@oralloy,
No, Slick, the pistol grip makes it possible to control the weapon while firing fully automatic. I qualified with the M-14 in basic training in late winter, 1970, and with the M-16 in the spring of 1970. I qualified expert with the M-14, getting 78 of the possible 82 targets, with five clips--two with 19 rounds and three with 18 rounds, for a total of 92 rounds. I even knocked down the four 300 meter targets of the poor sap in the lane next to me--he would never have qualified otherwise, he could barely carry that rifle. I hit all four of my 350 meter targets, which is nearly 400 yards away. I admit I was lucky that there was a light dusting of snow which made it easier to spot the targets as they popped up. The M-14 is a beautiful weapon. The M-16 is for pussies whose only skill is squeezing a trigger and holding it down.
Weapons follow the direction of the ejected cartridge. In the M-16s we were issued in 1970, that was to the right, and slightly upward. Even with the pistol grip, if you pull the trigger and hold it down, you spray rounds in an arc to the upper right. If you pulled the trigger on an M-14 and held it down, you'd probably bust you own nose, because it ejects the round almost straight up.
As always, you offer your opinion, and claim it is fact. People want to see pistol grips outlawed because they facilitate the use of converted semi-automatic weapons on a fully automatic setting. That's perfectly reasonable, and is not done, in your sickly phrase, for sadistic pleasure. Really, you should seek professional mental health counseling.
