Your Privacy Choices
Recently, a Redditor named Jordan bought a Keltec RDB bullpup rifle, which is chambered in 5.56 NATO. After the RDB’s 2 month birthday, Jordan found some FAMAS airsoft parts for sale and wondered if they could be mated to his RDB. One of his goals was to not permanently alter the RDB. I admire a clear, stated goal. Another goal was to have something unique. The RDB bullpup rifle is unique in its own right when compared to the abundance of AR-15s and AKs, however, Jordan went above and beyond.
Jordan’s ability to retrofit the FAMAS styled carry handle onto his American-made bullpup really seems to transform the RDB into a French clone quite accurately. Aside from minor details and factory molding, the overall, and even sectional comparison seems to be as close to the real thing as most of us will ever see in the wild in the U.S.
For those not familiar with the RDB, it’s the second bullpup rifle made by Keltec, the first being the RFB, chambered in 7.62×51 NATO. According to Keltec’s website, the RDB has an overall length of 27.3 inches, a 17.3-inch barrel and weighs 6.7 pounds. The spent casings are ejected downward, which you can see in the videos below. The photo below shows an RDB in stock configuration.
Image from: www.keltecweapons.com
By comparison, a real FAMAS has an overall length of 29.8 inches and a 19.2-inch barrel. According to Wikipedia, the original F1 weighed 7.96 pounds, and the G2 variant weighed 8.4 pounds. The French designed the FAMAS to have the ability to switch which side the spent casings ejected.
Image from Wikipedia.org
Unfortunately, Jordan’s French-inspired project didn’t go without setbacks. Aside from the couple days, it took him to measure and manufacture mounting points, he also ended up with a pothole induced flat tire on the way to the range, as well as a jettisoned retaining pin from the charging handle while firing. Jordan said that he replaced the retaining pin with a Torx head bolt and Loctite’d nut. Jordan noted that his new carry handle was made of plastic, but he was confident that it was secured well enough to the RDB’s top rail. The photos of Jordan’s project are actually from his second attempt. After he proved to himself it could be done, he wanted to do it a second time, but with cleaner cuts and fabrication. The videos below were provided by Jordan and they document the functionality of the new French-American conglomeration. The last video is from the Forgotten Weapons YouTube channel, in which you can see Ian firing a semi-auto version of a real FAMAS.
Even though Jordan’s project doesn’t necessarily add extra practicality, it certainly brings a unique look and allows those that shoot it to get a FAMAS-y experience. I applaud Jordan and others that like to put their creativity and mechanical skills to work. What do you think about Jordan’s FAMAS themed RDB? For those that have played with a real FAMAS, how do you think the RDB version compares? Let us know in the comments section!
We are committed to finding, researching, and recommending the best products. We earn commissions from purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. Learn more about how this works.
