The XM8 LMG is a variant of the XM8 baseline carbine;The XM8 LMG in real life. Note that it doesn't have a drum magazine. it has a heavy 20 inch (508 mm) barrel for sustained fire and increased accuracy, integrated folding bipod, built-in 4X Reflex Sight, and a 100 round Beta-C magazine. This variant of the baseline carbine is meant to be used as a light machine gun rather than an ordinary assault rifle such as its long barrel (LB) XM8 counterpart or the M16 assault rifle.
In multiplayer, the XM8 LMG is issued to the Supportclass as an unlockable. It has a 150 round drum magazine and 300 rounds in reserve. It has a good rate of fire and power, but is very inaccurate. The crosshairs grow large as soon as it is fired from the hip. It can kill in around 10 shots. When playing in close-quarters with the support kit, this weapon is probably a better choice than other LMGs due to being magazine fed, allowing for a faster reload, and its decent damage, high rate of fire, and its low accuracy won't make much difference at close ranges.
The XM8 LMG in Battlefield: Bad Company on the multiplayer map Valley Run.
"An LMG version of the XM8 modular assault rifle. It's capable of firing 750 rounds/minute. Fitted with a 100 round magazine and equipped with a bipod and built in scope, this LMG fills the tactical gap between assault rifles and GPMGs."
— In-game description
Only available in Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer, the XM8 LMG is the 5th light machine gun issued to the Medic kit, requiring 34000 points to unlock. Its design differs from the XM8 Prototype, as outside of desert maps, it has a black finish instead of a grey-black scheme the XM8 has. It has relatively high accuracy and a high rate of fire.
Like the MG36, it has a 100 round Beta-C magazine. This makes the reload time shorter when compared to other weapons of its class, although for gameplay balancing purposes, the player takes their time while reloading, dragging it out for longer than necessary.
Its performance in close quarters is good despite its large crosshairs as its high rate of fire and large magazine can spare a few shots to miss. At longer ranges, burst firing is recommended as it has a lot of recoil and deviates easily.
Its main advantage over other LMGs is its quick reload, but since the MG36 has the same reload speed and a built in Red Dot Sight, players tend to stop using this gun when they unlock the MG36. Players who may find the Red Dot Sight obsolete might prefer the XM8 LMG over the MG36, as the XM8 does offer peripheral vision, and boasts relatively simple and clear iron sights.
The XM8AR is featured in Battlefield Play4Free. While not as powerful as purpose built LMGs, the XM8AR is very accurate and comes with a quick change Beta-C drum magazine. Its performance is easily comparable to that of MG36 with the exception of slightly less damage but better range, less recoil and higher accuracy.
The Stats and Description of the XM8AR in Play4Free
It is interesting to note that in the menu description's image of the XM8 LMG shows it has a tan coloured scheme, but in-game it has a dark grey colour scheme except on desert maps.
It is the only XM8 variant that has the charging handle pulled when reloading in Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
In Bad Company 2, in the pre-game lobby, the icon for unlocking the XM8 LMG is a skull and crossbones.
In Bad Company 2 the in game description says that it comes default with a scope like the MG36, yet in game it does not have a default scope.
Edit
