Tactical Weapons
By Adam Gramegna
Published Dec 11, 2025 5:00 AM PST
https://www.wearethemighty.com/tact...FK5OA-sfI_aem_5NgoD_JDsk-9QyRgpmnU2g#comments
Secretary of the Army, Hon. Dan Driscoll, holds an XM7 rifle while visiting Fort Stewart, GA., June 23, 2025. (U.S. Army/Sgt. David Resnick)
For the last 20 years, the M4 Carbine has been the Honda Civic of the U.S. military. It was lightweight, easy to maneuver, and you could find parts or ammo literally anywhere on the planet. It was the ultimate weapon for a force designed with speed and volume of fire in mind. But that era just slammed into the brick wall of time.
The Army’s new replacement, the XM7 Next Generation Squad Weapon, is not a Civic. It is a main battle tank you have to carry in your hands. If you listen to the grumbling in the barracks, the reviews aren’t great. The loudest complaints will undoubtedly come from light infantry and airborne units, communities that feel every additional pound during long marches or jumps.
The shade is understandable, but it misses the strategic point. The Army didn’t build the XM7 to make soldiers happy (we are forever Charlie Brown getting the football snatched away); they built it because the M4 stopped deleting people effectively.
The M4 was a “poodle shooter” that allowed for rapid follow-up shots. The XM7 operates at 80,000 psi of chamber pressure. That is not a typo. That is roughly the same breech pressure as an M1 Abrams main gun. To contain that kind of explosive force without blowing up in a soldier’s face, the rifle has to be heavy.
Once you bolt on the mandatory XM157 fire control optic and the suppressor, you are hauling a 13-pound system. You are effectively asking a rifleman to clear rooms with a weapon that weighs as much as a light machine gun.
Sgt. Shandell Green engages targets with the XM7 rifle and XM157 scope, part of the Next Generation Squad Weapon system. (U.S. Army/Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy)
Creating a new battlefield anxiety was probably not part of the research and development. With a 20-round mag (down from the standard 30), the concept of “suppressive fire” dies a quick death. You simply don’t have the ammo to keep heads down by volume alone. Every trigger pull is now a calculated financial decision, both in terms of recoil and ammo supply.
That conversation is now over. The XM7 turns American infantry squads into logistical orphans. If you run dry in a firefight in Eastern Europe, you cannot borrow ammo from your allies. You are fighting with proprietary technology on a logistical island. Until NATO allies spend the billions required to catch up, U.S. forces are effectively fighting alone in terms of small arms supply.
It isn’t really a scope per se; it’s a ballistic computer attached to a rail. It features a laser rangefinder that calculates drop and windage instantly, effectively giving every “expert” badge holder a sniper’s brain.
The transition is simple: the gun is miserable to carry, but it allows average shooters to score first-round hits at 600 meters. The Army is betting that you won’t care about the weight when you can drop a target before they are even close enough to shoot back.
Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Stacks engages targets with the XM7 rifle and XM157 scope. (U.S. Army/Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy)
(NB: I had to split the original article and intended to conclude this by making post #2 but seem to have goofed, forgot to save maybe, and this post concludes with post #8)
The infantry hates the XM7 rifle (and why the Army doesn’t care)
The XM7 is a drastic change, especially for a generation grown on "high speed, low drag."By Adam Gramegna
Published Dec 11, 2025 5:00 AM PST
https://www.wearethemighty.com/tact...FK5OA-sfI_aem_5NgoD_JDsk-9QyRgpmnU2g#comments
Secretary of the Army, Hon. Dan Driscoll, holds an XM7 rifle while visiting Fort Stewart, GA., June 23, 2025. (U.S. Army/Sgt. David Resnick)
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The Army’s new replacement, the XM7 Next Generation Squad Weapon, is not a Civic. It is a main battle tank you have to carry in your hands. If you listen to the grumbling in the barracks, the reviews aren’t great. The loudest complaints will undoubtedly come from light infantry and airborne units, communities that feel every additional pound during long marches or jumps.
The shade is understandable, but it misses the strategic point. The Army didn’t build the XM7 to make soldiers happy (we are forever Charlie Brown getting the football snatched away); they built it because the M4 stopped deleting people effectively.
The Simple Science
To understand the anger, you have to look at the numbers, because the jump from 5.56mm to the new 6.8x51mm Common Cartridge is violent. We aren’t just changing calibers; we are changing the laws of physics we operate under.The M4 was a “poodle shooter” that allowed for rapid follow-up shots. The XM7 operates at 80,000 psi of chamber pressure. That is not a typo. That is roughly the same breech pressure as an M1 Abrams main gun. To contain that kind of explosive force without blowing up in a soldier’s face, the rifle has to be heavy.
Once you bolt on the mandatory XM157 fire control optic and the suppressor, you are hauling a 13-pound system. You are effectively asking a rifleman to clear rooms with a weapon that weighs as much as a light machine gun.
The Anxiety of the Empty Mag
The weight is bad, but the math is worse. The combat load calculation is going to keep squad leaders up at night. The new 6.8mm rounds are physically larger than the old 5.56mm rounds. If you want to keep your kit weight manageable, you can’t carry the ideal 210 rounds anymore. You are likely dropping to 140 rounds, that’s less, a lot less.Creating a new battlefield anxiety was probably not part of the research and development. With a 20-round mag (down from the standard 30), the concept of “suppressive fire” dies a quick death. You simply don’t have the ammo to keep heads down by volume alone. Every trigger pull is now a calculated financial decision, both in terms of recoil and ammo supply.
The Logistical Orphan
There is another issue looming over this rollout that goes beyond sore ankles. The XM7 ends the NATO standard ammo. For two generations, the greatest strength of the Western alliance was the ability to toss a magazine to a British, German, or French ally in the middle of a firefight. We all spoke the common language of 5.56mm.That conversation is now over. The XM7 turns American infantry squads into logistical orphans. If you run dry in a firefight in Eastern Europe, you cannot borrow ammo from your allies. You are fighting with proprietary technology on a logistical island. Until NATO allies spend the billions required to catch up, U.S. forces are effectively fighting alone in terms of small arms supply.
The Cheat Code Optic
If the rifle is the villain of this story, the optic is the hero. Sig Sauer and the Army knew the recoil would be unmanageable for average shooters, so they sort of cheated. The solution is the XM157 Fire Control System built by Vortex.It isn’t really a scope per se; it’s a ballistic computer attached to a rail. It features a laser rangefinder that calculates drop and windage instantly, effectively giving every “expert” badge holder a sniper’s brain.
The transition is simple: the gun is miserable to carry, but it allows average shooters to score first-round hits at 600 meters. The Army is betting that you won’t care about the weight when you can drop a target before they are even close enough to shoot back.
(NB: I had to split the original article and intended to conclude this by making post #2 but seem to have goofed, forgot to save maybe, and this post concludes with post #8)
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