Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 1070 mm
- Weight, empty
- 34.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1954
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Type 54 is China's reverse-engineered license copy of the Soviet DShKM 1938/46 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun, adopted in 1954 as the People's Republic's first domestically produced heavy machine gun. Built initially on Soviet machinery using Soviet documentation and engineering assistance, it is mechanically a DShKM - gas-operated long-stroke piston, open-bolt full-auto, 50-round non-disintegrating belt at roughly 600 rounds per minute and a muzzle velocity near 850 m/s. Chinese refinements included a thicker barrel without cooling ribs, an added barrel carry handle for faster combat barrel changes, and a lighter tripod. It serves in ground and anti-aircraft roles and as the turret anti-aircraft gun (designated Type 59) on Chinese armored vehicles, and was widely exported. Variants include the improved Type 54-1 and the later W-85.
China reverse-engineered the DShKM in 1953 with Soviet blueprints and engineers, fielding it as the Type 54 a year after the Korean armistice - its first domestically produced heavy machine gun. Chinese engineers improved on the Soviet original by ditching the heavy barrel cooling ribs and bolting a carry handle onto the barrel for faster combat barrel changes. The same gun, redesignated Type 59, became the standard anti-aircraft gun perched atop the Type 59 main battle tank's commander hatch.
Distinct from the Norinco Type 54 PISTOL (a TT-33 copy) - this is the 12.7mm heavy machine gun. Mechanically identical to the DShKM; key Chinese differences are the thicker ribless barrel, barrel carry handle, and lighter tripod. Original DShK wheeled mount ~127.5 kg; a lightened Chinese tripod cuts the system to ~53 kg. Type 59 is the tank-AA redesignation. Production figures not source-confirmed. Country-of-origin CN; the parent DShKM is the Soviet design.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Norinco
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- China
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1954
- Variant of
- Chinese license copy
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 1070 mm
- Overall length
- 1625 mm
- Weight, empty
- 34.00 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 127.50 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
- 50
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 850 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 17500 J
- Effective range
- 2000 m
- Maximum range
- 3500 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 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.
Thicker ribless barrel
Barrel carry handle for quick change
Simplified shuttle slider belt feed- Reversible feed
Lightened tripod mount
Muzzle brake
Anti aircraft capable
Spade grips- Crew served
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 | 34.00 kg | 10.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1625 mm | 1156 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 1070 mm | 605 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 50 | 50 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun
How much does the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun weigh?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun weighs 34.00 kg (74.96 lb) empty and 127.50 kg (281.09 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun is chambered in 12.7x108mm.
How many rounds does the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun hold?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun holds 50 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun is 1625 mm (64.0 in) long overall, with a 1070 mm (42.1 in) barrel.
Who makes the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun is made by Norinco (China).
When was the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun introduced?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun was introduced in 1954.
How does the Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun operate?
The Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun 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
- People's Liberation Army (China)
- 1954
- Pakistan Armed Forces
- Pakistan
- Afghan National Army
- Afghanistan
- Albanian Armed Forces
- Albania
- People's Army of Vietnam
- Vietnam
Provenance
Confidence in this record
68%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
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Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
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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/type-54-hmg' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "type-54-hmg", "name": "Type 54 Heavy Machine Gun", "manufacturer": { "id": "norinco", "name": "Norinco", "countryCode": "CN", "foundedYear": 1980, "website": "https://en.norincogroup.com.cn", "logoUrl": null, "description": "China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), a state-owned enterprise founded in 1980 and headquartered in Beijing. Among the world's largest defense contractors, producing firearms and military equipment.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "5286c8a850a565bc4d9bd2e7a8e4b18084a491b62d93d828ac7de90983853065" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "CN", "year_introduced": 1954, "barrel_length_mm": 1070, "weight_empty_g": 34000, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}