RP-46

DP Machine Gun
DP
Type	Light machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1928–1960s (USSR)
Used by	See Users
Wars	Spanish Civil War Winter War World War II Second Sino-Japanese War Korean War Chinese Civil War First Indochina War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian-Vietnamese War Rhodesian Bush War Sino-Vietnamese War Yugoslav Wars Somali Civil War 2011 Libyan civil war Syrian civil war
Production history
Designer	Vasily Degtyaryov
Designed	1927
Produced	1928–1950s (USSR)
Number built	795,000 (all variants)
Variants	DP DPT DPM DPA DTM-4 RP-46 Type 53
Specifications
Weight	9.12 kg (20.11 lb) (unloaded) 11.5 kg (25 lb) (loaded)
Length	DP, DPM – 1,270 mm (50.0 in) RP-46 – 1,272 mm (50.1 in)
Barrel length	DP, DPM – 604 mm (23.8 in) RP-46 – 605 mm (23.8 in)
Cartridge	7.62×54mmR
Action	Gas-Operated
Rate of fire	550 rpm 2400 rpm (DTM-4)
Muzzle velocity	840 m/s (2,755 ft/s)
Effective firing range	800 m (874.9 yd)
Feed system	47-round pan 60-round pan (DT & DTM) belt feed (RP-46) 30-round overhead box magazine (PD-36 and DTM-4)
Sights	Empty circle

The Degtyaryov machine gun (Russian: Пулемёт Дегтярёвa Пехотный Pulemyot Degtyaryova Pekhotny "Degtyaryov's infantry machine gun") or DP is a light machine gun firing the 7.62×54mmR cartridge that was used primarily by the Soviet Union starting in 1928. The DP machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modern RPD machine gun and entirely replaced in Soviet service by the general purpose PK machine gun in the 1960s.

The DP-27 was an improvement of the earlier DP-26, both designed by Vasily Degtyaryov. The DP-27 was relatively cheap and easy to manufacture – early models had fewer than 80 parts. The DP was especially able to withstand dirt in a reliable fashion. In tests it was buried in sand and mud and was still capable of firing more than 500 rounds. One of the DP's main drawbacks though was its bipod; it could not withstand much abuse and broke easily. Furthermore, the recoil spring was located under the barrel, around the gas piston; this was one of the design problems of the DP, since the spring tended to lose its temper due to overheating. Also, the only magazine option, a pan with 47 rounds that fed in from the top, was relatively small and continuous fire for long periods could not be relied on as much as contemporary belt-fed weapons. The ammunition was troublesome for automatic fire. Degtyarov had to use a flat pan magazine, which could feed those cartridges reliably, but was too heavy itself, uncomfortable to carry and prone to damage. Due to the design of the magazine, reloading an empty magazine with cartridges took a very long time. A redeeming factor was that the DP's lower cyclic rate of fire did reduce the risk of barrel overheating.

Despite its numerous problems, the DP had a reputation as a relatively effective light support weapon. It was nicknamed the "Record player" (proigryvatel') by Red Army troops because the disc-shaped pan magazine resembled a gramophone record and its top cover revolved while the weapon was fired. Many were captured by the Finnish army in the Winter War and the Continuation War and partially replaced the Lahti-Saloranta M/26. The DP received the nickname Emma in Finnish service after a popular waltz, again due to the magazine's resemblance to a record player. In the summer of 1944, the Finnish army had about 3400 Finnish-made Lahti-Salorantas and 9000 captured Soviet-made Degtyarevs on the front.

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Wikipedia