Degtyaryov machine gun
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| DP machine gun | |
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1928 - 1960s |
| Used by | USSR, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Communist bloc, many other |
| Wars | Spanish Civil War, World War II, Vietnam War, Cambodian Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vasily Degtyaryov |
| Designed | 1927 |
| Number built | 795,000 [1] |
| Variants | DP, DPT, DPM, DPA, RP-46, Type 53 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 9.12 kg |
| Length | 1,270 mm |
| Barrel length | 604.5 mm |
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| Cartridge | 7.62x54mmR |
| Action | Gas-actuated |
| Rate of fire | 500 to 600 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 840 m/s |
| Effective range | ~800 m |
| Feed system | 49 (47 in practice) |
| Sights | Front: Post w/ears Back: Tangent leaf |
The Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova Pekhotny (Degtyaryov hand-held infantry machine gun) or DP was a light machine gun used by the Soviet Union starting in 1928. It fired the 7.62x54mmR cartridge and was cheap and easy to manufacture - early models had fewer than 80 parts and could be built by unskilled labour. The DP was especially able to withstand dirt. In tests it was buried in sand and mud and was still capable of firing more than 500 rounds. The DP's main drawback was its bipod; this part could not withstand much abuse and broke easily. Also, the magazine, which was usually a pan with 47 rounds that fed in from the top, was relatively small and continuous fire for long periods could not be relied on as much as contemporary belt fed weapons. It took some time to load a new magazine onto the weapon, and each magazine took a much longer time to load with ammunition. However, the DP's lower cyclic rate of fire meant a reduced risk of the barrel overheating. The DP machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modern but problematic RPD machine gun and entirely replaced in Soviet service by the general purpose PK machine gun in the 1960s.
Captured by the Finnish army in the Winter War and the Continuation War to partially replace the Lahti-Saloranta M/26, the weapon received the nickname Emma in the service after a popular waltz; its round magazine resembled a gramophone record as it revolved when the weapon was shot.
Variants:
- DPM, modernized version adopted in 1943-44, with a more robust bipod fastened to the cooling jacket and the recoil spring housed in a tube projecting from the rear of the receiver which necessitated a pistol grip for this model of the weapon
- DA, for mounting in aircraft (Дегтярёва авиационный, Degtyaryova Aviatsionny; ДА)
- DT and DTM, for mounting in AFVs (Дегтярёва танковый, Degtyaryova Tankovy; ДТ and ДТМ)
- RP-46, belt fed version adopted in 1946 (manufactured in China as the Type 58)
- A semi-automatic-only version has recently been released in the United States [1].
The original DP is more commonly called the DP-28 (or DP-27), although there is some confusion as to whether these are official designations or not.
Contents |
[edit] Gallery
 Chinese Type 53 |
 DP |
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 RP-46 |
 RP-46 |
 A, 32nd Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division with M1 or M2 Carbine along with the DP light machine gun. |
 Polish Army with an DP light machine gun. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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| Side-arms |
| TT pistol | Nagant M1895 |
| Rifles & carbines |
| AVS-36 | SVT-40 | Mosin-Nagant |
| Submachine guns |
| PPD-40 | PPSh-41 | PPS |
| Grenades |
| F1 | RGD-33 | RG-41 | RG-42 | RPG-40 | RPG-43 | RPG-6 |
| Machine guns & other larger weapons |
| M1910 Maxim | DS-39 | DP | SG-43 Goryunov | DShK | PTRD | PTRS ROKS-2/ROKS-3 |
| Cartridges used by the USSR during WWII |
| 7.62x25mm Tokarev | 7.62x38mmR | 7.62x39mm | 7.62x54mmR | 12.7x108mm | 14.5x114mm |
