While heavier than a rifle, a single Red Army soldier could still carry and operate it-much like the Bren, Lewis or the American Browning Automatic Rifle. By placing the rounds on top of the weapon it also provided mobility that was lacking in belt-fed light machineguns. In the case of the DP-28 the round magazine provided plenty of ammunition but it also ensured that the line of sight over the weapon wasn’t obscured. The top loading pan magazine may seem an odd choice today, but it must be remembered that many other arms manufacturers and designers considered how gravity could aid the feeding process, which is why the British Bren Gun and other light machine guns of that era also featured top loading magazines. But light is certainly relative, and unlike what current video games may suggest, it really couldn’t be fired easily on the move. One of his first weapons was actually the DP-28 light machine gun. Degtyaryov reached the rank of Major General of the Engineering and Artillery Service, was a doctor of technical sciences and later was awarded the Hero of Socialist Labor-becoming the second recipient of that honor after Joseph Stalin! He even rose to head the very first Soviet firearms design bureau.ĭuring his lengthy career he created several types of machine guns, submachine guns and even anti-tank weapons. Degtyaryov was one of those Soviet arms designers who had managed to survive the end of the Imperial Russian Czarist era and went on to work for the new Communist regime. The DP-28 as it is known in the west, despite the fact that according to some sources it was never known by that name within the Red Army, was designed by Vasily Alekseyevich Degtyaryov in the late 1920s. While there is no evidence that it was based on the American-designed Lewis Gun that was used by the British military during the First World War, it certainly had similarities in the design. One look at the weapon and it isn’t hard to see how it earned the nickname “the record player” as it featured a large pan magazine on the top that held 47 rounds of 7.62x54mmR ammunition, the same caliber that was used in Russian/Soviet military’s Mosin Nagant bolt action rifle. It could, and did, endure freezing temperatures and continue to lay down fire on enemy positions when other weapons wouldn’t function. As with other Soviet small arms it could be manhandled, used in foul conditions and still work like it was new. The light machine gun was reliable, accurate and most importantly durable. Basically the DT is lighter, has a higher rate of fire, less risk of overheating and a larger magazine capacity.With its top-mounted pan magazine the Pulemyot Degtyaryova Pekhotny (Degtyaryov’s infantry machine gun)-better known as the DP-28-looked archaic but it proved to be a very efficient design. DT machinegun was the most typical machinegun used in Soviet armour vehicles manufactured before and during World War 2. Several slightly different versions of this weapon were manufactured. While 47-round magazine used in DP had only one layer of ammunition the 60-round magazine used in DT had two layers of ammunition. This was because the front sight came with the bipod and its settings were adjusted for infantry use, while the front sight used in armoured vehicles was fixed, so for vehicle use the rear sight needed to be adjusted. In rather unusual manner both front and rear sight of DT light machinegun equipped for infantry use are adjustable. DT light machinegun came with infantry equipment containing removable bipod, which the crew could use to equip the machinegun for infantry use, when necessary. Naturally the sights used in DT were much more suitable for use in armoured vehicles than the ones used in DP. While DP Light Machine Gun has rather typical butt and no pistol grip DT has folding metal butt and pistol grip. Actual parts of mechanism are similar in both of these gas-action weapons, but the butt, barrel, sights and magazines of the two weapons have considerable differences. This tank version of Soviet DP Light Machine Gunentered production in year 1929, after which production continued until late 1940's.