DP-28 Degtyaryov
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 605 mm
- Weight, empty
- 9.12 kg
- Introduced
- 1928
About
What it is, and why it matters
The DP-28 (Degtyaryov Pekhotny - 'Degtyaryov, Infantry') was the Soviet Red Army's standard squad-level light machine gun throughout WWII. Designed by Vasily Degtyaryov and adopted in 1928, it used a long-stroke gas piston with a Kjellman-Friberg flapper-locking bolt, fed from an iconic 47-round flat pan magazine mounted on top of the receiver. Robust, simple to manufacture, and reliable in extreme cold and mud, ~795,000 were produced. Modernized as the DPM in 1944 (recoil spring relocated from under the barrel to a tube extending into the buttstock, fixing the original's overheating-induced sag), then evolved into the belt-fed RP-46 in 1946. Tank (DT) and aircraft (DA) variants extended the family across virtually every Soviet weapons platform of the era.
Soldiers nicknamed it 'proigryvatel' ('record player') because of the rotating disc-shaped pan magazine. The original recoil spring was wrapped around the gas piston *under the barrel* - during sustained fire the barrel's heat softened the spring, causing it to sag and induce malfunctions. The 1944 DPM fix relocated the spring to a tube extending into the buttstock - a mechanical lesson hard-learned in the snow at Stalingrad.
Manufactured at Kovrov Plant No. 2 primarily; also Tula. Original DP-28's recoil spring under the barrel softened during sustained fire - fixed in DPM by relocation. Chinese Type 53 / Type 58 (RP-46 license) widely produced and exported to North Korea, Vietnam, etc. Maximum effective range varies by source 800-1500m; 800m used as conservative consensus.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Kovrov Machine Gun Factory (Plant No. 2)
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Soviet Union
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1928 to 1969
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 605 mm
- Overall length
- 1270 mm
- Weight, empty
- 9.12 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 11.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Full auto only
- Capacity
- 47
- Magazine
- Drum
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 840 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3500 J
- Effective range
- 800 m
- Maximum range
- 2500 m
- Rate of fire
- 575 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Kjellman friberg locking flaps
Top mounted pan magazine
Quick change finned barrel
Integral bipod
Air cooled
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 9.12 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1270 mm | 1156 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 605 mm | 605 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 47 | 50 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the DP-28 Degtyaryov
How much does the DP-28 Degtyaryov weigh?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov weighs 9.12 kg (20.11 lb) empty and 11.50 kg (25.35 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the DP-28 Degtyaryov?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov is chambered in 7.62x54mmR.
How many rounds does the DP-28 Degtyaryov hold?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov holds 47 rounds, fed from a drum magazine.
How long is the DP-28 Degtyaryov?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov is 1270 mm (50.0 in) long overall, with a 605 mm (23.8 in) barrel.
Who makes the DP-28 Degtyaryov?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov is made by Kovrov Machine Gun Factory (Plant No. 2) (Russia). It was designed by Vasily Degtyaryov.
When was the DP-28 Degtyaryov introduced?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov was introduced in 1928 and discontinued in 1969.
How does the DP-28 Degtyaryov operate?
The DP-28 Degtyaryov uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Soviet Red Army
- 1928
- Korean People's Army
- North Korea
- People's Liberation Army (China)
- 1953
- Vietnamese People's Army (NVA)
- Vietnam
- Finnish Defence Forces (captured)
- 1939
- Cambodia
- Cambodia
- Ukrainian Armed Forces (current)
- 2022
Provenance
Confidence in this record
90%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/dp-28' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "dp-28", "name": "DP-28 Degtyaryov", "manufacturer": { "id": "kovrov-machine-gun-factory", "name": "Kovrov Machine Gun Factory (Plant No. 2)", "countryCode": "RU", "foundedYear": 1916, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "updatedAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "version": "b1699b6114ae689b9ca7627e41d0e07fff4f91013f7575c48661c2ad52f8f2cc" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "SU", "year_introduced": 1928, "barrel_length_mm": 605, "weight_empty_g": 9120, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}