   the degtyaryov machine gun (russian: ÐÑÐ»ÐµÐ¼ÑÑ ÐÐµÐ³ÑÑÑÑÐ²a ÐÐµÑÐ¾ÑÐ½ÑÐ¹ pulemyot degtyaryova pekhotny "degtyaryov's infantry machine gun") or dp is a light machine gun firing the 7.62Ã54mmr cartridge that was used primarily by the soviet union starting in 1928. the dp machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modern rpd machine gun and entirely replaced in soviet service by the general purpose pk machine gun in the 1960s. ==design== the dp-28 was an improvement of the earlier dp-26, both designed by vasily degtyaryov. the dp-28 was relatively cheap and easy to manufacture â early models had fewer than 80 parts. the dp was especially able to withstand dirt in a reliable fashion. in tests it was buried in sand and mud and was still capable of firing more than 500 rounds. one of the dp's main drawbacks though was its bipod; it could not withstand much abuse and broke easily. furthermore, the recoil spring was located under the barrel, around the gas piston; this was one of the design problems of the dp, since the spring tended to lose its temper due to overheating.  also, the only magazine option, a pan with 47 rounds that fed in from the top, was relatively small and continuous fire for long periods could not be relied on as much as contemporary belt-fed weapons. the
7.62_mm_machine_guns Light_machine_guns Machine_guns_of_the_Soviet_Union Soviet_inventions World_War_II_infantry_weapons_of_the_Soviet_Union