RPD

The RPD is a light machine gun featured throughout Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It serves as the main LMG used by the Ultranationalist forces.

Single Player
In the single-player campaign of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the RPD is frequently used by the Loyalists, Ultranationalists, and OpFor. To this end, it can be more useful than the M249 SAW in some stages, as ammunition is frequently available. A mounted form can also be found in the level "Safehouse" in two of the houses.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, it is available at level 4 and can be modified with a Red Dot Sight, ACOG Scope, or a grip. It is primarily used for medium to long distances and is particularly liked for its magazine's high capacity as well as high power. It is capable of getting long distance kills as the recoil is less than the AK-47's visual recoil and it has no idle sway. Also, in terms of damage per second, the RPD is better than both the M249 SAW and M60E4 when using Stopping Power. The M249 SAW does significantly less damage per second than the RPD or M60E4, and the RPD and M60E4 take the same number of bullets to kill (except in close quarters or mid-range, where the M60E4 can kill in two shots without Stopping Power). Many players use the Grip to increase the RPD's long range capabilities.

In the hands of a skilled player, the weapon, even without any attachments, can be very powerful. A medium rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute as well as taking 2 shots to kill (with Stopping Power) make the RPD nearly unbeatable, even more, it has rather low recoil, making it a preferred weapon by many. It is possible to earn a helicopter using only a fraction of the magazine. However, it does have some drawbacks, such as having the longest reload time and poor hip-fire accuracy, which can be mitigated somewhat by Sleight of Hand and Steady Aim. At close range firing from the hip, some players meet some success by waving the RPD slightly from side to side to compensate for the poor hip fire accuracy by taking advantage of the high rate of fire.

The RPD's iron sights are large and unobstructed, so many players like the RPD's iron sights and prefer to use it with the foregrip or stand-alone rather than the red dot sight or ACOG, as the front sight is not removed when using the red dot sight so it will be more obstructed, and the ACOG adds sway.

The RPD is the perfect counterpart for the R700 due to the free stopping power the R700 has. Therefore overkill may be used. This will give long, medium, and short range for the class.

The RPD has fairly low recoil when fired automatically, so it is very helpful for spraying large groups of enemies down.

Multiplayer
The RPD in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 handles very similarly to how it did in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and is unlocked at Level 4 (Private First Class). A notable difference, like with most firearms in the game, is that the ACOG no longer sways. A rail has also been added which is not seen in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The RPD benefits greatly from the Bling perk, which allows players some flexibility in their attachment choices. ACOG and Thermal Scope have their obvious benefits, allowing players to perform an 'Overwatch' role and provide longer-range fire support in most situations. Due to the incredibly clear iron sights, an interesting choice is the Heartbeat Sensor which allows the player a fairly clear view of the sensor even while aiming down the sights.

Stopping Power and FMJ are advised for a player going for a loud and all out attack class, be sure to balance out the RPD with a faster reflex weapon like the M9. Unsilenced with stopping power the RPD delivers two-hit-kills on any part of the body at any range, unless shooting through a surface or against Painkiller. The L86 LSW and the AUG HBAR are the only other automatic weapons capable of this. Players who do not care for an additional attachment may enjoy the perks of Sleight of Hand for the quick reloads and aiming, Scavenger for equipment refills, or One Man Army for flexibility in class choices. Also using Sleight of Hand Pro with the Thermal Scope makes the Grip attachment less necessary. The gun can be a surprisingly good stealth LMG with a Silencer, especially in Hardcore where it can deliver one-shot kills at any distance without stopping power, while carrying 100 rounds of ammunition, this makes it very difficult for the player to run out of ammunition before the player dies, or the game ends. The RPD also has very high bullet penetration, just like the AK-47 in this game, this makes it much easier for the RPD to get penetration kills quickly due to the high damage even without Stopping Power. An experienced player can unlock Extended Mags in a few days, or even a few hours of consistent use.

The RPD has the 2nd highest damage output per second due to the high capacity magazines, but falls short to the L86 LSW due to the lower rate of fire. The RPD's one major disadvantage is its reload time - approximately 10 seconds. The same reload time as the MG4. In this time, the player could fire off almost 2 magazines with the AUG HBAR.

To mitigate the slow reload, there are a few options available. Sleight of Hand is a great option to counteract the slow reload, not only due to speeding up the reload but also decrease the sighting time. One Man Army Pro is actually faster than reloading the RPD while replenishing ammo and equipment. The Extended Mags attachment places all of the ammunition into a single drum.

Weapon Attachments

 * Grip
 * Red Dot Sight
 * Holographic Sight
 * Silencer
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * ACOG Scope
 * Thermal Scope
 * FMJ
 * Extended Mags

Trivia

 * The reloading animation for the RPD in  Modern Warfare 2 ' s Task Force 141 campaign is different than the Rangers campaign.
 * The RPD seems to have a foregrip in the Create-a-Class picture for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * The RPD is the only Light Machine Gun in Modern Warfare 2 with its bipod folded in the Create-A-Class view. This also applies to the third-person view of the RPD. However, during first-person play, the bipod is down.
 * In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the mounted RPD's use icon is that of a mounted M249 SAW.
 * The RPD is tied with the MG4 for the longest reload time in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.