Is The Army’s New Rifle A Lemon?
The United States Army is facing criticism over the fielding of the M7 rifle, which is being replaced by the M8 carbine starting in December.
Harold Hutchison · Oct 13, 2026 · 2 min read
The United States Army is facing criticism over the fielding of the M7 rifle, which is being replaced by the M8 carbine starting in December.
SIG won a ten-year contract to produce the Army’s Next-Generation Squad Weapons, a rifle and light machine gun designed to fire a new 6.8x51mm round, in 2022, Guns.com reported. The M7 had drawn fire on social media for being too heavy for troops.
“Besides weighing 50% more than an M4, this POS is heavily overloaded with janky tacticool features, takes special ammo produced by one monopoly supplier, and falls to pieces under stress,” one post says. “All it lacks to be a true exemplar of American tech is a QR code and frozen touch screen.”
The Army launched the NGSW program after the 2017 Small Arms Ammunition Configuration (SAAC) study, which validated a need for greater energy on target and reduced shooter error through advanced fire control. It addressed limitations of existing 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm systems against protected and unprotected threats at extended ranges and is the first major rifle and automatic rifle fielding of this nature in roughly 65 years.
The M7 weighed 9.8 pounds when equipped with a suppressor, had a 20-round magazine, a 13.5-inch barrel and could be equipped with an optical sight, according to ArmyRecognition.com. The XM8 weighs 8.8 pounds with the suppressor, has a 25-round clip and an 11-inch barrel, according to the United States Army.
The NGSW program also includes the M250 light machine gun, intended to replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon in front-line infantry units.
“The XM8 Carbine is set to replace the M4A1 carbine for Soldiers in the Close Combat Force, beginning in FY27,” a Department of Defense spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The XM8 is approximately 3.5 inches shorter and over a pound lighter than its M7 predecessor, offering significant advantages on the modern battlefield.”
The M7 rifle was slated to replace the M4 carbine, a shorter version of the M16 assault rifle first fielded in the 1960s. The M4 carbine replaced the World War II-vintage M3 “grease gun,” a submachine gun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge.
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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].