1. Unload the rifle, remove the magazine, and place the safety in the safe position.Remove sling assembly.

2. Turn the rifle upside down with the muzzle pointing to the left.
3. Insert the nose of a cartridge into the hole in the trigger guard and pry upward to unlatch the trigger guard.
4. Swing the trigger guard upward and lift the trigger group from the stock.

5. Separate the stock from the rifle by cradling the receiver firmly in one hand and by striking upward sharply on the stock butt with the palm of the other hand.

6. Turn the barrel and receiver group on its side with the connector assembly upward. Press in and turn the selector until the face marked "A' is toward the rear sight knob and the projection forward (this step applies to rifles modified for selective firing.)

7. Press forward on the connector with the right thumb until the forward end can be lifted off the connector lock. Rotate the connector clockwise, until the slot at the rear end is aligned with the elongated stud on the rear release. Lower slightly the front end of the connector and lift it from the sear release. Note: The connector assembly is a semipermanent assembly, it should not be disassembled.

8. With the barrel and receiver group upside down, pull forward on the operating rod spring, relieving pressure on the connector lock. Pull the lock outward, disconnect the operating rod spring guide, and remove the spring guide and spring. Turn the barrel and receiver group right side up.

9. Retract the operating rod until the key on its lower surface coincides with the dismount notch in the receiver. Lift the operating rod free and pull to the rear, disengaging it from the operating rod guide.

10. Grasp the bolt group by the roller and, while sliding it forward, lift it upward and outward to the right front with a slight rotating motion. The rifle is now field stripped, and basic assemblies such as the bolt and the trigger groups may be disassembled, if required.

Note: Further disassembly is not required for normal maintainence and cleaning.
Bolt Group.
    With the bolt in the left hand and the thumb over the ejector, insert the blade of a screwdriver between the extractor and the lower cartridge seat flange. Pry the extractor upward to unseat it, The ejector will snap out against the thumb. Lift out the ejector assembly. extractor plunger and spring. Remove the firing pin from the rear of the bolt. Note: No attempt should be made to disassemble the roller from the bolt stud.

Barrel and Receiver Group.
    Disassemble the rear sight as follows. Run the aperture all the way down and record the reading for use in reassembling the sight. Hold the elevating knob and unscrew the nut in the center of the windage knob. Withdraw the elevating knob Unscrew and remove the windage knob. Pull the aperture up about one-half inch, Place the thumb under the aperture and push upward and forward to remove the aperture, cover and base. Separate the rear sight cover from the rear sight base.
Loosen the setscrew in the base of the front sight lug on the flash suppressor. Unscrew the flash suppressor nut and slide the flash suppressor forward off the barrel.
Loosen and remove the gas plug, using the gas cylinder plug wrench. Tilt the muzzle down and remove the gas piston from the gas cylinder. Unscrew the gas cylinder lock and slide the lock and the gas cylinder off the barrel.
Slip the front band off the barrel. Push the handguard forward and lift it from the barrel,

Trigger Group.
    To disassemble the trigger group, close and latch the trigger guard. Squeeze the trigger, allowing the hammer to go forward. Hold the trigger housing group with the first finger of the right hand on the trigger and the thumb against the sear. Place the front of the trigger housing against a firm surface. Squeeze the trigger with the finger and push forward on the sear with the thumb. At the same time, using the tip of a cartridge, push out the trigger pin from left to right. Slowly release the pressure with the finger and thumb; this allows the hammer spring to expand.
Lift out the trigger assembly. Remove and separate the hammer spring plunger, hammer spring, and the hammer spring housing.
Push out the hammer pin from left to right, using the tip of a cartridge. Move the hammer slightly to the rear and lift out.
Unlatch the trigger guard. Push out the stud of the safety from its hole. Remove the safety and safety spring. Slide the trigger guard to the rear until the wings of the trigger guard are aligned with the safety stud hole. Rotate the trigger guard to the right and upward until the hammer stop clears the base of the housing. Remove the trigger guard.
Drive out the magazine latch spring pin with a suitable drift to remove the semipermanently assembled magazine latch and spring.

Assembly of M14.
    To assemble the rifle, reverse the disassembly procedure. However, the following instructions are provided to facilitate and to insure satisfactory assembly:
    To assemble the hand guard, when the gas cylinder and related components are in place, position the front end of the guard in the front band and snap the rear band of the handguardassembly into the barrel grooves. Note: The handguard need not be reassembled prior to assembly of the gas cylinder and related components.
    To assemble the trigger group to the stock and receiver, cock the hammer and swing the trigger guard to the open position. Insert the assembly into the receiver, and close the trigger guard.
    To assemble the gas system, replace front band, gas cylinder and gas cylinder lock. Tighten the lock by hand to its full assembled position and then "back off" until the loop is aligned with the gas cylinder. Assemble the piston and the gas cylinder plug.