DP-28 Degtyaryov
Kovrov Machine Gun Factory (Plant No. 2) · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1928
Also known as: DP, DP-27, Degtyaryov LMG, Record Player (troop nickname)
Overview
The DP-28 (Degtyaryov Pekhotny - 'Degtyaryov, Infantry') was the Soviet Red Army's standard squad-level light machine gun throughout WWII. Designed by Vasily Degtyaryov and adopted in 1928, it used a long-stroke gas piston with a Kjellman-Friberg flapper-locking bolt, fed from an iconic 47-round flat pan magazine mounted on top of the receiver. Robust, simple to manufacture, and reliable in extreme cold and mud, ~795,000 were produced. Modernized as the DPM in 1944 (recoil spring relocated from under the barrel to a tube extending into the buttstock, fixing the original's overheating-induced sag), then evolved into the belt-fed RP-46 in 1946. Tank (DT) and aircraft (DA) variants extended the family across virtually every Soviet weapons platform of the era.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 9120 g (321.7 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 11500 g (405.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1270 mm (50.00") |
| Barrel Length | 605 mm (23.82") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 47 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Drum |
| Muzzle Velocity | 840 m/s (2756 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3500 J (2581 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 800 m (875 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2500 m (2734 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 575 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x54mmR · primary — also known as 7.62 Russian, 7.62x54R
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: 47 Round Pan Magazine Top Mounted
- Safety mechanisms: Grip Safety
- Features: Kjellman Friberg Locking Flaps, Top Mounted Pan Magazine, Quick Change Finned Barrel, Integral Bipod, Air Cooled
Variants
- DP-27 — Earliest Designation
- DPM (Modernized 1944) — Modernized Recoil Spring Relocated
- DT/DTM — Tank Variant
- DA — Aircraft Variant
- RP-46 — Belt Fed Derivative
- Type 53 (Chinese) — Chinese License
Service history
Operators
- Soviet Red Army · adopted 1928 · as DP-28
- Korean People's Army · as DP
- People's Liberation Army (China) · adopted 1953 · as Type 53
- Vietnamese People's Army (NVA) · as DPM
- Finnish Defence Forces (captured) · adopted 1939 · as DP
- Cambodia · as DP
- Ukrainian Armed Forces (current) · adopted 2022 · as DP-28
Conflicts
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
- Battle of Khalkhin Gol (1939)
- Winter War (1939-1940)
- World War II Eastern Front (1941-1945)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Russo-Ukrainian War (2022-present)
Production
Estimated total produced: 795,000 · Production years: 1928-1950s
Soviet production ~795,000 across DP/DPM. Excludes Chinese Type 53 license production and post-war exports.
Origin
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designer: Vasily Degtyaryov
Discontinued: 1969
Notes
Manufactured at Kovrov Plant No. 2 primarily; also Tula. Original DP-28's recoil spring under the barrel softened during sustained fire - fixed in DPM by relocation. Chinese Type 53 / Type 58 (RP-46 license) widely produced and exported to North Korea, Vietnam, etc. Maximum effective range varies by source 800-1500m; 800m used as conservative consensus.
Background
Soldiers nicknamed it 'proigryvatel' ('record player') because of the rotating disc-shaped pan magazine. The original recoil spring was wrapped around the gas piston *under the barrel* - during sustained fire the barrel's heat softened the spring, causing it to sag and induce malfunctions. The 1944 DPM fix relocated the spring to a tube extending into the buttstock - a mechanical lesson hard-learned in the snow at Stalingrad.