XM-8: New U.S. Service Rifle?

Modern Firearms and Ammunition website ^ | unknown | Unknown

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Caliber: 5.56x45 mm NATO
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: no data
Barrel length: no data
Weight: 2.67 kg empty
Rate of fire: no data
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds (STANAG)

The development of the XM8 Lightweight Assault Rifle was initiated by US Army in the 2002, when contract was issued to the Alliant Techsystems Co of USA to study possibilities of development of kinetic energy part of the XM29 OICW weapon into separate lightweight assault rifle, which could, in the case of success, replace the aging M16A2 rifles and M4A1 carbines in US military service. According to the present plans, the XM8 should enter full production circa 2005, if not earlier, several years before the XM-29 OICW. The XM8 (M8 after its official adoption) should become a standard next generation US forces assault rifle. It will fire all standard 5.56mm NATO ammunition, and, to further decrease the load on the future infantrymen, a new type of 5.56mm ammunition is now being developed. This new ammunition will have composite cases, with brass bases and polymer walls, which will reduce weight of the complete ammunition, while maintaining compatibility with all 5.56mm NATO weapons. Along with 20% weight reduction in the XM8 (compared to the current issue M4A1 carbine), this will be a welcome move for any infantryman, already overloaded by protective, communications and other battle equipment.

The XM8 will be quite similar to the "KE" (kinetic energy) part of the XM-29 OICW system, being different mostly in having a telescoped plastic buttstock of adjustable length, and a detachable carrying handle with the Picatinny rail.

Technical description. The XM8 is a derivative of the Heckler-Koch G36 assault rifle, and thus it is almost similar to that rifle in design and functioning. The key differences are the NATO-standard magazine housing that will accept M16-type magazines, the set of Picatinny rails on the forend, telescoped buttstock of adjustable length and a different scope, mounted on the Picatinny rail, built into the detachable carrying handle.

[Eaker]

Thanks for the ping......boy am I late to this party!!!

[archy]

Armalite just sold me a rifle.

-archy-/-

[SevenDaysInMay]

As the length of pull is only about 13.25, this post WWII Indian Ishapore(sp?) 2A (SMLE No.1 MkIII) is designed for NATO 7.62x51. Modern steel, circa ~early '60's. It ought to be a good, budget full caliber kids'/ladies' training rifle.

They also have a converted .45-70. Trigger pull is reportedly heavy, but I love the slick, rear lockup actions and that slightly quirky English look and feel.

Accuracy must not be a passion with these, hearing protection should be.

I'm thinking of one in .308 as Gibbs (e-nickeled) should last for generations with minimal storage care AND their 10 up to 12 round mags potentially helpful when the $1,000+ black AWB rifles are hunted down like Branch Davidians.

As a cabin rifle, I like the SMLE with its 25" barrel and usually split/chipped 4 piece full stock system. Real beaters beaten, military surplus SMLEs do looks like cabin logs. Very popular in Canada, .303s.

If the butt stock were only available for a 14" LOP for us American sized men...even if we do wear Filson wool.

The UK's shopkeeper and 3rd World population in winter wools dictated shorter butt stocks, in 3 normal lengths, plus XL "Canadian" length was longest and rare. There were "Canadian" LOP stocks, but they are less dropped for the milder .303, but that concern is for wusses.

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I personally would like to see the results of Pakistan's "tribal areas' high altitude ~1 kilometer "tests" and Iraqi border control using M-14s in 6.5x51 with a 1:8 twist for 140 gr. VLD bullets. Kills and gut shots could be posted on the www.

Perhaps the new Win. .223 WSSM (Super Short Magnum), .243 WSSM, or the obvious coming wildcat 6.5 WSSM. We need to provide our better trained riflemen the best arms in the world, then we train our troops better, THEN we grizzled Minutemen can buy our own BLACK RIFLES making America the leading self-defense free people on earth, enemies foreign and domestic.

If 30 cal. is a must, AR10s in .300 RemShortUltraMag should make for interesting serious Rifleman field trials. Some enemy will have body armour, but all should feel gut shot.

May God Bless our Grunts and Operators.

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If our ratified Constitutional Republic is to survive American fascists' DNC-Politburo utopia amid this indefinite declared islamist terror war, we must lead in reviving the Minuteman across American society. We practice, aka "regulate", and we train others, younger women and kids whenever possible, every year several more. Adequately armed we shall be, before and after the likes of the DNC-Politburo's Einsatzgruppenfuehrers in Congress and Courts are killed by koranist jihadies.

Do the likes of the Congressional and judicial liberals think that they and their own children would not be subject to the Sharia?

"Zero Tolerance" policies are poisoning our children's chance of following in their Daddy's footsteps; bully bureaucrats are cowing kids and parents, from school to work and travel. We're being disarmed and made to feel ashamed over it.

I have had one conversation with a dogmatic principal over whether she would step between other disarmed adults and children in her charge and a terrorist's aimed gun barrel. I have never seen such a shameful display of shameful B.S. And that conversation was only at a social gathering.

I believe that we all should have several "loaners" on hand when SHTF. Handguns with holsters and rifles and shotguns for those nekkid but willing.

These rather overnamed modified Ishapore 2A No.1 MkIII look adequate at ~$400 with four extra magazines. We should always have at least 5 magazines per arm.

This may be a "trick or treat" weekend.

[Squantos]

LOL.....I didn't bother ya till I knew all the wrong answers were already posted......:o)

Just funnin ya Eaker. Ya over yer Flu ? .....Stay Safe !

[Eaker]

LOL.....I didn't bother ya till I knew all the wrong answers were already posted......:o)

I can come up with wronger stuff than what has been posted already!!! Never underestimate Eaker!!!

Feeling like my old self.....which ain't that great, but it is the best that I can do!

You stay safe too brother!

[Shooter 2.5]

Companies like this,[Armalite] IMHO, deserve our support and patronage.

My son and I have Armalites. I have the Golden Eagle which is a Armalite by proxy and he has a AR-15 and AR-10.

We both wear the t-shirts. It would have been fun to own the official sliced bread toaster but I never had the chance.

[tx65]

Glad I found this site,

There are many cartridges out there, some have been around for years, others are new wildcat developments. People will always have their preference for a caliber, whether it be 5.56, 6, .257, 6.5, 6.8 , 7 or 7.62 and will think that the future should be something in that dimension. Reality is that some cartridge developments will remain in the wildcat world and others advance into varying degrees of acceptance and a select few will enter commercial production.

The 6.5 Grendel is going into commercial production and will be available for ownership by the people in early 2004. Fortunately for the average person, availability of the 6.5 Grendel is not dependant on the DOD doing anything unlike a round developed with the military market as it's focus and commercial production only coming after military adoption. As far as the 6.5 Grendel and the military, the DOD isnt blind and will most likely test it and consider possibilities. Of course, the benefit for the DOD of a commercial product is it is not something they have to form a consensus opinion on designing.

People have varying opinions about the AR15/M16. Some opinions are based the 5.56 NATO, others are based on comparing it to what they believe is a better rifle or a better operating system.

As far as the rifle, any new rifle development will be tested and measured against the AR15 / M16. To pass muster, it will have to meet the criteria you mentioned and do it better then the AR15 / M16. The very level of testing it will have to endure means it wont be coming out anytime soon. A new rifle will come at some point in the future, whether that be in 5 or 20 years is unknown. The cartridge it is chambered in will probably be what the military has discovered is the best of the available options out there and it will more then likely something that already has been working in the the AR15/M16 platform.

[heckler]

[El Gato]

It'll sunset unless it becomes an issue in the election, which it will if we have some crazed shooting massacre just before it.

Which we will. We almost always seem to have something like that before major anti arms rights legislation is considered.

OTOH, the Supreme Court could rule before then that the Second Amendment protects an individual right, and that AW bans are unconstitutional. Not likely maybe, but stranger things have happened.

[VOA]

Just to let posters/lurkers know this isn't a "hit-and-run" question, as I'm posting, then going
to do some work...

But my naive, only-shot-an-AR-15 once question is this:
Is there a reason(s) for not using a bull-pup configuration to give a more
compact weapon, especially since US forces have been making noise about the
difficulties of returning fire out of their HUMVEEs suring hot situations.

Just curious why the bull-pup isn't at least part of the US military small arms inventory.

[I got the rope]

Wow. Nice post. Welcome to FreeRepublic.

[tortoise]

But my naive, only-shot-an-AR-15 once question is this: Is there a reason(s) for not using a bull-pup configuration to give a more compact weapon, especially since US forces have been making noise about the difficulties of returning fire out of their HUMVEEs suring hot situations.

Bullpup configurations are have a number of properties that make them less than optimal in many ways. I haven't met a bullpup personally that I would prefer over a CAR15 type configuration. It would be possible to engineer a fine bullpup-ish design, but it would require some significant changes (or eliminations) to the baseline engineering assumptions that are not very feasible within the framework of NATO standards.

[VOA]

Thanks for the clear exposition of the case against a bull-pup design.

You've clued me in on what I've missed as I've never shot such a weapon.

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A newer photograph:

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Associated article:

THE XM8 SYSTEM

Beginning life as the 5.56mm KE (kinetic energy) component of the 20mm air-bursting XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), the XM8 Lightweight Modular Carbine System represents the state-of-the-art in 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles. Developed by the US Army’s office of Project Manager for Soldier Weapons located at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey in close conjunction with the US Army Infantry Center, the XM8 Future Combat Rifle is intended to replace existing M4 Carbines and select 5.56mm x45 weapons in the US Army arsenal beginning as early as the fourth quarter of FY05. Once adopted, the M8 Carbine will replace the aging M16/M4 family of weapons, which have been in service for nearly four decades, longer than any previous US service rifle. The M8 Carbine will be up to 20% lighter than a comparably equipped M4 Carbine MWS and yet offer additional features and performance unavailable currently in any assault rifle in the world.

As a direct development of the separable OICW (XM29) KE or Kinetic Energy module, the M8 Carbine will share a high degree of common parts and training and maintenance procedures to lessen the required support for the “family” of XM8 weapons. Being developed are four XM8 variants, which include a baseline carbine, a sharpshooter variant, an automatic rifle variant, and the ultra-compact carbine variant. A unique feature of the XM8 modular weapon system is the ability to easily and quickly reconfigure the weapon from one variant to the other to meet changing mission requirements, to include caliber conversion.

This modularity includes the exchange of interchangeable assembly groups such as the barrel, handguard, lower receiver, buttstock modules and sighting system with removable carrying handle. In addition and in parallel, the new XM320 quick detachable single-shot 40mm grenade launcher with side-opening breech and LSS lightweight 12 gauge shotgun module can be easily added to the XM8 by the user in the field without tools. The unique buttstock system allows the operator exchange buttstocks without tools from the standard collapsible multi-position version, to an optional buttcap for maximum portability or an optional folding or sniper buttstock with adjustable cheekpiece for special applications. Internally the XM8 employs a combat-proven robust rotary locking bolt system that functions and fieldstrips like that used in the current M16 rifle and M4 carbine. However this bolt is powered by a unique gas operating system that employs a user removable gas piston and pusher rod to operate the mechanism. Unlike the current M4/M16 direct gas system with gas tube, the XM8 gas system does not introduce propellant gases and the associated carbon fouling back into the weapon’s receiver during firing. This greatly increases the reliability of the XM8 while at same time reducing operator cleaning time by as much as 70%. This system also allows the weapon to fire more than 15,000 rounds without lubrication or cleaning in even the worst operational environments. A cold hammer forged barrel will guarantee a minimum of 20,000 rounds service life and ultimate operator safety in the event of an obstructed bore occurrence.

The XM8 has fully ambidextrous operating controls to include a centrally located charging handle that doubles as an ambidextrous forward assist when required, ambidextrous magazine release, bolt catch, safety/selector lever with semi and full automatic modes of fire and release lever for the multiple position collapsible buttstock. The operating controls allow the operator to keep the firing hand on the pistol grip and the weapon in the firing position at all times while the non-firing hand actuates the charging handle and magazine during loading and clearing. Major components of the weapon are produced from high-strength fiber reinforced polymer materials that can be molded in almost any color to include OD green, desert tan, arctic white, urban blue, brown and basic black. Surfaces on the XM8 that interface with the operator are fitted with non-slip materials to increase comfort and operator retention. The XM8 uses 10 or 30-round semi-transparent box magazines and high-reliability 100-round drum magazines for sustained fire applications.

Special integral flush mounted attachment points are located on the handguard and receiver to allow the quick attachment of targeting devices. Unlike MIL-STD-1913 rails, the XM8 attachment points do not add additional weight, bulk and cost to the host weapon, and will accept MIL-STD-1913 adapters to allow for the use of current in-service accessories. The attachment points for the standard multi-function integrated red-dot sight allow multiple mounting positions and insure 100% zero retention even after the sight is removed and remounted. The battery powered XM8 sight includes the latest technology in a red dot close combat optic, IR laser aimer and laser illuminator with back-up etched reticle with capability exceeding that of the current M68-CCO, AN/PEQ-2 and AN/PAQ-4. This sight will be factory zeroed on the weapon when it is delivered and does not require constant rezeroing in the field like current rail-mounted targeting devices. The XM8 will be fully compatible with future Land Warrior technology and components.

The US XM8 Carbine is being designed at the HK Defense design center in Sterling, Virginia and will be produced and assembled in the United States at the new Heckler & Koch manufacturing plant located in Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to Fort Benning. The unit cost of the XM8 will be less than that of the current M4 Carbine and will guarantee the American war fighter uncompromising performance far exceeding that of current in-service M4 Carbines.

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This thread is getting fun to watch...it's sort of becoming a "tracking thread" on the development of this new service rifle. I am enjoying it immensly.

Back when the M16A2 was being adopted, Soldier Of Fortune magazine's then-technical editor, the great Peter G. Kokalis, conducted a 9,000 round test and evaluation of the rifle, upon one that was the first ever sold to a civilian (this was pre-'86). The resultant article was an outstanding example of a T&E writeup by a proffessional. I would LOVE to see someone like him do the same to the XM-8, and publish the findings.

Check out H&K's website...they have some videos of the rifle being fired and tested. It's pretty cool, and their enthusiasm for it might lead them to offer a semiauto-only version in the future.

I'll take one, with some iron sights and a 20-inch barrel, please.

[Shooter 2.5]

I just couldn't get that excited because I couldn't own one. Then I finally realized I could own a semi-version since I don't live in one of those anti States.

I wonder how this will effect the High Power Matches some day when all of our service rifles have optics?

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I'm excited about it for historical reasons...the U.S. military only adopts an entirely new service rifle about once every 40 years or so, so being able to observe the process, whilst a war is going on, is most edifying. Seeing the obvious effects of that war on the process (which seems to be speeding up considerably) is also useful.

I am also excited because it seems that I might be able to puyrchase and own a version of my country's standard service arm that I actually can trust, something I simply cannot say about the M16 variants.

Either way, watching the process unfold will be fun, and I hope it can be followed here, by ourselves and anyone else with info.

[Travis McGee]

It may be a better rifle, but the improvement will only be at the margins. The big jump will be in fielding the range finding exploding 20mm. I think the mistake was for the Army to try to tie it all into the dual-weapon OICW, instead of fielding the 20mm in a stand alone version like the M-79. Work the bugs out of that 20mm, put a 20mm (grenadier? rifleman?) in every squad. That could lead to a real revolution in infantry arms.

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Agree totally. Overall, I think attempting to get ONE weapon to do the jobs of about four is a lost cause. Besides, it makes sense on a number of levels to have a "mix" of weapons in a unit. Heck, it worked well enough in WWII, what with squads and platoons carrying M-1s, carbines, Thompsons/M-3s, BAR's, and Browning MGs all in one outfit.