XM-8 rifle

[Lonestargrizzly]

Has anyone here ever shot the XM-8 rifle?
Does anyone own one?
If so, post your experience.

[ChuckDizzle]

I shot one. A platoon of our guys tried them out for a while in Iraq in 03/04.

I though it was ok, kind of bulky, and the red dot sucked compared to my Aimpoint. General consensus was it was an OK rifle, but the optics sucked and we're fixed that way.

[Lonestargrizzly]

It's kinda sad that it never really made it out of the trial phase because it's such an interesting platform.

[C.W.M.V.]

God I wanted to lay hands on one, but I think there are better option out now.
Still would have been nice for the grunts to get some love, but the Air Force needed more F-22's

[Quiet]

It's kinda sad that it never really made it out of the trial phase because it's such an interesting platform.

The H&K XM8 weapon system is effectively dead.
It lives on in the form of airsoft and video games.

H&K and the US Army developed the XM8 system as a replacement for the M16/M4 system.
Due to budgetary concerns the program was cancelled.
During testing the XM8 had two major concerns.
Battery life for the intergrated electronic sight was very low and the handguards on the XM8 would melt under sustained fire.
Before those concerns could be fixed, the program was cancelled in 2005.

Even though it was canceled, H&K continued to tweak it. They've renamed it the GVM-8, due to trademark/patent issues (US Army owns "XM8") and, in 2007, they demonstrated it to the Malaysian military & police (The Malaysians passed on it in favor of the Colt M-4A1 Carbine).
The XM8s still in US Army hands still get brought out and tested, as evident in the last extreme enviroment testing of the XM8-SCAR-HK416-M4.

Even though H&K still fiddles with it, it is on the back burner with the G11.
H&K is more concerned with promoting/selling the HK416/417 system.

[Lonestargrizzly]

But i want an xm8!
For civilian applications, full auto meltage wouldnt be a concern.