springfield Armour, the commercial company, copied the M14 NM's receiver
in virtually all respects.  M1As were therefore a commercial version of
a military semiautomatic rifle.

BB