HK XM-8 prototype: "we want it to look at a little more Starship Trooper"

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  • danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    Or why "military spec" is not always what its cracked up to be. :lol:



    I would love to see the HK Gray Room, too bad its not open the the public.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    Or why "military spec" is not always what its cracked up to be. :lol:



    I would love to see the HK Gray Room, too bad its not open the the public.


    It was not a Starship Troopers ripoff.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_&_Koch_XM8

    The XM8 is a lightweight assault rifle system from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The rifle was designed by German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K), and shares design and engineering with their G36 rifle.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    See: @ 1:10 in the video.

    Dude is full of crap. Starship Troopers came out in 1997, the XM8 was modeled after the G36. It streamlined the lines of the G36 and made the platform completely modular.

    Info on the G36 is below.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_&_Koch_G36

    The G36 is a 5.56×45mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch in Germany as a replacement for the heavier 7.62mm G3 battle rifle.[4] It was accepted into service with the Bundeswehr in 1997, replacing the G3.[5] The G36 is gas-operated and feeds from a 30-round detachable box magazine or 100-round C-Mag drum magazine.[4]

    Development

    Work on a successor for the venerable G3 rifle had been ongoing in Germany since the second half of the 1970s. These efforts resulted in the innovative 4.73mm G11 assault rifle (developed jointly by a group of companies led by H&K), that used caseless ammunition (designed by the Dynamit Nobel company). It had been predicted that this weapon would eventually replace the G3, therefore further development of H&K's series of firearms chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge had been halted. Heckler & Koch, having no incentive to pursue a new 5.56 mm weapon system, was content with the export-oriented HK33 and G41 rifles. However, the G11 program came to an abrupt end when the Bundeswehr cancelled its procurement due to defence budget cuts after the unification of East and West Germany and H&K was acquired in 1991 by British Aerospace's Royal Ordnance division (known today as BAE Systems).

    Increasing interest in Germany for a modern service rifle chambered for the NATO-standard 5.56 mm cartridge led H&K to offer the German armed forces the G41 rifle, which, too, was rejected. Design work was then initiated from the ground up on a modern 5.56 mm assault rifle designated "Project 50" or HK50.[5] The prototype was then trialed, where it was rated higher than the rival Austrian Steyr AUG system.[5] The final version of the G36 was completed in 1995. Production of the G36 began in 1996.

    Production history
    Designer Heckler & Koch
    Designed 1990–1995
    Manufacturer Heckler & Koch
    Santa Bárbara Sistemas
    Military Industries Corporation
    Produced G36: 1996–present
    G36K: 1997–present
    G36C: 2001–present
    No. built 176,000[3]

    Gewehr_G36.jpg


    I believe the actual history, not what some YouTube guy touts as true.
     

    SWO Daddy

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 18, 2011
    2,468
    Dude is full of crap. Starship Troopers came out in 1997, the XM8 was modeled after the G36. It streamlined the lines of the G36 and made the platform completely modular.

    Info on the G36 is below.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_&_Koch_G36







    Gewehr_G36.jpg


    I believe the actual history, not what some YouTube guy touts as true.

    Umm...watch the video again. That was a critique of the OICW, which wasn't cancelled until well after that movie came out. XM-8 may be derivative of the G-36 (which he mentions if you watched the whole thing), but the standalone XM-8 was designed after. Aesthetically (that was the critique), it's quite a bit different than the G-36.
     

    Sirex

    Powered by natural gas
    Oct 30, 2010
    10,380
    Westminster, MD
    I had a XM8 airsoft gun. I thought it was such a unique looking rifle, I wanted a real one based solely on the looks. I had half the mind to see if I could fit my Marlin 60 or 795 inards in the XM8 airsoft. I Googled it, and it had been done, but I didn't want to risk messing up one of the .22s.
     

    Hawkeye

    The Leatherstocking
    Jan 29, 2009
    3,971
    Dude is full of crap.

    No, he's not. Ian is one of the most knowledgeable firearms historians out there today. He is extremely particular about accuracy in his videos. In this case, HK didn't let him in the Grey Room by accident. If he says that the Army told HK to "make it look more Starship Troopers," then I'd believe that's exactly what someone at HK told him was said.

    In any case, he's talking about a comment which was made when they started the development of the standalone XM8, which did indeed happen after Starship Troopers was released.
     

    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    No, he's not. Ian is one of the most knowledgeable firearms historians out there today. He is extremely particular about accuracy in his videos. In this case, HK didn't let him in the Grey Room by accident. If he says that the Army told HK to "make it look more Starship Troopers," then I'd believe that's exactly what someone at HK told him was said.

    In any case, he's talking about a comment which was made when they started the development of the standalone XM8, which did indeed happen after Starship Troopers was released.

    :thumbsup::thumbsup:

    Many here were thinking the same thing.

    ETA: the main reason I hate this series is that every time I watch, I realize how limited my collection is and I have a long way to go. Another thing to buy! :lol2:
     

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