Manufactured by Harrington & Richardson c.1961-1962 on government contract, this M14 battle rifle is a factory made machine gun; not a converted M1, not a commercial "M1A" with machine gun parts, but a real M14. 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. This particular H&R has been put in an extreme version of the "Guerrilla Gun" configuration, essentially the M14s answer to the M1 Garand "Tanker", intended to be shorter, lighter and more agile without extreme compromise in firepower, with a shorter barrel and extra milling performed on the receiver to smooth out the lines and reduce weight. Standard configuration post front sight on the flash hider, with a unique shielded and simplified adjustable peep rear sight more akin to a M1 or 1903-A3 sight, rigged to fold forward for storage. The standard front sight base has been milled down nearly flush with the receiver heel (which still bears H&R's markings), and the scope mounting point on the left side has been milled flat. Fitted out with a "HRT" bolt, "HR-N" trigger housing, "DM" hammer, "U" safety and a "HRA" operating rod. The stock has been slimmed down a bit, with grasping grooves added to the forearm, "2#3" in pencil on the left side, and a checkered buttplate with the shoulder rest removed and the hinge area filled in.