CASE CLOSED
The Story[]
The U.S. Armed Forces have been using the FN MAG/M240 series of machine guns for decades. This GPMG, while a good one, is heavy, straightforward and, while certainly more reliable than the M60, it is not particularly user-friendly. You must build them a machine gun that will prove better than the M240s and M60s in service today. It'll also gradually replace the Mk 48 Mod 0/1.
Requirements[]
The new GPMG must have the following features:
- 7.62x51mm. While other rifle cartridges are good too, this round is the standard for a reaspon - it is reliable, ballistically superior to most other caibers and packs a punch while it's at it. Though the 7.62x51 has been used for decades, there is still no round in the world that can replace it. If you think that there is a viable replacement, please explain why. Don't forget to offer your weapon in the new caliber if you intend to actually replace the 7.62...
- The GPMG must be belt-fed. It is not an LSW.
- The basic version of the gun must weigh less than 9 kg/19.8 lbs unloaded. 8 kg/17.6 lbs is desirable.
- It must have configurations for all of the M240's roles: Infantry MG, chopper-mounted MG, coaxial tank MG.
- The infantry version must have a full-size machine gun with a barrel length of 21" or more, and an "assault-barreled" variant with a 18" barrel and a compact (telescoping, folding, collapsible) type of stock.
- Needless to say, this GPMG should be a full-auto weapon, but it can also have a semi-auto mode.
- While you CAN free up space for a magazine feed, this is not required or even recommended, as 7.62 mags are uncommon, differ in shape and have a low capacity.
- The gun should be modular, A.K.A. able to accept accessories such as different barrels, optics and stocks (mandatory), as well as handguards/foregrips and pistol grips (optional), so that each soldier (except in the case of national emergency) can turn their new GPMG into something personal.
Duration[]
The contest begins on the 25th of November. On December the 23rd, voting will start, and continue for 3 weeks until the 14th of January. If a contending company is unable to enter before the 23rd due to real-life reasons, they should notify the admins in advance. In the not-so-unlikely event of a tie, a 2nd, tiebreaker round will be hosted. This 2nd round, if invoked, will last for 1 week.
Result[]
- Winner: VAC Praetorian, 3 votes
- Tiebreaker: Not Invoked
- Runner-up: RF&D M256
Contending designs[]
1. Rickard Firearms & Defense - M256 light machine gun (2 votes)
2. Infinity Industries - M279 LMG (0 votes)
3. Kravi Solutions - M144 GPMG (1 vote)
4. Valhalla Arms Company - VAC Praetorian (3 votes)
5. NS Arms Corporation - MG-16 Komorowski (1 vote)
6. Phoenix Precision Firearms - XM404 (1 vote)