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SIG SAUER hit a major milestone as the U.S. Army officially gave the “green light” to its cutting-edge Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) systems—the M7 rifle and the M250 belt-fed automatic rifle.
These two advanced firearms have been granted Type Classification – Standard (TC-STD), meaning they’re now approved for widespread military use.
The M7 is set to replace the familiar M4 carbine, while the M250 will phase out the long-serving M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. These upgrades aren’t just cosmetic—the new platforms provide superior range, accuracy, and lethality, delivering significant tactical advantages over older systems.
Simply put, these new rifles ensure that American soldiers can outmatch potential adversaries on future battlefields.
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“This approval underscores the Army’s commitment to giving soldiers next-level firepower,” said Steve Rose, SIG SAUER‘s Executive Vice President of Defense Strategies Group. “The M7 and M250 represent a transformative leap in combat capability.”
The Type Classification milestone confirms these firearms have passed rigorous performance, safety, and reliability tests.
Moving from the testing phase into standard issue means simplified logistics: streamlined procurement, consistent training, and easier maintenance across all Army units.
The NGSW program, kicked off by the Army in 2017, aims to revolutionize combat effectiveness for infantry soldiers.
After a demanding 27-month prototype and testing phase, SIG SAUER’s XM7 and XM250 were chosen in April 2022.
Now, as officially standardized platforms, they’re ready for widespread fielding, ensuring U.S. troops maintain tactical superiority well into the future.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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This is good money after bad. Like so many previous small arms debacles in US Army history they can’t admit to having made a mistake, so they’re doubling down. This rifle will be the Springfield trapdooor carbine of the 21st century. It weighs more than the WWII M1 rifle when they’re talking about reducing the load that infantrymen carry. They will have fewer rounds of ammo and they’re hoping the 6.8 is the magic bullet. It’s not, but it better be because they’ll have 70 less rounds in a firefight, even though they will weigh substantially more than the 210 rounds of 5.56 they carried for the M4. US Army infantry haven’t carried as few rounds as a basic combat load since the short lived M14, another debacle, was the main issue rifle. The US Army’s unsubstantiated and childish infatuation with everything SIG has got to stop.
What is the caliber of both?