Although the Marines are definitely drinking the Heckler und Koch kool-aid, I didn't think they were seriously planning to make the M27 (in its current incarnation) a standard infantry rifle? I believe what Excalibur is referring to is a Military.com article which indicated that 5th Marines is going to experiment with issuing the M27 as a service rifle during a pre-deployment exercise. I wouldn't call that a change in procurement strategy.

Also, I've been to the MARCORSYSCOM demo booth this year and last year when I was at Sea-Air-Space. They didn't show off the M27 at all on either year that I have been there, which is a bit surprising, given all the press it has received. Last year, I remember I asked a Marine E-7 at the demo booth what he thought of it. His only impression was that he didn't like the length/weight relative to the M4. (Though this guy was not assigned to PMM 113, which is the Infantry Weapons program office at MCSC, so I doubt he had much testing experience with it, let alone operational experience.)

I think adding an M-27 to each fire team in addition to the SAW would be pretty awesome.

The M27 seems like a good idea, but originally way back when it was just the 416, I remember a certain unit of Marines were issued the 416 and they liked it before it was taken away and then came the M27, which I think is bureaucracy interfering with a good thing. The M27 is longer in not just barrel length but handguard length and I've always seen it issued with a bi-pod AND a vertical foregrip, which adds weight and bulk. Plus that with the additions of a bigger ACOG compared to the other ACOG they put on M4s and M16s, it looks like a very beefy rifle.

This is my personal opinion, but I've never liked the newer 416's stock and that they kept it for the M27 makes an already bulky looking weapon even more bulky looking.