DShK Model 1938
V.A. Degtyaryov Plant · Machine Gun · In Service · 1938
Also known as: DShK obr. 1938, DShK-38, Dushka, Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny, 12.7mm DShK
Overview
The DShK Model 1938 (Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny) is the original Soviet 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun, designed by Vasily Degtyaryov around the gas operation and locking of his earlier DK gun, with Georgi Shpagin contributing the distinctive rotary 'squirrel-cage' drum belt-feed mechanism that gave the weapon its 'Sh' and made it practical for mass use. Adopted in 1938 and entering production from 1939, it is a gas-operated, long-stroke piston machine gun firing from an open bolt in full-automatic only. It feeds a 50-round non-disintegrating belt at roughly 600 rounds per minute, driving a heavy 12.7mm bullet at about 850 m/s for some 17.5 kilojoules of energy. Fitted with a finned quick-change barrel and muzzle brake and mounted on the Kolesnikov wheeled universal carriage - about 157 kg combat-ready with armored shield - it served in ground support, anti-aircraft, and vehicle roles throughout the Second World War. The Soviet 'fifty' was the rough counterpart to the American Browning M2 and was succeeded in production by the simplified DShKM in 1946.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 34000 g (1199.3 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 157000 g (5538.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1625 mm (63.98") |
| Barrel Length | 1070 mm (42.13") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 50 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 850 m/s (2789 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 17500 J (12907 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3500 m (3828 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 8 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 12.7x108mm · primary — also known as 12.7 Soviet, 12.7mm DShK, 12.7x108mm Russian
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Belt Fed Non Disintegrating, 50 Round Belt
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Shpagin Rotary Drum Belt Feed, Squirrel Cage Feed Mechanism, Quick Change Barrel, Muzzle Brake, Finned Barrel, Kolesnikov Universal Mount, Anti Aircraft Capable, Spade Grips, Crew Served
Variants
- DShKM (Model 1938/46) — Modernized Simplified Belt Feed
- Type 54 (Chinese) — Chinese Copy
- NSV Utyos — Successor Design
Service history
Operators
- Soviet Army · adopted 1939 · as DShK obr. 1938
- People's Liberation Army (China) · adopted 1954 · as Type 54
- Korean People's Army · as DShK
- People's Army of Vietnam · as DShK
- Egyptian Armed Forces · as DShK
- Finnish Defence Forces · as 12.7 ItKk DShK
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Arab-Israeli Wars (1948-1982)
Production
Estimated total produced: 9,000 · Production years: 1939-1946 (1938 pattern, USSR)
Roughly 9,000 of the original 1938-pattern guns were built before the simplified DShKM superseded it in 1946; over a million DShK/DShKM were produced in total through 1980 across both patterns and foreign copies.
Origin
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designer: Vasily Degtyaryov, Georgi Shpagin
Discontinued: 1946
Notes
The defining feature of the 1938 base gun is Shpagin's complex rotary 'squirrel-cage' drum belt-feed, later replaced on the 1946 DShKM by a simpler shuttle/slider feed. Gun alone ~34 kg; combat weight ~157 kg on the Kolesnikov mount with shield. Muzzle velocity ~850 m/s (sources 850-860); muzzle energy ~17500 J. Max_range_m given as the ~3500 m sighting/effective area limit rather than ballistic maximum bullet travel.
Background
The DShK earned the affectionate Russian nickname 'Dushka' ('dear little one' or 'sweetie'), a play on its initials. Crews routinely stripped the armored shield and wheeled carriage to lighten the ~157 kg system into something man-portable, and the same gun rode as the anti-aircraft mount atop generations of Soviet tanks from the IS heavies onward.