Type 73
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 608 mm
- Weight, empty
- 10.60 kg
- Introduced
- 1973
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Type 73 is a North Korean gas-operated, rotary-bolt-locked machine gun chambered in 7.62x54mmR. Designed by the First Machine Industry Bureau and adopted in 1973, it borrows visual and mechanical cues from the Soviet PK and British Bren, and is notable for its dual feed system, accepting both a top-mounted 30-round box magazine and side-fed non-disintegrating ammunition belts. It served as North Korea's squad automatic weapon until being supplanted by the PKM-derived Type 82, and later appeared in Middle Eastern conflicts via Iranian export.
Often called North Korea's 'wacky' machine gun, the Type 73 combined a 30-round box magazine on top with a side-feeding belt path, a hybrid design that turned up decades later in the hands of Iranian-backed militias across Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, and in reports from the war in Ukraine.
The dual-feed arrangement let gunners use a lighter box magazine on patrol and switch to belt feed for sustained suppressive fire. Featured a quick-change barrel and a folding plastic carrying handle.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- First Machine Industry Bureau
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- North Korea
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1973
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 608 mm
- Overall length
- 1190 mm
- Weight, empty
- 10.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Automatic
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Belt
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
- 3387 J
- Effective range
- 800 m
- Maximum range
- 3000 m
- Rate of fire
- 650 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.
Dual feed
Quick change barrel
Folding carry handle
Bipod
Wooden furniture
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 | 10.60 kg | 10.50 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1190 mm | 1156 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 608 mm | 605 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 30 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Type 73
How much does the Type 73 weigh?
The Type 73 weighs 10.60 kg (23.37 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Type 73?
The Type 73 is chambered in 7.62x54mmR.
How many rounds does the Type 73 hold?
The Type 73 holds 30 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Type 73?
The Type 73 is 1190 mm (46.9 in) long overall, with a 608 mm (23.9 in) barrel.
Who makes the Type 73?
The Type 73 is made by First Machine Industry Bureau (North Korea). It was designed by First Machine Industry Bureau.
When was the Type 73 introduced?
The Type 73 was introduced in 1973.
How does the Type 73 operate?
The Type 73 uses a gas operated 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
- Korean People's Army
- 1973
- Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces
- Iran
- Houthi movement
- Yemen
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
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/type-73-mg' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "type-73-mg", "name": "Type 73", "manufacturer": { "id": "first-machine-industry-bureau", "name": "First Machine Industry Bureau", "countryCode": "KP", "foundedYear": null, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "1dd4516523e6b9f36f41c96cadbfd26baf994264d751c491f768ca613b0b41cb" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "KP", "year_introduced": 1973, "barrel_length_mm": 608, "weight_empty_g": 10600, "action_type": "gas_operated"}