Design Variants?

[The Sand Man]

So, I've been looking at potential firearms that I may be interested in purchasing in the future...

Regarding firearms like the AR-15, Colt 1911 or an M14, my understanding is that the patent for the design has expired, thus different manufacturers can now legally produce copies of the original design, am I right?

So if I were interested in an M14, or any other multi-manufacturer designs, which ones are available, and which one to choose?

Cheers,
Sand

 

[fnrob]

So, I've been looking at potential firearms that I may be interested in purchasing in the future...

Regarding firearms like the AR-15, Colt 1911 or an M14, my understanding is that the patent for the design has expired, thus different manufacturers can now legally produce copies of the original design, am I right?

So if I were interested in an M14, or any other multi-manufacturer designs, which ones are available, and which one to choose?

Cheers,
Sand

For M-14 type rifles, there's really only 2 main choices right now - the Norinco/Polytech, and the Springfield Armory M1A. Or you could import an LRB receiver and build your own rifle with spare USGI parts though it will end up costing quite a bit.

As for which to choose, it's really up to the individual's preference, and budget, since there's really no wrong answer. I personally have had pretty good luck with my $400 Norinco M-14S.