The Army adopts the XM8 carbine to go along its new M7 rifle

The Army is getting a new rifle. Just a few years after adopting the M7, the service is adopting Sig Sauer’s XM8 carbine. This new XM8 looks a lot less like the tactical tuna of the 90s – which shared the same designation with Sig Sauer’s carbine – and more like a shorter M7, because that’s exactly what it is. The new XM8 is a shorter, lightweight version of the M7 series.

A carbine is usually a shorter version of the equivalent main infantry rifle, and the military has a long history of using them.

The best comparison would be the M4 and the M16. The M4 is just a shorter M16. The operating system, the caliber, magazines, and more are all the same. It’s just lighter and shorter. The XM8 aims to give the Army a shorter, lighter rifle.

Why is the XM8 needed

The M7 is not massive but it is heavy. Unloaded, without a suppressor or optic, the rifle weighs 8.36 pounds. Add ammo and accessories, and the rifle goes up to nearly 15 pounds – that’s getting into light machine gun territory and was one of the biggest criticisms of the platform. Further, the rifle felt like a regression from the M16/M4 series and a step back to the old M14. The XM8 aims to address these problems by reducing weight and being more maneuverable.

The M7 already featured a fairly short 13-inch barrel, making it shorter than the M4 it replaced. The XM8 is trimming that barrel even further, bringing it to 11 inches. It is worth noting that the NGSW rifles – which include the M7 – are supposed to be issued and used with a suppressor, which extends the rifle’s overall length at the barrel end.

The suppressor length has been reduced from seven to six inches in the XM8 to further cut the size of the carbine. Overall, the XM8 measures 32 inches long, and the M7 37 inches. Cutting five inches doesn’t seem like much, but it makes a significant difference when you’re using the rifle in a vehicle or in closed spaces.

As a former machine gunner, I can tell you weight matters. Without a suppressor, the XM8 weighs 7.33 pounds, cutting a pound off the M7’s weight of 8.36 pounds. The suppressors weigh comparatively the same at 1.31 pounds for the XM8 compared to the M7 suppressor’s 1.46 pounds.

In conclusion, the XM8 is a pound lighter, but it’s tough for me to say if that’s enough as the rifle still seems excessively heavy – and that can have a significant impact on infantrymen.

Beyond weight and length

A U.S. Army Soldier from 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, fires an M7 during a weapon qualification at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Jan. 30, 2026. As part of Transformation in Contact 2.0, the Tropic Lightning Division has started fielding, training, and qualifying Soldiers on the Army’s next-generation rifle. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Duke Edwards)

The XM8 has a few other improvements over the M7. For one, its handguard – a modular M-LOK design – has been designed to be more rigid.

The XM8 ditches the folding stock mechanism for a fixed stock. I can see two reasons for this. First, stock mechanisms break and you don’t want a stock that can’t lock into position. A fixed stock is much more rugged and strong.

Second, I suspect that the folding stock mechanism added weight to the rifle, and you can only trim pounds by trimming ounces. After all, folding stock can be handy, but it’s not a necessity for an infantry rifle.

Finally, the rifle has a larger, softer recoil pad. The new 6.8x51mm round, which both the M7 and the XM8 use, is hot thus creating significant recoil. So, the pad is to help the Soldiers absorb less recoil and therefore shoot faster and straighter. Plus, the tackiness of the pad helps Soldiers shoulder the rifle without it sliding up or down on body armor.

For everyone?

Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Riegel, a U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit instructor, trains Soldiers assigned to the 25th Infantry Division during M7 rifle training at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Jan. 21, 2026. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit supports M7 fielding by reinforcing proven marksmanship fundamentals that enhance lethality and build confident, capable Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hamlin)

It’s unclear whether the XM8 will be somewhat like the M4 and M16. The early adoption of the M4 and M16 saw the M4 often going to officers and specialized personnel while the average grunt carried the M16. Whether the XM8 will be issued alongside the M7 or replace it remains unclear at this time.

If we keep to the standard pattern, the XM8, which will become the M8, might replace the M7 as a rifle, but only after slowly leaking out into the Army’s units. As of now, the XM8 is scheduled to roll out in select Army units from October 2026.

While I think it’s a good idea to reduce the M7’s weight, I’m still not convinced the M7 and M8 series are suitable assault rifles for modern military operations.

However, I’m a pundit with a pen, and I hope to be wrong. I hope this system makes American Soldiers more lethal and capable as a whole.

Feature Image: U.S. Army Soldier with the Army Marksmanship Unit conducting rifle drills with the XM8 at Fort Benning, GA, February 2026. (American Rifleman via U.S. Army)

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