DShK

DShK
DShK
	The DShK M1938 in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, Saint Petersburg
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1938–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Second World War; Winter War; Chinese Civil War; First Indochina War; Korean War; Vietnam War; Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation; Operation Trikora; First Sudanese Civil War; Laotian Civil War; Dhofar Rebellion; Portuguese Colonial War; Rhodesian Bush War; South African Border War; Cambodian Civil War; Six Day War; Yom Kippur War; Rhodesian Bush War; Ethiopian Civil War; Lebanese Civil War; Angolan Civil War; Cambodian-Vietnamese War; Western Sahara War; Afghanistan conflict (1978–present); Sino-Vietnamese War; Chadian–Libyan War; 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran; Iran–Iraq War; Second Sudanese Civil War; Sri Lankan Civil War; The Troubles; First and Second Liberian Civil Wars; Somali Civil War; KDPI insurgency (1989–1996); Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995); Gulf War; Yugoslav Wars; Rwandan Civil War; First and Second Chechen Wars; Kargil War; Operation Enduring Freedom; Iraq War; Cambodian–Thai border dispute; First Libyan Civil War; Syrian Civil War; Operation Linda Nchi; Northern Mali conflict; War in Iraq (2013–2017); Second Libyan Civil War; Russo-Ukrainian war; Yemeni Civil War (2014–present); Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir; Tigray War; Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present);
Production history
Designer	Vasily Degtyaryov; Georgi Shpagin
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	Tula Arms Plant
Unit cost	US$2,250 (2012)
Produced	1938–1980 (Soviet Union)
No. built	1,000,000
Variants	DShK 38/46 ; Type 54
Specifications
Mass	34 kg (74 lb 15 oz) (gun only) 157 kg (346 lb 2 oz) on wheeled mounting
Length	1,625 mm (5 ft 4.0 in)
Barrel length	1,070 mm (42.1 in)
Cartridge	12.7×108mm ; 12.7×99mm NATO (Romania)
Action	Gas-operated, flapper locking
Rate of fire	600 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,000 m (2,200 yd)
Maximum firing range	2,500 m (2,700 yd)
Feed system	50 round belt
Sights	Iron/optical

The DShK M1938 (Cyrillic: ДШК, for Russian: Дегтярёва-Шпагина крупнокалиберный, romanized: Degtyaryova-Shpagina krupnokaliberny, lit. 'Degtyaryov–Shpagin large-calibre') is a Soviet heavy machine gun. The weapon may be vehicle mounted or used on a tripod or wheeled carriage as a heavy infantry machine gun. The DShK's name is derived from its original designer, Vasily Degtyaryov, and Georgi Shpagin, who later improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed Dushka (a dear or beloved person) in Russian-speaking countries, from the abbreviation.^[15]

^ Neville, Leigh (19 Apr 2018). Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces. New Vanguard 257. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781472822512. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Fitzsimmons, Scott (November 2012). "Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA". Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts. Cambridge University Press. p. 217. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006. ISBN 9781107026919.
^ Francesco Palmas (2012). "Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente" (PDF). Informazioni della Difesa (in Italian). No. 4. pp. 50–59. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
^ Neville 2018, p. 16.
^ ^a ^b Neville 2018, p. 24.
^ Small Arms Survey (2005). "Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones". Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-19-928085-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
^ "Rwandan government soldiers fire 12 June 1994 heavy artillery at".
^ Neville 2018, p. 30.
^ Neville 2018, p. 35.
^ Neville 2018, p. 37.
^ Cite error: The named reference BFA-Mali was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Vining, Miles (May 7, 2018). "ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns". armamentresearch.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
^ Neville 2018, p. 38.
^ "Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun" (PDF). Cugir Arms Factory.
^ Green, Michael (2022). Red Army Weapons of the Second World War. Pen and Sword. p. 25.

[1] Neville, Leigh (19 Apr 2018). Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces. New Vanguard 257. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781472822512. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[2] Fitzsimmons, Scott (November 2012). "Executive Outcomes Defeats UNITA". Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts. Cambridge University Press. p. 217. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139208727.006. ISBN 9781107026919.

[Sahara-3] Francesco Palmas (2012). "Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente" (PDF). Informazioni della Difesa (in Italian). No. 4. pp. 50–59. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-12.

[FOOTNOTENeville201816-4] Neville 2018, p. 16.

[FOOTNOTENeville201824-5] Neville 2018, p. 24.

[6] Small Arms Survey (2005). "Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones". Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-19-928085-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-29.

[7] "Rwandan government soldiers fire 12 June 1994 heavy artillery at".

[FOOTNOTENeville201830-8] Neville 2018, p. 30.

[FOOTNOTENeville201835-9] Neville 2018, p. 35.

[FOOTNOTENeville201837-10] Neville 2018, p. 37.

[BFA-Mali-11] Cite error: The named reference BFA-Mali was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[12] Vining, Miles (May 7, 2018). "ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 3 – Machine Guns". armamentresearch.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

[FOOTNOTENeville201838-13] Neville 2018, p. 38.

[14] "Cal.12.7 x 99 mm Machine Gun" (PDF). Cugir Arms Factory.

[15] Green, Michael (2022). Red Army Weapons of the Second World War. Pen and Sword. p. 25.

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