The Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova Pekhotny (Degtyaryov hand-held
infantry machine gun) or DP was a light
machine gun used by the Soviet
Union starting in 1928. It fired the 7.62x54mmR
cartridge and was cheap and easy to manufacture - early models had fewer than 80
parts and could be built by unskilled labour. The DP was especially able to
withstand dirt. In tests it was buried in sand and mud and was still capable of
firing more than 500 rounds. The DP's main drawback was its bipod; this part
could not withstand much abuse and broke easily. Also, the magazine,
which was usually a pan with 47 rounds that fed in from the top, was relatively
small and continuous fire for long periods could not be relied on as much as
contemporary belt
fed weapons. It took some time to load a new magazine onto the weapon, and each
magazine took a much longer time to load with ammunition. However, the DP's
lower cyclic rate of fire meant a reduced risk of the barrel overheating. The DP
machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modern but problematic RPD
machine gun and entirely replaced in Soviet service by the general purpose PK
machine gun in the 1960s.
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