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Degtyarev Upgrades: DP27 vs DPM (Ad-free)
🕑 Added 2024-10-09 12:00:12 +0000 UTCThe Degtyarev DP (aka DP-27) was the subject of a bunch of experimentation during the 1930s, but none of the trialed modifications were actually adopted. It was only in 1944, after several years of combat experience, that the design was updated to correct a number of shortcomings. Specifically:
- The recoil spring was moved away from the gas piston and up behind the bolt to prevent its overheating.
- The traditional stock and grip safety were replaced by a pistol grip and manual safety.
- The detachable bipod was replaced by a more permanently attached model.
The DPM was a much better-handling gun than the original DP, and it maintained the simple disassembly and economical manufacturing of the original. The pan magazines remained a complaint because of their awkward handling, but no easy change was available for that during the war.
Comments
Guido Schriewer
sure and I bet ya that no2 was real happy about those bulky pans.
ViejoLobo
Ha! Cases in point--the deuce and a half, and Stuart rubber bushed tracks. Counterpoints: the Merlin aircraft engine and the Bren. Somewhere in the middle is the Robertson square drive screw, Canada's greatest gift to civilization until the Englis HP.
Bruce Brodnax
Is it possible to reverse the tripod so it folds forward on either the DP27 or the DPM? I wonder how many sergeants told their conscripts "Do it this way instead, but be sure to swap it back before parade" if so?..
Bruce Brodnax
You've confused "American screwdriver" w/ "Manchester spanner" there, mate. The Brits didn't make fun of American kit that way when it worked so much better than their own. Mass-produced engines that don't leak oil like a sieve & aren't hand-fitted are suitably impressive to a nation that has to import all it's consumables in the middle of a conflict & other facts of life being what they are...
Bruce Brodnax
The mags [& carriage of associated bread bags] were the assistant gunner's problem. Running the DP wasn't a 1-man operation unless you were in a tank or some other vehicle scenario, unlike the BAR where the assistant gunner was just tasked w/ carrying the spare BAR belt and his own rifle & then just picking up the BAR and running it if the BAR man got hit...
Guido Schriewer
soviet gun. OF COURSE one needs a hammer to get it working. like fn model D bar a littlebit. gunners must have hated those pan mags! what was a loadout? one needs a dedicated ruck for those mags.
Michael James Blum
I've heard before that the DP/DPM has a habit of firing a few more rounds when the trigger has been released.
Forgotten Weapons
The semiautos are about five grand. Transferrables are really quite rare, and obviously much more expensive.
Risto Alanko
The DP needs a weekly beating with a hammer or an entrenching tool to behave well, but then it shoots forever. That soft hammer is a minimal tool for the job.
ViejoLobo
A far better use for 7.62x54R than 95% of Moisins. Sorry if I missed it, but how affordable are these in the US? Wonder how many original guns were modified by shoelaces or rawhide strips to tie up the grip safety. Incidentally, Brits used to call a hammer an American screwdriver.
Mark West
Love the amount of percussive maintenance required there!
