XM7 news

[ISCS Yoda]

Army infantry officer calls new XM7 'unfit for use as a modern service rifle'

The officer interviewed more than 150 soldiers as part of his research, which was presented at an annual Marine Corps exhibition in April.

taskandpurpose.com

I'm just curious to see if any rifle experts here are familiar with this new controversy that this article covers:

Army infantry officer calls new XM7 ‘unfit for use as a modern service rifle’​

Officials with the Army and Sig Sauer pushed back on the findings of the research, which was conducted by an Army infantry officer and presented at this year's Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C.

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(c) Task & Purpose

 

[HardToHandle]

My understanding is the report is an academic dissertation from a serving USMC officer who participated in some of the recent U.S. Army exercises. He delivered the results at an military trade conference.

From my limited knowledge and zero experience with the XM7, the criticism all seems reasonable. The Army was asking a lot with fielding of a new close combat rifle… super long range penetration performance. That drove high bullet BC and prodigious velocity, which means a heavier cartridge than 5.56x45.

I follow NDIA and other industry news. Heckler & Koch’s Jim Schatz launched the public debate of the eventual XM7 procurement with his 2015 “Overmatch” presentation, which laid out the majority of the main parameters. Jim nailed it a decade ago…

https://ndia.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2015/smallarms/17354_Schatz.pdf

For what it is worth, I have a buddy who is a serving Infantry major. We were talking about 18 months back when his unit was doing contingency planning for a potential European Command deployment. The issue of overmatch and stand-off against the Russian 7.62x54r and 30mm ASG grenade launcher were a topic the infantry were planning to address via different tactics. Having a flat shooting 1000m rifle and light machine gun would have been a valuable resource if they ended in the Ukrainian farm fields.

 

[Harv 24]

The XM7 will not last is my prediction. Giving an Infantryman a 15 lb. rifle. Optic/Suppressor and 140 combat load is the wrong direction. Small arms does not do the bulk of killing...High Explosive does.

Shooting a static range target at 600 yds is way different then trying to ID and engage a moving target that is trying not to be seen as it maneuvers on you.

This is another XM 8 boondoggle.

 

[LVSteve]

The XM7 is the result of the perceived shortcomings of the M4 in the Sandbox, and the Ukraine War confirming that body armor is getting ahead of the existing crop of assault rifle cartridges when fired from barrels of 16" or less. As the NDIA study shows, bigger round equals fewer for the same weight. Maybe the Army needs to change its training to match that new reality.