So I've recently found out about a company called James River Armory that has bought the rights to use the name "Rock-Ola" in their firearms brand. Rock-Ola is best known for making jukeboxes and other items of that nature, but during WWII and the Korean War they built M1 Carbines for the US military. JRA is offering Rock-Ola branded M1 Carbines, but they are also offering semiautomatic M14 rifles. Rock-Ola never made M14s, but the ATF passed a ruling that states any rifle branded Springfield, Winchester, Remington, or TRW (the four primary manufacturers of M14s for the military) offering a weapon with the model M14 for the civilian market is automatically a machine gun, regardless of if it's fully automatic or not. That's why Springfield Armory, even though they are not the historical Springfield Armory that supplied M14s, has to brand their semiautomatic M14 style rifle M1A. Well, since Rock-Ola was not one of the Big Four making M14s, and company branded as Rock-Ola may offer a rifle model M14.
Here's the thing about these rifles; they are built as close to USGI spec as you can get, far more so than anyone else offering M14 style rifles. They are even using genuine USGI parts made by TRW for the military. And they are one of only two semi-auto M14 manufacturers that are building their rifles with USGI spec and dimensionally correct FORGED receivers and bolts. Springfield, Fulton, and Smith Enterprises are using out of spec, dimensionally incorrect cast receivers and bolts, which are weaker. The Rock-Ola rifles also have forged op rods, which can be a trouble area for the Springfield rifles since theirs are cast.
They also offer a model with a shorter 19" barrel. Back in the 60's a couple of the manufacturers experimented with shorter barrel lengths. I think it was TRW who found that a 19" barrel allowed for a short rifle, but it still allowed a bayonet to be mounted and the gas plug to be removed without also having to remove the flash suppressor/front sight assembly. When the US Navy SEALs had their M14s modernized they shortened the barrels to 18", but they had a different front sight and flash suppressor mounted since they also used a sound suppressor. JRA/Rock-Ola also offer upgraded match grade barrels for a little extra.
Why am I going on about all this? Well, firstly the M14 is one of my all time favorite rifles, just after the M1918A2 BAR. Secondly; remember when I mentioned that Rock-Ola is known primarily as a jukebox manufacturer? Well Rock-Ola 460 jukebox from 1975, one of the older kind of jukes that plays 45rpm records, just came up for sale locally for $200. It needs a little work, but nothing major or expensive. I have wanted a real jukebox since I was a little kid. More importantly, one of my favorite hangouts growing up had a Rock-Ola 460 and I remember all the good times I had with my friends and that juke. Well, tomorrow I am buying that Rock-Ola jukebox! One of my bucket list items will be mine!
So now I'm going to have to buy a Rock-Ola M14 to go with my Rock-Ola 460 jukebox. I had a Springfield M1A (which is what Springfield called their M14 style rifle for the legal reasons I outlined eariler) because I always wanted an M14. I had it put in the same chassis that the SEALs use for their Mk14 rifles. The problem was that it was unreliable. I had failures to extract the spent cartridges, even after I sent it back to Springfield several times. I got so fed up and frustrated with it that I sold it. I always lamented not being able to have an M14 style rifle. Well now I can have one that is as close to the real deal military spec rifle as I can without spending $25,000- $35,000 of a civilian transferable full-auto M14. I will put it in the Sage EBR chassis like the SEALs use and I'll get the 19" barrel and pay for the upgraded match grade barrel. It will look something like this.
So I'm going to have a motherfucking Rock-Ola jukebox and a motherfucking Rock-Ola M14/Mk14 Mod0 clone and that makes me motherfucking STOKED!
