Weapon Name- M8 Assault Rifle
Round Type- 5.56mm Caseless 5 gram 2209 joule
Over-all length- 24.5 inches, 28.5 inches (2 inch adjustable stock)
Barrel length- 16 inches, 20 inches
Weight- 6.9 lb, 7.2 lb
Rate of Fire- 600 +- 25RPM
Feed Mechanism- Detachable Box magazine, Drum Magazine
Round Capacity- 90 rounds
Effective Range- 400, 500 Meters
Range- 600 meters, 700 meters
Accuracy- 1.5-2 MOA
Accessories- Picanty Rail, optional rail sight
Quick switch firing mechanism- N/A
Scope/Sights- Picanty Rail, rail sight with scope
Muzzle Velocity- 940 m/s, 910 m/s
Firing System- Styled after the XM8
Miscellaneous/electronic information- The weapon is essentially a caseless bull-pup magazine fed 5.56mm assault rifle with a cobalt chrome barrel and a firing system similiar to the XM8.
Basic Information
The weapon uses a polygonal cobalt chrome "flow formed" 5 groove 1:7 inch (1 complete turn in 7 inches / 178mm) right hand turn barrel; the barrel is made of an alloy that contains more than 50 percent cobalt. The barrel is roughly 13% heavier than standard steel barrels, but is more erosion and corrosion-resistant and is designed to retain high strength during long-term exposure to high temperatures. Cobalt alloys are frequently used in the aerospace industry, such as the hot-gas section of turbine engines. A proof of concept M240 7.62mm x 51mm NATO barrel, in practice, had 24,000 rounds test-fired through it, causing it to reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees, without failure. A steel barrel would have failed under such treatment.
The barrel itself, combined with polygonal barrel, in use with the M55 Marksmen Rifle is extremely durable, and has a minimum 30,000 round barrel life, although it is possible to extend this or get use out of the rifle after the minimum is reached. The barrel comes in 16 and 20 inches.
The magazine capacity is approximately 90 rounds, as it utilizes 7 gram rounds. Based off of the Ak-47 magazine design, which could hold 30 18.5 gram rounds, the newer Ak-47 style magazine with caseless 7 gram 5.56mm can hold approximately 90 rounds, due to their smaller weight and size (despite the massive power difference). Since the rounds carry a similiar taper to help with feeding a similiar bullet and magazine design to the Ak-47, the reliability and round count is significantly higher than for ordinary 5.56mm rounds. The weapon fires a 5 gram round at approximately 940 m/s, giving it approximately 2209 joules.
The firing system is based off of the XM8 although it utilizes a system similiar to the LSAT to fire the caseless rounds. Functionally, the firing system is the same except for the extra mass of the bolt designed to capture the expanding gases of the caseless round, which adds 1% to the over-all mass of the weapon.
The firing system is based off of the XM8, although substantially larger, which has proven to be an extremely reliable weapon platform, with an extremely reliable firing system; it should be noted that the weapon and bolt has an extra seal on it, however, as the weapon is caseless (much like in the LSAT). The weapon was noted as being able to fire over 400 rounds from drum magazines without a single failure within 5 minutes. It is reported to be capable of firing 15,000 rounds without cleaning or lubrication, although the weapon is expected to be cleaned often. Moreover, in July 2007, the US Army announced a limited competition between the M4 carbine, FN SCAR, HK416, XCR, and the previously-shelved HK XM8. Ten examples of each of the four competitors were involved. Each weapon fired 60,000 rounds in an "extreme dust environment." The purpose of the shoot-off was for assessing future needs, not to select a replacement for the M4. The XM8 scored the best, with only 127 stoppages in 60,000 total rounds, the FN SCAR Light had 226 stoppages, while the HK416 had 233 stoppages. The M4 carbine scored "significantly worse" than the rest of the field with 882 stoppages. Even in extremely dusty and dirty environments, without cleaning the weapon is expected to fire be able to fire 472 rounds without any jams or stoppages.
The weapon fires from a closed bolt and due to the heat intensive hexagon binder, is unlikely to experience a cook off like in most caseless weapons- firing from a closed bolt also helps to increase reliability and first shot target acquisition.
The weapon is made from composites and polymers similar to the P90, to both reduce the cost and weight as of the weapon, as well increase the durability. The weapon fires from a closed bolt for both maximum accuracy and reliability.
Each barrel possess a muzzle break designed after the surefire muzzlebreak. The muzzle break is intended to reduce the recoil of the weapon from an already relatively low level to being nearly absent, although some recoil is always present. As well, the design of the weapon and it's straight back recoil impulse, as well as the tighter, more steady grip on the weapon, combined with the impact gel recoil pad, makes the weapon very easy to use and relatively comfortable.
In addition, the weapon is designed to be used with the XM25 airburst firing scope and platform, enabling the weapon to have an "integrated" airburst function. While the electronic equipment is not integrated, it can be added with relatively little ease, and be used much in the same way that it was designed to be used on the XM29. This also allows for grenades to be fired easier, as the firing controls are next to the trigger and pistol grip for ease of reach.
The weapon uses a Blackbox round counter that can be hooked up to an LCD screen to show the rounds remaining. The magazines are generally color coded, which provides indication of how many rounds are within each magazine, although loading in another magazine that does not meet the criteria can result inaccurate round counting predictions; the round counter mechanism itself, however, will not falter.
The weapon uses an extendable stock in a similar manner to sniper stocks. Despite being a bull-pup, several multiple point guiding stocks are used to allow the user to adjust the pull of the stock up to three inches. While extendable, the stock adjustments must be made by loosening and tightening multiple facets, making extending or retracting the stock take a relatively large amount of time.
While picanty rails are integrated into the weapon, many attachments are expected to be used with the weapon, regardless of the versatility of the system.
