ДП (Дегтярёва Пехотный)
The DP (Degtyaryov infantry) light machine gun, also known as the DP-27 or DP-28, with the GAU index 56-R-321, was developed by Vasily Alekseevich Degtyaryov. This 7.62 mm caliber weapon was intended for use by infantry.
The Degtyaryov infantry was one of the first examples of small arms created in the USSR.
History
In 1923, Degtyaryov, on his own initiative, began developing a light machine gun. On July 22, 1924, a commission led by the chairman of the Rifle Committee of the Red Army N. N. Kuibyshev tested the new model and gave it a high rating, noting “the outstanding originality of the idea, the reliability of operation, the rate of fire and the significant ease of use of the system of comrade Degtyaryov.” The first ten serial DP machine guns were manufactured at the Kovrov Plant on November 12, 1927. Then a batch of 100 machine guns was sent for military trials. Based on their results, the machine gun was accepted into service with the Red Army on December 21, 1927.
Despite its acceptance into service, work on improving the DP light machine gun did not stop. Degtyaryov continued research into various design changes, which resulted in the creation of models of 1931, 1934 and 1938.
In 1939, a light anti-aircraft mount on a tripod was created for the ski units of the Red Army, which was intended to mount the DP-6 machine gun.
The machine gun remained the main weapon of infantry fire support at the platoon-company level until the very end of the Great Patriotic War. It was also used to arm NKVD units guarding particularly important industrial enterprises.
It was used to destroy low-flying aircraft. During combat operations, it was found that the most effective fire was on attack aircraft entering and exiting a dive.
During the defense of Leningrad, rectangular armor shields were installed for DP machine guns, which were used in stationary positions in trench warfare. Their production was mastered by the Izhora Plant.
The Germans used captured DP models. In addition, during World War II, this machine gun became one of the most common in the Finnish army. It ended up there as a trophy after the Winter War of 1939-1940 and later. The reason for its popularity is its significant superiority over the Finnish Lahti-Saloranta machine gun.
On August 29, 1944, the People’s Commissar of Armaments of the USSR D. F. Ustinov and the Chief of the Main Artillery Directorate N. D. Yakovlev submitted a modernized light machine gun for approval by the State Defense Committee.
The proposed changes were approved, and the new machine gun was named DPM – “Degtyaryov Infantry Modernized”.
After the war, the DP machine gun and its modernized version DPM were removed from service with the Soviet Army and were widely supplied to countries friendly to the USSR. It remained in service with the Warsaw Pact member states until the 1960s. It was used in Korea, Vietnam and other countries.
The experience of World War II showed that the infantry needed general-purpose machine guns that combined high firepower with good mobility. In 1946, based on earlier developments, the RP-46 light machine gun was created, which became a temporary solution to the problem. This machine gun was a modification of the DPM with belt feed. Thanks to the heavier barrel, it had greater firepower, while maintaining acceptable maneuverability.
System
The DP light machine gun is an automatic weapon operating on the principle of removing powder gases, with magazine feeding. The gas engine is equipped with a piston with a large working stroke and a gas regulator located under the barrel.
The machine gun barrel is easily removed, partially hidden by a protective casing and equipped with a conical removable flame arrester. Early versions of the machine gun did not have a flame arrester or a thread for installing it.
However, the barrel could not always withstand intense fire. Due to its thinness, it quickly heated up, especially in later versions, where a finned radiator was not used to simplify the design. In order not to disable the machine gun, it was necessary to fire in short bursts, although the combat rate of fire reached 80 rounds per minute.
Replacing the barrel during combat was difficult. This required a special key to remove the lock and hand protection from burns.
The barrel was locked with two lugs, which were spread apart when the striker moved forward. After the bolt moved forward, the bolt carrier continued to move, spreading the lugs into the grooves of the receiver and locking the bolt. When firing, the carrier, moving backwards under the action of the gas piston, pulled the striker back and brought the lugs together, unlocking the bolt. The return spring was located under the barrel and overheated during intense fire, losing its elasticity, which was one of the few, but significant, drawbacks of the DP machine gun. In addition, the lugs required precise adjustment for symmetrical locking.
Initially, the magazine capacity was 49 rounds, and later more reliable 47-round models were introduced. The machine gun was supplied with three magazines and a metal box for their transportation.
Despite the external similarity of the DP magazine with the Lewis machine gun magazine, their designs are significantly different. In particular, the Lewis machine gun’s chamber rotates due to the energy of the bolt, which is transmitted through a complex system of levers, and in the DP magazine, the chamber rotates under the action of a pre-cocked spring.
The trigger mechanism of this machine gun was designed only for automatic firing from an open bolt. It was located in the trigger frame, which was attached to the receiver using a transverse pin.
The design did not have a conventional safety; instead, an automatic safety in the form of a key was provided. It was turned off when the shooter grasped the neck of the butt with his hand.
During intensive shooting, the need to constantly hold the safety button could tire the shooter, and the rifle-type butt did not contribute to a reliable hold of the weapon when firing bursts.
The trigger frame of the DT tank machine gun, which had a conventional safety and a pistol grip, turned out to be more successful. The modernized version of this machine gun, the DPM, received a similar design of the trigger frame.
It is interesting to note that during the overhaul of the Finnish DP machine guns, a non-automatic safety catch was additionally introduced into the design, which functioned in parallel with the automatic one.
The DP was fired using a removable bipod. However, in intense combat, the bipod could be lost due to poor fastening or loosen, which significantly worsened the ease of use and stability of the machine guns.
In connection with this, a non-removable bipod was installed on the DPM model. The ejection of spent cartridges was carried out downwards.
Variants
Small-caliber DP
In the mid-1930s, one experimental model of the small-caliber DP machine gun (for a 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge, as a weapon for training Red Army soldiers in shooting) was designed by M. Margolin, but it was not put into service. In fact, for these purposes, a small-caliber machine gun-replacement of the Blum system was used, mounted on a regular DP and using its fire control elements.
DP model 1938
In 1938, an experimental model of the 7.62 mm machine gun of the V. A. Degtyarev system with a magazine designed by G. F. Kubynov and S. G. Razorenov was manufactured (structurally similar to the DP machine gun model 1927, except for the feeding method – the 20-round magazine is filled with four standard clips from the Mosin rifle). The weapon was not accepted into service and after testing was transferred to storage, and then entered the Degtyarev Plant Museum in the city of Kovrov.
DP with a silencer
In 1941, during the Battle of Moscow, a DP machine gun with a silencer was transferred to the troops for testing, but serial production of this modification was not started.
DPM
In 1944, at Plant No. 2, under the leadership of Degtyarev, work was carried out to improve the DP machine gun to increase its reliability and controllability. The new modification was designated DPM (“Degtyarev infantry modernized”, GAU index – 56-R-321M). Problems with overheating of the return spring (installed in a tube in the trigger frame above the butt) were eliminated, the trigger mechanism was improved and the ability to change the barrel in the firing position was added. The transfer of the return spring to the trigger frame caused changes in individual parts and mechanisms of the machine gun. The new pistol grip, modified shape of the butt and bipod provided greater convenience. In general, all combat, tactical and technical characteristics remained the same.
DA
DA “Degtyarev Aviation” – a version for installation on aircraft. The casing protecting the shooter’s hands from burns was removed, which reduced the dimensions and improved cooling. The butt was replaced with two handles for ease of shooting, a 60-round magazine was installed. For the first time in aviation weapons, a muzzle brake was used to reduce recoil. The DA machine gun entered service in 1928. In 1930, its twin version, the DA-2, entered service. Machine guns DA and DA-2 were installed as on-board defensive armament on aircraft R-5, U-2, TB-3, MK-1, TSh-B. It was supposed to install the DA machine gun on the Soviet T-25 tankette. Machine guns DA and DA-2 were not widely used, since 7.62 mm bullets were frankly ineffective against aircraft of the second half of the 1930s – 1940s, which caused the transition to larger calibers.
DT/DTM
Developed in 1929 jointly with G. S. Shpagin, the tank modification DT (Degtyarev tank) (GRAU index – 56-P-322) was installed on most tanks and armored vehicles. The modification was created to install a machine gun in the cramped fighting compartment of the tank. Instead of a wooden buttstock, a retractable metal one was installed, the standard magazine with a single-row arrangement of cartridges was replaced with a magazine with a triple-row arrangement, which held 63 cartridges. In 1944, the return spring was modified, and the machine gun received the designation DTM (GAU index – 56-P-322M).
RP-46
In 1946, the RP-46 light machine gun (company machine gun model 1946) was created and adopted for service, which was a modification of the DPM for belt feeding, which, together with a heavier barrel, provided greater firepower while maintaining acceptable maneuverability. The RP-46 used a non-disintegrating metal belt from the Goryunov heavy machine guns. In the early 1960s, it was replaced by the more advanced Kalashnikov machine gun.
Type 53
Type 53 is a Chinese version of the DPM. A copy of the DP (DPM) machine gun adapted to the specifics of Chinese industry. It was produced by the Chinese state arms corporation Norinco.
DP-O
Converted for firing in semi-automatic mode, the DP-O machine gun is certified in Russia as a hunting carbine.
Characteristics
Designer: Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev
Manufacturer: Завод имени В. А. Дегтярёва, ЗиД (Degtyaryov Plant, ZiD)
Country: Soviet Union (USSR)
In service: 1928—
Production: +795,000 units
Length: 1270 mm
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Rate of fire: 600/min
Muzzle velocity: 840 m/s
Effective firing range: 800 m
Maximum firing range: 2500 m
Cartridge: 7,62 × 54 mm R
Weight: 11.5 kg
Wars and conflicts: Civil War in Spain / Battles of Khalkhin Gol / Winter War (1939-1940) / World War 2 / Korean War / Vietnam War / Chinese Civil War / Indochina Wars / Libyan Civil War / Syrian Civil War / Yugoslavian Civil War / Portuguese Colonial War / Rhodesian Bush War / Cambodian Civil War / Second Sino-Japanese War
See also Transport blog
See also Cars blog
See also Motorcycles blog
See also Buses blog
See also Shipbuilding blog
See also Motors and Engines blog
See also Trains and railways blog
See also Trucks and Cargo Vehicles blog
See also Tractors and Special Equipment blog
See also Tanks and Armored Vehicles
See also Airplanes blog
See also Helicopters blog
See also Artillery, Missiles and Rockets blog
See also Bicycles blog
