M14 Reliability Problems: The not-so-great history of T44/M14
Just like the M16/AR-15, the M14 had its share of problems when first introduced. This article from the April 1963 issue of True Magazine explains.
True Magazine, April 1963
The U.S. Army’s Blunderbuss Bungle That Fattened Your Taxes
by John S. Tompkins
After nearly 20 years of Pentagon bungling that has cost US taxpayers over $100 million so far, the Army is issuing our GIs a new automatic rifle that experts think is inferior to the gun we already have.
The rifle is called the M14. It is slowly replacing the M1 Garand carried by millions of servicemen in World War II and Korea. The only trouble is it doesn’t work as well as the M1 and it’s much harder and more expensive to manufacture.
American Gunsmith 