How U.S Infantry Almost Switched to the XM-8 Rifle

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This is the legendary XM8 rifle. It fires 556 at a rate of 750 rounds per minute. In the early 2000’s the XM8 was actually on the verge of replacing the aging M4 series as the US army’s primary infantry rifle. What followed was a story filled with drama, intrigue and accusations that it wasted $33 million dollars worth of taxpayers dollars. I think the XM8 is a great example of what happens when science, bureaucracy and soldiers' needs all collide in the worst possible way. But if it was never adopted why is it still an iconic weapon why is it still a household name? You’re about to hear the story of one of the most ambitious firearms programs and how its failure helped pave the way for the next generation weapons of today.
Written by: Chris Cappy and Diego Aceituno
Video Edited by: Chris Cappy
subscribe to: ‪@spartan117gw‬ / @spartan117gw
Thanks for making this video possible !
The saga of the XM8 started in 2002 just one year after the war in Afghanistan had kicked off. Lower enlisted grunts were complaining about their M4’s jamming and malfunctioning constantly. The Army vice chief of staff General Jack Keane was outraged when he heard this. The man went on a warpath to solve the problem. He turned to a brand new organization called PEO soldier lead by Colonel Moran to finally replace the M4. PEO-Soldier the agency responsible for prototyping everything a soldier wears or carries to this day. The agency had a special power they had the authority to ignore much of the government red tape and go around slow moving bureaucracy. The goal was to replace the M4 within 3 years instead of the normal 10 it would take. These guys wanted to speed run weapons development. Colonel Moran immediately set out to find a loophole. Something that would ultimately doom the XM8 rifle.
The first thing you normally need when trying to create a new firearm in the military is something called an “Operational requirement” document. These are written up by the Infantry Center. This would define the XM8 rifles necessary firepower, magazine size, rate of fire, weight, all of its capabilities. But there was a problem. It normally took years and a multi-step approval process to get a new one authorized. If you think that sounds boring and bureaucratic, so too did Colonel Moran. So Instead he dug up an old previously approved “operational requirement” from almost ten years earlier from the 1994 Objective Individual Combat Weapon Program. What was that? The OICW program was essentially an XM8 rifle with a 20mm programmable airburst grenade slapped onto the top of it. Sounds like something that could be useful right so why did it end up stalling? The weapons' grenades weren’t powerful enough, it weighed a ton at 17.6 lbs which is more than an M249, and future versions of it malfunctioned during training injuring a soldier. All that is to say, the OICW program was a dead end. But Colonel Moran believed he could split it into two separate projects with Increment I being the XM8 and Increment II being the airburst grenade launcher.
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#ARMY #MILITARY #WEAPON

[@Taskandpurpose]

If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can start your claim in just a click without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: www.forthepeople.com/TaskandPurpose?s=86%3A2313

[@seanparvis8568]

8:15. mad respect. I usually was try to reach dip or peanut m&ms

[@Jack-M1113]

Or H&K's version, Shmorgan and Jorgan

[@Imperialbbuilding]

It's the size of a speedboat, that's what went wrong

[@GHOSTSTALKER90]

Wasn't that air burst grenade launcher really popular with the field testing units. I'd love to see a video about that.

[@johnmarsh6337]

Fu Morgan&Morgan hate these ads. They are why Florida residents are paying 800 per month for insurance and that's regular coverage. Screw them.

[@spikmaster18]

In Black Ops 2 universe, XM8 become the replacement of M4A1, and it was rebranded into M8A1 Assault Rifle

[@josegeorge1991-pm3]

Same thing goes to Battlefield 2 universe; specifically various mods out there (including mine, which is in development as of now) where it's designated as "M8".

[@Akemi2_1]

That thing was on of the meta’s. So much fun

[@spikmaster18]

@@zerofighterkicks2041 Probably the M27/416 was primarily given to spec opz whereas the M8 is just M4 replacement

[@AlgaeEater09]

In real life, if it was adopted, it would have been called the M5

[@geronimo5537]

In the US, X is typically meant as a test product. While adding A1 would be the first variant. We do that with pretty much everything and its been a thing since ww1. So M8A1 would be accurate actually.

[@monkeychife]

“The Xm-8 is not a significant improvement so we’re not adopting it” Me, an 8 year old who loved it in Ghost Recon: this will be your downfall

[@BBQBARNES-GAMING]

Man Ghost Recon was the shit back in the day

[@clavo6498]

It was my favorite in metal gear solid

[@johanolsson6502]

If you loved it in the original Ghost Recon games then I was the man who made the mod that brought them in!

[@eddgar-ce3md]

Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces : " I hear you !" and they got the rifle.

[@wowthatsbrutal]

@@clavo6498 super slept on take!!!! The XM8 shines because of MGS4!!! I remember that haha. Also the 2012 iteration of it as the M8A1 in Bo2.

[@richard8808]

"Who knew the infantry could write?" Not knowing how to do something has never and will never stop the infantry.

[@ssgus3682]

Power of the blue cord

[@tango_uniform]

A document like the ORD is not the first step in solving problems in for-profit industry. But, of course we're dealing with other peoples' money here. The first step is a problem statement. It's also typical of people, especially technically trained men, to jump directly to solution space (this is how we get equipment destined for the innards of a submarine larger than the hatch opening). If you accurately define the limitations of the current state and the desired end state, you will know when you have the optimal solution. The second step is a compendium of use cases that formulate a scope statement... what you are doing and what you are not doing. Next would be a doc like the ORD, including features, capabilities, specifications, limitations, etc. It also helps to measure qualitative and quantitative risk frequently.

[@Celebmacil]

"How hard could it be?"

[@Exaldear]

Is this a monkeys, typewriters, Shakespeare thing?

[@Celebmacil]

@@Exaldear More usually it's really more of a big hammer, square peg, round hole kind of thing.

[@T33K3SS3LCH3N]

Clearly the biggest mistake of the XM8 was the attempt of selling a gun to Americans that was shaped like a Fish rather than a beefsteak.

[@kon8459]

It didn't look like Texas

[@PrinceNewRomeo]

We like fish! Mainly the big ones, like sharks.

[@flipchartpad]

"I'm an American! I don't want this German gun.........I want this other German gun!" lol

[@presfieldgoalie]

I remember this thing being in about every single video game from 2007 to 2013. Battlefield Bad Company. Black Ops 2. Metal Gear Solid 4. Saints Row 2. Rainbow Six: Vegas. And I'm probably missing out a metric ton of others.

[@anotherbacklog]

Crysis

[@yellowcard7139]

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

[@FuukPronouns]

You never played the earlier title Conflict Global Storm? The Conflict series.

[@Rimasta1]

Ghost Recon 2

[@zandrus9191]

Arma 2: PMC DLC

[@TheColdturtle]

"Accusations that it wasted millions of taxpayer dollars." Woah the government wasting money no way

[@Claymann71]

🤣🤌🤌🤌 CAPPY, PIN THIS 1! 🍻

[@jeffreykershner440]

For some reason I feel good about millions vs Billions.

[@kennys9644]

For real. Money is no object to these people, but they pretend to care about costs when it suits them.

[@ScarriorIII]

Shoot at targets you can't miss, right?

[@mrgunn2726]

@Coldturtle I am shocked, shocked I say.

[@uncleheavy6819]

The XM8 always made me think that it was the offspring of a G36 and a Star Trek phaser rifle.

[@Rimasta1]

We need phaser rifles.

[@HellbirdIV]

It's literally an evolution of the G36 that was made to look "more Starship Troopers", at the request of a US General. Using those words.

[@Cmoth040]

That's what it is.

[@DrownedInExile]

It wouldn't be out of place in the XCOM games either.

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

@@DrownedInExile Ther is a rifle based on this one in Helldivers 2

[@DenKulesteSomFins]

Aging M4-series? The M4 carabine was 16 years old when they started producing the XM8. They intended to replace the m16 with the XM8.

[@Artha96]

The prime timeline is the one where this was adopted and Harambe is still alive.

[@jfygt2623]

Malaysian Navy Special Forces: *I'LL TAKE YOUR ENTIRE STOCK*

[@Randomly_Browsing]

There is also a rail mount version

[@erikasan3299]

I mean it's quite good... PASKAL adopted it and I don't think they've complained.

[@johndough1703]

@@erikasan3299 What does gambling have to do with this?

[@erikasan3299]

@@johndough1703 ? Gambling? There's nothing about gambling in my comment. You tripping?

[@Chick2106]

​@@johndough1703nahh bro no one ever said a thing about gambling you lost some bits of your mind there.

[@dabluflcn]

I was mechanized infantry from 2002 to 2006 and all this talk about M-4s needing to be replaced sounds quaint. We spent our entire units budget on Bradley’s and carried ancient M-16s we referred to as our muskets.

[@mbaxter22]

When I was 11H in the Guard, we had TOW-2B’s (very modern at the time) while still using ancient M16A1’s.

[@satanicmicrochipv5656]

​@@jds3068 Over an M16A1? Hell yeah!

[@BirnieMac1]

@@jds3068what jungle conflict was ongoing in 2002-2006 Shit was desert

[@RockSolitude]

All that talk about adopting the XM7 must sound quaint to you too then

[@dabluflcn]

@@RockSolitude sounds like sci fi madness and when I was active we all thought it looked a bit gimmicky and was moving too fast. It was a pipe dream. Besides my unit was still using ye olde muskets.

[@able34bravo37]

I was in the army when all of this was going on, and I remember when the trial results were released and the M4 faired the worst of the competitors by orders of magnitude everybody said, "Army spends millions of dollars to hear what soldiers have been saying since 1962."

[@SurvivenTerry]

I was in to. I saw the Melted barrels it did not fair well after around 600 rounds and lots of other stuff

[@AR15andGOD]

What a bs comment. Ar15 is the greatest small arms platform of all time, the complaints from 1962 were based on military sabotage to keep the m14. Really sick of this stupid myth

[@StanleyKubick1]

*fared

[@thedude5449]

That's just boomer nonsense. As usual big army loves to sabotage projects they don't want or want to replace.

[@sik3xploit]

This is what happens when an arms contract is more based on political connections.

[@tempiadem586]

Really well told! This is some of my favorite journalism.

[@Taskandpurpose]

🙏thank you ! I liked putting this one together

[@Fred_BlackB]

We were told in 2004 that we would be the first to deploy with the XM-8 for OIF 3, 2005-2006. Never happened, in fact I never even saw one of these on Fort Stewart. Would have been fun to at least try one out.

[@spartan117gw]

Thanks for having me a part of this! This was a ton of fun to make!

[@Rensune]

Thanks for helping! You were great

[@Taskandpurpose]

thanks for helping put this together Greg ! can't wait to drop the PKM episode that one is going to be awesome

[@RedLine_Renesis]

You forgot to thank him in person?

[@ClientsMusic]

@@RedLine_Renesis Guess so.

[@BenCarpenterWrites]

“Tactical modular enhanced kinetic lethality.” I think I got all the favorites in a legible sentence 😂

[@kmech3rd]

BINGO!

[@Claymann71]

This is a flamethrower. 🔥 _IT THROWS FLAMES!_ 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Zmok]

I'd add 'multiplier' at the end :-)

[@joostdriesens3984]

@@Zmok Yeah, something something multi-purpose.. 😄

[@johanmetreus1268]

@@Zmok you forgot "synergy" ;)

[@andrealves2630]

This thing was in almost every shooter in the 2000s. It looked really cool and promising and I was sad that it never got picked up by the US, but was surprised to learn that it didnt actually die and was adopted by a few countries

[@Randomly_Browsing]

By few countries,you mean only one country

[@mimimimeow]

The Malaysian Navy XM8 was essentially the preproduction run ones from HK. Malaysia did a trial across all branches in 2005 ish, presumably to replace Vietnam era M16s and the AUG (It was crumbling in Malaysian weather). However all ended up buying license-produced M4s, and the produced XM8s were passed to the Navy, including the elusive PDW prototype.

[@monkeychief-nk7se]

aug crumbled ?

[@InvidiousIgnoramus]

​@@monkeychief-nk7sepoor quality plastic, doesn't hold up as well as newer polymers

[@TheOfficial007]

Having this gun in bad company was such an icon.

[@jayhendrix7343]

Ya i wish Dice would make a new bad co. 🤗

[@TheOfficial007]

@jayhendrix7343 Yeah, but even EA has said that they know they wouldn't be able to replicate the same kind of gameplay/story because they forgot which frankly is wild.

[@Xioau]

Socom was my first time seeing the xm8

[@c.jarmstrong3111]

So good in that game

[@robman732]

I joined the Army back in 2003 and I so excited when I heard this weapon was going to be released. Then I was sorely disappointed when the XM-8 was canceled and I deployed to the desert with an M4:(

[@NekomiyaTH]

So many Xm8 field tester can't find charging handle(ar style) therefore they drop it and stick with M4 xD

[@NatiSgt]

I didn't get my m4 till 2006

[@EastlakeRasta7]

​@@NekomiyaTH so you're telling me our Armed Forces back then were dumb enough not to read the guns manual?? 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@bravozero6]

​@EastlakeRasta7 a lot of soldiers i knew were more a liability with a weapon than an asset with one

[@NekomiyaTH]

@@EastlakeRasta7 we bunch of 18-19yo dum as heck Sargent had to point out how to operate all the shi xD

[@jots3293]

I remember rocking this gun on my loadout in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter my personal favorite

[@Justin_GFM]

SOCOM Tactical Strike on my PSP for me, loved how futuristic it looked for the time

[@blacklight4720]

It was a bullsh1t hipfire machine in Battlefield Bad Company 2. While also accurate aim down sights.

[@yellowcard7139]

Bro, just remembering the GRAW days on xbox live. Even the story was good.

[@Archimedeeez]

sounds cool!

[@atlanta_greg_7612]

I liked the 6.8mm m4 for online

[@sankyu3950]

The sexiest gun and the poster child of black ops II

[@diablo667]

Also use this gun in ghost recon advanced warfare

[@MikoYotsuya292]

I first saw this gun in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

[@dmoney8602]

No one cares

[@EastlakeRasta7]

​@@dmoney8602 you cared enough to comment the cliche no one cares bot

[@Scrahdabley]

and bad company 2 but your too young for that one i guess ;)

[@ImGazu]

I remember the XM-8 being the default gun in BFBC2.

[@MJAY-yf3kb]

Best gun in the game

[@ImGazu]

@@MJAY-yf3kb Nah dude the An-94 burst fire. But I also played pretty much exclusively on hardcore servers.

[@kyleondemand]

I’m just a Canadian. I have had less than 0 access to the real steel of these. But when I did get into Airsoft, you best believe this was my AEG of choice. Hilariously the way they’re built even in Airsoft is literally just an aesthetic shell over G36 innards, even the same gearbox lol

[@grim3897]

US: I need a new rifle HK: Shows the G36 US: It looks like a fish HK: Sorry, we´ll fix it Also HK: Makes it look even more like a fish

[@ryanbauer3680]

I think you mean; US: It looks like a fish. Make it look like something out of Starship Troopers! (HK Makes it look even more like a fish) US: Perfect!

[@k7j007]

​@ryanbauer3680 I think it was on forgotten weapons video about the XM-8, but they said that the weapons acquisitions people actually told HK that they needed to make the gun look "more starship troopers." They didn't care much about the functionality of the rifle towards the end of development, they were more concerned about how it looked.

[@connor3288]

Look up Vektor CR21, now THAT looks like a fish

[@ryanbauer3680]

@@k7j007 To quote Rainier Wolfcastle; "That's the joke."

[@Alguien644]

​@@connor3288oh holy shit it does

[@googoogagagagoo5254]

13:38-14:20 Just want to point out that nowadays Sig Sauer is basically an American company (with German ownership). The Swiss Branch is tiny compared to what it once was and the German branch of the company has been defunct since 2020. Pretty much most, if not all, of the modern offerings by SIG, from the P320, the MPX, and to the MCX Spear have been designed and made in the US. So, by choosing the SIG XM7, the Army technically is still buying American first.

[@jorgebarriosmur]

Companies go where buisness is. And, if you make weapons, there is no better place than the USA. Not only do you have an INSANE military budget (I think you spend as much as the next eight countries behind you, ALL TOGETHER), but you can also count on all the US-gun-nuts buying your "civil" version.......If I was in the buissnes of designing and builduing weapons, I know where I would locate my company.......God bless the second amendment, and the "manifest destiny" right? :)

[@Braun30]

Actually Sig Sauer in the US belongs to Sig Sauer AG in Switzerland which in turn belongs to L&O Holding in Germany.

[@googoogagagagoo5254]

@Braun30 SIG Sauer Inc. (American SIG) doesn't belong to SIG Sauer AG. While they are both owned by L&O Holdings, they are sister companies. They may share the SIG Sauer name and logo, but other than that, they are basically independent from each other. SIG Sauer, Inc. was actually spun off in the mid 1980's from Sig Sauer GmbH, the now defunct German branch, as a way for Sig to sell the P220 series in the US market. It also so that it could secure the contract for the XM9, which it lost to Beretta. However, over time, and especially after it built its factory in New Hampshire, the American Sig rapidly outgrew its Swiss and German counterparts. By 2000, it grew to a point that it was elevated from a subsidiary to a sister company independent from the German Sig. This newfound independence allowed the American SIG to innovate and manufacture its own designs, as well as diversify into other things like red dots and scopes. This is the branch that designed guns like the MPX, MCX, P320, etc. Meanwhile, back in Europe, the story is very different. The Swiss Sig (SIG Sauer AG), while making very high-quality firearms, isn't as relevant as it used to be. The German branch, after years of stagnation and controversies, closed its doors and went defunct in 2020. This is why I say that nowadays, Sig Sauer is basically an American company with German ownership. Its primary operations are in the US and independent from the Swiss branch. Its weapons are also designed and manufactured in the US. Heck, its main customers are US civilians and the US Gov't. The only thing that remains European is its ownership group, and that's pretty much it. TLDR: American SIG went beyond its intended purpose as an importer of arms from German SIG into what is now the flagship company that carries the SIG Sauer name today.

[@Braun30]

@@googoogagagagoo5254 I know that American SIG Sauer is now making the same arms originally produced in Switzerland. I presume this is what the market needs. Cheap lookalike weapons.

[@googoogagagagoo5254]

@@Braun30 As far as I know, the only originally Swiss guns that the American Sig Sauer still makes are the P210, the P220, and the P226 (along with its derivatives). However, it has always been making P226's since its US factory opened in the early 90's. As for the P210, Sig USA has been making them since 2017, which was 7 years ago. Also, while they may look like the original Swissguns, ~US$1000 for a P226 and ~US$2000 for a P210 is by no means cheap. American Sig Sauer used to also import semi auto SG550's called the SIG 556, but they were discontinued in 2017 and since been replaced by the MCX, American Sig's own design.

[@johnnycaps1]

What great insight into the military procurement and the various issues that need to be addressed. On the one hand, bureaucracy can tie an organization up with enough "red tape" to kill the host but on the other side of the equation guardrails need to be in place so that a project doesn't run amok and out of control. Lesson? Military procurement is very very difficult. Soldiers lives are at stake. As an aside I've never seen General Jack Kean looking SO young. He's a real patriot, cares about the USA and is very smart.

[@inorite4553]

Agreed...which is why I posted, "Everyone hates bureaucracy until they realize that it exists to be able to control extremely large organizations from running wild. "

[@ryanr5534]

*quadrails need to be in place so that a project doesn't go amok. Fixed it for you. I believe this weapon was doomed from the very beginning, and otherwise may have actually succeeded if only it had a quad-rail. They advertise it as modular, but only with fancy new parts manufactured by the makers specifically for this weapon. That's not truly modular. They were never going to replace the M4 with something incapable of hosting all the leftover gadgets some people put on them. Also, training. It's one thing to supply the army with new weapons. It's a whole other thing to have enough hand-me-downs to train new troops on. So that's another huge issue, but it falls in line with the same basic flaw... that they replaced a functional and familiar quadrail with something that looks "cool"..

[@RoyWinifred-z3e]

The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties and the fullest realization of the world in which we live.

[@gavroshtheswift9959]

Why was this so profound even out of context of the video?

[@joshfriedman7099]

Funny how COD: Black Ops 2 and the Battlefield Bad Company games thought this would be the main rifle of the US army by now.

[@JustSumGuy01]

To be fair, the Black ops 2 M8 looks more streamline. What the end product would look if they didn't try to speed run a weapons program

[@The7thgeist]

The XM8 was not PEO Soldiers finest hour, but they have been an incredibly effective organization in a ton of ways; especially in the area of head protection. They spent two decades churning out new and improved helmet designs as fast as polymer science could provide them and directly saved a large number of lives; to the point that Staff Sargeant Bryan McQueen took a 7.62x54R out of a PKM to the back of the head from 20 feet while wearing an Enhanced Combat Helmet during a green on blue and was not only alive, but only suffered a moderate brain bleed.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Ow! But amazing! But also ow!

[@andreww8213]

That is actually a miracle he survived that. Even if the bullet didn’t penetrate, the skull fracture could kill you

[@JTP709]

When I was at basic in Fort Jackson in 2006, they had these big Army marketing posters with soldiers wearing the new UCP camo and holding XM8s. I honestly thought we were going to get to train on them. Then we were issued ancient M16A2s lol.

[@abbottshaull9831]

At least you were issued M16A2s and not using M16A1s at Basic/AIT like we were back in 1988... Just saying.

[@vicnighthorse]

The A2 was introduce in my time in, not everyone is a kid;-)

[@JTP709]

@@vicnighthorse Buddy of mine just went through BCT two years ago - now they're getting M4s with Aimpoint CCOs. Not sure if they even qualify with iron sights anymore.

[@NathanielVoight-qj9jd]

Lucky...I was at Jackson 11-05 to 05-06 and we had A1s 😬💪😂

[@americandissident9062]

I was at Jackson in early 2011. We had M16A2 with iron sights. They issued one guy a SAW and one guy a M4, and they passed it around during training.

[@nuurulbasarmohdbaki6046]

We bought 800 plus for our special navy force. They loved it. We got it at a very cheap price due to USA rejection.

[@gergarfritz3442]

@@angelaferkel7922Like Southeast Asia.

[@DracoSafarius]

@@angelaferkel7922 probably malaysia

[@DJRainbowToxic]

@@angelaferkel7922 malaysia

[@LeonCoretz]

So a chunk of US defense spending goes to subsidizing other countries' procurement... thanks for getting this to click for me.

[@TobeyPullman]

One needs something to believe in, something for which one can have whole-hearted enthusiasm. One needs to feel that ones life has meaning, that one is needed in this world.

[@SogenOkami]

Where my BC2 homies at?

[@janerik5997]

Right here brother

[@ryanbest4217]

We here bro

[@Veroine]

Yessirrr

[@seiser42]

You know it!

[@nomsi4263]

I honestly wish they remade this gun.

[@NoireBIanc]

I remember thinking this gun looking so futuristic when seeing it in games from the early 2000s

[@ShadowPhoenixMaximus]

I remember seeing it the XXX: State of the Union (2005) movie. The German Heckler & Koch G36 also dominated pop culture around that time

[@flinchfu]

It's basically a G36 in a shark costume.

[@taln0reich]

I think it still looks futuristic.

[@Mannetin70]

It was fun with grenade launcher on Battlefield Bad company

[@Gliese380]

This and the F2000.

[@ShadeMeister93]

I learned of the XM8 from Ghost Recon 2 way back in early 2000 and been one of my favorite exotic guns since that and the F2000

[@connor3288]

Good old days, Ghost Recon 1+2 and Splinter Cell

[@ohyoufr]

@@connor3288can’t forget the SOCOM games

[@guavaburst]

Right hand free for a poptart? Ahh, average infantryman right?

[@lifuranph.d.9440]

Actually the left hand.

[@martianhighminder4539]

Can't forget this was a 2000s era project. I'm surprised it didn't have a holder for an obnoxiously aggressive energy drink on it.

[@O-PAC]

8:32 hold up, there’s a Jurassic Park Jeep there. That’s the real gem here.

[@DeadManSinging1]

I honestly think that the reason it became so well known is just because it looked cool it got put in a bunch of games and movies. Crysis 1 was a huge game at the time and it used it (Though for some reason they confused it with the SCAR)

[@alandzurilla4632]

I remember testing this at Benning. They had us jumping up and down on it and stopped us short of throwing it under our Bradley's. I remember when they brought the long rifle and machine gun upper receivers for us to test and it worked well. They tied this into the Future Soldier Program, which was testing before it's official start later at Benning. They pushed hard after the Infantryman's Conference to get this started. Same timeframe as to when Dragon skin body armor was coming around. When combined together it all sounded good but wasn't the best. A and B 1/29 Inf tested these alongside 3rd Ranger Bat and the issues got worse and worse the more we worked with systems and they eventually had us stop testing. Fun times being part of its history even though it never was adopted.

[@yupyup4209]

What type issues got worse and worse? I love to hear stories from the actual people who tested stuff like this

[@alandzurilla4632]

@@yupyup4209 on the upper meant to replace the 249/240, the higher amount of rounds and usage the worse the zeroing got and it became harder to do swaps. Also, while a lot was combined into a single unit to swap, it made long term maintenance a pain in the ass. Our armorer hated them. And as noted in the video, the optics options sucked. They did have a work around for battery life, a corded unit with a bigger battery you could carry but then we now had a larger battery that we had to worry about it getting hit by a round plus the extra weight. As a dismount, I didn't have an AG so I had to carry all my gear and the less weight meant I could technically carry more myself but because of how the upper, butt stock, attachments, etc were all integrated larger pieces it meant lots of larger awkward pieces. So it meant we kept a lot in the back of the Bradley's as dismounts but the trade off was they had to stick closer to us if we wanted easier access and thus negating being dropped off as a dismount.

[@tango_uniform]

Really scientific test scenario.

[@PK-pp3lu]

@@tango_uniform It's called stress testing

[@DackelDelay]

@@alandzurilla4632 care to elaborate on the battery lifetime please? like to me 500h compared to a 9-5 job i.e. ~150h per month seems like a battery change every quater which isn't too bad? or like a month running 24/7. obviously i'm missing somethng here

[@Jack-M1113]

The 12.5" one is my dream rifle, and the old optics mounting system was badass so you can just swap optics without rezeroing every time. Looks so badass

[@MANDING0]

Video games are the only reason we care about this

[@peixeserra9116]

I wouldn't say necessarily video games, more it's unique and very charming design. Which in media in general, is an awesome thing, since even back then the issue of "Everything looks like an AR/AK" was already creeping up I mean I for instance love the L85, despite knowing how absolutely God awful that thing was/is, but it's purely because of it's unique looks.

[@harbingerdawn]

I cared about this gun before ever seeing it in a video game (and now that I think about it I'm not sure I've ever played a game with an XM8 in it). I was following it closely in 2004/5 and was really salty about it being canceled.

[@Dashx64]

bad company 2, good times. "Did you I speak spanglish? yup, I can order the whole menu over at taco bell."

[@BioTheRebel]

the XM8 has been my favorite rifle since i was a teenager. the looks are striking, it's so elegant and efficient-looking. it looks like everything a sci-fi weapon would look like in my little teenage mind. I LOVED IT!! ❤❤

[@hillbilly4895]

The M4 was designed to be an improvement over the M14 The M4, while not perfectable for every contingency imaginable, doesn't require $3700/ea to overcome said imperfections. It's just metal, composites and accessories. Better idea: Give 3700 professional armorer's a chance to submit their idea's. Somewhere in that pile of idea's and samples will be your next weapon.

[@Boris_Din_Dietrich__Hazim]

Whenever I hear about this rifle, PASKAL always comes to my mind considering the fact that they're the only special force that uses this rifle

[@schnelma605]

5:45 "these are the same people, who helped design cars for Audi" - shows Mercedes car 🙂

[@Claymann71]

Idk if Cappy did that by mistake, or ON PURPOSE BECAUSE DUDE IS SO NATURALLY FUNNY! 🤣🤌🤌🤌

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

These things are sometimes done on purpose just so people like you will comment. It's to drive engagement

[@EggplantHarmesan]

*shows car from major competitor to VW who owns Audi* he wasn't just wrong he was ABSOLUTELY wrong

[@Boogsbunny13]

I wish this gun was in more modern video games. It's such a cool weapon system

[@BennettWyld]

The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

[@KnobleKnight2002]

I'm so disappointed that the XM8 wasn't adopted. It was truly ahead of its time. Too bad the program was rushed or maybe it would have been adopted.

[@AdministrativeReload]

Don't be disappointed. The design was flawed from the start. What wasn't mentioned in this video is that the G36 this rifle was based on suffered from the same issues and was a huge waste of time and money for the Germans too. It's now being replaced by the HK416.

[@TheNightrider88]

Well, it wasn't ahead of anything. It's just a 5.56 rifle with even less modular capabilities than Stoner 63 had.

[@Randomly_Browsing]

It did eventually adopted,but only just one country only

[@zeerevolutionwillbetelevised]

It really did not last, lacked more features than the AR15 and suffered greatly.from being a short sighted design.

[@patta8388]

@@AdministrativeReload The G36 is being replaced because of political reasons. Has nothing to do with the rifle itself. It was neither a waste of time nor money. It did its job, and it did its job good. Earlier models had some problems, like the integrated scope fogging up, etc., but that was all fixed by the time we got the A3 and A4.

[@coltsinglearmy]

I remember coming into reception into Ft. Jackson and having a gigantic poster on a wall with a Soldier in ACUs holding unto an XM8. It now feels like a fever dream. 😅

[@bakedAK85]

Saw that same poster in 05

[@coltsinglearmy]

@@bakedAK85 Yup! I joined in 06!

[@ElTigre12024]

I remember in the 2000s when so many Tom Clancy games featured this weapon.

[@andrewhinsurance]

Even though this is live footage the XM8 when you are physically holding it looks like video game imagery superimposed on a live action video.

[@kinrob1]

MGS4 was the first game I saw this gun in, and I loved it ever since.

[@johnny13x2]

One of my defining moments for my enjoyment of military games was playing Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter way back in 2006, and the XM8 being my favorite gun to run in that game. It just looks so damn cool. I still want to own one if I ever get a chance.

[@nicholasmazzarella2720]

Dude what an awesome look at the XM-8. I had no idea or history was so interesting. Thanks for this info.

[@EmilyChaosDrivr]

The XM8 could have been so great. I am German and personally prefer the XM8 over the G36 (and the M4, by far). What a shame that it's problems never got sorted out. But hey, that's what AU's are for. Just imagine an XM8 inspired bullpup 🤤

[@rebel6301]

the xm8 and the g36 are some of my favourite things to ever come out of the firearms scene

[@dylanneely91]

Tavor is the first to spring to mind

[@GreasiestGuido]

I would rather not imagine that because then id have to think of the terrible trigger

[@JodieWilliam-z4z]

The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.

[@DotxxHackxxSword]

I remember using this gun in Socom Fire Team Bravo for the PSP

[@popojoeexplode]

I was super pumped to get one in 2006, we even had a poster in our basic training barracks. Alas...it was not to be.

[@Taskandpurpose]

Subscribe to Greg from the Spartan117GW youtube channel who made this video possible, he's a real firearms expert , extremely knowledgeable kzbin.info/door/1gt5hr3hBRMGmkfYJT56Lw and I happen to know he's an all around good guy !

[@Claymann71]

Guys see this & say: HELL YEAH! 💪😎🤘

[@OneWayTwoBrazil]

It’s always wild to see just how much firearm technology and development has progressed in the last 20 years.

[@bustavonnutz]

Sonic weapons & railguns are already being effectively deployed in active fire exercises. The future of conventional warfare is going to be insane.

[@ShopSportSport]

"the XM8 failed because it's ****ing ugly." -Me

[@Viper-dz2kw]

Spartan 117gw showing up is a crazy cameo from my childhood that I didn’t expect

[@spartan117gw]

boom

[@emergingloki]

Colonel Moran?! My god! The Chieftain has had an interesting career!!

[@grimreminder5038]

Ghost Recon 2 giving it Marksman, LMG and standard functionality, that fish gun had it all! Bummed as I am that it didn't get adopted, glad there are conversion kits to get as close to owning one as possible

[@ModernTacticalShooting]

Wow you had that stock set too short in the intro...Fun fact :The AK style mag release lever is what killed interest in it with Special forces, along with the weirdo mounting options not being picatinny rails which were well in use by early 2000s.

[@jackal2484]

The rifle itself was a step back in terms of modernization. Even to this day it would still have problems getting modernized to fit anyone's bill.

[@geronimo5537]

all the XM8 needed was an AR trigger group and a pic rail on the top. we were so close to getting a good g36 variant. the rifle did not need much more to become perfection.

[@thejoker9201]

I remember hearing talk and reading about this weapon in the very early 2000s when I was serving in the infantry! It never happened though We all ended up using the M16A4 and later switched to the M4

[@RyouConcord]

Excellent upload! Been very interested in this topic

[@stephenkrus]

X-M8... the Delorean of Rifles. 😅

[@duanewong1527]

Metal Gear Solid 4 memories coming back

[@donaldcook7108]

What's hilarious is I use to live not to far from Aberdeen proving grounds in MD. B-more born and raised then moved to about a handful of miles from the proving grounds in early 20's lol. I remember getting startled at first when they set off new weapons, bombs and such that had a huge bang and shockwave that shook stuff in my home lol.

[@c.jarmstrong3111]

This gun was so good on Bad Company lol

[@SugaFree2387]

Black ops 2 baby

[@RackTheMilesWelding]

Bad company baby

[@jeffmcallister7040]

Fast decisions aren't necessarily bad decisions provided they are objective. What happens is when people wanting fast go in with predetermined outcomes and ignore unfavorable evidence that was there from the beginning. The army isn't the only organization to operate this way. I used to work for Kroger corporation that is about the same size as the army and makes the same quality of decisions.

[@CyranofromBergerac]

You're talking about literally every large group of people though. It's just one way society operates.

[@christianebersold829]

XM8 is legendary as it is perfect by design. Should be relaunched.

[@TheNightrider88]

Why? It's just a generic 5.56 rifle with marginally better reliability than AR platform.

[@Randomly_Browsing]

It did saw a used outside US

[@ironmonkey1512]

bullpups do not balance or point well

[@MichaeliaSilas]

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

[@AnnabelleChaucer]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[@Pwj579]

Bro is a 90s/2000s nostalgia freak with his XM8 and Jurassic Park-spec Jeep Wrangler @12:00

[@COUNTVLAIDMIR]

120 days to deliver? Seems like HK just remodeled the aesthetics of the G36 and called it a day.

[@burddog0792]

Could you do an update on the Sig XM5 program? Or has it been canceled already?

[@Taskandpurpose]

there is some limited new information on it, the US armys 101st airborne division is testing the weapons out right now. I haven't heard a lot of new news there, I'm planning to do an update soon once there is some more details

[@brianoswald1067]

I & several of my coworkers got our hands on some XM-8s while they were being tested in Yuma Proving Grounds. They thought it would be a good idea to get end user opinions & ask some of us over from the Freefall school. There were good things about it but it didn’t pass the smell test. We melted some handguards. They only had black ones & said some general only wanted black not brown guns. They had a proprietary mounting system, not picatinny. There was no explanation why they just didn’t ring us G-36s. We didn’t miss the XM-8. The big disappointment was that Magpul Masada/ACR. So much potential, so little delivery.

[@Casey093]

We want this rifle. Please make it look even cooler. Hm... no, now we don't want it any more.

[@danpercz3414]

Reminds me of the old BFBC2 days. Ah the memories 😏

[@blacklight4720]

Xm-8, underslung shotgun, 93R burst handgun. Hip fire all day long.

[@StraightOtohGunga]

Yup! With that grenade launcher attachment

[@shimadwan8251]

My country special forces use XM8 Rifle

[@larryc1616]

Which country?

[@shimadwan8251]

@@larryc1616 Malaysia

[@Randomly_Browsing]

​@@shimadwan8251PASKAL unit?

[@shimadwan8251]

@@Randomly_Browsing yes

[@douglasthomas8513]

My agency went with g36k's and although a nice system the optics were about useless especially in a tactical environment... quickly it was only used as a perimeter weapon or just on approach to a target and guys often transitioned to pistols inside structures. ... after a few years we traded all in and got a solid m4 platform with eotech optics... so much better. Another example of a command not listening to the troops on the ground until they had too.

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

I guess nobody in your agency of geniuses ever thought of just replacing the 1990's sights with rails. That would have been a lot cheaper.

[@douglasthomas8513]

@@G-Mastah-Fash the K's we had we were issued had the two optics and yes our command said that's all you need... so we didn't use em and they got replaced with rifles we could use... if they had gotten C's we would have been all good but our dated upper echelon seriously thought the K was better since no need to buy an optic ... all against our requests. Luckily they moved on and so did we 😀

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

@@douglasthomas8513 Forcing people to use that blue ass red dot really is a crime.

[@mark_dauz]

Malaysian navy spec forces aka PASKAL, our XM8 version is different little bit than earlier model built for us.. It little bit heavier n got picatinny rail,not permanent optic like earlier model.. From what i have been told by ex malaysian navy spec op,he said his team satisfied with XM8 performance especially in our tropica climate..

[@WinstonBroad]

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere

[@nightfury6836]

Excellent video as usual Cap!!!

[@funwithmagnus8570]

It does look great. I've always loved the look.

[@Filayhim]

its ugly as shit

[@unkwnuser01]

The XM-8 makes me think of Metal Gear Solid 4.

[@GamingIs4life]

ok when you said being in every videogame in the early 2000s, all i could think about was bad company 2 and how every single promo screenshot had the xm8 on it. i miss the bad company series so much

[@BLACKRIFLEREVIEWS]

Hi Chris where did you attend basic training Sandhill or Harmony Church . I am a retired combat Infantryman and a Master Combat Parachutist and I think only Infantrymen should do the test and evaluations of Infantry Firearms..I think the 6.5 x 51 .277 Fury was a waste of money, we already have the AR-10 .308 / 7.62mmx51 and we already have the ammunition. The 7.62 still hits harder and penetrates deeper. The gas impingement can easily be changed to a piston system, But the rifle barrel needs to be no shorter than 20" -24" 20" for the Rifle Man and 24" for the sniper or designated marksman overwatch rifle. I am an old-school Harmony Church Grunt and believe if it's not broken don't try to fix it. And we should buy American Only how many Millions went it to the pockets of senators and congressmen and Generals pockets. The reports of 5.56mm not knocking down enemy combatants are bs because of the poor marksmanship of the U.S. Army the majority cheated on the range to get the Expert rifle Badge 38-40 Hits .I have seen this going on skill-craft experts and fraudulent scorecards. I was once ordered to change a soldier score card but refused because that soldier only hit 24 targets as a senior NCO I believe Integrity is everything so the Command got another NCO to change the scorecard. Many who claim ICE PICKING Rounds and the Enemy not falling are full of it I have seen what 5.56mm M855 Does to the human body it is devastating any hit to the head neck torso was a kill. As I a Sniper with the m21 & m24 rifle match m118 at 700 meters is nasty to any center mass hit on the torso was a kill also, I saw the wounds on the enemy's body as medics tried to revive them with both 7,62 and 5.56 mm and the wounds were devastating and all had entrance and exit wounds the 7.62 exit wounds were huge compared to the 5.56mm. In short, the new rifle should have been a 20"-24" Barreled Bullpup design in 7.62 NATO. 16" barrel on the .277 fury reduces the speed of the round's velocity compare a .277 fury and .308 /7.62 nato side by side the results are shocking.then try a .277 furry with a 20" barrel and a 16" barrel the reduced speed and energy is also shocking then test the penetration at 100 yards of each in 3/4 inch steel plate those results show the .308/7.62 nato to be a winner. The 20" & 24" barreled bull pups take the 7.62mm nato p mags and are as short as an m-4 .

[@NikeaTiber]

"Looks like a fish." FN F2000: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@_Azariah]

Only reason why I knew this gun existed was because of playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 as a kid 😂

[@Saintnipless]

I miss that game so much.

[@_Azariah]

@@Saintnipless same, I grew up watching my father play the SOCOM games on ps2 and when I got my hands the BF:BC2 it gave those vibes. Especially the soundtrack, Snowy Mountains is still one of the best.

[@thirdstrike4u]

I knew this gun before that. I always wondered what was the story of it.

[@musicalDrebin]

NO! THERE ARE NO FLAWS! this gun is sexy and perfect in everyway! Never talk to me or my gunfu ever again!

[@BobrLovr]

Cringe

[@musicalDrebin]

@@BobrLovr don't care

[@BobrLovr]

@@musicalDrebin clearly

[@Majorpain32677]

What went wrong? We have the M4 ,this pieces of starship trooper garbage melted at full auto