DShK

DShK
DShKM
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1938–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Winter War World War II Korean War Chinese Civil War First Indochina War Operation Trikora Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Dhofar Rebellion Cambodian Civil War Cambodian-Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Six-Day War Yom Kippur War Iran–Iraq War The Troubles Lebanese Civil War Gulf War Yugoslav Wars Kargil War Iraq War Afghan War Cambodian–Thai border dispute Syrian Civil War Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Linda Nchi 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine South African Border War
Production history
Designer	Vasily Degtyaryov, Georgi Shpagin
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	Tula
Unit cost	$2,250 USD (2012)
Number built	1 million
Variants	DK, DShKM, DSHKS, Type 54 HMG
Specifications
Weight	34 kg (74.96 lb) (gun only) 157 kg (346.13 lb) on wheeled mounting
Length	1,625 mm (64.0 in)
Barrel length	1,070 mm (42.1 in)
Cartridge	12.7×108mm
Action	Gas-operated, flapper-locked
Rate of fire	600 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,788 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,000 m
Maximum firing range	2,500 m
Feed system	50 round belt
Sights	Iron/Optical

The DShK 1938 (ДШК, for Дегтярёва-Шпагина Крупнокалиберный, Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny, 'Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Calibre') is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7×108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield. It took its name from the weapons designers Vasily Degtyaryov, who designed the original weapon, and Georgi Shpagin, who improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed Dashka (familiar form of female name Daria) in Russian-speaking countries, from the abbreviation.

The requirement for a heavy machine gun appeared in 1929. The first such gun, the Degtyaryov, Krupnokalibernyi (DK, Degtyaryov, Large calibre), was built in 1930 and this gun was produced in small quantities from 1933 to 1935.

The gun was fed from a drum magazine of only thirty rounds, and had a poor rate of fire. Shpagin developed a belt feed mechanism to fit to the DK giving rise, in 1938, to the adoption of the gun as the DShK 1938. This became the standard Soviet heavy machine gun in World War II.

Like its U.S. equivalent, the M2 Browning, the DShK 1938 was used in several roles. As an anti-aircraft weapon it was mounted on pintle and tripod mounts, and on a triple mount on the GAZ-AA truck. Late in the war, it was mounted on the cupolas of IS-2 tanks and ISU-152 self-propelled guns. As an infantry heavy support weapon it used a two-wheeled trolley which unfolded into a tripod for anti-aircraft use, similar to the mount developed by Vladimirov for the 1910 Maxim gun. It was also mounted in vehicle turrets, for example, in the T-40 light amphibious tank.

In 1946, the DShK 1938/46 or DShKM (M for modernized) version was introduced.

In addition to the Soviet Union and Russia, the DShK has been manufactured under license by a number of countries, including the People's Republic of China, Pakistan and Romania. Today, it has been mostly replaced in favour of the more modern NSV and Kord designs. Nevertheless, the DShK is still one of the most widely used heavy machine guns.

...
Wikipedia