How a machine gun fires. Machine guns "Weapon truth. Shooting at air targets

Despite the way she is shown in Hollywood films, accurate shooting from hand weapons requires consistency, technique and practice. Even if you are an experienced shotgun or rifle shooter, accurate shooting with a handgun requires completely different skills. Below are the basics of accurate and safe handgun shooting. firearms.

Steps

Part 1

Learning Basic Skills

Understand the difference between a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol. These are the two main types of hand weapons. A revolver is something that is present in cowboy movies where someone has a "six shooter". The action of a semi-automatic pistol is based on a blowback action and the use of a clip of cartridges. The way each weapon works is different, so you'll need to familiarize yourself with the basics first.

• The revolver uses a rotating drum as a magazine into which cartridges are inserted and spent casings are removed. After each shot, the cylinder is rotated to place the next round against the firing pin. This type of weapon is cocked manually: the trigger is pulled back (to the firing position) with the thumb. Pressing the trigger activates the hammer (striker) and fires. The drum latch allows you to open and tilt the drum to the side.
• In a semi-automatic pistol, each cartridge is automatically chambered from the inserted clip, and the spent cartridge is removed after each shot. The pistol's bolt (the upper moving part) is designed to load a cartridge into the chamber and can be locked in the rearmost position by a bolt stop (on the side of the bolt). The detachable magazine/clip is loaded separately from the pistol.

1. Choose the weapon and ammunition that suits your purposes. The choice of handguns is huge, and the types of ammunition are almost limitless. When choosing, consider your physique and the purpose of using the weapon.

   • Most likely, you will not need a .357 Magnum for shooting at targets within a medium radius sighting range hand weapons. Do not buy heavy large-caliber weapons if you are a beginner; on the contrary, purchase a small-caliber reliable pistol, such as .22 caliber.

2. Always protect your eyes and ears with special equipment. Special headphones and ear muffs will protect you from the noise of gunfire. Safety glasses will save your eyes from flying cartridges, gases and other particles formed during a shot.

   • If you wear glasses, you still need to wear safety glasses over yours.

3. When picking up a weapon, follow safety precautions. When holding a weapon, always point it downward. Imagine that the barrel and your target are inextricably linked and aim at general direction targets the entire time the weapon is in your hands. Practice shooting only in specially designated places (shooting range, shooting range), where the safety of the surrounding areas is guaranteed.

   • A common occurrence for untrained shooters is the weapon spinning chaotically when the bolt is pulled or the safety is engaged/removed. Many beginners find it difficult to pull the bolt with just two fingers (thumb and forefinger), especially when the weapon has a tight spring or the shooter has weak hands. If you need to use your palm (or your entire hand) to pull the bolt, move the barrel away from you and point it down.

   Part 2

   We hold weapons

   1. Check that the weapon is not loaded. Every time you pick up a weapon, check that it is not loaded. If you just brought a weapon from the store, check that it is not loaded. If you have just removed your firearm from storage for the first time in many years, check to make sure it is not loaded. If you have just unloaded your weapon, check that it is not loaded.

      • In the case of a revolver, put the safety on, remove the cylinder and make sure that all chambers are empty. In the case of a pistol, remove the clip, pull back the bolt, look into the chamber and make sure there is no cartridge there. If there is a cartridge in the chamber, jerk the bolt and the cartridge will automatically eject.
      • As you practice holding the pistol correctly, lock the bolt to the rearmost position. This will ensure that the weapon is not loaded and will teach you how to properly position your fingers outside the action area.

   2. Gently grasp the weapon with your index finger outside the trigger, extend your finger and place it on the safety guard (surrounding the trigger). However you hold the weapon, make sure it is pointed downwards and away from people.

      • Never point a gun at anyone, even if it is unloaded or for fun. Practice with the pistol unloaded and aim in the general direction of the target.

   3. We hold the weapon in a ready-to-fire position. Open the palm of your working hand (the hand you write with) so that your thumb and index finger are pointing away from each other. Take the weapon with your other hand and place the handle in the palm of your working hand between your thumb and index finger. Wrap your thumb on one side of the handle and your middle, ring and little fingers on the other side, just below the safety guard.

      • In fact, only the middle and ring fingers, while the little finger simply “rests” on it. The grip on the handle must be firm. Grasp the handle as tightly as you would when shaking hands when you want to prove something to someone. If your grip is so tight that the weapon shakes in your hands, loosen it a little to stop the shaking.

   4. We give the weapon greater stability with the help of the second hand. Place your palm with the weapon in the palm of your other hand. Its main purpose is not to encircle the weapon, but to ensure its stability in the vertical and horizontal planes. Connect your thumbs for support and shooting accuracy.

      Make sure your thumbs are out of range of the bolt or trigger. The bolt and trigger are thrown back violently when firing and can easily injure your fingers. A bolt strike can be both very painful and dangerous, as there is a risk of dropping a loaded, cocked and de-safety pistol from your hands.

      Get into the correct shooting stance. Feet shoulder width apart; the leg opposite the working hand is one step behind the other leg. Lean forward slightly with your knees bent and make sure you are in a stable position. The elbow of your working arm should be almost completely straight, while the elbow of your other arm should be slightly bent.

      • Some shooting drills are done using only one hand. In this case, the stance is more “open”: the hand with the weapon and the body make an angle of 90 degrees, the feet are directed along the line of fire. A very strong grip is required here, since only one hand holds the weapon.
      • Never aim to the sides or with your wrist bent like they do in the movies. This is very dangerous and unsustainable.

   Part 3

   Aiming with a weapon

   1. Align the front sight (front) and rear sight (rear). Make sure that top part The front sight coincides with the top of the rear sight and that the front sight is located strictly in the center of the rear sight slot. This ensures that the weapon is level and that you can see the target clearly when aiming.

      • It is best to aim with your “working” eye while keeping your other eye closed.

   2. Learn to fix your gaze correctly. The main difficulty when shooting is choosing the point at which the gaze is fixed. Target? Sights? For correct shooting, the top of the front sight is the main point of fixation of the gaze. By fixing your gaze on the top of the front sight, the rear sight and target will be unclear; however, this type of gaze fixation ensures the most accurate shooting.

      • For accurate shooting, the top of the front sight must be aligned with the aiming point. Another method is to align the top of the front sight with the bottom edge of the target while keeping the aiming point higher. Both options are valid; however, it is necessary to know how the weapon is sighted (to what method its sights are adjusted).

   3. Point the weapon at the target. Aim with your eyes fixed on the top of the front sight. You should clearly see the front sight lined up with the fuzzy dot of the sight (or the bottom of the target). You can now put your finger on the trigger.

   4. Charge your weapon. After you have learned how to hold the weapon correctly, stabilize it, aim and fix your gaze, load the weapon for shooting. Keep the safety on the weapon while loading it and remove it from the safety only after you have engaged firing position and took aim. The barrel of the weapon must be pointed down while loading it. Most gun accidents occur while loading and unloading.

      • In the case of a pistol, to start shooting it is necessary to move the bolt to force the cartridge into the chamber.

In the history of mankind there are many examples of weapons that have become not only iconic, but have also been used by people for centuries. Exactly to such brilliant inventions This also applies to the Gatling gun.

History of appearance

The Gatling gun is a figment of the imagination and hands of a man who did not have a military education, but was a certified doctor. Despite the fact that instead of saving lives, its creator intended to effectively take them, it was thanks to this weapon that he left a mark on human history. Richard Jonathan Gatling (1818-1903) c youth felt a passion for invention. Having become a certified doctor, he did not devote himself to the health of patients for long, but began to develop effective weapons. In 1862, he received his first patent for the Revolving Battery Gun. At that time the most rapid fire weapon there were revolvers and repeating rifles. Their disadvantage was the long reloading time, which had to be done after several shots. Gatling decided to create the latest system, which would be convenient, reliable and would not require long downtime to change cartridges.

Operating principle

The first Gatling gun created a real sensation. Many could not even imagine that it was possible to solve the problem of rate of fire and reloading with such grace. The operating principle of the Gatling gun is so simple that it is surprising that the most famous gunsmiths in the world had not thought of it before. For his gun, the doctor chose a rotating cylinder as a means of feeding the next cartridge into the barrel. He brought him to the firing mechanism, which accelerated the firing of shots. The 1862 Gatling gun had 6 barrels. They were attached to a special rotor unit. 6 shutters were placed in its grooves. The Gatling gun, the design of which was elementary to the point of banality, allowed us to take a different look at the possibilities of rate of fire. When the rotor block rotated, each barrel, which had its own bolt, went through 6 stages in a circle:

• opening the shutter;
• removing the sleeve;
• sending a new cartridge;
• closing the shutter;
• Preparation;
• shot.

The Gatling machine gun, the drawings of which are available in our review, is simply amazing in its exceptional simplicity and effectiveness. That is why, even a century and a half after its invention, the military did not lose their interest in it. The Gatling machine gun can now be found in service with many armies around the world. They are installed on armored vehicles, vehicles, aircraft, ships and used manually.

Gatling's innovation

By the 60s of the 19th century, various multi-barreled weapon systems already existed, but they were ineffective in combat because they required long reloading times. Also, Gatling was not an innovator in the arrangement of barrels according to the revolver design. The merit of this inventor is that he was able to design a simple and original mechanism for feeding new cartridges and ejecting spent cartridges.

First demonstration and slow progress

The first Gatling gun was demonstrated in 1862 in Indianapolis. At first it was not much better than the weapons of other inventors. The Gatling gun was able to demonstrate its real advantage only after it used bimetallic cartridges with a pointed bullet and a primer inserted during manufacture. Despite the fact that such ammunition was invented several years before the advent of the Gatling gun, they were used extremely rarely. Only in 1866 did the inventor, Colonel E. Boxer, add a centrally located primer to such a cartridge. Such ammunition received Gatling approval only five years later, when tubes made of copper wire attached to the base proved their worth in rapid-fire shooting.

Ammo

The Gatling gun, like other weapons of the era, used cylindrical cartridges to fire. They were rolls of wax paper into which gunpowder and a bullet were stuffed. The design of the Gatling machine gun for continuous firing provided for the presence of special steel tubes, the walls of which were particularly strong. The cartridges were inserted into them and sealed. A puncture was made in their base, which had room for the detonator. The entire package of tubes with cartridges was fed into the barrel by rotating the breech of the weapon mechanism. It acted as a disposable chamber (a cavity in a gun), removed after firing. After shooting the ammunition, the cycle was repeated.

The advantage of paper cartridges was that they burned almost completely with the charge they contained, so there was no need to remove them from the chamber. This is why Gatling persisted for so long in using new types of ammunition. Copper and brass cartridge cases had to be removed after firing. To facilitate this procedure, they were equipped with a rim located at the base. A special pulling device grabbed the cartridge case for removal from the chamber. There were several varieties of these innovations. Ultimately the best solution This problem was solved by the creation of a bolt device that removed the spent cartridge case and loaded a new cartridge from a special magazine with just one back-and-forth movement. Gatling adapted this device for his rotary machine gun. He almost completely changed the design of the first gun and combined the barrel and chamber.

Trunks

Gatling mounted a group of 6 barrels on one axis. Moreover, they are all evenly located around the central “rod”. By rotating them all together, he was able to solve the alignment problem. A simple fixed cam moved the bolts in each chamber back from the firing position and forward again (on the way down, where the empty chamber was filled again). The spent cartridge was ejected at approximately the ten o'clock position. It occurred when the shooter turned the handle to rotate the barrel assembly.

The machine gun was equipped with a magazine located on top. The supply of ammunition was carried out without a spring by gravity. During one cycle of rotating the block of barrels by 360°, each of them fired a single shot, was released from the cartridge case and loaded again.

Drive and carriage

The six-barreled Gatling gun was equipped with a manual drive. The military man used a special handle to rotate the block of barrels. The rate of fire and firing range of this system was greater than that of artillery pieces that time. Since the size of the Gatling gun at that time was very large, it was mounted on carriages and was often equated to a cannon.

First order

Gatling received his first official order for the manufacture of a multi-barreled machine gun from McQuinney, Rindge & Company in Illinois. A batch of guns with a conical bore was ordered by General B. F. Butler. The caliber of the gun was 0.58 inches. For 12 weapons, Gatlig received a decent amount of 12 thousand US dollars. General Butler used the resulting guns during the siege of Petersburg (Virginia) in 1864. Since Gatling demanded a high price for his machine guns at that time, demand for them was quite low. Only small quantities were ordered from the creator of rapid-fire guns, which did not meet his hopes for industrial production on a large scale.

Improvement

Over the course of several years, the inventor continued to improve his creation. The Gatling gun, whose design remained largely the same, achieved a stable rate of fire. It fired 300 rounds per minute. Moreover, in many tests it was even higher. In 1866, the Gatling gun was introduced to the market in two modifications:

1. Six-barreled heavy weapon, the caliber of which was 1 inch. Such guns were mounted on massive carriages with large wheels. From a distance they looked like real cannons.
2. Ten-barreled light gun with a caliber of 0.45 inches.

At this time, the Gatling gun received official approval from representatives of the US Army.

Further promotion

In the late 60s of the 19th century, Gatling sold several large quantities of guns not only to his military, but also to the armies of Great Britain, Russia, Turkey, Japan, and Spain. Gatling guns were constantly being improved. The inventor constantly improved their reliability and rate of fire. In 1876, a mechanical 5-barrel 0.45-inch model fired 700 rounds per minute. The rate of fire of the Gatling machine gun when firing in short bursts reached 1000 rounds per minute. Despite this rhythm of work, the gun barrels did not overheat at all, since each of them fired no more than 200 shots. At the same time, they were also cooled with the help of the air flow created during rotation. The Gatling machine gun in traditional versions has 4-10 barrels with a caliber of 12-40 mm. Firing range - up to 1 km.

IN late XIX- At the beginning of the 20th century, electric drives began to be installed on Gatling guns. This modernization brought the machine gun’s rate of fire to a record 3,000 rounds per minute. There was one significant drawback in such a system: the electric drive made the weapon even more cumbersome. Subsequently, the armies of the world began to give preference to single-barreled machine guns, which were more compact and maneuverable. Gatling's brainchild began to be gradually forgotten.

Modern life

After years of undeserved oblivion, the Gatling gun has become popular again. It was especially relevant during the Second World War. It was installed on warships, vehicles, airplanes. After the war it was developed a large number of various modifications of this machine gun. Moreover, they were all of different calibers and sizes, but the design of the Gatling machine gun remained the same. Various drives are installed on such weapons: hydraulic, electric, gas, pneumatic. The machine gun is loaded using drum magazines or cartridge belts. Modern technologies and materials made it possible to create a very comfortable and highly efficient light machine gun Gatling, which is often used in special military operations by special forces.

Gatling's invention lives on beyond the military. You can meet him in the most unexpected places. So, Space Engineers - the Gatling gun is one of the weapons often used in computer game about space adventures.

Since the drawings of this weapon is freely available, and in stores you can find anything you want, many craftsmen, seduced by the simplicity of the design of the tool, decide to make it themselves. And this applies not only to models made of paper or wood, but also to fully combat-ready metal specimens. The Gatling gun was made by hand not only from iron, but even from copper. Moreover, all these attempts were quite successful. So, one craftsman created a homemade six-barreled Gatling machine gun, which was quite functional. But this does not mean that it is worth experimenting with such a serious weapon. Besides, it's illegal. It is better to stick to simple wooden or paper layouts.

The invention of the machine gun completely changed the military industry.

On turn of the 19th century and the 20th century, European pacifists more than once came out with a demand for a complete ban on the use of new weapons, which gave an undeniable advantage during the battle. Some models of machine guns are still used in the army arsenal around the world, having established themselves as a standard.

The largest caliber machine gun

Few truly successful models of heavy machine guns have been created throughout history. One of them is the KPVT - a large-caliber Vladimirov tank machine gun with a caliber of 14.5 mm. It is recognized as the largest-caliber serial machine gun. The KPVT fires up to 600 bullets per minute, penetrating 32mm armor from half a kilometer away.

KPVT - the largest-caliber machine gun among serial ones

Most large caliber of the existing machine guns, it was recorded in the experimental Belgian model FN BRG-15 - 15.5 mm; this machine gun got close to small-caliber guns. In 1983, Fabrique Nationale presented an experimental prototype, which was subsequently improved. The final version could penetrate 10 mm thick armor at an angle of 30 o from a distance of 1.3 kilometers. However, the model never made it into mass production: in 1991, due to financial difficulties, the company froze the project, switching efforts to creating the P90 submachine gun.

The fastest firing machine gun

To find out which machine gun is the fastest, let's first take a trip to the origins of this weapon.

The very first machine gun

People began to think about creating weapons that could fire a large number of bullets in a short period of time already in the Middle Ages. The first prototype of a machine gun was created back in 1512 by Spanish inventors: a row of loaded barrels was fixed along the deck, and a trail of gunpowder was poured in front of them. It turned out that the barrels fired almost simultaneously.

Later, the barrels began to be attached to a rotating shaft, each barrel had its own mechanism and a flint lock - this weapon was called the “Organ” or, as it was known in Russia, a card case.

One of the first machine guns was patented in 1862 by inventor Richard Gatling. This engineer invented a multi-barreled rapid-firing machine gun, which was adopted by the northern army during civil war in USA.

The innovation of the Gatling gun was that the cartridges were fed freely from the bunker. This allowed even an inexperienced shooter to fire at a high rate: at least 400 rounds per minute. However, the barrels of the first Gatling guns had to be manually operated.

Improvement of the Gatling gun continued continuously. By the beginning of the 20th century. it was equipped with an electric drive, thanks to which the rate of fire increased to 3000 rounds per minute. Multi-barrel Gatling guns were gradually replaced by single-barrel machine guns, but were successfully used on ships as air defense systems.

In 1883, American Maxim Hiram announced the creation of the first automatic machine gun. The rate of fire was higher than that of Gatling's invention - 600 rounds per minute, and the cartridges were reloaded automatically. The model has undergone a huge number of modifications and became one of the progenitors of automatic firearms.

The fastest firing multi-barreled machine gun

In 1960, General Electric created an innovative machine gun prototype using a Gatling gun as a basis. The new product consisted of 6 barrels of 7.62 mm caliber, which were driven by an electric motor. Thanks to the unique design machine gun belt it could fire up to 6,000 rounds per minute, and was immediately put into service armored forces and US helicopters.

The unsurpassed machine gun, which received the army index M134 Minigun (modifications for the navy and air force - GAU-2/A), still retains the lead in rate of fire among serial machine guns. Of course, this is not the most dangerous weapon in the world, but it is definitely one of the fastest.

M134 machine gun in action

The fastest firing single-barreled machine gun

In 1932, the innovative single-barrel machine gun ShKAS (Shpitalny-Komaritsky aviation rapid-fire) was adopted by the Soviet army. The model with a caliber of 7.62 mm was developed specifically for the domestic Air Force, and its design was not based on existing samples, but was created from scratch. The aircraft machine gun was presented in three variations: turret, tail and synchronous. The turret and tail models could fire at speeds of up to 1,800 rounds per minute, while the synchronized model could fire up to 1,650 rounds.

Five years later, Shpitalny and Komaritsky presented a modification of the UltraShkas, the rate of fire of which reached 3000 rounds per minute, but due to the low reliability of the model, it was discontinued after the Soviet-Finnish War.

The fastest firing light machine gun

In 1963, American designer Eugene Stoner completed the development of a modular system small arms Stoner 63. Based on his invention, the Stoner 63A Command light machine gun was created, capable of firing up to 1000 rounds per minute. During army tests, the model showed high demands, so it was not adopted for service.

Famous prototype light machine gun, exceeding the performance of the Stoner 63A back in 1941. This is a prototype of the MG 34/41, an improved version of the German MG 34 universal machine gun, developed by Louis Stagne for the Wehrmacht. The rate of fire reached 1200 rounds per minute. The plant produced only 300 copies of the modification, which were sent to the Eastern Front.

The best machine gun in the world

Of course, there can be no question of an unambiguous assessment, because every experienced shooter has his own preferences. But the majority of domestic and foreign experts agree that the best heavy machine gun in total technical characteristics is serial heavy machine gun"KORD" (Large-caliber weapons of Degtyarevites).

Demonstration of the power of the KORD machine gun

In the armed forces, the KORD is called a “sniper machine gun” for its amazing accuracy and mobility, which is unusual for this type of weapon. With a caliber of 12.7 mm, its weight is only 25.5 kilograms (body). Also, “KORD” is highly valued for its ability to fire both from a bipod and from the hands at a speed of up to 750 rounds per minute.
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On May 17, 1718, James Puckle patented his gun, which became the prototype of the machine gun. Since that time, military engineering has come a long way, but machine guns still remain one of the most formidable types of weapons.

"Pakla's Gun"

Attempts to increase the rate of fire of firearms were made repeatedly, but before the advent of unitary cartridge failed due to the complexity and unreliability of the design, the extremely high cost of production and the need to have trained soldiers whose skills would go significantly beyond the automatic manipulation of a gun.

One of the many experimental designs was the so-called “Pakla gun”. The weapon was a gun mounted on a tripod with a cylinder with 11 charges acting as a magazine. The crew of the gun consisted of several people. With coordinated crew actions and no misfires, a rate of fire of up to 9-10 rounds per minute was theoretically achieved. This system was supposed to be used at short distances in naval battle, however, due to unreliability, this weapon did not become widespread. This system illustrates the desire to increase the firepower of rifle fire by increasing the rate of fire.

Lewis machine gun

The Lewis light machine gun was developed in the United States by Samuel McClane, and was used as a light machine gun and aircraft gun during the First World War. Despite the impressive weight, the weapon turned out to be quite successful - the machine gun and its modifications were kept for quite a long time in Britain and its colonies, as well as the USSR.

In our country, Lewis machine guns were used until the Great Patriotic War and visible on the chronicle of the parade on November 7, 1941. In domestic feature films This weapon is relatively rare, but a frequent imitation of the Lewis machine gun in the form of a “camouflaged DP-27” is very common. An authentic Lewis machine gun is depicted, for example, in the film " White sun desert" (except for shots of shooting).

Hotchkiss machine gun

During the First World War heavy machine gun"Hotchkiss" became the main machine gun French army. Only in 1917, with the spread of light machine guns, its production began to decline.

In total, the easel "Hotchkiss" was in service in 20 countries. In France and a number of other countries, these weapons were kept during the Second World War. Hotchkiss was supplied to a limited extent before the First World War and to Russia, where a significant part of these machine guns was lost during East Prussian operation in the first months of the war. In domestic feature films, the Hotchkiss machine gun can be seen in the film adaptation of Quiet Don, which shows a Cossack attack on German positions, which from a historical point of view may not be typical, but is acceptable.

Maxim machine gun

The Maxim machine gun went down in history Russian Empire and the USSR, remaining officially in service much longer than in other countries. Along with the three-line rifle and revolver, it is strongly associated with the weapons of the first half of the 20th century.

He served from the Russo-Japanese War to the Great Patriotic War inclusive. Powerful and distinguished by a high rate of fire and accuracy of fire, the machine gun had a number of modifications in the USSR and was used as an easel, anti-aircraft and aviation one. The main disadvantages of the easel version of "Maxim" were the excessive large mass and water cooling of the barrel. Only in 1943 was the Goryunov machine gun adopted for service, which by the end of the war began to gradually supplant the Maxim. In the initial period of the war, the production of Maxims not only did not decrease, but on the contrary, it increased and, in addition to Tula, was deployed in Izhevsk and Kovrov.

Since 1942, machine guns were produced only with a receiver under a canvas tape. Production legendary weapons was stopped in our country only in the victorious year of 1945.

MG-34

The German MG-34 machine gun has a very complicated story adoption, but, nevertheless, this model can be called one of the first single machine guns. The MG-34 could be used as a light machine gun, or as an easel machine gun on a tripod, as well as as an anti-aircraft and tank gun.

Its low weight gave the weapon high maneuverability, which, combined with a high rate of fire, made it one of the best infantry machine guns of the early World War II. Later, even with the adoption of the MG-42, Germany did not abandon the production of the MG-34; this machine gun is still in service in a number of countries.

DP-27

From the beginning of the 30s, the light machine gun of the Degtyarev system began to enter service with the Red Army, which became the main light machine gun of the Red Army until the mid-40s. First combat use DP-27 is most likely associated with the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929.

The machine gun performed well during the fighting in Spain, Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. However, by the time the Great Patriotic War began, the Degtyarev machine gun was already inferior in a number of parameters such as weight and magazine capacity to a number of newer and more advanced models.

During operation, a number of shortcomings were identified - small magazine capacity (47 rounds) and poor location under the barrel return spring, which was deformed from frequent shooting. During the war, some work was carried out to eliminate these shortcomings. In particular, the survivability of the weapon was increased by moving the return spring to the rear of the receiver, although general principle work of this sample has not undergone any changes. New machine gun(DPM) began to enter the troops in 1945. On the basis of the machine gun, a very successful DT tank machine gun was created, which became the main Soviet tank machine gun of the Great Patriotic War.

Machine gun "Breda" 30

One of the first places in terms of the number of shortcomings among mass-produced samples can be given to the Italian Breda machine gun, which, perhaps, collected the maximum number of them.

Firstly, the magazine is unsuccessful and only holds 20 rounds, which is clearly not enough for a machine gun. Secondly, each cartridge must be lubricated with oil from a special oil can. Dirt, dust gets in and the weapon instantly fails. One can only guess how it was possible to fight with such a “miracle” in the sands of North Africa.

But even at sub-zero temperatures, the machine gun also does not work. The system was distinguished by its great complexity in production and low rate of fire for a light machine gun. To top it off, there is no handle for carrying the machine gun. Nevertheless, this system was the main machine gun of the Italian army in World War II.

The Kord machine gun was created at the Kovrov plant named after. Degtyarev (ZID) in the 1990s, to replace the NSV and NSVT machine guns in service in Russia. Designers Yu. M. Bogdanov, V. I. Zhirekhin, D. L. Lipsman, A. A. Namitulin, N. M. Obidin and other talented specialists worked on the modernization of the NSV. The main reason for the replacement is that the production of NSV machine guns is currently located on the territory of Ukraine. In addition, the goal when creating the Kord was to increase shooting accuracy.

The quick-change barrel is created using ZID technology, providing uniform heating and small thermal shocks. A new barrel with a muzzle brake-flame arrester and a slightly modernized locking system ensured an increase in firing accuracy by 1.5-2 times compared to the NSV.

The 12.7 mm Kord machine gun is a belt-fed automatic weapon (the belt can be fed either from the left or from the right).

The machine gun is built on the basis of gas-operated automatics. The barrel is locked using a wedge bolt. Trigger mechanism has a safety lock against accidental shots and can be controlled either manually (from a trigger mounted on the machine) or from an electric trigger (for the tank version).

Installing a Kord machine gun on a helicopter

The main one is an open adjustable sight. It is possible to install optical and night sights.

The Kord machine gun has been adopted and produced since 1998. In addition to the infantry version, it is installed in an anti-aircraft installation, on ships, and on the turret of the newest Russian main tank T-90s.

The machine gun is mounted on folding infantry mounts 6T7 and 6T19, universal mounts 6U6 and 6U16, as well as naval, tank and other mounts. In the infantry version, the machine gun can be fired from a bipod.

An export version of the machine gun chambered for the American .50 Browning cartridge (12.7x99 mm) is also presented.

Caliber 12.7 mm

Cartridge 12.7x107 mm DShK

Weight without ammunition 25.5 kg

Weight on 6T7 machine and tape 41.5 kg

Length 1580 mm

Combat rate of fire 650-750 v/m

Initial bullet speed 820-860 m/s

Belt capacity 50 rounds

Firing range against ground targets 2000 m

Firing range at air targets 1500 m

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

download video of RPD machine gun download video of shooting and machine gun RPD download Manual on small arms 7.62-mm Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD). 1957
download Repair manual for 7.62 mm Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD) 1958 download Know Small Arms. A. Maslov. Publishing house DOSAAF. 1966 download Know Small Arms. Publishing house DOSAAF. Third edition. 1970 download Manuals on shooting - Extracts. 1973 download a book about designer V.A. Degtyarev. 1985

The Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD) was developed in 1944 and became one of the first models chambered for the new 7.62x39 mm cartridge adopted for service in the USSR. From the early 1950s to the mid-1960s, the RPD served as the main fire support weapon for the infantry squad, complementing the AK assault rifles and SKS carbines that were in service. Since the mid-1960s, the RPD has been gradually replaced by the RPK light machine gun, which was good from the point of view of unifying the small arms system in Soviet army, but somewhat reduced the fire capabilities of the infantry. However, RPDs are still stored in Army Reserve warehouses. In addition, the RPD was widely supplied to countries, regimes and movements “friendly” to the USSR, and was also produced in other countries, including China, under the designation Type 56.

The RPD is an automatic weapon operating on the principle of removing part of the powder gases through the side opening of the barrel (long stroke of the gas piston). The barrel is locked in the same way as in other Degtyarev designs, with the help of extendable lugs, the movement of which is controlled by the corresponding bevels bolt carrier. A machine gun is fired with the bolt open. The weapon uses a striker-type impact mechanism (the role of the striker is performed by the bolt frame), as well as a trigger mechanism that allows only automatic firing. The spring-loaded ejector is located in the gate, and the role of a rigid reflector is played by the box liner. The cartridges are thrown down through special windows in the bolt frame and box. The RPD is equipped with an adjustable safety lever, which blocks the sear in the “weapon is on safety” position.

The machine gun is fed from the left side, from a metal segment tape (segments with a capacity of 50 rounds) with open links. Two segments of belt with a capacity of 100 rounds are stored in a metal container in the form of a drum, which is suspended under the weapon box. The slide-type feeder is driven by the bolt frame roller, and the belt moves during recoil of the bolt frame.

The weapon is equipped with a permanent barrel with a gas regulator having three positions, folding bipod, wooden butt and fore-end, pistol grip, mechanical sights open type. They consist of a front sight that is adjustable vertically and horizontally, as well as a sector sight with settings from 100 to 1000 m (every 100 m) and an adjustable rear sight. Some of the machine guns on the left side of the box are equipped with brackets used to install the NSP-2 night sight.

The machine gun consists of the following components and mechanisms: a box with a barrel, a bolt, a bolt frame, a feeder cover and base, a return mechanism, and a trigger mechanism with a butt. The equipment of the weapon includes containers for tape, tape, a cleaning rod (attached to the left side of the box), a pencil case with accessories for cleaning and caring for the weapon (stored in the butt socket), a portable belt, and bags for containers with ammunition.

During operation, the weapon was modernized many times. First, the gas assembly was replaced and the sight was modified, the rear sight adjustment knob was moved to the left side. Then, in the RPD, instead of a reloading handle connected to the bolt frame, they used a reloading mechanism with a folding handle that does not move during firing, and also installed a feeder window cover, which, after opening, performs the function of a guide belt. This version The machine gun was produced in Poland and China. As part of the next modernization of the weapon (sometimes referred to as RPDM), the gas chamber was lengthened, and a stop was added to the butt. As a result of the latest modernization, the RPD removed the rigid bracket for the container with tape (the role of the bracket is played by the feeder window cover), and also used a folding cleaning rod, which is stored in an additional slot in the butt (in the Chinese Type 56-1 machine gun).

Caliber 7.62 mm

Weight of weapon with accessories 6.6 kg

Weight of ammunition reserve (300 rounds) 7.4 kg

Weight of empty tape container 0.5 kg

Weight of two belt segments without cartridges 0.3 kg

Weapon length 1037 mm

Barrel length 520 mm

Rifling 4

Aiming line length 596.5 mm

Firing line height 335 mm

Initial bullet speed 735 m/s

Initial bullet energy 2135 J

Rate of fire 650-750 v/m

Theoretical rate of fire 550 v/m

Drum capacity 100 rounds

Sighting range 1000 m

Practical rate of fire 150 v/m

download Service Manual 7.62 mm heavy machine gun mod. 1939 (1940).

The DS-39 heavy machine gun (Dyagtyarev Easel model 1939) is designed to destroy group, live enemy targets located in open areas and suppress their fire weapons. Its development was started by Vasily Alekseevich Dyagtyarev at the beginning of 1930, and already at the end of 1930 he presented the first sample for field testing.

After identifying a number of shortcomings, the machine gun was sent for modification, which mainly affected only the tape feed mechanism. In 1934, the modified machine gun was presented for field testing, which lasted from November 1934 to June 1938. During the tests, several changes were made to the design of the machine gun: the pistol grip was replaced with butt plate handles, two firing modes were made, the position of the return mainspring was changed, barrel fins appeared, a universal machine I.N. Kolesnikov was replaced by a lighter machine, developed by Dyagtyarev. This version of the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army on September 22, 1939. The design of the machine gun adopted for service after all the changes had the following form:

The automatic machine gun operates by removing part of the powder gases from the barrel. The barrel bore is locked when firing by moving the lugs apart. The trigger mechanism allows only automatic fire in two modes - 600 and 1200 rpm, and the second firing mode was intended for firing at air targets. Switching fire modes occurs by turning the handle of the buffer device, which is located below, on the back side of the receiver. The belt feeder is of a slider type, the slider moves along a curved groove, the belt with cartridges is fed from the right side (later this belt feeding mechanism was used in the DShK machine gun). The charging handle is located on the right side of the weapon's receiver. There are two triggers, they are located in front of each buttplate handle; during shooting, they were pressed simultaneously with the index fingers. The spent cartridges were thrown down. Barrel with transverse fins. During intense shooting, it was replaced with a spare one; to avoid hand burns when replacing it, it has a special handle. A frame-type sight with scales for shooting light and heavy bullets. The tripod machine has a mechanism for precise vertical guidance.

Serial production of the machine gun was first started at the Kovrov arms factory, but it was soon transferred to the Tula arms factory. But during its operation in the army, the DS-39 machine gun was found to have several fatal deficiencies. First of all, these are frequent cartridge ruptures in receiver, distortions of cartridges with a heavy bullet, low survivability of the main parts, unstable operation of the weapon in difficult operating conditions (dust, low temperature). Because of this, it was discontinued in June 1941, but continued to be used throughout the war.

Caliber 7.62 mm

Cartridge 7.62x54 mm

Length 1170 mm

Weight with machine 33 kg

Weight of box with cartridges 9.88 kg

Rate of fire 600-1200 v/m

Rate of fire 300-310 v/m

Initial bullet speed 860 m/s

Box capacity 250 rounds

Sighting range for a heavy bullet 3000 m

Sighting range for a light bullet 2400 m