Magazine Capacity:47 rounds
Rate of Fire:600rpm
Muzzle Velocity:840m/s
Production time:144 hours
No. of tolerance measurements:260
No. of Operations:553
Designed by: Vasiliy A. Degtyarev (1880-1947)
V. A. Degtyarev started his design career in 1906, working under the direction of Vladimir Fedorov on an automatic rifle.
In 1916 V. Degtyarev designed his first rifle, and automatic carbine that was gas operated and locked the bolt by
way of displacing lugs on the side of the bolt in the walls of the receiver. During the Civil war Degtyarev worked in the Kovrov factory
organizing production of the Fedorov Avtomat, and then, with Vladimir Fedorov worked to create light and aircraft
machineguns.
Over his career V. Degtarev had several of his designs accepted for service with the Red Army, he was also a contributer to many other designs.
These included: the DP-27 light machinegun, DS-39 machinegun, PPD-40 Sub-machinegun, DK-33 heavy machinegun (which was improved by Georgiy Shpagin
in 1938 to form the DShK which is still in service), RPD machinegun and the PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle.
For his contribution to the Soviet Union, Degtyarev rasied to the army rank of major-general. He also became a Hero of Socialist Labour and
received a doctorate of technical sciences and was USSR State Prize Laureate four times. He was awarded three Orders of Lenin, Order of Suvorov
(first and Second class), an Order of the Red Banner of Labour an Order of the Red Star.
History:
Degtyarev started work on his light machine gun design in 1923, of his own initiative as current military
thinking was that light machineguns were a temporary phenomenon.
In July 1924 a commission from the Red Army Small Arms committee tested Degtyarev's light machinegun. The
report praised "the outstanding originality of the idea, the great operational reliability and rapid fire capability
and the simple handling of Comrade Degtyarev's system". Following the report, it was decided by the committee to
give priority to the completion of the prototype.
Degtyarev completed the final design for trial in November 1926. During the trial about 20,000 rounds were fired
through each of the two prototypes. After every 300 rounds the guns were immersed in water to cool them down
and after every 600, the action was lubricated. To test reliablity, one gun fired 2,600 rounds without lubrication
with no stoppages occuring. Based on the resaults of the trials the trial weapons were sent back to Degtyarev
with recommendations for improvements. After further trials, the light machinegun was recommended for adopation
on the 21st December 1927.
The DP-27 served as the standard light machinegun of the Red Army for the duration of World War Two. In 1944 the design
was modernised as the DPM. The basic changes were removal of the recoil spring from under the barrel and into the rear
rear of the receiver, the addition of a pistol grip and improvements on the bi-pod. The design was improved again in
1946 by altering it to accept belt feed.
In addition the design was modified to serve as the standard tank machine gun, called the DT. Operation:
The DP-27 is gas operated design that fires from a open bolt. The gas is bleed off the barrel from a port on the underside of the barrel, half way up.
The bolt is locked by locking lugs on the side of the bolt that engage in the side of the receiver as it moves forward. The movement of the locking lugs
is controlled by the firing pin, so the weapon will only fire when the bolt is properly locked.
There is no manual safety, instead there is a leaver behind the trigger that needs to be held down to enable the trigger to move. There is no provision for
select fire, so only full-auto is possible.
The 47 round magazine sits on the top of the receiver and spent shells are ejected straight down. Two protrusions on the front of the magazine slot under a
catch on the barrel jacket and it is locked in place by the magazine release which also acts to protect the rear sight.
The DP-27 has a quick change barrel, cock the weapon, press the locking stud on the left of the receiver, give the barrel a quarter twist clockwise and
pull the barrel forward and out of the barrel jacket.
