The United States is quietly rewriting the rules of small arms, betting that a radically different rifle and machine gun will decide future firefights. Instead of tweaking the familiar M4 and M249, ...

However, it incorporates technology from the larger DD5 rifle, like Daniel Defense’s bolt-up system, which improves rigidity.

When the M7 first hit troop hands, it carried the swagger of a next-generation weapon system (NGWS) backed by a powerful new cartridge and purpose-built fire control. What soldiers noticed first, ...