Machine gun DShK: the history of creation and design features

Machine gun DShK entered the workers' and peasantsThe Red Army was still in February 1939, but, despite seven decades since that time, it is still present among regular heavy weapons in many armies. In this article, we briefly describe the history and design features of this outstanding sample of domestic design ideas.

Machine gun DShK. A photo. History of creation

Heavy machine guns - a product of the firstworld war. Initially, they were assigned the task of dealing with the then poorly armored tanks, aircraft and infantry in light shelters. It was these possibilities that the Red Army commanded to receive from the new domestic machine gun, giving it a technical assignment to the designers. The DShK machine gun was born for ten years, one might say, in the throes of creativity. It was invented the most advanced and powerful for its time, the domestic cartridge 12.7 x 108, which, by the way, is still actively used in modern rifle systems. However, Degtyarev for a long time failed to create a large-caliber machine gun acceptable to the army. The main disadvantage of the DK (Degtyarev large-caliber) sample of 1930 was a thirty-round drum magazine and a low rate of fire, which did not allow the machine gun to be used effectively as an anti-aircraft gun. Only the involvement of another outstanding designer, G.S. Shpagin, to participate in the development helped solve the problem. On the machine gun of Degtyarev, a drum-type chamber for the Shpagin's tape ammunition was installed, as a result of which the machine gun acquired a very decent rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, tape feed and the name of the machine gun now known to everyone. Since 1939, he entered the line units and has since participated in all the armed conflicts in the world. It is currently in service with forty armies. Produced by China, Iran, Pakistan and some other countries.

Large-bore machine gun DShK: design and modification

Automatic machine gun works on commonthe principle of removal of expanding powder gases. The vapor chamber is located under the barrel. Locking takes place with the help of two war larvae, which cling to the grooves, carved into the opposite walls of the receiver. A DShK machine gun can only conduct automatic fire, the barrel has non-removable, air cooling. The tape with cartridges is fed from the left side to the drum, which has six open chamber. The latter, rotating, feeds the tape and simultaneously extracts cartridges from it. In 1946, changes were made to the design, which affected the steel grades used, production technology, and ammunition feeders. The “drum” was abandoned and a simpler slider mechanism was used, which allowed the use of new cartridge tapes, on both sides, which was easier and more technological. The improved machine gun was called DShKM.

Conclusion

In the world there are only two trulyfamous machine gun caliber 12 mm. This is the DShK machine gun and the Browning M2 machine gun, and the domestic machine gun surpasses the American counterpart at the expense of a more powerful patron and heavy bullet. Until now, the DShK fire is considered highly effective and terrifies the enemy.