Tomb Sentinels at Arlington National Cemetery have carried the M14 with the M6 bayonet since 1957. They used the M1903 Springfield and M1905 bayonet from March 24, 1926, until 1936, then the M1 Garand and M1942 bayonet until 1957, and they have not adopted the M4 carbine now issued elsewhere.

The M1903 Springfield, adopted in June 1903 to succeed the .30-40 Krag, used Mauser patents with royalties paid until 1918 and an internal five-round magazine loaded by stripper clips. John Garand designed the M1 Garand at Springfield Armory as the first U.S. military semiautomatic battle rifle in .30-06; the Army adopted it on January 9, 1936, and more than 5.4 million were made.

The M14, adopted in 1957 with a 20-round magazine and select-fire to succeed the Garand, M3 submachine gun, and BAR, was itself succeeded by the M16 from 1964 to 1967, yet Sentinels still use the nine-pound rifle with its wood stock for ceremonial duty.