The Army’s new XM8 rifle is a shorter, lighter variant of the M7, and it offers an early look at how the service is refining its Next Generation Squad Weapon program after real-world soldier feedback. In this video, we break down what changed between the M7 and XM8, why those changes matter, and whether the new carbine helps address some of the weight and handling complaints that followed the M7’s rollout.
We also compare the XM8 to the Marine Corps’ M27 path, because the two services are making very different choices about rifle size, weight, logistics, and modernization.
00:00 – Intro
01:06 – NGSW and the M7
03:05 – What is new with the XM8
07:31 – M7/XM8 vs the Marines’ M27
12:16 – What the XM8 says about NGSW
17:10 – Channel updates
Recorded on: March 31, 2026
Written by: Kyle Gunn
Edited by: Savvy Studios
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