09-08-2011, 01:49 PM
The main benefit of an RPD Grendel would be to demonstrate that converting existing systems is doable. I'm not sure if any of the Eastern European Countries are using any RPD variants anymore, since the RPK basically replaced it long ago in the Squad Automatic Rifle role, with 75rd drums for the 7.62x39, and 45rd mags for the RPK-74. Both of the designs don't have a quick barrel change feature, so their role is limited in sustained fire capacity, which is ok for short duration mission profiles such as raids. The RPD was very well-favored by the Rhodesian SAS, due to its compactness and firepower, as no other small belt-fed LMG's existed in the 1960's other than the Stoner 63 System, which they didn't have access to. The RPD is much too costly to produce compared to the RPK, so the USSR dumped it to reserve units as time went on.
Where you might get people's attention with an RPD Grendel is for those who might adopt the cartridge, while a new LMG is being developed. I bet most RPD bores are blown to ****, so a caliber change would not be so out of the budgetary considerations of a small, struggling state. The added benefit of denying your neighbors East & West from using your logistics would be a possible advantage, since many of those countries still use 7.62x39 & 5.45x39 Soviet cartridges.
An RPD/Grendel would probably need gas port tweaking only, since we're looking at the same parent cartridge. It would be fun to see one plugging away at barrier targets to see how belt-fed 6.5 materializes, versus 7.62. I would like to see an improvement to the RPD recoil system, but that's another issue. Something like a mini-M60E4 for the Grendel would be sick, with everything scaled-down, and constant recoil, especially since the M60 is a half-bullpup like the FG42 it was inspired from.
Where you might get people's attention with an RPD Grendel is for those who might adopt the cartridge, while a new LMG is being developed. I bet most RPD bores are blown to ****, so a caliber change would not be so out of the budgetary considerations of a small, struggling state. The added benefit of denying your neighbors East & West from using your logistics would be a possible advantage, since many of those countries still use 7.62x39 & 5.45x39 Soviet cartridges.
An RPD/Grendel would probably need gas port tweaking only, since we're looking at the same parent cartridge. It would be fun to see one plugging away at barrier targets to see how belt-fed 6.5 materializes, versus 7.62. I would like to see an improvement to the RPD recoil system, but that's another issue. Something like a mini-M60E4 for the Grendel would be sick, with everything scaled-down, and constant recoil, especially since the M60 is a half-bullpup like the FG42 it was inspired from.