SIG Sauer XM7 Rifle Faces an Uncertain Future With the US Army
Commentary
The Swiss-German firm
(As a personal side note, I myself carried a .40 caliber
SIG's relationship with the U.S. military began in 1989, when the elite
Not content to rest on those laurels, SIG also set it sights on the U.S. military rifle contract, looking to replace the venerable M16/AR-15/M4 infantry rifle series, which in one variant or another has
Enter the XM7
The XM7 was designed in 2019 and entered into production phase in 2022. Under the rubric of the U.S. Army's
The weapon is chambered for the
XM7 Specifications
Among the tech specs and 'vital stats' (so to speak) of the XM7:
Mass: 8.38 lb. (3.80 kg); 9.84 lb. (4.46 kg) with sound suppressor attached
Overall length: 36 in (914 mm) with suppressor
Barrel length: 13 in (330 mm)
Muzzle velocity: 915 m/s (3,002 ft/s)
Trouble in Paradise?
In March 2024, the 1st Battalion,
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As noted by Peter Suciu
'While speaking at the recent Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C., Captain Braden Trent, U.S. Army, presented evidence gathered on the XM7 and offered the very blunt conclusion that it is 'unfit for use as a modern service rifle.'… According to Trent, the XM7 suffered from several serious issues, which caused questions about its reliability. The officer's 52-page report noted that among the shortcomings is the 20-round magazine, which limits the amount of ammunition a soldier can carry. At the same time, it is heavier than the M4 without any notable benefits. Testing also found that the military drills occurred where a potential adversary was within 300 meters, which negated the XM7's longer-range accuracy. In addition, the barrel was found to have excess wear after just 2,000 rounds were fired.'
P320 Pistol Controversies
As if that weren't enough of a public relations nightmare for SIG Sauer, they're also contending with a spate of horror stories about the aforementioned P320 pistol being
Time will tell how SIG Sauer weathers these twin storms. But then again, they've survived for 172 years, and they wouldn't have made it this far if they lacked the ability to fix problems and bounce back from adversity.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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