Well with that line of thinking, the BAR and it's 30.06 were proven before the M14. But it is a big hulk of a gun with shitty ergonomics. Same with the M14. I agree, with a good walnut stock it's a looker, but it's heavy, the ammo is heavy, and the ergos are shit. It's also kind of a bitch to mount an optic on it. You can improve the handling and optics with that chassis system that's out there but that just ADDS to the weight.