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WEAPONS OF THE WORLD: New American Rifle Tests Well
February 17, 2004: The U.S. Army is happy with the initial field testing of it's new M-8 (or XM-8) Assault Rifle. One of the major design features of the M-8 that makes it superior to the M-16 is the way it handles propellant gasses. The M-16 has these gasses going into the receiver, depositing layers of crud from propellant that did not completely burn. The M-8 keeps the propellant gasses out of the receiver and this reduces the cleaning time by about 70 percent. The troops appreciate this. More importantly, the reduced amount of crud in the receiver greatly increases reliability (far fewer rounds getting stuck.) In fact, the M-8 is designed to fire 15,000 rounds without cleaning or lubrication, even in a dirty (like a desert) environment. Troops are not allowed to let their weapons go like that, but this degree of reliability makes it less likely that rifles won't jam in a sandstorm or after getting dropped in the mud. The M-8 barrel and receiver is also of more sturdy construction, making it less likely that the user will get injured if there's something in the barrel when a round is fired. This is not unusual in combat. All you have to do is accidentally jam the barrel into the dirt while hitting the ground or otherwise avoiding enemy fire, and then have to return fire. On an M-16, this can often cause the rifle to, well, blow up in your face. This unfortunate event is much less likely with the M-8.
The M-8 comes with a battery powered sight that includes a red-dot, close-combat capability, plus infrared laser aimer and laser illuminator with a backup etched reticule. The sights on the M-8, similar to those which have been showing up on M-16s over the past decade, make it much easier to hit something. The M-8 is better designed for "ease of use" and support troops who don't handle their weapons frequently will find that they can more easily hit something with an M-8. Tests, using people who have not handled a rifle frequently, have demonstrated this.
Because the attachment points for rail mounted devices are built into the M-8, the sight can be factory zeroed. The M-16, because it has rail mounting hardware mounted on it, requires frequent re-zeroing in the field. This is a feature very much appreciated by the troops. The attachment points allow additional sighting devices to be quickly added to the weapon. A new 40mm, single shot grenade launcher (the M320) will be available for the M-8 and can be quickly installed by troops, without special tools. The M-8 is designed for easy left or right handed operation.
Testing will increase, as more M-8s are available, and the plan is that by early 2007, the first of over a million M-8s will begin distribution to all troops in active and reserve army units. One thing that may slow this down is the army research on the use of a new caliber (6.8mm). The new bullet has shown to have better accuracy and stopping power. While troops would be carrying less ammo with the larger round (25 rounds in the current 30 round magazine), they would require fewer shots to take down enemy troops. American troops today are much better trained in the use of their rifles than they were four decades ago. Automatic fire is not often used, with accurate, individual shots being the norm. The M-8 rifle, and possibly a new caliber, are a reflection of that.
January 29, 2004: Britain adopted the SA80 assault rifle 19 years ago, and has had persistent problems with reliability. Three years ago, Britain spent $140 million refurbishing 200,000 of the 330,000 SA80s on hand. This was to have fixed the problems encountered during the 1991 Gulf War, when the fine desert sand would cause the weapons to jam. Complaints were few until troops returned to the Persian Gulf last year. Now there are a significant number of complaints about the safety catch. In many cases, the Ministry of Defense won't say how many, flipping the safety catch off would leave the weapon still unable to fire. The situation was considered so serious that the Ministry of Defense has hired a contractor to modify the safety catch on all SA80 rifles. About a year ago, there were many reports of problems with rounds not feeding into the rifle from the magazine. This problem was apparently fixed by providing redesigned magazines. There were also complaints about the SA80 in Afghanistan, where British commandoes were often seen using M-16s instead.
January 17, 2004: Someone is building cell phone guns and distributing them through the criminal underground. These weapons first showed up in Europe in late 2000. The weapon is built around a hollow cell phone case. The mechanism is installed inside the case so that by hitting the correct buttons, the cell phone case comes apart. In the top half you can see four .22 caliber (5.56mm) bullets in short barrels that are concealed by the plastic covering at the top of the cell phone. When you snap the cell phone back together, four of the buttons on the cell phone will release a spring loaded firing pin into the rear of one of the bullets, firing it out the front of the case. It's not very accurate, but from a few feet away, a shot in the head will kill, and a hit anywhere else will be felt. These cell phone guns have not yet been reported in the United States. But the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Customs Service have all been briefed on the new weapons, as have all U.S. ports of entry. No one is sure, but it is thought that the cell phone guns were invented, and are being built, somewhere in the Balkans. While they look like cell phones, if you hold one in your hand they are noticeably heavier. For criminals, especially professional killers, such weapons would be useful in situations where people are being frisked for weapons when entering a club, or a meeting with other gangsters. The weapons could also be smuggled into jails to aid in prison escapes. Commandoes and spies might find this device useful as well. The weapons could also be used to hijack aircraft.
January 14, 2004: Later this year, the U.S. Army will equip two brigades with a prototype of the new XM8 5.56mm assault rifle. This will allow for intensive field use of the rifle to work out any deficiencies in the design.
WEAPONS OF THE WORLD: New American Rifle Tests Well
February 17, 2004: The U.S. Army is happy with the initial field testing of it's new M-8 (or XM-8) Assault Rifle. One of the major design features of the M-8 that makes it superior to the M-16 is the way it handles propellant gasses. The M-16 has these gasses going into the receiver, depositing layers of crud from propellant that did not completely burn. The M-8 keeps the propellant gasses out of the receiver and this reduces the cleaning time by about 70 percent. The troops appreciate this. More importantly, the reduced amount of crud in the receiver greatly increases reliability (far fewer rounds getting stuck.) In fact, the M-8 is designed to fire 15,000 rounds without cleaning or lubrication, even in a dirty (like a desert) environment. Troops are not allowed to let their weapons go like that, but this degree of reliability makes it less likely that rifles won't jam in a sandstorm or after getting dropped in the mud. The M-8 barrel and receiver is also of more sturdy construction, making it less likely that the user will get injured if there's something in the barrel when a round is fired. This is not unusual in combat. All you have to do is accidentally jam the barrel into the dirt while hitting the ground or otherwise avoiding enemy fire, and then have to return fire. On an M-16, this can often cause the rifle to, well, blow up in your face. This unfortunate event is much less likely with the M-8.
The M-8 comes with a battery powered sight that includes a red-dot, close-combat capability, plus infrared laser aimer and laser illuminator with a backup etched reticule. The sights on the M-8, similar to those which have been showing up on M-16s over the past decade, make it much easier to hit something. The M-8 is better designed for "ease of use" and support troops who don't handle their weapons frequently will find that they can more easily hit something with an M-8. Tests, using people who have not handled a rifle frequently, have demonstrated this.
Because the attachment points for rail mounted devices are built into the M-8, the sight can be factory zeroed. The M-16, because it has rail mounting hardware mounted on it, requires frequent re-zeroing in the field. This is a feature very much appreciated by the troops. The attachment points allow additional sighting devices to be quickly added to the weapon. A new 40mm, single shot grenade launcher (the M320) will be available for the M-8 and can be quickly installed by troops, without special tools. The M-8 is designed for easy left or right handed operation.
Testing will increase, as more M-8s are available, and the plan is that by early 2007, the first of over a million M-8s will begin distribution to all troops in active and reserve army units. One thing that may slow this down is the army research on the use of a new caliber (6.8mm). The new bullet has shown to have better accuracy and stopping power. While troops would be carrying less ammo with the larger round (25 rounds in the current 30 round magazine), they would require fewer shots to take down enemy troops. American troops today are much better trained in the use of their rifles than they were four decades ago. Automatic fire is not often used, with accurate, individual shots being the norm. The M-8 rifle, and possibly a new caliber, are a reflection of that.
January 29, 2004: Britain adopted the SA80 assault rifle 19 years ago, and has had persistent problems with reliability. Three years ago, Britain spent $140 million refurbishing 200,000 of the 330,000 SA80s on hand. This was to have fixed the problems encountered during the 1991 Gulf War, when the fine desert sand would cause the weapons to jam. Complaints were few until troops returned to the Persian Gulf last year. Now there are a significant number of complaints about the safety catch. In many cases, the Ministry of Defense won't say how many, flipping the safety catch off would leave the weapon still unable to fire. The situation was considered so serious that the Ministry of Defense has hired a contractor to modify the safety catch on all SA80 rifles. About a year ago, there were many reports of problems with rounds not feeding into the rifle from the magazine. This problem was apparently fixed by providing redesigned magazines. There were also complaints about the SA80 in Afghanistan, where British commandoes were often seen using M-16s instead.
January 17, 2004: Someone is building cell phone guns and distributing them through the criminal underground. These weapons first showed up in Europe in late 2000. The weapon is built around a hollow cell phone case. The mechanism is installed inside the case so that by hitting the correct buttons, the cell phone case comes apart. In the top half you can see four .22 caliber (5.56mm) bullets in short barrels that are concealed by the plastic covering at the top of the cell phone. When you snap the cell phone back together, four of the buttons on the cell phone will release a spring loaded firing pin into the rear of one of the bullets, firing it out the front of the case. It's not very accurate, but from a few feet away, a shot in the head will kill, and a hit anywhere else will be felt. These cell phone guns have not yet been reported in the United States. But the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Customs Service have all been briefed on the new weapons, as have all U.S. ports of entry. No one is sure, but it is thought that the cell phone guns were invented, and are being built, somewhere in the Balkans. While they look like cell phones, if you hold one in your hand they are noticeably heavier. For criminals, especially professional killers, such weapons would be useful in situations where people are being frisked for weapons when entering a club, or a meeting with other gangsters. The weapons could also be smuggled into jails to aid in prison escapes. Commandoes and spies might find this device useful as well. The weapons could also be used to hijack aircraft.
January 14, 2004: Later this year, the U.S. Army will equip two brigades with a prototype of the new XM8 5.56mm assault rifle. This will allow for intensive field use of the rifle to work out any deficiencies in the design.
