Dp 27 sizes. Degtyarev light machine gun

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 are still one of the most formidable weapons.

"Pakla's gun"

Attempts to increase the rate of fire firearms undertaken repeatedly, but before the advent of the unitary cartridge, they 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 far beyond the automatic manipulation of the gun.

One of the many experimental designs was the so-called "Pakla gun". The weapon was a rifle mounted on a tripod with a cylinder with 11 charges acting as a magazine. The calculation of the gun consisted of several people. With coordinated actions of the calculation and the absence of 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 combat, but due to the unreliability of this weapon, this weapon was not widely used. This system illustrates the desire to increase firepower rifle fire by increasing the rate of fire.

Machine gun "Lewis"

light machine gun The Lewis was developed in the United States by Samuel McClen and was used as a manual 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 are enough long time were held 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 the frequent imitation of the Lewis machine gun in the form of a "camouflaged DP-27" is very common. A genuine Lewis machine gun is captured, for example, in the film "White Sun of the Desert" (with the exception of shooting shots).

Machine gun "Hotchkiss"

During the First World War, the Hotchkiss machine gun became the main machine gun of the French army. Only in 1917, with the spread of light machine guns, did its production 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. Limited "Hotchkiss" was delivered before the First World War and to Russia, where a significant part of these machine guns was lost during the 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 The Quiet Flows the Don, which shows the Cossacks attacking German positions, which from a historical point of view may not be typical, but acceptable.

Maxim machine gun

Maxim's 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 Russian-Japanese 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 machine gun. The main disadvantages of the easel version of "Maxim" were excessively large mass and water cooling of the barrel. Only in 1943 was the Goryunov machine gun adopted, which by the end of the war began to gradually replace the Maxim. In the initial period of the war, the production of "Maxims" not only did not decrease, but, on the contrary, increased and, in addition to Tula, was deployed in Izhevsk and Kovrov.

Since 1942, machine guns have been produced only with a receiver for canvas tape. Production legendary weapons was discontinued in our country only in the victorious 1945.

MG-34

The German machine gun MG-34 has a very difficult story adoption, but, nevertheless, this sample 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 machine, as well as as an anti-aircraft and tank gun.

A small mass gave the weapon high maneuverability, which, combined with a high rate of fire, made it one of the best infantry machine guns of the beginning of 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 with a number of countries.

DP-27

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

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

During operation, a number of shortcomings were also identified - a small magazine capacity (47 rounds) and an unfortunate location under the barrel of a return spring, which was deformed from frequent firing. 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. receiver, although general principle work of this sample has not changed. The new machine gun (DPM) since 1945 began to enter the troops. 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.

Breda machine gun 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, has collected their maximum number.

Firstly, an unsuccessful store and only 20 rounds, which is clearly not enough for a machine gun. Secondly, each cartridge must be lubricated with oil from a special oiler. 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 great complexity in production and a low rate of fire for a light machine gun. To top it off, there is no handle for carrying the machine gun. Nonetheless, this system was the main machine gun Italian army in World War II.

Appearance on Russian market hunting rifled weapons of "civilized" machine guns "Maxim" and DP-27 caused a whole wave of emotions in Runet. Probably, only the lazy did not speak out about hunting with a DP machine gun and, especially, with the Maxim.

Although, in accordance with federal law"On Weapons", citizens of Russia have the right to own only rifled hunting weapons. The phrases “historical rifled weapon”, “conversion rifled weapon”, “Victory rifled weapon” and so on are simply not in the law. Therefore, if a gun 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 "enclosed" in a hunting weapon is absolutely legal, it can shoot and please the owner with all whole parts without traces of cutters and welding. The only drawback may be the need to keep 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 fans and collectors.

The sample that got into our store was released in the distant military year of 1943 in Kovrov. In 2014, at the Vyatsko-Polyansky Molot-Arms, it was converted into a DP-O (hunting).

By the standards of the late 1920s - early 1930s, for a light machine gun chambered for a powerful cartridge for the Mosin rifle ( modern designation cartridge 7.62 * 54R) DP-27 was very light and maneuverable. Its weight with 47 rounds equipped with a disk magazine was 11 kg 820 grams. Later, due to the abolition of a number of technological operations, the mass of the machine gun began to be almost 12 kg.

Automation works on the principle of removing part of the powder gases from the bore, locking is carried out by two lugs, which were bred to the sides when the massive drummer moved forward. Due to the long travel of the moving parts and their mass, the DP-27 had a fairly low rate of fire (500-600 shots / min.) This made it possible to better control the machine gun during firing, significantly reduce the overexpenditure 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 the shot, the bolt of the machine gun is in its rearmost position. When the trigger is pressed, the bolt carrier with the bolt under the action of the reciprocating mainspring intensively move forward, the bolt captures the cartridge from the disk magazine, sends it into the chamber and immediately the massive drummer pierces the primer. There is a shot. The powder gases discharged from the bore act on the bolt carrier, throwing it to the rearmost position, simultaneously extracting the spent cartridge case down. Having reached the extreme rear position, the moving parts move forward again to produce the next shot. This will be until the magazine remains cartridges 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, an uncoupler is installed between the trigger and the sear. Therefore, after pressing the trigger and firing, the bolt carrier with the bolt will roll back to its rearmost position and remain fixed by the sear. To fire the next shot, you will need to release and pull the trigger again.

Fully satisfying the pre-war requirements of the Red Army, the DP-27 became the most massive machine gun of the Great Patriotic War. However, the operation on the Karelian-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 shroud. From heating, the spring lost its elastic properties, which led to rapid wear of the weapon.

The barrel of the machine gun is interchangeable, 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 red-hot barrel was held very tightly in the seat. Spare barrels for the DP-27 were also not supposed to. However, at the time of the development of the machine gun in the late 1920s, the replacement of the barrel for a light machine gun was not required according to the terms of reference.

DP-27 and DP-O do not have manual safety devices. Initially, the DP-27 was equipped with an automatic safety, the key of which was located immediately behind the trigger guard. When covering the handle of the machine gun, the fuse is automatically turned off.

In any case, even with intensive shooting of the DP-O, there is no danger of overheating the spring, since the kit comes with only one disk magazine with a limiter for 10 rounds. Before being stored by the RF Ministry of Defense, the machine gun springs were proactively replaced with new ones, the mirror gap was verified and, if necessary, a repair stamp was put.

Note also the presence complete set gun accessories. In addition to a special key for servicing the machine gun, the kit includes a massive three-knee ramrod with a handle, a spare brush for the oiler, 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 hallmarks and markings civilian weapons, as well as one "extra" screw in the cover of the disk magazine, the DP-O looks no different from the legendary DP-27!

As well as a number of other "civilized" models from the warehouses of the RF Ministry of Defense, DP-27 in the form of DP-O can be an excellent and fully functional addition to any collection.

Light machine gun DP-27- automatic weapon of caliber 7.62, created by designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, to equip the Red Army with machine guns of domestic production, is a group weapon of the rifle squad, designed to destroy manpower, fire weapons and unarmored enemy vehicles.
Until the end of the 20s. of the last century in Russia there was no light machine gun of its own design. During the First World War, the needs of the troops were met by the purchase of foreign samples. Inherited from tsarist Russia The Red Army did not get a large number of 8 and 7.62 mm Madsen machine guns arr. 1903, 8 mm Shosh machine guns mod. 1915, 7.71 and 7.62 mm Lewis machine guns mod. 1915, 8 mm Hotchkiss machine gun mod. 1909 By the mid-20s. 20th century these samples were considered obsolete and abroad were significantly upgraded by developers or replaced by new systems. The inability to replenish spare parts and imported cartridges every year steadily reduced the number of machine guns in the troops. In this regard, at the state level, it was decided to announce a competition for the development of their own light machine gun. After carrying out comparative tests (in which, in addition to him, Kolesnikov took part with a light machine gun, also created on the basis of the "Maxim", and with a prototype of the DP), the 7.62 mm Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun was adopted by the Red Army in May 1925 with air-cooled barrel (according to some reports, no more than 500 copies of this machine gun were manufactured). This machine gun was not light enough and mobile enough, besides, due to significant alterations, it was not possible for short time set up mass production. For everyone, the need to create a completely new system of original design was quite obvious. The competition for a new light machine gun was announced again.
In 1927, it was put up for the competition, designed in 1926, which won over other competitive samples in terms of a set of indicators and was adopted by the Red Army, at the time of its appearance it significantly exceeded all foreign analogues. Degtyarev immediately raised the bar for the reliability of domestic small arms, setting a benchmark for the next generation of weapon designers. Also, this model has become the basis for the creation of aviation and tank modifications.
The automatic machine gun works at the expense of the energy of the powder gases discharged from the bore through the side hole. The trigger mechanism of the striker-type USM machine gun allowed only automatic fire. There was no conventional fuse; instead, an automatic fuse was located on the handle, which turned off when the hand covered the neck of the butt. The fire was fired from fixed folding bipods. Sights open type consist of a front sight and a sector sight, the base of which is the body of the magazine latch, the location of the front sight.
Food was supplied from flat disc stores - "plates", in which the cartridges were located in one layer, with bullets to the center of the disc, the magazine capacity was 47 cartridges. This design provided a reliable supply of cartridges with a protruding rim, but it also had significant drawbacks: a large dead weight of the magazine (empty weight - 1.6 kg, equipped - 2.7 kg), inconvenience in transportation and the tendency of magazines to damage in combat conditions. The rate of fire ranged from 500 to 600 rounds per minute, starting speed bullet flight 840 m / s (cartridge with a light bullet), aiming range 1500 m.
In rifle units, the DP was first introduced into the rifle platoon, but soon became a group automatic weapons rifle department. The calculation of the DP consisted of two people - a machine gunner (gunner) and his assistant (sometimes called the second number). The assistant carried stores in an iron box for three disks or in a canvas bag. The calculation of a machine gun with 1-2 fighters allocated for a tray of cartridges could carry 9 magazines "on itself". In the cavalry, DPs were introduced into saber squads, in artillery - into batteries (for self-defense and air defense).
The DP's baptism of fire took place in the border units of the OGPU in Manchuria - during the Soviet-Chinese conflict of 1929 on the CER. As part of the OGPU troops, the machine gun also fought with bands of Basmachi in Central Asia. DP was used by the Red Army in the fighting on Lake Khasan in 1938, on the Khalkhin-Gol River in 1939, "participated" in civil war in Spain, in China, in 1939-1940. fought on the Karelian Isthmus. So by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the machine gun had already passed combat tests in a variety of conditions. On June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 170,400 light machine guns.
DP-27 and DPM were used not only by the Red Army and allies, but also by their opponents. The DP-27 was most widely used in Finland, which, having received in the course of winter war as trophies a large number of DP-27, stopped the production of its own machine guns. DP-27 was so widespread in Finnish army that in Suomi they even launched the production of stores and spare parts for Degtyarev machine guns. By 1944, the Finnish army had about 9,000 DP machine guns. In the post-war period, it remained in service with the Finnish army, where it received the name 7.62 RK D (7.62 pk / ven.) And was actively used until the 60s. Later, the machine gun was widely used to train reservists. In Finland, the DP-27 was nicknamed "Emma" (as they say by the name of the popular waltz - apparently, the disk store reminded them of a gramophone record). And the DT machine gun (7,62 RK D PSV (7,62 pk / ven. psv.)) became the main tank machine gun of the Finnish army and was operated for many years after the war. In the Wehrmacht, captured DP-27 samples were used under the designation "7,62mm leichte Maschinengewehr 120(r)".
At the end of the war, the DP machine gun and its modernized version of the PDM, created based on the experience of military operations in 1943-44, were removed from service. Soviet army, and were widely supplied to "friendly" USSR countries and regimes, having been noted in the wars in Korea, Vietnam and others. Based on the experience gained in the Second World War, it became clear that the infantry needed a single machine gun, combining increased firepower with high mobility.
The weapon created by Degtyarev successfully passed combat tests on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Even now, the DP-27 and PDM are periodically used in local conflicts around the world. Sources used:
1.weapons-of-war.ucoz.ru
2.eragun.com
3.weaponland.ru
4. brave-hamster.livejournal.com

The next prototype Degtyarev was presented in the fall of 1926 and, after refinement, was tested by the Artkom commission. Artillery Directorate Red Army at the Kovrov plant January 17-21, 1927. The machine gun was recognized as "passing the test." Without waiting for the results of improvements, it was decided to issue an order for one hundred machine guns.

first ten serial machine guns DP were made on Kovrov plant On November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred to military trials, 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 them. V.A. Degtyarev). 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 number 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 was designated PDM("Degtyarev infantry modernized", GAU index - 56-R-321M). In general, all combat, tactical and specifications remained the same.

The main differences between DP and PDM:

• the reciprocating mainspring from under the barrel, where it heated up and gave a draft, was transferred to the back of the receiver (they tried to move the spring back in 1931, this can be seen from 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 butt plate, which protruded above the neck of the butt. In this regard, the coupling was excluded, and the rod was made as a single piece with the piston. In addition, the order of disassembly has changed - now it was started with a guide tube and a reciprocating mainspring. The same changes were made to the Degtyarev tank machine gun (DTM). This made it possible to disassemble the machine gun and fix minor malfunctions without removing it from the ball mount;
• simplified the shape of the butt;
• installed a pistol grip in the form of a slope, which was welded to the trigger guard, and two wooden cheeks, fastened to it with screws;
• on a light machine gun, instead of an automatic fuse, a non-automatic flag fuse was introduced, similar to the Degtyarev tank machine gun - the beveled axis of the fuse pin was under the trigger lever. Locking occurred at the front position of the flag. This fuse was more reliable, as it acted on a sear, which made it safer to carry a loaded machine gun;
• the leaf spring in the ejection mechanism was replaced by a helical coil spring. The ejector was installed in the bolt socket, and a pin was used to hold it, which also served as its axis;
• folding bipods were made integral, and the mounting hinges were moved somewhat back and higher relative to the axis of the bore. A clamp of two welded plates was installed on the upper part of the casing, which formed lugs for attaching the bipod legs with screws. The bipods have become stronger. To replace their trunk, it was not required to separate.

Design and principle of operation

The DP light machine gun is an automatic weapon based on the removal of powder gases and magazine-fed. The gas engine has a long stroke piston and a gas regulator located under the barrel.

The barrel itself is quick-change, partially hidden by a protective cover and equipped with a conical removable flash hider. The barrel sometimes could not withstand intense shooting: since it was thin-walled, it quickly heated up (especially on later issues, in which the barrel was made without a finned radiator for simplicity), and in order not to put the machine gun out of action, it was necessary to shoot in short bursts (combat machine gun rate of fire - up to 80 rounds per minute). Changing the barrel directly during the battle was difficult: it required a special key to remove its lock and protect hands from burns.

The barrel was locked by two lugs, bred to the sides when the striker moved forward. After the bolt comes to the forward position, the bolt carrier continues to move, while the widened middle part of the drummer connected to it, acting from the inside on the rear parts of the lugs, spreads them to the sides, into the grooves of the receiver, firmly locking the bolt. After the shot, the bolt frame under the action of the gas piston begins to move backward. In this case, the drummer is retracted, and the special bevels of the frame reduce the lugs, disengaging them from the receiver and unlocking the bolt. The return spring was located under the barrel and overheated during intense fire, losing elasticity, which was one of the relatively few, but significant shortcomings of the DP machine gun. In addition, the lugs required a precise fit to achieve symmetrical locking (which was not a significant disadvantage in practice).

Food was supplied from flat disk magazines - "plates", in which the cartridges were located around the circumference, with bullets towards the center of the disk. This design ensured a reliable supply of cartridges with a protruding rim, but it also had significant drawbacks: large dimensions and weight of an empty magazine, inconvenience in transporting and loading, as well as the possibility of damage to the magazine in battle conditions due to its tendency to deform. The magazine capacity was initially 49 rounds, later 47 rounds with increased reliability were introduced. Three magazines were attached to the machine gun with a metal box for carrying them.

It should be noted that, although outwardly the DP store resembles the Lewis machine gun store, in fact it is a completely different design in terms of the principle of operation; for example, in Lewis, the cartridge disc is rotated due to the energy of the shutter transmitted to it by a complex system of levers, and in DP, due to a pre-cocked spring in the store itself.

USM machine gun allowed only automatic fire from an open shutter. It was made in the form of a removable module, attached to the box with a transverse pin. There was no conventional fuse; instead, an automatic fuse was made in the form of a key, which turned off when the hand covered the neck of the butt. When conducting intense fire, the need to constantly hold the safety key pressed tired the shooter, and the rifle-type butt did not contribute to a strong hold of the weapon when firing in bursts. The design of the USM block of the DT tank machine gun, which had a conventional fuse and a pistol grip, turned out to be more successful. The modernized version of the machine gun - PDM - received a similar DT USM unit, also a non-automatic fuse, in addition to the native automatic one, was introduced into the design of Finnish DPs in the process of their overhaul.

The fire from the DP was fired from removable bipods, which in the heat of battle were sometimes lost due to unsuccessful attachment or became loose, which, in turn, significantly worsened the ease of use of the machine gun. Therefore, non-removable bipods were introduced on the DPM. The ejection of spent cartridges was carried out down.

In July 1942, a silencer was tested SG-42("Special silencer arr. 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 muffling of the sound of a shot. At the end of 1942, the SG-42 was submitted for testing with an internal diameter of the channel reduced from 16 to 14.5 mm, it was put into service. Post-war tests of these silencers in February-March 1948 showed the inexpediency of their further operation, since they did not provide the required fail-safe operation of the DP and PDM 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, in cavalry - into saber squads. In both cases, a light machine gun, along with a rifle grenade launcher, was the main support weapon. During the exercises and hostilities, the machine gun was served by two people: the shooter and his assistant, who carried the box with 3 discs. Also, when firing from a prone position, a long tape was tied to the machine gun with both ends, and the fighter, pulling it with his foot, pressed the butt to his shoulder more strongly. Thus, the vibrations of the machine gun decreased and the accuracy of shooting increased. DT machine gun mounted on motorcycles M-72. The design of fastening the machine gun to the carriage made it possible to fire even at aircraft. However, this method of fighting aircraft was not very convenient: it was necessary to stop for shooting, then the fighter got out of the wheelchair and from the “sitting” position fired at 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 to warehouses.

The DP machine gun quickly gained popularity, as it successfully combined the power of fire and maneuverability.

However, along with the advantages, the machine gun also had some disadvantages that manifested themselves during operation. First of all, this concerned the inconvenience of operation and the features of the equipment of the disk magazine. The quick replacement of the overheated barrel was complicated by the lack of a handle on it, as well as the need to separate the flash hider 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 unit, but together with an open bolt carrier increased the likelihood of dusting on sandy soils. The clogging of the gas piston socket and the screwing of its head caused the moving part to not reach the forward extreme position. However, the machine gun showed a fairly high reliability. The fastening of the antabok and bipod was unreliable and created additional catchy details 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 settled back, turned and fixed again. It was possible to fire while moving only using a belt, and the lack of a forearm and a large magazine made such shooting inconvenient. The machine gunner put on a belt in the form of a loop around his neck, fastened it in front of the magazine to the cutout of the casing with a swivel, and a mitten was needed to hold the machine gun by the casing.

Video

DP light machine gun:

The light machine gun DP (Degtyarev, infantry) was adopted by the Red Army in 1927 and became one of the first designs created from scratch in the young Soviet state. The machine gun turned out to be quite successful and reliable, and as the main weapon of fire support for infantry, the platoon-company link was massively used until the end of World War II. At the end of the war, the DP machine gun and its modernized version of the DPM, created based on the experience of military operations in 1943-44, were removed from service with the Soviet Army, and were widely supplied to countries and regimes "friendly" of the USSR, having noted in the wars in Korea, Vietnam and others.

Based on the experience gained in the Second World War, it became clear that the infantry needed a single machine gun, combining increased firepower with high mobility. As an ersatz substitute for a single machine gun in a company link based on more early developments in 1946, the RP-46 light machine gun was created and put into service, which was a modification of the DPM for belt feeding, which, coupled with a weighted barrel, provided greater firepower while maintaining acceptable maneuverability. Nevertheless, the RP-46 did not become a single machine gun, being used only from bipods, and from the mid-1960s it was gradually forced out of the SA infantry weapon system by a new, more modern single Kalashnikov machine gun - PK. Like previous models, the RP-46 was widely exported and also produced abroad, including in China, under the designation Type 58.

The DP light machine gun is an automatic weapon with automatics based on the removal of powder gases and magazine-fed. The gas engine has a long stroke piston and a gas regulator located under the barrel. The barrel itself is quick-change, partially hidden by a protective cover and equipped with a conical removable flame arrester. Barrel locking - two lugs, bred to the sides when the drummer moves forward. After the bolt comes to the forward position, the ledge on the bolt carrier hits the back of the firing pin and starts to move it forward. At the same time, the widened middle part of the drummer, acting from the inside on the rear parts of the lugs, spreads them to the sides, into the grooves of the receiver, rigidly locking the bolt. After the shot, the bolt frame, under the action of a gas proshn, begins to move backward. In this case, the drummer is retracted, and special bevels reduce the lugs, disengaging them from the receiver and unlocking the bolt. The return spring was located under the barrel and, with intense fire, overheated and lost elasticity, which was one of the few drawbacks of the DP machine gun.

Food was supplied from flat disk magazines - “plates”, in which the cartridges were located in one layer, with bullets towards the center of the disk. This design provided a reliable supply of cartridges with a protruding rim, but it also had significant drawbacks: a large dead weight of the magazine, inconvenience in transportation, and a tendency for magazines to be damaged in battle conditions. USM machine gun allowed only automatic fire. There was no conventional fuse; instead, an automatic fuse was located on the handle, which turned off when the hand covered the neck of the butt. The fire was fired from fixed folding bipods.
Based on the experience of the first half of the Patriotic War, the DP was modernized and from 1944 was adopted as the PDM. The main differences between the PDM were the return spring transferred to the rear of the receiver, the pistol grip for fire control, the usual non-automatic fuse and a more durable bipod with a modified mount to the barrel casing. The DPM machine gun was used until the end of the war, however, its disk magazines had too many shortcomings, and therefore it was replaced by a combination of a squad-level light machine gun and an RPD platoon chambered for a new intermediate cartridge of 7.62x39 mm and an RP-46 company machine gun chambered for rifle cartridge 7 .62x54 mm R.

The RP-46 machine gun largely repeats the design of the PDM, differing from it in a heavier, massive barrel, a redesigned gas regulator and an added carrying handle. The main difference was the addition of a tape power unit to the design. In order not to make significant changes to the proven design of the DPM, the belt feed assembly was made as a separate module installed in place of the disk magazine. At the same time, this module can be removed and the RP-46 could be used with disk magazines from DP / PDM. The tape feed unit was driven through a loading handle rigidly connected to the bolt frame, located on the right. A special bracket was located on the tape feed unit, which was put on the loading handle, and when it moved during firing, it moved along with the handle. The tape receiving and tape output openings of the RP-46 were closed with spring-loaded covers to protect against dust and dirt, removing spent cartridges carried out, as in the DP / PDM, down through the window in the bolt carrier and receiver.