SGM Goryunov
Kovrov Machine Gun Factory (Plant No. 2) · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1949
Also known as: Goryunov SGM, SGM Modernizirovanny, SGM-43, SGM
Overview
The SGM is the modernized post-war development of the SG-43 Goryunov medium machine gun, standardized around 1949. It retains the gas-operated action and laterally-tilting bolt but adds a longitudinally fluted quick-change barrel for better cooling, relocates the charging handle to the conventional right side, and adds dust covers and an improved barrel lock. Chambered in 7.62x54mmR and fed from 200/250-round non-disintegrating metallic belts, it was issued on lighter infantry tripods rather than the SG-43's wheeled carriage and spawned dedicated armored-vehicle (SGMB) and coaxial tank (SGMT) variants. It and its Chinese copy (Type 57) saw extensive Cold-War service before the PK general-purpose machine gun displaced it.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 13600 g (479.7 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 27700 g (977.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1150 mm (45.28") |
| Barrel Length | 720 mm (28.35") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 250 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 855 m/s (2805 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3500 J (2581 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 1100 m (1203 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2300 m (2515 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 650 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x54mmR · primary — also known as 7.62 Russian, 7.62x54R
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Non Disintegrating Metallic Belt 200 250 Round
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Laterally Tilting Bolt, Longitudinally Fluted Quick Change Barrel, Right Side Charging Handle, Dust Covers, Improved Barrel Lock, Air Cooled, Spade Grips, Infantry Tripod Mount, Chromium Plated Bore
Variants
- SG-43 Goryunov (base model) — Predecessor Base Model
- SGMB — Armored Vehicle Mount
- SGMT — Coaxial Tank Variant
- Type 57 (Chinese) — Chinese Copy
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Soviet Army · adopted 1949 · as SGM
- People's Liberation Army (China) · as Type 57
- Korean People's Army · as SGM
- People's Army of Vietnam · as SGM
- Egyptian Armed Forces · as SGM
- Hungarian People's Army · as SGM
Conflicts
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Arab-Israeli Wars (1948-1973)
- Cold War insurgencies (1950s-1970s)
Production
Production years: 1949-1961
Soviet figures not reliably published in fetched sources; license-built in China as the Type 57 in large quantity and widely exported. SGMT coaxial variant fitted to T-54/T-55, PT-76 and BTR-series vehicles.
Origin
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designer: Pyotr Goryunov
Discontinued: 1961
Notes
Distinct from the SG-43: SGM adds the fluted barrel, right-side charging handle, and dust covers, and quotes a higher muzzle velocity (~855 m/s vs ~800). Weight on the infantry tripod ~27.7 kg; gun alone ~13.6 kg. SGMT coaxial tank variant was stockless with a solenoid trigger. Muzzle energy is the cartridge-level figure.
Background
The SGMT's stockless, solenoid-fired form became the standard coaxial machine gun in early Soviet main battle tanks like the T-54/55, meaning a 1943-era infantry design effectively rode into the missile age inside tank turrets. China produced the SGM as the Type 57 in such quantity that captured examples turned up across nearly every Cold-War proxy theater.