Well that was quick. It appears that the M7 is already being shuffled off the stage for an upgraded version: the M8.
What upgrades?
According to the video, the weapon is about 1 lb. lighter than the M7. This was made possible by shortening the barrel from 13 inches to 11 inches; making the handguard lighter by shortening it and removing some material; removing the folding stock feature (so the M8 will just have a collapsible stock); and using a shorter silencer. (There is a thermal cover for the silencer also to reduce thermal signature and prevent contact burns).
The weapon is supposed to be slightly more accurate as a result of the shorter (hence, stiffer) barrel, now capable of sub-2 MOA using commercial ammunition. And it will be issued with 25-round magazines instead of the 20-round magazines that are standard now.
The downside is that there is some loss of velocity. The SIG representative downplayed this, saying the M8 was an 800 yard rifle. But the M7 had been represented as a 1,000 yard rifle. That seems a significant difference when the primary purpose of the M7 program was to overmatch the Soviet machine guns used by the Taliban.
It may be that, in the end, this turns out to be a fine weapon. But it feels like we are still in the Beta testing stage.
VIDEO: "Did the Army Replace the Sig M7… Already? Meet the New Sig M8"
TFB TV (12 min.)
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