The machine gun of the Degtyarev system is a standard that has conquered time. Soviet Degtyarev light machine gun full review with photos DP 27 explosion diagram
The next prototype was presented by Degtyarev in the fall of 1926 and, after modification, was tested by the Artkom commission Artillery Directorate The Red Army at the Kovrov plant on January 17-21, 1927. The machine gun was declared to have “passed the test.” Without waiting for the results of the improvements, it was decided to issue an order for one hundred machine guns.
First ten serial machine guns DP were manufactured at Kovrov plant November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred to military tests, as a result of which on December 21, 1927, the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army.
The production of machine guns of the DP series was supplied and carried out by the Kovrov plant (since 1949 - Plant named after V.A. Degtyareva). The DP was distinguished by its ease of manufacture - its production required two times less pattern measurements and transitions than for a revolver, and three times less than for a rifle. The number of technological operations was four times less than for the Maxim machine gun mod. 1910/30 and three times less than for MT.
In 1944, under the leadership of Degtyarev, plant No. 2 Work was carried out to improve the DP machine gun, namely to increase the reliability and controllability of the machine gun. The new modification received the designation DPM(“Degtyarev infantry modernized”, GAU index - 56-R-321M). In general, all combat, tactical and specifications remained the same.
Machine gun "Degtyarev infantry modernized" The main differences between DP and DPM:
- the return spring from under the barrel, where it heated up and settled, was moved to the rear receiver(they tried to move the spring back in 1931, this can be seen in the experimental Degtyarev machine gun presented at that time). To install the spring, a tubular rod was put on the tail of the striker, and a guide tube was inserted into the buttplate, which protruded above the neck of the butt. In this regard, the coupling was eliminated, and the rod was manufactured as a single part with the piston. In addition, the order of disassembly has changed - now it starts with the guide tube and the return spring. The same changes were made to the Degtyarev tank machine gun (DTM). This made it possible to disassemble the machine gun and eliminate minor faults without removing it from the ball installation;
- simplified the shape of the butt;
- they installed a pistol grip control in the form of a slope, which was welded to the trigger guard, and two wooden cheeks attached to it with screws;
- on the light machine gun, instead of an automatic fuse, a non-automatic safety lever was introduced, similar to the Degtyarev tank machine gun - the beveled axis of the fuse pin was located under the trigger lever. Locking occurred with the flag in the forward position. This fuse was more reliable, as it acted on the sear, which made it safer to carry a loaded machine gun;
- The leaf spring in the ejection mechanism was replaced with a cylindrical screw one. The ejector was installed in the bolt socket, and a pin was used to hold it, which also served as its axis;
- the folding bipod was made integral, and the mounting hinges were moved slightly back and higher relative to the axis of the barrel bore. On the top of the casing, a clamp was installed from two welded plates, which formed eyes for attaching the bipod legs using screws. The bipods have become stronger. To replace their barrel, it was not necessary to separate them.
Design and operating principle
The DP light machine gun is an automatic weapon based on the removal of powder gases and magazine feed. The gas engine has a long stroke piston and gas regulator located under the barrel.
The barrel itself is quick-change, partially hidden by a protective casing and equipped with a conical removable flash suppressor. The barrel sometimes could not withstand intense fire: since it was thin-walled, it quickly heated up (especially on later releases, in which, for simplicity, the barrel was made without a ribbed radiator), and in order not to disable the machine gun, it was necessary to fire in short bursts (combat machine gun rate of fire - up to 80 rounds per minute). Changing the barrel directly during combat was difficult: it required a special key to remove its lock and protect your hands from burns.
The barrel was locked by two lugs, moved to the sides as the firing pin moved forward. After the bolt comes to the forward position, the bolt frame continues to move, while the widened middle part of the firing pin connected to it, acting from the inside on the rear parts of the lugs, moves them apart into the grooves of the receiver, rigidly locking the bolt. After the shot, the bolt frame begins to move backward under the action of the gas piston. In this case, the firing pin is pulled back, and special bevels of the frame bring the lugs together, disengaging them from the receiver and unlocking the bolt. The return spring was located under the barrel and, under intense fire, overheated, losing elasticity, which was one of the relatively few but significant disadvantages of the DP machine gun. In addition, the lugs required precise adjustment to achieve symmetrical locking (which did not pose a significant drawback in practice).
DP light machine gun diagram. Moving parts in forward position; 1 – barrel, 2 – disk magazine, 3 – receiver, 4 – butt, 5 – trigger, 6 – firing pin, 7 – bolt, 8 – recoil spring, 9 – gas regulator
The food was supplied from flat disk magazines - “plates”, in which the cartridges were located in a circle, with bullets towards the center of the disk. This design ensured reliable supply of cartridges with a protruding rim, but also had significant disadvantages: large dimensions and weight of an empty magazine, inconvenience in transportation and loading, as well as the possibility of damage to the magazine in combat conditions due to its tendency to deform. The magazine capacity was initially 49 rounds; later 47-round cartridges with increased reliability were introduced. The machine gun was equipped with three magazines with a metal box for carrying them.
It should be noted that, although the DP magazine externally resembles a Lewis machine gun magazine, in fact it is a completely different design in terms of its operating principle; for example, in the Lewis, the cartridge disk rotates due to the bolt energy transmitted to it by a complex system of levers, and in the DP, due to a pre-cocked spring in the magazine itself.
The machine gun's trigger allowed only automatic fire from an open bolt. It was made in the form of a removable module attached to the box with a transverse pin. There was no conventional safety; instead, there was an automatic safety in the form of a button, which was turned off when the hand covered the neck of the butt. When conducting intense fire, the need to constantly hold the safety button pressed tired the shooter, and the rifle-type stock did not contribute to a strong hold of the weapon when firing in bursts. The design of the trigger block 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 the machine gun - the DPM - received a USM block similar to the DT, and a non-automatic fuse, in addition to the native automatic one, was introduced into the design of the Finnish DP during their overhaul.
Red Army soldiers near a dugout in Stalingrad are busy cleaning weapons, PPSh-41 submachine guns and a DP-27 machine gun Fire from the DP was carried out from removable bipods, which in the heat of battle were sometimes lost due to poor fastening or became loose, which, in turn, significantly impaired the ease of use of the machine gun. Therefore, non-removable bipods were introduced at the CSA. The spent cartridges were ejected downward.
In July 1942, a gunshot silencer was tested SG-42(“Special silencer model 1942”) designed by OKB-2, intended for firing from a DP machine gun with cartridges with a reduced charge. The device was built on the same principle as the Bramit, and showed satisfactory suppression of the sound of a shot. At the end of 1942, the SG-42 was submitted for testing with the internal diameter of the channel reduced from 16 to 14.5 mm, and it was adopted for service. Post-war tests of these mufflers in February-March 1948 showed the inexpediency of their further operation, since they did not provide the required failure-free operation of the DP and DPM and for this reason were subject to disposal.
Combat use
In rifle units, the Degtyarev infantry machine gun was introduced into the rifle platoon and squad, and in the cavalry - into saber squads. In both cases, a light machine gun along with rifle grenade launcher were the main support weapon. During exercises and combat operations, the machine gun was serviced by two people: the shooter and his assistant, who carried a box with 3 disks. Also, when shooting from a prone position, a long ribbon was tied to the machine gun at both ends, and the fighter, pulling it with his foot, pressed the butt harder to his shoulder. Thus, the vibrations of the machine gun were reduced and the shooting accuracy increased. The DT machine gun was installed on motorcycles M-72. The design of the attachment of the machine gun to the sidecar made it possible to fire even at airplanes. However, this method of fighting aircraft was not very convenient: to shoot, you had to stop, then the fighter got out of the wheelchair and fired at him from a “sitting” position. air targets. After the adoption of the DP machine gun, the British Lewis machine guns of the 1915 model, which had previously been in service with the Red Army, gradually went into storage.
Soviet machine gun crew at a firing position among the ruins of Stalingrad The DP machine gun quickly gained popularity, as it successfully combined firepower and maneuverability.
However, along with its advantages, the machine gun also had some disadvantages that appeared during operation. First of all, this concerned the inconvenience of operation and the peculiarities of the disk magazine equipment. Quick replacement of an overheated barrel was complicated by the lack of a handle on it, as well as the need to separate the flash suppressor and bipod. The replacement, even under favorable conditions, took about 30 seconds for a trained crew. An open gas chamber located under the barrel prevented the accumulation of soot in the gas outlet assembly, but together with the open bolt frame, it increased the likelihood of dust on sandy soils. Clogging of the gas piston socket and screwing of its head caused the moving part to not move to the front extreme position. However, the machine gun demonstrated fairly high reliability. The fastening of swivels and bipods was unreliable and created additional clinging parts that reduced the ease of carrying. Working with the gas regulator was also inconvenient - to rearrange it, the cotter pin was removed, the nut was unscrewed, the regulator was pushed back, turned and secured again. It was possible to fire while moving only using a belt, and the lack of a fore-end and a large magazine made such shooting inconvenient. The machine gunner put a belt around his neck in the form of a loop, attached it in front of the magazine to the cutout of the casing with a swivel, and to hold the machine gun by the casing, a mitten was needed.
Video
DP light machine gun:
D/f "Weapon of Victory" - DP light machine gunThe appearance on the Russian market of hunting rifled weapons of “fenced” machine guns “Maxim” and DP-27 caused a whole wave of emotions in the RuNet. Probably, only the lazy did not speak out about hunting with a DP machine gun and, especially, with a Maxim.
Although, according to Federal law“On Weapons”, Russian citizens have the right to own only rifled hunting weapons. The phrases "historical" rifle", "conversion rifled weapons", "Victory rifled weapons" and so on are simply not in the law. Therefore, if a weapons lover or collector wants to own a machine gun that fires only single shots, he can only purchase it as a “hunting weapon with rifled barrel" Unlike mass-dimensional mock-ups (MMG), a machine gun “fenced” into a hunting weapon is absolutely legal, can shoot and delight the owner with all intact parts without traces of milling and welding. The only drawback may be the need to store it in a safe and re-register it every five years.
However, even in the form of a hunting weapon, the legendary light machine gun DP-27 (Degtyarev Infantry model 1927) is the dream of many enthusiasts and collectors.
The sample that came into our store was released back in the war years of 1943 in Kovrov. In 2014, at Vyatsko-Polyansky, the “Molot-Arms” was converted into DP-O (hunting).
By the standards of the late 1920s - early 1930s, for a light machine gun chambered for a powerful Mosin rifle cartridge ( modern designation cartridge 7.62*54R) DP-27 was very light and maneuverable. Its weight with a disk magazine loaded with 47 rounds was 11 kg 820 grams. Later, due to the abolition of a number of technological operations, the weight of the machine gun began to be almost 12 kg.
The automation works on the principle of removing part of the powder gases from the barrel bore; locking is carried out by two lugs, which were moved to the sides when the massive striker moved forward. Due to the long stroke of the moving parts and their weight, the DP-27 had a fairly low rate of fire (500-600 rounds/min). This made it possible to better control the machine gun during firing, significantly reduce the overuse of ammunition and, as a result, avoid overheating of the weapon.
DP-27 allowed only automatic fire. Shooting was carried out from the so-called “rear sear”. That is, before firing the machine gun bolt is in the rearmost position. When you press the trigger, the bolt frame and bolt move intensively forward under the action of the recoil spring, the bolt captures a cartridge from the disk magazine, sends it into the chamber, and immediately a massive firing pin pierces the primer. A shot occurs. The powder gases removed from the bore act on the bolt frame, throwing it to the rearmost position, simultaneously extracting the spent cartridge down. Having reached the rearmost position, the moving parts move forward again to fire the next shot. This will happen until there are cartridges left in the magazine or until the trigger is released. In the latter case, the moving parts will be fixed in the rearmost position by the protrusion of the sear.
In the civilian version of the DP-O, a disconnector is installed between the trigger and the sear. Therefore, after pressing the trigger and firing, the bolt carrier and bolt will roll back to the rearmost position and remain secured by the sear. To fire the next shot, you will need to release and press the trigger again.
Fully satisfying the pre-war requirements of the Red Army, the DP-27 became the most popular machine gun of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. However, the operation on the Karelo-Finnish Isthmus and the Mannerheim Line revealed some shortcomings of the machine gun. The main one was overheating from intense firing of the recoil spring, located directly under the barrel casing. When heated, the spring lost its elastic properties, which led to rapid wear of the weapon.
The machine gun has a replaceable barrel, but it is almost impossible to quickly change it. Heat-resistant gloves and a key from the DP-27 accessory kit were required, since the hot barrel was held very tightly in the seat. There were also no spare barrels for the DP-27. However, at the time of development of the machine gun in the late 1920s, replacement of the barrel of the light machine gun was not required according to the technical specifications.
DP-27 and DP-O do not have manual safety devices. Initially, the DP-27 was equipped with an automatic safety, the button of which was located immediately behind the trigger guard. When the machine gun handle is grasped, the safety is automatically turned off.
In any case, even with intensive shooting of the DP-O, there is no threat of overheating of the spring, since the kit includes only one disk magazine with a limiter for 10 rounds. Before being stored by the RF Ministry of Defense, machine gun springs were proactively replaced with new ones, the mirror gap was checked and, if necessary, a repair mark was placed.
We also note the presence of a complete set of accessories for the machine gun. In addition to a special key for servicing the machine gun, the kit includes a massive three-arm cleaning rod with a handle, a spare brush for the oil can, and a torn cartridge case extractor. In the butt there is a stationary oiler with another brush.
If you do not take into account the stamps and markings civilian weapons, as well as one “extra” screw in the disk magazine cover, the DP-O is no different in appearance from the legendary DP-27!
Just like a number of other “fenced” models from the warehouses of the Russian Ministry of Defense, DP-27 in the form of DP-O can be an excellent and fully functional addition to any collection.
During the Second World War, the Degtyarev light machine gun firmly took third place in terms of popularity, second only to the Mosin rifle and PPSh-41.
Technical characteristics of the Degtyarev DP light machine gun:
caliber – 7.62,
weight 8.5 kilograms,
machine gun length with flame arrester – 1230 mm,
disk magazine capacity - 47 rounds,
magazine weight – 2.7 kg,
the initial flight speed of a 1908 model bullet is 840 m/s,
sighting range – 1500 m,
rate of fire - about 600 rounds per minute,
practical rate of fire is about 80 rounds per minute.
How does Degtyarev’s machine gun fire?
When you press the trigger, the trigger lever moves down and releases the bolt frame. The bolt frame, under the influence of a compressed recoil spring, begins to move forward. The thickening on the rear of the firing pin, acting on the lugs, pushes the bolt forward, while spreading the lugs to the sides. At the same time, the bolt, moving forward, sends another cartridge from the magazine into the barrel. The firing pin hits the cartridge capsule - a shot. After the shot, the powder gases, acting on the gas piston, push it back. The barrel channel is unlocked, the bolt begins to move back along with bolt carrier, at the same time the spent cartridge case is removed from the chamber - the process is completed. The machine gun is ready for a new shot.
History of creation
Autumn of '41. German troops are rushing to Moscow, wanting to finish the campaign before the onset of cold weather. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army soldiers, tank and motorized rifle divisions The Wehrmacht are rapidly moving towards the goal. The Red Army soldiers did not lack the courage and determination to defend the capital. There is not enough firepower to hold off the advancing enemy. At the end of October 1941, a plane landed at a military airfield in the city of Kovrov, located hundreds of kilometers from the front line. Several high-ranking officers got out of it, got into waiting cars, and the motorcade rushed towards the arms factory. Until now, history hides the identity of the mysterious guest... But there was no need to guess who he came to - this was Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, head of the PKB of the State Union Plant No. 2 and at that time, probably the main gunsmith of the Soviet country. The result of this mysterious visit was that just before the start of the battle for Moscow, the Red Army soldiers had in their hands a much-needed anti-tank rifle designed by Degtyarev. One hundred and fifty mandatory test shots for the light machine gun of his own invention, the DP-27, were also canceled. The weapon proved itself so well in battle that only five test rounds were left for it: two shots to check the automatics and three to adjust, if necessary, the accuracy of the battle. Our story is about this amazing machine gun and its talented creator. The legendary "tar"
The experience of the wars of the early twentieth century clearly showed that the tactics and strategy of infantry combat operations were rapidly changing. Its maneuverability, military-technical equipment and the ability of fighters to conduct dense, targeted fire come to the fore. The density of fire, in turn, depended on the rate of fire and reliability of the weapon. “The main question in the infantry weapons system, which was left by the First World War, this was a question specifically of a light machine gun. The new infantry tactics relied primarily on machine-gun fire."
In March twenty-one, the tenth congress of the RCPB took place. Soviet history textbooks note two main decisions taken at the congress: the abolition of the policy of war communism and the transition to the NEP, as well as the replacement of surplus appropriation with a tax in kind. There was another event that historians are not so willing to talk about. This photograph shows delegates of the congress who volunteered to go to Kronstadt to suppress the rebellion that broke out there. The Bolsheviks were always ready to fight. Meanwhile, among the many issues considered at the congress, the problem of military development in Soviet republic. The Red Army, having finished civil war, was armed with a limited number of old-style weapons created before the First World War. When in 1924, according to the new RKK states, each rifle platoon was introduced machine gun compartment, due to a shortage of light machine guns, it had to be armed with one light and one heavy machine gun. Moreover, the existing French Chauchat machine guns and the more successful English Lewis machine guns were badly worn out by the mid-twenties, had no spare parts, and belonged to structurally outdated systems. Home impact force The infantry remained with the Mosin “three-line” and the Maxim heavy machine gun. With all its undoubted advantages, primarily the simplicity and reliability of the design, the Maxim system machine gun also had a number of flaws: it was quite high, and therefore easily noticeable to enemy soldiers. And of course, the main drawback was the weight of the weapon - more than 70 kilograms. Carrying such a weight with you under enemy fire was not an easy task, and even deadly. So realities dictated the urgent need to develop a new domestic light machine gun. “We needed not only heavy machine guns with their power, with their long range aimed shooting, with their ability to conduct intense fire, but also light machine guns around which small infantry units could operate (with the support of which, together with which), up to a squad or link. These, of course, were supposed to be light machine guns.” One of those who was the first to get involved in the work was the famous gunsmith designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev.
The creator of the machine gun Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev
Degtyarev Vasily Alekseevich, was born in 1880 in Tula into a family of hereditary gunsmiths. After graduating from the parish school at the age of eleven, he went to work at the Tula Arms Factory. In 1901, Vasily Degtyarev was drafted into the army. He ended up in an experimental weapons workshop at the officer school in Oranienbaum. Service in the workshop provided an opportunity to become familiar with the design of the latest foreign weapons. After graduation military service Degtyarev becomes a civilian employee of the Sestroretsk arms factory. Here a meeting took place that predetermined the future fate of the future famous designer. Degtyarev met the talented weapons engineer Vladimir Fedorov. In 1918, at the invitation of his friend and teacher Vladimir Fedorov, Degtyarev came to the city of Kovrov to the arms factory being built here. He is appointed head of the workshop of the design bureau, and later becomes its head. It was here that Vasily Degtyarev created his famous weapons, including the legendary DP-27 machine gun, as well as its numerous modifications. In 1940 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The famous Soviet designer, Major General of the Engineering and Artillery Service Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev died in January 1949. For outstanding services in the design of weapons, he was posthumously awarded the Stalin Prize.
Degtyarev began developing his own model of a light machine gun at the end of 1923. Taking as a basis the developments he obtained when creating an automatic carbine, and this was back in 1915, he applied them when designing a new machine gun. The automatic machine gun had a gas engine with a gas chamber located under the barrel and a long stroke of the gas piston. The amount of powder gases discharged behind the piston was regulated using a pipe regulator with two gas outlet holes. The barrel was locked using two lugs, hinged on the sides of the bolt and moved to the sides by the widened rear part of the firing pin. The leading link of the automation was the bolt frame, which connected all parts of the moving system. Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “Degtyarev found a rather ingenious way to lighten a machine gun. In fact, the receiver of a machine gun does not have a bottom; the bottom is the movable bolt frame itself.” The flat bolt frame, which also served as the lower cover of the receiver, and the compact placement of the bolt assembly ensured a significant reduction in the size and weight of the entire machine gun. The simplicity and elegance of the solution found by the designer is striking. But it is precisely due to this simplicity that the survivability of the mechanism has significantly increased. Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “The disk magazine made it possible quite easily, as it seemed, to solve the issue of combining easily portable magazines and a large magazine capacity. True, if Fedorov-Degtyarev’s disk magazine held 50 rounds, then in Degtyarev’s magazine, due to the transition to a three-line cartridge, the capacity had to be reduced first to 49, and then to 47 rounds. However, this is a fairly large capacity."
Testing a prototype machine gun
On trials prototype 70 thousand shots were fired against the norm of 10 thousand. The machine gun fired almost without delay. But all this will happen later, and before that... On July 22, 1924, Degtyarev presented his first model of a machine gun with a disc magazine to the court of a specially created commission. The commission members noted the outstanding originality of the idea, trouble-free operation, rate of fire and significant ease of use of Comrade Degtyarev’s system. On October 6, the machine gun took part in tests at the shooting range of the Vystrel school in Kuskovo and failed. The firing pin, made of low-quality metal, broke at the most inopportune moment. The commission, chaired by Budyonny, recognized the model of the Maxim-Tokarev system as the winner. In fact, it was a conversion of the heavy-duty Maxim into a light machine gun. Received the designation MT, this machine gun was quite bulky - without cartridges it weighed almost 13 kilograms, and it also had an unreliable cartridge belt feed. Degtyarev presented his next model only in the fall of 1926. Again disappointment - it also had shortcomings: weakness of ejectors and strikers, sensitivity of the system to dust. Finally, in January 1927, by the commission of the artillery committee of the artillery department of the Red Army, two modified copies of the Degtyarev machine gun were recognized as having passed the tests. And six months later, a significant event occurred - it was decided to conduct comparative tests of an improved model of the Maxim-Tokarev machine gun, the German Dreyse light machine gun and a machine gun designed by Degtyarev. “We must remember that in the 20s we developed quite broad military-technical cooperation with Weimar Germany and the Dreyse machine gun aroused quite wide interest in the Soviet Union. However, the Degtyarev system showed certain advantages over the Dreyse machine gun, which was recorded in the decision of the relevant commission.” This is what the People's Commissar for Military and Military Affairs wrote at the end of this peculiar competition: maritime affairs To Kliment Voroshilov, his deputy Sergei Kamenev:
“The comparison gave the following results: in first place is undoubtedly our Degtyarev machine gun, in second place is Dreyze and in third is Maxim-Tokarev. The Dreyze machine gun was interesting to us when we did not yet have light machine guns of our own production. Now our Degtyarev machine gun is in many ways better than Dreyse.”
“It must be said that they learned about the machine gun quite quickly abroad. At that time, such news spread quite quickly; great secrecy was not made of such work. A certain standard of secrecy was observed, but still they found out quickly enough, appreciated quickly enough, and even Degtyarev received, unofficially, the nickname of the Russian Browning. Considering the authority John Moses Browning had abroad at that time, one can understand how much the new weapon was appreciated.”
Noting the high survivability of the machine gun mechanism, its excellent firing characteristics, simplicity of design and the fact that its production took almost half the time compared to foreign analogues, it was decided to accept the Degtyarev machine gun into service with the Red Army. It was named DP-27 - Degtyarev infantry model 1927.
Production of the Degtyarev machine gun
Let's remember the rate of fire is 600 rounds per minute, that's exactly how many times in such a short period of time all the mechanisms of the weapon come into interaction. We have already talked about the simplicity of the DP-27 device. The production of a DP required two times less pattern measurements and transitions than for a revolver. Total technological operations turned out to be 4 times less than for the Maxim and 3 times less than for the MT machine gun. And when the donning process was used to make machine gun barrels, the time for its production was reduced even more. The essence of darning is to press a special “mandrel” blank through the bore with shaped protrusions corresponding to the number, size and inclination of the rifling. It has long been noted that the fewer parts in a mechanism, the more reliable it is.
Disassembly and assembly of the Degtyarev machine gun
There are 47 parts in the Degtyarev Infantry, and only a small part of them were subject to manual finishing during manufacture, which significantly speeded up the process of its assembly. True, some experts claim that Degtyarev has not 47 parts, but 68. We have the opportunity to check this by disassembling the Degtyarev machine gun.
Separate the butt plate from the butt - holding the machine gun by the neck of the butt, unscrew the butt plate pin and remove it. Supporting the receiver in front trigger guard, hit the butt from above to separate the butt plate and remove it along with the butt, moving the latter down.
Remove the bipod - supporting the casing, release the wing and remove the clamp screw. Fold back the upper half-ring of the clamp, and then remove the bipod. Separate the bolt carrier together with the gas piston and bolt. Disassemble the bolt by pulling out the firing pin and separating the lugs. Next, you should disassemble the bolt frame and gas piston - placing the frame vertically and squeezing the recoil spring down the rod, unscrew the head of the gas piston using a wrench; remove the return spring, remove the support coupling.
Field military tests of the machine gun continued throughout 1928. It was recommended to introduce flame arresters to reduce the unmasking and blinding effect of the muzzle flame in dark time days. They decided to equip the removable magazine with 47 rounds, although it was designed for 49. This happened due to the weakness of the magazine spring - its elasticity was not enough to push out the last rounds. So in the column “magazine capacity” the number 47 appeared. In general, many complaints were made against the DP-27 magazine.
Disadvantages and problems of the Degtyarev machine gun
Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “The disk, of course, turned out to be a fairly ingenious and reliably working solution. But, firstly, special bags were required to carry it - container bags. They are familiar to everyone, even to those who have never seen these weapons in their lives. You can watch the film “Two Soldiers”, where the actions of the DP machine gun crew are shown quite well. Secondly, the snail-shaped spiral spring in the disk weakened quite quickly. Usually, because of this, the disc was underloaded with cartridges. The disc was not so easy to equip, but although actually machine-gun belt Maxima was also not very easy to equip.” Another problem was related to the rapid settlement of the return spring. It was located under the trunk and quite close to it. With intense firing, the barrel became very hot and, in turn, heated the spring. Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “Another inconvenient moment was replacing the barrel. The fact is that, although a light machine gun does not fire in such long bursts as easel ones, the barrel still overheats and in order to ensure the necessary intensity of fire in combat conditions, a replaceable barrel is still optimal. Either you need to use a rather cumbersome cooling system, or you need to make the barrel replaceable. Most light machine guns of the 20-30s, including the DP, adopted a replaceable barrel. But the barrel did not have a special handle, so replacing the barrel required some skill and experience.”
Installing a machine gun on a motorcycle, for example on the M-72
Despite the shortcomings in the troops, the DP-27 light machine gun immediately received high praise and soon became the main type of automatic weapon in rifle units. But not only in them. Pay attention to this curious design:
- with its help, the infantry Degtyarev was mounted on a motorcycle, for example on the M-72. A simple rotating frame was hinged on the sidecar of a motorcycle. Such fasteners even allowed anti-aircraft fire.
Degtyarev in a tank
And in 1929, “tank tar” appeared. Given the limited space in the tank's cabin, the wooden stock was replaced with a retractable metal one. Instead of a bulky single-row magazine, a more compact three-row one was used - it held 63 rounds. In total, the ammunition consisted of up to 25 magazines, depending on the type of armored vehicle, which, to save space, was packed in special racks. The spent cartridges were collected in a canvas cartridge catcher. The DT was installed on tanks using a special ball mount developed by designer Georgy Shpagin. This installation ensured free and quick aiming of the machine gun at the target in the horizontal and vertical planes, and its reliable fixation in any position. In addition, the massive parts of the ball mount well protected the shooter in battle from bullets and shell fragments. If the tank crew had to leave the vehicle for any reason, the DT-29 was easily removed from the ball mount and turned into a light machine gun.
YES Degtyarev on airplanes
At the end of the 20s, Degtyarev’s machine gun literally rose into the sky. Back in 1925, the designer began processing its DP into an aircraft one. The casing that protected the infantrymen's hands from burns when carried was removed from the new machine gun - now it was simply not needed. As in the DT-29, in the DA (Degtyarev Aviation) the single-row disk magazine was replaced by a three-row one of smaller diameter. Combat at high speeds required increasing the rate of fire of the weapon; this problem could most simply be solved by connecting several machine guns on one common installation. In 1930, a coaxial machine gun of the Degtyarev system called DA-2 entered service. The DA-2 machine gun, although it had a high rate of fire, had all the disadvantages of twin installations: bulkiness and inconvenience in operation, which is especially sensitive in aviation weapons. The shooting range was also low.
Machine guns of the Degtyarev family DP-27, DT-29, DA and DA-2 became an integral part of the Red Army's weapons.
Says Semyon Fedoseev, historian, weapons expert: “Tank and aviation machine guns were created directly on the basis of the DP machine gun. They differed in stores, controls, and the presence or absence of a non-automatic fuse. Let’s say, the 1927 DP did not have a non-automatic safety, there was only an automatic safety that blocked the trigger, and the DT (tank) machine gun received a flag safety.” By the beginning of the war, the RKK had over 170 thousand light machine guns. This was one of the types of weapons with which formations of the western military districts were provided even beyond their staff. The combat use of the DP revealed the need to make a number of design amendments aimed at increasing the reliability and controllability of the weapon.
DPM Degtyarev infantry modernized
In October 1944 entered service Soviet army DPM (Degtyarev infantry modernized) was adopted. In the DPM, changes affected, first of all, the recoil spring. It was moved from under the barrel to the rear of the receiver. The bolt frame with piston and ejector were also changed, the stock was simplified, a pistol grip was added, and the automatic safety was replaced with a flag safety. The reinforced folding bipod was made permanent (removable bipods were often lost).
Use of a machine gun by German and Finnish troops
The enemy also earned the Degtyarev machine gun - Wehrmacht soldiers used captured DPs as weapons of a limited standard. Finnish sources indicate that during winter war The Finnish army captured more than 3,000 DP machine guns and about 150 DT-29s. The Finns liked the machine guns so much that they curtailed the production of their own machine guns and switched to producing magazines and spare parts for Degtyarev’s machine guns.
Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “The machine gun received the nickname “Emma” from the Finns. In general, a female nickname for a formidable weapon is not such a common occurrence, but it is assumed that an example of this was the corresponding foxtrot, popular at that time, and the disk of the DP machine gun resembled a gramophone record. This is the version of the appearance of this nickname.” In 1946, based on the DPM, a new light machine gun was developed, called RP-46. The disk magazine was replaced with a belt-fed one, which significantly increased the rate of fire. Other changes were made, but that's another story and about a different weapon.
Black and white and color photographs:
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DP-27 (Degtyarev Infantry model 1927) became the first domestic light machine gun serial production. Its first samples were manufactured at the Kovrov plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns went for military tests, as a result of which on December 21, 1927, the weapon was adopted by the Red Army. The machine gun barrel had 6 grooves and was in a casing, which provided protection for the shooter from burns during shooting. The butt was made of wood, it contained an oiler and spare parts for caring for the weapon. Cartridges of 7.62x54 mm caliber were placed in separate places in the disk magazine and did not cling to neighboring ones with their edges, as happened in carob magazines. A special design with a front sight informed the fighter about how many rounds were left in the disc. If necessary, the magazine could be disassembled and cleaned of dirt. One of the main advantages of a machine gun is its reliability difficult conditions operation.Machine gun DP-27 (Degtyarev Infantry model 1927, GAU index - 56-R-32), often appears in foreign sources as DP-28 became the first domestic mass-produced light machine gun. The birthday of the first experimental batch can be called November 12, 1927, when the first 10 DP machine guns appeared at the Kovrov plant. On December 21, 1927, after a successful presentation and field tests, it was adopted by the Red Army.
Chief engineer DP was Degtyarev Vasily Alekseevich, who later created heavy machine gun DShK-12.7 mm, PTRD-14.5 mm anti-tank rifle, RPD and RP-46 machine gun, PPD submachine gun. The Soviet Union did not have its own light machine guns, but the results of the First World War showed the effectiveness and their significance using the example of the English Lewis machine gun and the French Chauchet. Also, the number of these machine guns in the Red Army army was small, and the wear and tear resource of this weapon was ending, and having its own weapons factories was the task of the state. The first attempt to create our own light machine gun was to convert a water-cooled Maxim machine gun into an air-cooled machine gun. The first Maxim-Tokarev MT, converted in 1925, had a protective cover on the barrel, but turned out to be very heavy.
V.A. Degtyarev first attempted to create his own machine gun at the end of 1923. It is worth noting that Degtyarev 100% created the design of his own machine gun, and did not copy it from other machine guns. The machine gun had automatic gas venting from the bottom of the barrel and locking of the cartridge using two lugs, which were moved to the sides when the firing pin struck the cartridge primer. For machine gun DT-27 a disk magazine with 49 rounds of ammunition was borrowed from the Fedorov-Shpagin aircraft machine gun; later the disk was modified to hold 47 rounds in order to extend the life of the spring. On July 22, 1924, Degtyarev first showed the military commission his first experimental machine gun, but a broken firing pin during demonstration shooting failed Degtyarev. The next attempt to show his machine gun was Degtyarev in September 1926, where the machine gun attracted attention, but still had shortcomings in workmanship. Throughout this time, its main competitors were the German machine gun Dreyse and Maxim-Tokarev. After finalizing the machine gun, on January 17-21, 1927, tests were carried out at the Kovrov plant under the supervision of the Art Committee of the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, and on February 20, the commission approved the machine gun as having passed the tests. On March 26, I prepared drawings for the production of Degtyarev infantry. The plant received an order for 100 machine guns for further testing. After field shooting, instructions were given to add a flame extinguisher to the design and change the gas chamber pipe. The design of the new machine gun received a good assessment and even before its official adoption by the People's Commissariat, it began to enter the army. At the end of 1928, it was decided to curtail the production of the Maxim-Tokarev MT machine gun.
DT machine gun had an automatic gas outlet with a pipe that regulated the amount of exhaust gases, which made it possible to choose the optimal mode so that the shutter would reach a full cycle during contamination or the use of more powerful cartridges in order to avoid strong shocks to the shutter. The exhaust gases from the bottom of the barrel pushed a long piston-rod, which reloaded. A return spring was put on the rod. The age-related combat spring placed on the rod had a drawback, since when it overheated, the spring lost its properties and reduced the rate of fire. This shortcoming was later corrected in the modernized machine gun. DPM. Pictures of automatic machine gun operation
The cartridge was locked with the help of lugs, which moved in different directions and locked the cartridge in the barrel; the lugs diverged to the sides when the firing pin passed between them. After the shot, the cartridge case was thrown down.
Machine gun barrel DP-27 had 6 grooves and was located in the receiver, which provided protection for the shooter from burns during shooting. Until 1938, the barrel had 26 transverse ribs on top to increase the cooling rate, but practice has shown that this is not very effective; these vertical ribs can be seen on the tank and aviation versions of the Degtyarev machine gun. The machine gun was automatic, which allowed it to fire only in bursts. The machine gun has an automatic safety lock on the neck of the butt - firing is possible after grasping it. Removable bipods were placed on the casing.
The 47-round disc was used from the Fedorov-Shpagin machine gun, which was not accepted for service. The design of the disk for that time was very successful, since the 7.62 cartridges had rims and each cartridge in the disk fit into its own separate place and did not cling with the edge of the bottom to another cartridge, as happened in carob magazines. Also, with the help of its front sight, the disk informed the fighter approximately how many cartridges were left in the disk. If necessary, the magazine could be disassembled and cleaned of dirt. Discs were carried in steel boxes or fabric bags; the box was designed for 3 discs. The disadvantage of discs is their weight and size, but given the fact that in the “yard” of the 1920s you can turn a blind eye to this. To speed up the recharging of disks, a Barkov device was created, which was not widespread in the army.
The machine gun was equipped with a sector sight for 1500 meters with 15 divisions, 100 meters each. The front sight at the end of the barrel was protected by side lugs
Butt Degtyarev machine gun made of wood, which contained an oil can and spare parts for maintaining the machine gun.
The machine gun showed good accuracy when firing. So, in short bursts of 4-6 rounds of bullets, the bullets fell within a radius of 17 cm at a distance of 100 meters, at 200 meters at a radius of 35 cm, at 500 meters at a radius of 850 cm, at 1000 meters at a radius of 160 cm. Accuracy increased with smaller bursts .
The production of Degtyarev machine guns was carried out by the Kovrov Arms Plant (State Union Plant named after K.O. Kirkizh, Plant No. 2 of the People's Commissariat of Arms, since 1949 - Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev). So in 192-1929, 6,600 machine guns were manufactured (500 tank, 2,000 aviation and 4,000 infantry). After testing 13 machine guns for survivability in March-April 1930, Fedorov concluded that the resource DP-27 is 75,000-100,000 shots, and the firing pins and ejectors have a lifespan of 25,000-30,000 shots. By the beginning of 1941 there were 39,000 in the army Degtyarev machine guns various modifications. Also DP produced at the Arsenal plant in besieged Leningrad. In 1941, 45,300 DP machine guns were put into service, in 1942-172 00, in 1943-250,000, in 1944-179,700. On May 9, there were 390,000 in the troops Degtyarev machine guns, 427,500 machine guns were believed to be lost during the fighting.
On October 14, 1944, the DP was replaced by a modernized version of the DPM machine gun, as well as a modernized tank version of the DTM. On January 1, 1945, the production of DP and DT was stopped. The combat return spring was modernized and moved from the half-barrel, where it was subject to overheating and lost its properties, to the rear of the receiver. The stock has been replaced with a more simple form, and along with it a pistol grip appeared on the machine gun. The fuse was automatically replaced with a flag fuse on the right side. The barrel is more quickly detachable in combat conditions. The bipods became non-removable, which reduced the risk of losing them on the march or during battle.
Modification of the modernized DP-27
In 1944, a modernized version of the machine gun was born. DP under the symbol GAU-56-R-321M. New machine gun got a layoff DPM (Degtyarev Infantry Modernized). A type of modernization included a combat-return spring, which began to be placed in the trigger frame and partially protruded above the butt. Location return spring solved the problem with the loss of its properties due to overheating by the barrel. A pistol grip was also installed, and instead of an automatic safety, a flag safety was installed. The bipods on the modernized machine gun were not removable, which ensured better stability during shooting and their loss during operation. Also, quick replacement of the barrel during combat has become convenient. The stock was replaced with a more familiar and comfortable one. With all the modernization performance characteristics have not undergone any changes.
And its modifications became the most popular machine guns for the USSR Armed Forces for several decades. The machine gun received its first baptism of fire during the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway, where it immediately showed itself on the good side and which served to increase its production. Also, before the start of the Second World War, the machine gun fought in Spain and took part in the Winter War against the Finns. The Finns received approximately 3000 diesel engines and 150 diesel engines for service Finnish army by the end of WWII, there were about 9000 DP, where it remained in service until the 1960s under the designation 762 PK D (7.62 pk/ven.) and DT - 762 PK D PSV (7.62 pk/ven. psv.). During the Second World War, the DP machine gun crew had two people; sometimes the crews were supplemented by two more soldiers to carry cartridges. The DP had good fire efficiency from a machine gun already at 600 meters, and it was possible to open fire on the enemy at 800 meters, the rate of fire during the battle was 80 rounds per minute, long bursts of fire were carried out in exceptional cases, as a rule, shooting was carried out in short bursts of 2-3 cartridge.
The machine gun turned out to be very reliable, which confirms that in addition to the Finns, it was used by the Germans under the designation “7.62mm leichte Maschinengewehr 120(r).” During the Second World War it was in service with the Romanian and Bulgarian armies. Even today you can often find it in the news.
On the basis of the DP-27 machine gun, the DShK, RP-46, and RPD machine guns were born. Of which the DShK still consists and continues to be produced in many countries around the world, and the RPD can often be seen in the hands of militants.
| Number of shots | 47 rounds 2.85 kg |
| Barrel diameter | 7.62x54mm sample 1908-1930 |
| Combat rate of fire | 80 rounds per minute |
| Maximum rate of fire | 600 rounds per minute |
| Sighting range | 1000 meters |
| Maximum firing range | 3000 meters |
| Effective shooting | 600 meters |
| starting speed departure | 840 m/s |
| Automation | gas outlet |
| Weight | 8.5 kg - empty, 11.5 kg with disc and bag |
| Dimensions | 1272 mm |
