United States Navy Mark 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle

Mk 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle
Mk 14 Mod 0 rifle
Type	Battle rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	2004[1] - Present
Used by	United States
Wars	Iraq War, War in Afghanistan
Production history
Designer	Mike Rock and Jim Ribordy (Original)[1] Smith Enterprises Inc. (Current)[1]
Designed	2001
Manufacturer	Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division[2] Smith Enterprises (Supplying parts)[1] Sage International (For the stock)[3]
Specifications
Cartridge	7.62x51mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	700-750 r/m
Muzzle velocity	975.4 m/s (3,200 ft/s)
Effective range	460 m (500 yd) 800+ m (875 yd) (with optics)
Feed system	20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Modified M14 iron sights, normally used with a magnifying scope.

The United States Navy Mark 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR) is an American selective fire military rifle chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, a variant based on the M14 rifle, built originally for use with units of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, such as the United States Navy SEALs^[4][5]. United States Marine Corps units were also being armed with the EBR rifle aside from their Navy SEAL colleagues^[6].

The EBRs are made with the intention of carrying out both designated marksman and CQB roles in combat^[7].

Origin

The creation of the Mark 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle began in 2000 after a request by United States Navy SEALs for the creation of a more compact M14 battle rifle^[8]. In 2001, Mike Rock Rifle Barrels, Inc. was the only rifle barrel maker asked by United States Special Operations Command to participate in a SOPMOD conference to create what would be the Mark 14 Mod 0 rifle, with details that include a collapsible stock that was requested for the new rifle and with aluminum body with telescopic rails^[1]. Mike Rock collaborated with engineer Jim Ribordy to make the new rifle. Tests showed that their rifle was effective, but has excessive noise problems.^[1]

In 2003, Ron Smith and Smith Enterprises Inc. created its own version of the M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (MK14 SEI Mod 0)^[9], which was more widely favored than the rifle made by Rock and Ribordy. The Smith Enterprises-based EBR was then used as a basis to eventually create the Mark 14 Mod 0 with Springfield Armory, Inc. being tasked to supply the necessary machinery needed to create the weapon^[1] in cooperation with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division^[10].

United States Navy SEALs were the first forces to be armed with the EBR in 2004, followed by the US Coast Guard^[1]. The United States Army is also being armed with the EBR, being created and updated by the Weapons Product Support Integration Directorate of the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command at the Keith L. Ware Test Facility in Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois^[11][12].

Design

The weapon takes the standard M14 action and barrel assembly and adds a telescoping stock^[4], a pistol grip^[11], a different front sight, Harris bipod^[11], four Picatinny accessory rails surround the barrel^[6][4][10], and a beefier muzzle brake in place of the standard flash suppressor^[13]. A paddle-type bolt similar to the M4 Carbine was used on the rifle^[10]. The EBR is made up entirely of lightweight aircraft alloy^[14].

A plastic handshield and M68 CCO are also added as standard external accessories, though they are almost always replaced with a vertical foregrip and magnifying scope for better handling and to be used in a designated marksman role. A silencer can be mounted on the muzzle brake^[15], such as the ones made commercially by RD Systems when the US military refused to adopt it to active service for reasons left unknown^[1].

Sage International had some involvement in the decision of whether to invest approximately $120,000 in an injection mold incorporating into the design the rail attachments or machine the replacement stock from a solid billet of aluminum with the former being selected, which was then shown at the Orland SHOT SHOW conference in 2003^[16].

Configurations

Several configurations are allowed on the Mark 14 Mod 0 rifle, among them include the attachment of the AN/PVS2 night vision scope^[17]. Others had included the capability of adding two different scopes/sights on the Picatinny railings^[17].

Manufacturer

Military

While the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division creates the military Mark 14 Mod 0 rifles, Sage International was contracted to only do the weapon's chassis-type stock^[3].

Civilian

Civilian versions are created by Fulton Armory^[18], firing in semi-automatic mode instead of full automatic^[19].

Others include Smith Enterprise Inc. and Sage International, the former known as the MK14 SEI and the latter as the Sage Enhanced Battle Rifle^[20]. The Sage EBR has a carbine variant known as the Close Quarter Battle rifle^[21]. The carbine variant is said to be called as the Chop-Mod EBR, with the barrel being made short from the original EBR rifle^[22] like the MK14 SEI Mod 1.^[23]

Troy Industries has created a replica of the EBR's modular system made by Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division called the Troy Modular Chassis System, which can be used by mounting any functioning M1A or M14 rifle on the MCS^[24]. Ferfrans has created their version of the Mark 14 Mod 0 called the Ferfrans Enhanced Battle Rifle^[25].

Reception

Users have praised the weapon to be user friendly due to it being ergonomical, having low recoil and an effective low-cost platform to change all "surplus M14s into modern battle rifles", as well as having the option of various optics and accessories left to the user's preference^[6].

References

See also

• M15 rifle
• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces