Dshk machine gun decoding 12.7 1938. Military history, weapons, old and military maps. Vehicles equipped with these weapons

The USSR created many types of weapons, which to this day are very popular all over the world. These include DShK machine gun. It has been removed from service in our country, but dozens of other countries are actively using it. In my time soviet soldiers gave this machine gun the nickname “Dushka”, transforming its abbreviation into a peaceful one, good name. But in reality it was formidable heavy machine gun, which terrified enemies.

How it all began

At the end of 1925, it turned out that the Red Army was in dire need of a powerful heavy machine gun. The designers were given the task of developing such a weapon, and the caliber had to be chosen within the range of 12-20 millimeters. On a competitive basis and based on test results, the 12.7 mm caliber cartridge was chosen as the main one. But the army command was not too satisfied with the presented weapons, and therefore new prototypes were constantly tested.

So, at the beginning of 1931, two machine guns were tested at once: the “Dreyse system” and the “Degtyarev system”. The commission considered that the sample from Degtyarev deserved attention, since it was much lighter and easier to manufacture. The first attempt at serial production was made in 1932, but the following year only 12 machine guns could be assembled, and in 1934 the production of the DK was completely curtailed. Initially, the DShK machine gun did not cause much enthusiasm among the military.

What happened

But the thing is that the next tests in 1934 revealed one unpleasant feature of the new gun: it turned out that the machine gun was virtually useless to fight even relatively fast targets (especially airborne ones), since the rate of fire was extremely low, and the magazines offered by the manufacturer were so heavy and uncomfortable that even experienced fighters experienced many difficulties when handling them. In 1935, a decree was issued to completely stop all production of DC.

By the way, do you know what the DShK (machine gun) is called correctly? The decoding is simple: “Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber.” Wait, how did the famous Shpagin get here? After all, we are talking about Degtyarev? It's simple.

The position of the practically rejected gun was saved by the outstanding domestic gunsmith G.S. Shpagin, who in 1937 invented a belt feed mechanism, the installation of which did not require any serious alteration of old machine guns. In April of the following year, the new design was successfully tested at the factory, in the winter the sample passed tests with flying colors with honor, and in 1939 the DShK machine gun “officially” appeared.

Information about the technical device

Automation is standard, it works by removing waste powder gases. The gas chamber had three holes of different diameters: using a small regulator, it was possible to flexibly regulate the amount of gases that was transferred directly to the gas piston. On the barrel, along its entire length, there are “ribs” that serve for more uniform and intense heat dissipation.

An active muzzle brake is attached to the muzzle. At first its shape resembled a parachute, but later designers began to use a flat-shaped brake.

The bolt frame is the basis of all automation. The barrel bore was locked using lugs on the bolt, which were moved in different directions. A return spring is mounted on the gas piston rod. Spring shock absorbers in the butt plate not only significantly soften recoil, but also prevent rapid wear of the weapon. In addition, it is they who give the bolt frame the initial return velocity. This ingenious innovation was proposed by Shpagin: this way the designer increased the rate of fire.

Of course, after introducing this device into the design, it was necessary to equip the machine gun with a rebound damping device so that the frame would not “jump” in the extreme forward position.

Reloading and shooting

A handle for reloading the weapon is rigidly coupled to the bolt frame. The mechanism for direct reloading of the machine gun system also interacts with it, but if the machine gunner inserts the cartridge with the head of the cartridge case, he can do without it. Shooting is done from an open bolt.

It should be remembered that the DShK machine gun allows only automatic fire and is equipped with a non-automatic safety lever, the principle of operation of which is based on complete blocking of the trigger.

The bolt, approaching the breech of the barrel, stops completely, while the bolt frame itself continues to move forward. The thickened part of the firing pin cocks the bolt lugs, which fit into special recesses made in the wall receiver. Even after the barrel is locked, the bolt carrier continues to move forward, where its firing pin hits the firing pin. The shutter is unlocked using the bevels of the same frame when it moves backwards.

Ammunition supply mechanism

Power is supplied from the tape. It is metal, link. Served from the left side. The tape is placed in a metal container attached to the machine gun mount. To the machine gun large-caliber DShK a drum belt receiver is mounted, which operates from the bolt frame handle. As it moved backwards, the feed lever was activated and rotated.

A pawl was attached to its other end, which rotated the drum 60 degrees in one step. Accordingly, due to this mechanical energy, the cartridge strip was pulled. The cartridge was removed from it in a side position.

Note that domestic 12.7 mm ammunition has a very wide range of cartridge types that can be used to solve various combat missions.

Sights, shooting at different types of targets

For shooting at ground-based targets, a relatively simple, folding frame sight is used, marked up to a range of 3.5 thousand meters. The anti-aircraft ring sight was adopted for service in 1938. It allowed firing at flying enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 2400 meters, but the target speed should not exceed 500 km/h. In 1941, a significantly simplified sight was adopted.

If it was used, the firing range was reduced to 1800 meters, but the theoretical target could move at speeds of up to 625 km/h. In 1943 appeared new type a sight that made it possible to effectively hit enemy aircraft at any course of their movement, even in cases where the pilot performed a dive or pitch-up. This made it possible to effectively fight attack aircraft, who, as a rule, attacked from a low altitude.

Anti-aircraft variant

How did the anti-aircraft DShK perform? The machine gun turned out to be not so good as a weapon for combating air targets. It's all about an imperfect anti-aircraft machine, which often negated all the advantages of new types of sights.

In particular, it turned out to be insufficiently stable. A limited series of special anti-aircraft machines with convenient bipods and additional sights, but they (due to the difficulties of the war years) never went into production.

Special, balanced anti-aircraft installations. For example, the DShK coaxial machine gun was quite popular. Difficulties with their serial production were associated with the power supply system: without subjecting the weapon to significant alterations, it was impossible to move the tape receiver to the other side. In the case of using built-in installations, all this created serious difficulties for the gun crew.

Production and combat use

The machine guns went into production in 1939. They began to enter the army and navy starting next year. At first, there was a chronic lag between the plan and reality: for example, in 1940, the production of 900 units was planned, while the plant was only able to produce 566 units.

In the first six months of 1941, only 234 DShKs were produced, although at least four thousand units had to be made in just a year. It is not surprising that the army and navy constantly, throughout the war, experienced a chronic shortage of heavy machine guns. Since the need for this type of weapon was greater at sea, 1,146 DShKs were transferred from the army to sailors throughout the war.

However, the situation improved relatively quickly: in 1942 the army already received 7,400 machine guns, and in 1943 and 1944 almost 15 thousand DShKs were produced annually.

What were they used for?

Since there were few machine guns, they became the main type of anti-aircraft weapon: they were not used so often to combat ground targets. However, in the first year of the war, the Wehrmacht constantly threw light tanks and wedges into battle, against which the DShK was a formidable weapon, and therefore machine guns were “requisitioned” from anti-aircraft units.

Later, these weapons began to be transferred to anti-tank units as a matter of routine, as fighters used them to fight off attacks from enemy attack aircraft.

In urban battles, the DShK turned out to be much more in demand specifically for combating enemy personnel. It often happened that it was very difficult to “pick out” Germans from a simple brick house (due to the lack of grenade launchers at that time). But if the assault group was armed with a DShK machine gun, the caliber of which made it possible not to pay special attention to the walls, then the situation changed dramatically for the better.

In service with tankers

Often the machine gun was mounted on domestic tanks. In addition, they installed it on the Soviet armored car BA-64D. A full-fledged turret with a DShK appeared in 1944, with the adoption of the IS-2 heavy tank. In addition, self-propelled guns were often equipped with machine guns, and this was often done by the crew themselves.

It is important to note that there was an acute shortage of domestic machine guns of this system during the war years. In the United States, over the same period, more than 400 thousand units of Browning M2HB alone were produced. It is not surprising that when planning deliveries under Lend-Lease, special attention was paid to heavy machine guns.

Basic performance characteristics

What else characterizes the DShK machine gun? Its characteristics were as follows:

• Cartridge - 12.7x108 mm (domestic variation of the same "Browning").
• The body of the machine gun weighed 33.4 kg (without tape and cartridges).
• With the machine (modification without a shield) the weight was 148 kg.
• The total length of the weapon is 1626 mm.
• The barrel length was 1070 mm.
• Theoretical rate of fire is 550-600 rounds per minute.
• The rate of fire in combat conditions is 80-125 rounds per minute.
• The theoretically possible firing range is 3500 meters.
• The actual range is 1800-2000 meters.
• The thickness of the armor steel to be penetrated is up to 16 mm at a distance of 500 meters.
• Food - link belt, 50 rounds per piece.

These are the characteristics of the DShK (machine gun). Its performance characteristics are such that this weapon is still used in dozens of countries around the world, and various modifications are still produced.

The DShK machine gun entered the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army back in February 1939, but despite the seven decades that have passed since then, it is still present among the staff heavy weapons in many armies. In this article we will briefly outline the history and design features of this outstanding example domestic design thought.

DShK machine gun. Photo. History of creation

A product of the First World War. Initially, they were tasked with fighting the then weakly armored tanks, aircraft and infantry in light shelters. It was precisely these opportunities that the Red Army command craved to receive from the new domestic machine gun, issuing technical specifications for it to the designers. The DShK machine gun was born for ten whole years, one might say, when the most advanced and powerful domestic cartridge for its time, 12.7 x 108, was invented, which, by the way, is still actively used in modern rifle systems. However, for a long time Degtyarev was unable to create something acceptable for the army. The main disadvantage of the DK (Degtyarev large-caliber) model of 1930 was the drum magazine for thirty rounds and the low rate of fire, which did not allow the machine gun to be effectively used as an anti-aircraft gun. Only by inviting another outstanding designer, G.S. Shpagin, to participate in the development, it was possible to solve the problem. A drum-type chamber was installed on the Degtyarev machine gun for belt ammunition designed by Shpagin, as a result of which the machine gun acquired a very decent rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, belt feeding and the now well-known name “DShK Machine Gun”. Since 1939, he entered combat units and since then has participated and is participating in all armed conflicts in the world. It is currently in service with forty armies. Produced by China, Iran, Pakistan and some other countries.

The automatic machine gun operates on the common principle of removing expanding powder gases. The gas exhaust chamber is located under the barrel. Locking occurs with the help of two combat larvae, which cling to recesses machined in the opposite walls of the receiver. The DShK machine gun can only fire automatically; the barrel has a non-removable barrel and is air-cooled. The cartridge belt is fed from the left side to the drum, which has six open chambers. The latter, rotating, feeds the tape and at the same time removes cartridges from it. In 1946, changes were made to the design that affected the steel grades used, production technology and cartridge feeding device. The “drum” was abandoned and a simpler slider mechanism was used, which made it possible to use new cartridge belts, on both sides, and was lighter and more technologically advanced. The improved machine gun was called DShKM.

Conclusion

There are only two truly famous 12 mm machine guns in the world. These are the DShK and M2 machine guns, and the domestic machine gun, due to its more powerful cartridge and heavy bullet, is superior to its American counterpart. Until now, DShK fire is considered highly effective and terrifies the enemy.

12.7 mm heavy machine gun Degtyarev-Shpagin DShK

On February 26, 1939, by decree of the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun of the 1938 model DShK ("Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber") of the V. A. Degtyarev system with a drum receiver of the G. S. system was adopted for service. Shpagina. The machine gun was adopted universal machine systems I.N. Kolesnikov with detachable wheel travel and folding tripod. During the Great Patriotic War The DShK machine gun was used to combat air targets, lightly armored enemy vehicles, and enemy personnel at long and medium ranges, as weapons for tanks and self-propelled guns. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, designers K.I. Sokolov and A.K. Norov carried out a significant modernization of the heavy machine gun. First of all, the power mechanism was changed - the drum receiver was replaced with a slider one. In addition, the manufacturability of the weapon has been improved, the mounting of the machine gun barrel has been changed, and a number of measures have been taken to increase survivability. The reliability of the system has increased. The first 250 modernized machine guns were produced in February 1945 at the plant in Saratov. In 1946, the machine gun was put into service under the designation “12.7-mm machine gun mod. 1938/46, DShKM." The DShKM immediately became a tank anti-aircraft machine gun: it was installed on tanks of the IS series, T-54/55, T-62, on the BTR-50PA, modernized ISU-122 and ISU-152, and special vehicles on a tank chassis.
Because the differences are 12.7 mm heavy machine gun arr. 1938, DShK and a modernized machine gun mod. 1938/46 DShKM consist mainly in the design of the feed mechanism, let's look at these machine guns together.
The machine gun is automatic and operates by removing powder gases through a transverse hole in the barrel wall, with long stroke gas piston. The closed-type gas chamber is reinforced under the barrel and is equipped with a pipe regulator with three holes. The entire length of the barrel has transverse ribbing for better cooling; a single-chamber active-type muzzle brake is attached to the muzzle of the barrel. The barrel bore is locked by moving the bolt lugs to the sides. The DShK barrel was equipped with an active type muzzle brake, which was later replaced by a flat brake, also of the active type (such a muzzle brake was also used on the DShK. and for tank modifications became the main one).
The leading element of the automation is the bolt frame. A gas piston rod is screwed into the bolt frame at the front, and a firing pin is mounted on a stand at the rear. When the bolt approaches the breech of the barrel, the bolt stops, and the bolt frame continues to move forward, the firing pin rigidly connected to it with its thickened part moves forward relative to the bolt and spreads the bolt lugs, which fit into the corresponding recesses of the receiver. The lugs are brought together and the bolt is unlocked by bevels of the figured socket of the bolt frame as it moves backwards. Extraction spent cartridge case provides a bolt ejector; the cartridge case is removed from the weapon downward, through the bolt frame window, using a spring-loaded rod reflector mounted at the top of the bolt. The return spring is placed on the gas piston rod and covered with a tubular casing. The buttplate contains two spring shock absorbers that soften the impact of the bolt carrier and bolt at the rearmost point. In addition, shock absorbers give the frame and bolt an initial return velocity, thereby increasing the rate of fire. The reloading handle, located at the bottom right, is rigidly connected to the bolt frame and is small in size. The reloading mechanism of the machine gun mount interacts with the reloading handle, but the machine gunner can directly use the handle, for example, by inserting a cartridge into it with the bottom of the cartridge case.
The shot is fired with the shutter open. The trigger mechanism allows only automatic fire. It is activated by a trigger lever hinged on the buttplate of the machine gun. The trigger mechanism is assembled in a separate housing and is equipped with a non-automatic safety lever that blocks release lever(front position of the flag) and preventing spontaneous lowering of the sear.
Impact mechanism operates from a return spring. After locking the barrel bore, the bolt frame continues to move forward, in the extreme forward position it hits the clutch, and the firing pin hits the firing pin mounted in the bolt. The sequence of operations of spreading the lugs and striking the firing pin eliminates the possibility of firing when the barrel bore is not fully locked. To prevent the bolt frame from rebounding after an impact in the extreme forward position, a “delay” is mounted in it, including two springs, a bend and a roller.

DShKM machine gun incomplete disassembly: 1 - barrel with gas chamber, front sight and muzzle brake; 2 - bolt frame with gas piston; 3 - shutter; 4 - combat stops; 5 - drummer; 6 - wedge; 7 - butt plate with buffer; 8 - trigger housing; 9 - cover and base of the receiver and feed drive lever; 10 - receiver.

The cartridges are fed by a belt feed, with a left-hand feed of a metal link belt. The tape consists of open links and is placed in a metal box mounted on the installation bracket. The visor of the box serves as the tape feed tray. The DShK drum receiver was driven by the bolt handle, moving backward, it bumped into the fork of the swinging feed lever and turned it. The dog at the other end of the lever rotated the drum 60°, which pulled the tape. Removing the cartridge from the belt link - in the lateral direction. In the DShKM machine gun, the slider-type receiver is mounted on top of the receiver. The slider with the feed fingers is driven by a bell crank rotating in a horizontal plane. The crank arm, in turn, is driven by a rocker arm with a fork at the end. The latter, as in the DShK, is driven by the bolt handle.
By flipping the slider crank, you can change the direction of the belt feed from left to right.
The 12.7 mm cartridge has several options: with an armor-piercing bullet, armor-piercing incendiary, sighting-incendiary, sighting, tracer, armor-piercing incendiary tracer (used against air targets). The sleeve does not have a protruding rim, which made it possible to use direct feeding of the cartridge from the tape.
For shooting at ground targets, a folding frame sight is used, mounted on a base on top of the receiver. The sight has worm mechanisms for installing the rear sight and introducing lateral corrections, the frame is equipped with 35 divisions (up to 3500 m in 100) and is tilted to the left to compensate for bullet derivation. The pin front sight with a safety device is placed on a high base in the muzzle of the barrel. When firing at ground targets, the dispersion diameter at a distance of 100 m was 200 mm. The DShKM machine gun is equipped with a collimator anti-aircraft sight, which facilitates aiming at a high-speed target and allows you to see the aiming mark and the target with equal clarity. The DShKM, installed on tanks as an anti-aircraft weapon, was equipped with a K-10T collimator sight. The optical system of the sight formed at the output an image of the target and an aiming reticle projected onto it with rings for shooting with lead and protractor divisions.

On February 26, 1939, by decree of the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun of the 1938 model DShK ("Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber") of the V. A. Degtyarev system with a drum receiver of the G. S. system was adopted for service. Shpagina. The machine gun was adopted on a universal machine of the I.N. system. Kolesnikov with detachable wheel travel and folding tripod. During the Great Patriotic War, the DShK machine gun was used to combat air targets, lightly armored enemy vehicles, and enemy personnel at long and medium ranges, as weapons for tanks and self-propelled guns. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, designers K.I. Sokolov and A.K. Norov carried out a significant modernization of the heavy machine gun. First of all, the power mechanism was changed - the drum receiver was replaced with a slider one. In addition, the manufacturability of the weapon has been improved, the mounting of the machine gun barrel has been changed, and a number of measures have been taken to increase survivability. The reliability of the system has increased. The first 250 modernized machine guns were produced in February 1945 at the plant in Saratov. In 1946, the machine gun was put into service under the designation “12.7-mm machine gun mod. 1938/46, DShKM." The DShKM immediately became a tank anti-aircraft machine gun: it was installed on tanks of the IS series, T-54/55, T-62, on the BTR-50PA, modernized ISU-122 and ISU-152, and special vehicles on a tank chassis.
Since the differences between the 12.7 mm heavy machine gun mod. 1938, DShK and a modernized machine gun mod. 1938/46 DShKM consist mainly in the design of the feed mechanism, let's look at these machine guns together.
The machine gun is automatic and operates by removing powder gases through a transverse hole in the barrel wall, with a long stroke of the gas piston. The closed-type gas chamber is reinforced under the barrel and is equipped with a pipe regulator with three holes. The entire length of the barrel has transverse ribbing for better cooling; a single-chamber active-type muzzle brake is attached to the muzzle of the barrel. The barrel bore is locked by moving the bolt lugs to the sides. The DShK barrel was equipped with an active type muzzle brake, which was later replaced by a flat brake, also of the active type (this muzzle brake was also used on the DShK, and became the main one for tank modifications).
The leading element of the automation is the bolt frame. A gas piston rod is screwed into the bolt frame at the front, and a firing pin is mounted on a stand at the rear. When the bolt approaches the breech of the barrel, the bolt stops, and the bolt frame continues to move forward, the firing pin rigidly connected to it with its thickened part moves forward relative to the bolt and spreads the bolt lugs, which fit into the corresponding recesses of the receiver. The lugs are brought together and the bolt is unlocked by bevels of the figured socket of the bolt frame as it moves backwards. Removal of the spent cartridge case is ensured by the bolt ejector; the cartridge case is removed from the weapon downwards, through the window of the bolt frame, using a spring-loaded rod reflector mounted at the top of the bolt. The return spring is placed on the gas piston rod and covered with a tubular casing. The buttplate contains two spring shock absorbers that soften the impact of the bolt carrier and bolt at the rearmost point. In addition, shock absorbers give the frame and bolt an initial return velocity, thereby increasing the rate of fire. The reloading handle, located at the bottom right, is rigidly connected to the bolt frame and is small in size. The reloading mechanism of the machine gun mount interacts with the reloading handle, but the machine gunner can directly use the handle, for example, by inserting a cartridge into it with the bottom of the cartridge case.
The shot is fired with the shutter open. The trigger mechanism allows only automatic fire. It is activated by a trigger lever hinged on the buttplate of the machine gun. The trigger mechanism is assembled in a separate housing and is equipped with a non-automatic safety lever that blocks the trigger lever (front position of the flag) and prevents spontaneous lowering of the sear.
The impact mechanism is powered by a return spring. After locking the barrel bore, the bolt frame continues to move forward, in the extreme forward position it hits the clutch, and the firing pin hits the firing pin mounted in the bolt. The sequence of operations of spreading the lugs and striking the firing pin eliminates the possibility of firing when the barrel bore is not fully locked. To prevent the bolt frame from rebounding after an impact in the extreme forward position, a “delay” is mounted in it, including two springs, a bend and a roller.

DShKM machine gun incompletely disassembled: 1 - barrel with gas chamber, front sight and muzzle brake; 2 - bolt frame with gas piston; 3 - shutter; 4 - combat stops; 5 - drummer; 6 - wedge; 7 - butt plate with buffer; 8 - trigger housing; 9 - cover and base of the receiver and feed drive lever; 10 - receiver.

The cartridges are fed by a belt feed, with a left-hand feed of a metal link belt. The tape consists of open links and is placed in a metal box mounted on the installation bracket. The visor of the box serves as the tape feed tray. The DShK drum receiver was driven by the bolt handle, moving backward, it bumped into the fork of the swinging feed lever and turned it. The dog at the other end of the lever rotated the drum 60°, which pulled the tape. Removing the cartridge from the belt link - in the lateral direction. In the DShKM machine gun, the slider-type receiver is mounted on top of the receiver. The slider with the feed fingers is driven by a bell crank rotating in a horizontal plane. The crank arm, in turn, is driven by a rocker arm with a fork at the end. The latter, as in the DShK, is driven by the bolt handle.
By flipping the slider crank, you can change the direction of the belt feed from left to right.
The 12.7 mm cartridge has several options: with an armor-piercing bullet, armor-piercing incendiary, sighting-incendiary, sighting, tracer, armor-piercing incendiary tracer (used against air targets). The sleeve does not have a protruding rim, which made it possible to use direct feeding of the cartridge from the tape.
For shooting at ground targets, a folding frame sight is used, mounted on a base on top of the receiver. The sight has worm mechanisms for installing the rear sight and introducing lateral corrections, the frame is equipped with 35 divisions (up to 3500 m in 100) and is tilted to the left to compensate for bullet derivation. The pin front sight with a safety device is placed on a high base in the muzzle of the barrel. When firing at ground targets, the dispersion diameter at a distance of 100 m was 200 mm. The DShKM machine gun is equipped with a collimator anti-aircraft sight, which facilitates aiming at a high-speed target and allows you to see the aiming mark and the target with equal clarity. The DShKM, installed on tanks as an anti-aircraft weapon, was equipped with a K-10T collimator sight. The optical system of the sight formed at the output an image of the target and an aiming reticle projected onto it with rings for shooting with lead and protractor divisions.

DShK 1938 with armored shield

Well understanding the importance of large-caliber machine guns for equipping armored personnel carriers, combat boats and ground fortifications in order to destroy armored and air targets, as well as suppress enemy machine gun points, the Soviet military command in the late twenties gave the corresponding task to the designer V. A. Degtyarev. Based on your light machine gun DP 1928 he designed a model of a heavy machine gun, called the DK. In 1930, a prototype of 12.7 mm caliber was presented for testing.

armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 for cartridge 12.7*108

Cartridges 12.7 for DShK

Degtyarev chose for his machine gun a domestic cartridge for the M 30 tank gun, which had dimensions of 12.7x108. In 1930, such cartridges were produced with armor-piercing bullets, and since 1932, with armor-piercing incendiary bullets. Subsequently, they underwent modernization and received the name M 30/38.
The Degtyarev prototype of the 1930 model was equipped with a frame sight designed for shooting up to 3500 m at ground targets, as well as a round sight with a crosshair at a distance of up to 2400 m for air and fast-moving ground targets. Ammunition was supplied from a 30-round disc magazine. The barrel was connected to the body with a thread and could be replaced. The recoil force was reduced using a muzzle brake. A special machine was created for the machine gun.

Metal one-piece machine-gun belt with a capacity of 50 rounds for the DShK (Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber) machine gun mod. 1938

Machine gun belt with a capacity of 10 rounds each for the DShKM machine gun.

In comparative shooting tests with other machine guns, including the predecessor of the later standard American Browning machine gun, the Soviet model showed promising results. The initial bullet speed was 810 m/s, the rate of fire was from 350 to 400 rounds/min. At a distance of 300 m, the bullet, when hitting the target at an angle of 90°, pierced 16 mm steel armor. The testing commission recommended making some design changes, for example, change the cartridge feeding mechanism from disk to belt. The machine gun was approved for military testing, and in 1931 a trial batch of 50 units was ordered.
It was not possible to determine exactly how many of these machine guns were manufactured. Information in Soviet literature about small-scale production concerns not only this sample, but also its second modification, which appeared in the late thirties. According to these data, until June 22, 1941, troops received total about 2,000 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. There were hardly more than a thousand examples of the DK model produced before 1935.

DShK 1938 on an anti-aircraft machine

Degtyarev was never able to eliminate the shortcomings identified during the tests, in particular, the poor maneuverability of the machine gun and the too low rate of fire. In order to redirect ground machine guns to air targets, it took too much time, since the developed machine was imperfect. The low rate of fire depended on the operation of a bulky and heavy cartridge feeding mechanism.
G.S. Shpagin took over the conversion of the feed mechanism from a disk magazine to a belt, as a result of which the rate of fire increased significantly, and I.N. Kolesnikov improved the machine he had developed, which made it possible to speed up and simplify the retargeting of the machine gun from ground to air targets.
The improved model passed all tests in April 1938 and was accepted into service on February 26, 1939. Starting next year, its delivery to the troops began. Weapons of this type proved themselves to be excellent during the Second World War as a means of destroying ground, water and air targets. It was not only not inferior to other machine guns of this class, but also superior to them.
In 1940, 566 such machine guns were delivered to the army, and in the first half of the next year - another 234. On January 1, 1942, the troops had 720 serviceable heavy machine guns DShK 1938, and on July 1 - over 1947. By January 1, 1943, this figure increased to 5218, and a year later - to 8442. These facts allow us to draw conclusions about the growth of production during the war.
At the end of 1944, the machine gun was somewhat modernized, the supply of cartridges was improved, and the wear resistance of some parts and assemblies was increased. The modification received the designation DShK 1938/46.
This modification of the DShK machine gun was used in Soviet army until the 1980s. The DShK machine gun was also used in foreign armies, for example, Egypt and Albania. China, East Germany and Czechoslovakia, Indonesia, Korea, Cuba, Poland, Romania, Hungary and even Vietnam. The modification produced in China and Pakistan was called Model 54. It has a caliber of 12.7 mm or .50.
The DShK 1938 heavy machine gun operates on the principle of using the energy of powder gases, has an air-cooled barrel and a rigid bolt-to-barrel coupling. Gas pressure can be adjusted. A special device holds the bolt so that when moving forward it does not hit the base of the barrel. The latter is equipped with radial cooling fins along almost its entire length. The flame arrester has a considerable length.
The practical rate of fire is 80 rounds/min, and the theoretical rate of fire is 600 rounds/min. The cartridges are fed from a metal belt using a special drum device. When the drum rotates, it moves the belt, picks up cartridges from it and feeds them into the machine gun mechanism, where the bolt sends them into the chamber. The belt is designed for 50 rounds of type M 30/38. Shooting is carried out in bursts.
The sighting device consists of an adjustable sight and a protected front sight. The length of the sight line is 1100 mm. The sight can be installed at a distance of up to 3500 m. To engage air targets there is a special sight, developed in 1938, and modernized 3 years later. Although the optimal firing range is indicated as 2000 m, the machine gun can successfully engage manpower at a distance of up to 3500 m, air targets - up to 2400 m and armored vehicles- up to 500 m. At this distance, the bullet penetrates 15 mm armor.

DShK 1938 on an anti-aircraft machine

Used as machines various designs. To combat ground and air targets, the already mentioned special Kolesnikov machine with all-round visibility was used. When mounted on a wheeled machine with or without a protective shield, the machine gun was primarily used to destroy armored vehicles. After removing the wheels, the machine could be transformed into a tripod anti-aircraft machine.
During the war, machine guns of this type were also installed on self-propelled carriages, on trucks, railway platforms, on heavy tanks, ships and boats. Twin or quadruple installations were often used. They were often equipped with a searchlight.
Characteristics: heavy machine gun DShK 1938
Caliber, mm........................................................ .....................................12.7
Initial bullet speed (Vq), m/s............................................ .....850
Weapon length, mm................................................... ...........................1626
Rate of fire, rds/min.................................................... ...............600
Ammunition supply...................................metal belt
for 50 rounds
Weight in uncharged state without machine, kg...........33.30
Weight of the wheeled machine, kg................................................... .....142.10
Weight of full belt, kg................................................... ...................9.00
Cartridge................... 12.7x108
Barrel length, mm................................................... ...........................1000
Rifling/direction................................................... .....................4/p
Sighting firing range, m....................................3500
Effective firing range, m...................................2000*
* Optimal distance.

DShK 1938 on an anti-aircraft machine

DShKM machine gun incompletely disassembled: 1 — barrel with gas chamber, front sight and muzzle brake; 2 — bolt frame with gas piston; 3 - shutter; 4 — combat stops; 5 - drummer; 6 - wedge; 7 — butt plate with buffer; 8 — trigger housing; 9 — cover and base of the receiver and feed drive lever; 10 - receiver.

Soviet DShKM machine gun in anti-aircraft version