Soviet DShKM 12.7-mm [.51 Cal.] Heavy Machine Gun

The DShK is one of the standard heavy machine guns of the Soviet Army. It is a gas-operated, belt-fed, air-cooled weapon which fires from the open-bolt position. The model 38/46 has a shuttle feed housed in a flat, rectangular cover. It has reversible feed; that is, with a minor adjustment the ammunition belt can feed from either the left or the right side. It also has a quick-change barrel. The NVA used the DShK extensively as an antiaircraft weapon on probable helicopter landing zones during the Vietnam War. It is capable of full automatic fire only. The Soviets adopted the original DShK (model 38 or M1938) in 1938 as a ground-mounted, dual-purpose antiaircraft and antitank gun. Largely superseded by the 14.5-mm ZPU-series weapons in the antiaircraft role, the ground-mounted version has become obsolete. In 1946, the Soviets adopted the improved version (model 38/46 or M1938/46, also known as DShKM) with a modified feed mechanism and a quick-change barrel. It is still in use as a vehicle-mounted armament. When used as a tank machine gun, it is known as the DShKT.

Photos provided by LTC. [Ret] Robert Suchke.

Randy:
I may have told you in an earlier email, but this .51 (or 12.7mm) Soviet made machinegun was the very same gun that shot down the Kenya infil bird in Aug 70. We (3rd Platoon D Troop) captured this weapon without a tripod ( we either did not find it or the team carrying it escaped.) We got a tripod later on another mission and once I was reasigned to L Co, I had to put ammo in it and test it out. ( I kind of adopted and took care of most all the captured weapons). In L Co we regularly fired this .51 during weapons training, even though .51 ammo was hard to come by, usually every trainee got to fire a short burst. I kept the .51 and a bunch of other captured weapons in the connex container, for use in training. It was located in the Company area between a couple of hooches. Man was that thing loud.

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