H&K XM8

From Gunpedia

Heckler & Koch XM8 Country of origin United States, Germany Designer Heckler & Koch Production begins 2003 (prototype) Production ends - (Still in development by HK) Weapon type Assault Rifle Caliber 5.56x45 NATO Action Gas-operated, Rotating bolt Overall length 43.6 inches Barrel length 24 inches Weight empty 9 lbs 10 ounces Magazine capacity 30 round box magazine, 100 round C-Mag drum magazine Rate of fire 750 rounds per minute Muzzle velocity 2837 ft/sec Other operators U.S Army

XM8 is a experimental Assault Rifle manufactured by Heckler & Koch for the U.S Army. It was slated to replace the Colt M16 family, but these plans have now been abandoned.

Contents 1 Characteristics: 2 Development: 3 Cancellation: 4 In the Media:

[edit] Characteristics:

The XM8 was an infantry assault rifle with modularity in mind. The major components of the weapon could be field stripped and replaced easily to fit any role necessary, such as a squad automatic weapon role, marksman role, and personal defense weapon. The weapon was primarily shelled inside of reinforced plastic composites, making the weapon as a whole much lighter and cheaper to produce. It also included an integrated optical sight and IR laser aiming module/illuminator. This article is a stub. You are invited to help expand it.

[edit] Development:

Testing began in 2002 and was supposed to be issued in 2005, but was recalled for more testing.The XM8's origins begin back in 2004, after the decision to discontinue the XM29 weapon system program, but continue developing it with the OICW Incriment programs. The XM8 was designed for OICW Incrament One, in which a stand-alone assault rifle would be developed to later be combined with the 20mm grenade launcher of OICW Incriment Two. The Army's goal for the XM8 was for a weapon that was cheaper, lighter, easier to maintain, and more effective than the M16 and M4 series of weapons.

[edit] Cancellation:

Although cancelled indefinitely, The XM8 was a participant in a limited competition against the FN SCAR, HK416, and the M4. During the tests, most notably of which was a reliability test in dusty conditions, the XM8 did exceedingly well. However, the results have been ruled invalid because the M4 suffered a difference of 575 jams from an identical test conducted a few months before, indicating the test conditions could not be reproduced. [1]

[edit] In the Media:

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 offers a late-model prototype XM8 for the player's use.

You can use this gun in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 on PSP as the M8 gun.

The XM8 was featured as a weapon in Saints Row 2 but was referred to as the AR-50 XMAC.