Its funny that Gomer's platoon was never issued the M-14 or the M-16. They always seem to be stuck with the World War II M-1 rifle. The only time I recall Plye having the M-14 was at the opening of the show and at the end of the show where he was marching with the other marines. I can't recall when they replace that that part of the ending of the show and replace it with the barrack huts when they show the credits.
shareIn the opening credits, Gomer is marching with actual Marines and the Marines allowed him to carry a M14 since they were on an actual Marine Corps Recruit Depot. The show was filmed on a set. The props department probably didn't have any M14's since they were still a fairly new weapon in 1964 and if they did have them, the studio probably didn't want a bunch of actors carrying around fully automatic weapons. I went thru Navy boot camp in 1985 and we carried M1's when we marched but the barrels were plugged and couldn't shoot. I figure that is what Gomer and the other Marines were carrying in the show, old WWII rifles that the barrels were plugged.
shareI went through MCRD San Diego in the Summer of '64 and we were told that Gomer was filmed marching with the platoon that immediately preceded ours.
Despite a previous comment, M-14s are not "fully automatic", although that is a term many find confusing.