DShK-38: The Soviet Monster .50 Cal HMG

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In 1925 the USSR began a program to develop a heavy machine gun for antiaircraft use. After some initial experimentation with a converted Dreyse machine gun, they brought in Degtyarev to scale up his recently-adopted light machine gun to the task. Degtyarev’s first design was ready in 1930, and underwent testing until 1933. It was designated the DK, and used a 30-round drum magazine. This contributed to an unacceptably low rate of fire (~360 rpm), and the feed system was replaced by an ingenious development of Georgiy Shpagin to use belts instead.
Fitted with the Shpagin feed system, the DShK finished field testing in 1939 and was adopted as the model 1938. Production was slow, and the guns were not used on anything like the scale of American M2 use during World War Two. A total of about 9000 were in use at the end of the war, although the subsequent update to the DshKM (aka DShK 38/46) pattern would see it fitted to many armored vehicles, and total production eventually topped one million.
This example is a very early production 1939 example, most likely a Finnish capture piece from the Winter War or Continuation War.
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[@sosecherofsky7985]

It’s a belt fed revolver, incredible

[@szlatyka]

Weirldy enough I thinks it's perfectly logical.

[@chatter2765]

I hate how this makes sense

[@HellzBellz7]

or autoloading revolver

[@lairdcummings9092]

You can see how this revolver feed is purely bolt-on to the base design; brilliant.

[@Matt-xc6sp]

@@szlatyka MG34 pall based feed systems still kind of make me scratch my head, probably because I’ve never operated one. But this made perfect sense.

[@erithromycin]

For a second I wondered if he was bringing this to a backup gun match.

[@DevinMoorhead]

I mean Saturdays generally ARE range days

[@krissteel4074]

Looks like its currently set up for the Lounge Room Continuation War match

[@xpavpushka]

As a sidearm

[@dosenkohl564]

When you have to backup into the shooters position, with your back-up-trailer-gun...

[@silverjohn6037]

Technically it would be a back up gun for a tanks main gun.

[@fuferito]

12:42 That little detail where a spent Soviet 50 cal. cartridge doubles as a charging handle is just genius.

[@a.k8185]

Also funny.

[@rundewiese58]

in russia we call it smekalochka

[@sheeplord4976]

@@rundewiese58 Pretty sure the western equivalents are jerry Rigging, hacking, and janking. Solving problems through unconventional means.

[@SteamCrane]

As opposed to using a 5.56 bullet point as an AR tool.

[@d.adrien7423]

Or the dust cover on a M16 as a bottle opener.@@SteamCrane

[@RP-ks6ly]

A side by side comparison between the M2 and the DShK-38 firing full auto would be amazing!

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

M2 may as well be bolt action compared to the reliability of this thing

[@Tunkkis]

​@@Ukraineaissance2014 May it?

[@RP-ks6ly]

It would be interesting to see how Mr. Brownings design compares. Obviously, the M2 is ubiquitous in the US forces, the DShK was much less prevalent....

[@ricardohumildebrabo]

@@Ukraineaissance2014 Both are incredibly realiable, there's no need to be petty. Also, the M2 still in use, that's a huge statement on it's favor.

[@sinisatrlin840]

@@Ukraineaissance2014 How do you know? I had bouth in front of me and i can not say nothing bad for M2 or DSHK. We also had 14,5mm variation of Dshk, that is a beast on quite another level. 14.5mm has double energy of .50 cal. Noise and flame in front of barrel is something that is hard to describe.

[@Bankrotas]

The difference in the belt box and gun's wear it's hard to not appreciate how well gun was preserved. It's amazingly clean.

[@alankertz5951]

@Rug Muncher Are we sure Ukraine doesn't want it?

[@Anvilshock]

Well, duh. The box is one of hundreds of thousands that was only meant to get emptied and to not hurt the war coffers too much if subsequently discarded, unlike the gun that was not. Big-brain moment, there, genius.

[@wrakowic]

@@joe-the-op XDDDDDD Cope harder lol

[@WindHaze10]

Today on Forgotten Weapons we see Ian operate a very big revolver on its dedicated mount.

[@lolgamer1073]

full auto revolver goes brrr

[@kevinfitzpatrick5949]

Does this mean we have found a weapon to surpass big iron, or is it the biggest of irons?

[@alankertz5951]

​@@kevinfitzpatrick5949 For the stranger there among them had a big iron on his Mi-8 Hip...

[@johnwallace7694]

" Gun Jesus " With more vids we all love , Ive been watching this channel for years .

[@firstconsul7286]

@@kevinfitzpatrick5949 It's the Novgorod Ranger's big iron

[@Starless85]

I feel like everyone knows about Kalashnikov for obvious reasons, but I would enjoy a whole video talking about Detierev, Schpagin, and Sudayev (sp), their history, influence and interactions with each other during that whole era.

[@joik2ww269]

Would like to see multiple 45min videos about those. Like docu series.

[@jfcard0055]

​@@joik2ww269 It would be a fun project for C&Rsenal I think. Or maybe another collaboration between them & Ian.

[@samuelberz1476]

If you're worried about the spelling, it's Degtyaryov and Shpagin. Ya got Sudayev right, though! 😀

[@corvoattano4777]

Maybe because aks are something civilians own across the world

[@RobinTheBot]

THIS THIS THIS THIS

[@olekzajac5948]

Regarding the name, the letter K stands for Крупнокалиберный (krupnokalibernyy) which means large caliber. It can also be found in the name of the KPV 14.5mm machine gun and its variants.

[@johnmcclain3887]

Thanks for the translation, not that far along in my Russian

[@MrKotBonifacy]

@@johnmcclain3887 Also, "M" at the end of a designator of "newer" version stands for "модернизированный" (modernizirovannyy) which means (drum roll, please!)... "modernized" : ) Or "upgraded". Who woule ever thought, eh? ;-)

[@firstconsul7286]

@@MrKotBonifacy That one looks like the Russians saw the word "modernized", and said, "okay how can we make this complicated and definitely Russian sounding?" Thats not to say English is innocent of doing this either.

[@MrKotBonifacy]

@@firstconsul7286 _"That one looks like the Russians saw the word "modernized", and said, "okay how can we make this complicated and definitely Russian sounding?" "_ - well, I'm afraid, NOT : ) "Modernised" is actually a Latin derived word - dictionary says: "modern, from late Latin modernus, from Latin modo ‘just now’". So now you know ;-) "Модернизированный" is an adjective in perfect/ object version - thus the suffix "-ванный" (meaning "one that underwent the process")added to "base" adjective "модерн" (modern), and the "й" character indicates "perfect aspect, masculine gender" ("-ванная" would be for "feminine" nouns). Well, I hope I make myself clear... Just kidding, I know I am not ;-) Slavic words in general (and Russian ones in particular) tend to "take some space" - look at, for instance, the adjective "самонастраивающийся" (samonastraivayushchiysya) - which basically means "self-tuning". Or "выигривающий" (vyigrivayushchiy, "winning" in the sense "winning lottery ticket"). Or Polish "Konstantynopolitańczykiewiczówna" (a family name of an unmarried daughter - i.e. "maiden name" - of a guy whose family name is "Konstantynopolitańczykiewicz", which is a variation of "Konstantynopolitańczyk", which basically means "one from/ born in Constantinople". OK, this one is tad on the "joke" side, although 100% correct as far as grammar and linguistics are concerned, and at any rate a rule of thumb is that any body of an English text translated into Slavic language becomes twice as large (= the characters count). Well, such is life. Cheers ;-)

[@ZeroDi]

@@MrKotBonifacy Who are you explaining to? Americans, apart from the small ruling class and rich people, are mostly poorly educated.

[@roflchopter11]

I'd really like to see the prototype with the extra large pizza pan magazine. Edit: sadly, the prototype apparently doesn't use a XL pizza pan magazine.

[@lairdcummings9092]

The magazine on the prototype design was more of a big drum atop the gun, not the pan magazine.

[@boki3000]

​@@lairdcummings9092 anys links/pics or anything?

[@roflchopter11]

​@@lairdcummings9092 big sad.

[@inisipisTV]

Now I’m hungry for Pizza.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@boki3000 the Army Ordnance Museum had one; since 9/11 and the move out of Aberdeen, I haven't seen their current display.

[@Amoore-vv9wx]

My navy pilot grandad logged two years over Korea without a scratch, and always talked about being able to distinguish what was shooting at him during a sortie by the rough size of the glowing tracer rounds flying up at him. Streams of golf balls were 12.7mm fire, probably from a DShK (the North Koreans had forests of them dug into the hillsides), patterns of tennis balls were 37mm flak, and singular basketballs were 85mm shells. Often the communists would get real good at determining the regular patterns American pilots would fly when attacking a valuable target and put a line of DShKs all the way along the route where a US plane would probably come in to strafe and bomb, so that the aircraft would have to fly through one DShK’s fire after another head-on. He always said that the North Koreans today might look like buffoons with their leader worship and goose stepping, but back in the early Cold War they were every bit as tough and mean as a miniature WW2 axis power. As I understand it, these DShKs were also a huge pain in the bum for chopper pilots in Vietnam, 15 years later.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Yeah ... Same thing with the B-52's in '72. US was coming in from different directions but all leaving the same way. Our ECM had foxed their Radar but they could hear the bombers and just shot scads of SAM's into their flight paths. If it got close enough the missiles own radar would pick the bomber up and it would home. The US stopped doing that ... The North Vietnamese ran out of missiles and that was that. .

[@zXPeterz14]

@@BobSmith-dk8nw similar thing happened with macv sog in vietnam. At the start there helicopters would extract them along a few designated routes so the vietcong would just wait along those routes ti get them on their way home

[@scottmccrea1873]

People are creatures of habit. Cops tend to do the same thing. So smart criminals learn response time, routes, the roads the cops tend to take back to the station, etc. Everybody does this which is why it's so hard to fight. Getting shot dead and/or out of the sky corrected this tendency quickly.

[@scottmccrea1873]

I envy you! My grandfather fought in Korea as well as a gunner's mate on a cruiser, bombarding NK positions. Sadly, he was not a talkative man and never told us very much about his service, 1936-57

[@davidyendoll5903]

@@scottmccrea1873 Apparently crocodiles will wait in ambush on a regularly used approach line ....... beware fishing people !

[@johnmcclain3887]

In two decades in the Marines, I was in Quantico many times for advanced schools and there was always a pile of Soviet weapons and armor arrayed on base, most of it captured in Iraq, Afghanistan and of course Syria. We trained on it briefly, pretty much just general familiarization, but it's cool to see it again, all these decades later.

[@scottmccrea1873]

High school friend of mine retired as a gunny. Multiple tours. Told me that they often used the DShK in Afghanistan. Reliable gun and tons of ammunition for it to be had.

[@SidneyBroadshead]

I think the Iraqi army still has them as standard.

[@aymanayad7230]

@@SidneyBroadshead we dont have a "standard" you are as likely to use a DSHK or NSV(usually not russian) or an M2 .50

[@posttenebraslux200]

the K in DK stands for Крупнокалиберный (krupnokaliberny), which means large-calibre.

[@electroninja8768]

This is one of the few channels where I can preemptively like the video knowing that it will be of a sufficiently high quality.

[@yonigle8553]

What's the rush? Stay a while!

[@Mikebumpful]

I also like that Ian never talks politics which keeps the comment section interesting for us nerds and not filled with crazy.

[@LemonHead-sq5ws]

That’s kissing ass

[@petesheppard1709]

Brutally elegant Soviet engineering. AIUI, Russian 12.7 ammo is really hard to come by in the States, so many are converted to .50BMG. From what little video I've seen, a firing DShK makes the Ma Deuce look puny with that YUGE! muzzle blast.

[@callumkingunderwood]

Romania also produced dshk's in .50 BMG for it's own military

[@Ledmetacdc]

I'm glad you brought up the ammo interchangability myth. When I was a kid, my uncle who was in Vietnam told me that they could use American .50 BMG rounds but that the 12.7x108 wouldn't work in an M2. Once I started really learning about cartridges I realized this was nonsense, but it's an interesting bit of soldier's lore and could be an example of the demoralization of American troops in Vietnam.

[@distalradius8146]

I've heard vets repeat the same BS about 5.45 and 5.56.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

@@distalradius8146 At least with 12,7 mm mistake can be understood. Nominally only difference is case length so .50BMG should go through 12,7x108mm barrel.

[@gargean1671]

@@distalradius8146 AND about soviet 23mm autocannons being able to use US 20mm ammo. Even told by REAL PILOTS.

[@brianyoung3324]

I think the only time that was true was that 7.63 Mauser could be used in 7.62 Tokarev guns, but only because they're closely related rounds. Right? I remember some late 80s game (Wasteland? Cyberpunk? don't remember) made the claim that AKs could use captured 7.62 NATO but not the other way around 😂

[@vksasdgaming9472]

@@brianyoung3324 Cyberpunk 2020 didn't make that claim. 7,63 Mauser being usable in guns chambered for 7,62 Tokarev but not opposite can be explained with them being practically identical rounds. Soviets did plan of making use of NATO ammunition like 80mm mortar bombs in their 81mm mortars which would have reduced their effective range and accuracy, but opposite would have failed.

[@deffington6627]

They went with ShKAS machinegun for aircraft use and I hope you will be able to show us one, because the firerate of that thing is pure madness.

[@chaos-fox]

And it’s bigger brother ShVAK as a 20mm cannon.

[@JimmySailor]

Which is actually similar to the American approach. The M2 in aircraft may have been similar to ground mounted weapons but the ROF was jacked way way up. Aside from the receiver I don’t know if there were any common parts.

[@ScottKenny1978]

10 stages of pulling the round out of the belt...

[@lavrentivs9891]

@@JimmySailor Lighter barrels on the aircraft guns if I recall correctly (which I might not do), as airflow would cool the guns.

[@samuelmendoza9356]

The feed mechanism is something to behold.

[@miketacos9034]

“What do you mean, Mr. ATF Agent? This is just an antique, like a Victrola or a rocking chair!”

[@rickb1973]

I've always wondered why, in Vietnam War era literature, and especially in many of the military aviation books, they often referred to the DShk as a ".51 caliber machine gun". The pilots and/or writers seem to correctly identify 23mm or 57mm AA fire, but for some reason, at the time, DSHks are always referred to as .51 cal.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Browning M2 + DShk + MG42 + Type 92 + Vickers HMG = All 5 heavy machine gun

[@LeMeowAu]

Maybe as a way to quickly differentiate 50 calibre to 51 calibre. Like because they thought it was just larger so to avoid logistic issues with captured American brownings

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

​@@LeMeowAu just like 75mm and 76mm gun for M4 shermans. 76mm gun ammo is actually 75mm, but designated so to avoid confusion between older 75mm ammo to newer, significantly more powerful 75mm ammo.

[@machintelligence]

@@LeMeowAu The cartridge case was both longer and larger diameter so why not refer to it as a .51? It makes it easier to instantly tell which one you are referring to.

[@lairdcummings9092]

​@@muhammadnursyahmi9440 similarly, the 106mm recoilless rifle, which was actually 105mm, but uses a radically different case from the well-known howitzer.

[@DanMorphyAuctions]

One of our favorites! Thanks for highlighting this incredible machine gun.

[@onsesejoo2605]

On the other hand, the Soviets had the Berezin UB for the aerial use in the same caliber as DShK. That in turn was developed to 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannon which replaced ShVak.

[@bravo_cj]

DShK, aka your Soviet anti-CAS solution in War Thunder

[@chinesesparrows]

DShK, the sound it makes when dry firing

[@MrDustyseb]

They also claped alot of helicopters in Vietnam

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Mega heavy machine gun

[@Dunkopf]

Milk truck go BRRRR

[@HappiKarafuru]

Well western M2 Browning can also do the same thing

[@TheDragonGamerTV]

Honestly, I think the belt feeding system is really neat. Complex enough to be considered Soviet, but simple enough for any insurgent without prior training to light up a convoy with it. Also, it's basically a full-auto revolver. And the Soviet .50 cal is technically bigger, so it IS better! 9mm is huge guys, don't let anyone tell you differently. But seriously, .50bmg sounds loud, but 12.7mm Russian is a different beast entirely.

[@johnmcclain3887]

When I was on active duty in the Marines, what you state was plain as day

[@liquid880]

It sounds louder, but in reality it's not that different from the 50 bmg.

[@user-zl8hp2xe7m]

У нас в России Мосинка поивилас через 20 лет после вашей гражданской войны какда вы стреляли из мушкетов

[@adityasanyal1678]

The best thing about Ian is that no matter what the provenance of a weapon, if it's a good one, you'll always hear the excitement and curiosity come through in his voice....👍

[@paleoph6168]

US: "I have big boolet, .50 BMG (12.7x99mm)." USSR: We have bigger boolet, 12.7x108mm."

[@Anvilshock]

Ye, but your powder is weaker so you need more of it.

[@paleoph6168]

@@Anvilshock add more powder then. The more the merrier. /s

[@GCho733]

There was a DShK mounted on what seemed to be the frame of a wheelbarrow.

[@maxayson9386]

I know its called "forgotten weapons" but I thin some of Ians best work is doing insightful deep dives on common guns such as this. His depth of knowledge and technical know how sets this channel apart.

[@MrMapower]

That's why I love this channel. Little to no politics, all about the cool mechanics. Amazing as always. Thank you Ian.

[@vennijesperi]

The safety markings are a bit strange in Finnish. The fire setting says "Tulta" which is either a command to fire or singular partitive of the word "tuli" meaning it's an answers the question of what something is with what would in English be "it's fire"(can mean both actual fire or gun fire). And the safe marking is a slightly shortened form of the word "varmistin" which is most often used to describe the safety lever itself or "varmistus" which basically means "makes sure". So basically the settings are "it's fire" and "makes sure".

[@memph1ston]

They were just ahead of their time. This gun is in fact, fire. 🔥

[@dpetrides]

kinda forces you to read it in a russian accent even when translated

[@alexsmirnof]

Hmm... Fake Finnish marks?

[@vennijesperi]

@@alexsmirnof Probably not, it's just that old Finnish gun markings were often really inconsistent and specific to each gun. Though I am somewhat surprised they would even bother to redo them since that was not done on most guns. M39 has literally no markings on the safety, same with Lahti-Saloranta M/26 and KP-31 too.

[@avtomaticeskijrazdatcikgus2713]

Safety markings: Google translate edition.

[@francis9469]

Slight error in the factual information on the use of DShKs on vehicles: The SMK multi turret tank was initially given a DShK at the rear of the turret, this was replaced when deployed to Finland in the Winter War. Additionally, the T-40 amphibious tanks primary armament was the DShK, they were manufactured in 1940 and 1941, and was replaced with a 20mm ShVAK in October of 1941 when the T-40 evolved into the T-30. the Ba-64 was also prototyped with a DShK, but at most one prototype was made and the type never fielded.

[@gratius1394]

I think you meant T-60, not T-30.

[@francis9469]

No I mean the T-30. It was the replacement for the T-40, then the T-60 was the simplified T-30. It's confusing because 30 logically shouldn't follow 40, but that's the USSR for you

[@gratius1394]

@@francis9469 I wasn't confused, just suprised. Not sure why the Soviets would have bothered with developing non-amphibious version of T-40 before June of 1941. Maybe it was just a backup design at this point. But you're right, I stand corrected.

[@RomaNovikov1980]

@@gratius1394 , плавающий не держал требования по пулестойкости. Так и появилось 2 вида почти одинаковых: один для авангарда танкистов, а другой для поддержки пехоты. Но потом плюнули, и на водоходность забили вообще (случаев её массированного использования за всю войну было, наверно, меньше 10), а разведчики пересели на ленд-лизовские колёсные амфибии.

[@gratius1394]

@@RomaNovikov1980 No wonder, T-40 was designed for offensive type of warfare and wasn't suitable for defensive operations.

[@auroralupton]

I would have liked to see Ian sit in the gunners seat. Its not often the guns he demonstrates come with their own chair.

[@bbcmotd]

Dushka means "sweetheart" in Russian. How touching.

[@doublep1980]

The DShK or "there´s no cover only concealment."

[@Se7enBeatleofDoom]

Most popular toyota hilux accessory.

[@danq.5140]

Does it come with a white Toyota as an accessory? 🤭

[@MrNackerly]

Watching Ian squee about the year model of the gun is so heartwarming.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

When I was stationed on Fliegerhorst Kasern in West Germany in the 80s part of our weekly training included classes on identifying Soviet equipment and uniforms. It was specified that the US used .50 Cal and the Soviets used 12.7mm or 14.5mm in their machine guns and that the Soviet 12.7mm was not comparable with US guns. I figure it was to counter the 'old wives tale" of the two rounds being interchangeable.

[@catmus1506]

The trust these auction houses have in you is fantastic. It gives you a chance to really give us such an in-depth look at these weapons. Thank you.

[@OneofInfinity.]

There is no doubt in my mind he well earned that trust.

[@blatherskite9601]

Fascinating! I look forward to part 2 - at the range!

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Back up gun? Primary gun being...?

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq ZiS-3 76mm!

[@irishpsalteri]

I enjoy the ingenuity with which the designers solve different problems.

[@camrsr5463]

this is the gun we have all seen swinging around on the back of a white 90's toyota pick uo.

[@OberGefreiterZ]

the 12,7mm guns on soviet aircrafts, like Yak series and models, were UBS machine guns, developed by Berezin UBS guns are lighter 21kg vs. 34kg on DShK and the soviets prefered, specially at the end of the war larger caliber guns, such as shvak 20mm and larger

[@Kreozot2D]

Cool, this belt feed mechanism is a work of art. This thing is so heavy, I was always a huge fan of DShKM, and original looks as cool as it's successor

[@minuteman4199]

It'd be interesting to know what path a Soviet heavy machine gun built in 1939 took to end up at an auction house in the US.

[@michaelwarenycia7588]

Vietnam?

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@michaelwarenycia7588 Or Korea.

[@michaelwarenycia7588]

@@ScottKenny1978 American soldiers do seem to have an eye for curious guns.

[@minuteman4199]

@@michaelwarenycia7588 Maybe, but given the shit kicking the Soviet army took at the hands of the FInns then the Germans, what are the odds that a gun made it 1939 survived the war? Maybe it was captured by the Finns?

[@michaelwarenycia7588]

@@minuteman4199 true

[@user-ch5wg9iy8q]

Thanks to Ian for showing a rare Soviet heavy machine gun! Excellent security! Just one note: the USSR was not stingy with the production of DShKs, the USSR simply did not have enough production capacity to produce as many DShKs as the United States produced Browning 0.5 " Спасибо Йен за показ редкого советского крупнокалиберного пулемета! Отличная сохранность! Только одно замечание: СССР не был скуп на выпуск ДШК, у СССР просто не хватало производственных мощностей выпускать столько ДШК, как США выпускали Браунинг 0,5"

[@charless7410]

When Ian mounted the ammo can, the gun just came alive 🤯

[@CamoGuy76239]

I thoroughly enjoy your disassembly videos! Can't tell you how many times I've disassembled and reassembled my WASR 10 and SVT 40 and just totally enjoyed myself doing it; I can only imagine how much fun this is for you and I appreciate that you share this with us!

[@user-lb1xc8je7u]

One of our favorites! Thanks for highlighting this incredible machine gun.. It’s a belt fed revolver, incredible.

[@Punisher9419]

Would be cool to see a KVP deep dive as well.

[@Drillz007]

one can only hope since hes done a fair few other 14.5 guns already

[@Montycat78]

3:58 love that sound ❤

[@Jackedhobbit]

At this point Ian has probably gone over thousands of weapons, but still gets excited about them and that’s just great. Keep it up.

[@comiketiger]

Fascinating design. Ian, you are a treasure. I learn so much on here. God bless all here.

[@frankoldmanwoods8605]

In the metro video games there was a weapon called “abzats” it was a modified DShk-38 chambered in 12 gauge. I wanted to know what you thought about the idea? Edit: for everyone who keeps talking about how impractical an abzats would be, I forgot to mention, it’s a heavily stripped down version. The belt mechanism is completely different. The barrel is chopped down, It has proper furniture and a smaller 20 round belt. The gun being chambered for 12g means you could use a completely different barrel assembly as well, shorter and smaller gas piston as well as recoil spring. The barrel doesn’t need to be nearly as long. Could get away with a lighter muzzle device(if I remember correctly the one in game doesn’t have a muzzle device), the chamber isn’t going to be as heavy because 12g is much lighter then 12.7mm. Probably weighs more like 40-60 pounds. And in a metro setting where you’re not moving to much it makes more sense to have an HMSG then something like an AK or a Saiga. And most of the ranges you’re engaging at aren’t much past what a shotgun in a video game would good for. Never more then 20 meters. It’s more practical then a normal DShK-38 because it’s lighter, more effective against the general enemy, ammo is easier to find, it’s a full auto weapon(the only full auto shotgun in metro), and you don’t really need to aim. All in all it’s would be good at both a mounted position or as a man portable weapon. Yes it would be awkward to load but it’s better then most of the shotguns available.

[@TheArklyte]

Possible... if you can lug around 50kg gun with 10kg of ammo.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Not a very long range weapon, then?

[@ichimonjiguy]

Terrible idea. A MK-19 grenade launcher will perform better than your 12 gauge DShK in range, accuracy, and firepower.

[@Z0RR0NINJA]

Doesn't need to be in the game, considering you're largely in metro tunnels so everything is in your face, in that situation a 40 round box mag of 12 gauge with the fire rate of an HMG comes in real handy.

[@Chris_FMS_Redfield]

You would need to downsize the gun a lot.

[@FyremaelGlittersparkle]

Ian: “If the frame get broken and I’m not sure how that would happen because it’s just big chunks of steel…” Soviet conscript: “Challenge accepted! Hold my vodka…”

[@ianfinrir8724]

You can make something as idiot proof as you want, the world will build a bigger idiot.

[@LeMeowAu]

Wouldn't be surprised if they managed to make a brick malfunction

[@Taisto-Perkele]

Never underestimate a soldiers ability to break something, especially their own equipment :D

[@commisaryarreck3974]

@@Taisto-Perkele For the US that'd be the marines Some countries just have..."special" forces Others just have mostly normal soldiers

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@LeMeowAu there's a running joke thay if you locked a US Marine into a bunker with 3 large ball bearings, in 30 minutes one would be lost, one broken in half, and one pregnant.

[@TylerMcL3more]

Does anybody else love watching Ian’s videos with 3D models of the guns in front of them? I’ve found that a LOT of guns Ian covers are either in Battlefield V or Enlisted- so I can usually bring up a pretty good 3D reference model by looking in the armory of those games. Just figured i’d share in case anyone else thought the idea was cool.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Ian was a technical advisor for the Battlefield series.

[@TylerMcL3more]

@@ScottKenny1978 I’m aware- but the amount of featured guns that I see in Enlisted is a bit weird as I think that was made by Russians/Eastern Euros mostly.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@TylerMcL3more I'm not sure about the Enlisted series, but it wouldn't be hard to watch Forgotten Weapons videos while working on the programming.

[@yt.602]

Very cool indeed an early part of the manufacture run and a really interesting feed mechanic that clearly works well.

[@mrrager3475]

nice, hopefully in the future you can show the kpv machine gun

[@TheMrDoliprane]

Tnak you Ian for always finding new historic weapons, this is very informative, and very useful even oustide of the scope of weapons collectors... i'm looking forward too see the next strange SMG one you find

[@McRocket]

I really appreciate you explaining things in the simplest of ways. I am no gun expert. So the detailed descriptions REALLY help me. 👍 ☮

[@ericmitchell985]

11:45 Like the coolest exercise rowing machine ever.

[@pb68slab18]

Soviet heavy arms look straight outta Star Wars! That thing would look perfect on the rail of Jabba The Hutts sail barge!

[@gratius1394]

Twined DShKM's appeared in "Starship Troopers" on a watchtower during outpost siege scenes. And yeah, despite their age they still looked futuristic.

[@GarioTheRock]

I heard many times that many of the weapons in Star Wars were inspired by WWII-era developed firearms, and there a lot of evidence to support that claim. Which I think is pretty cool.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@GarioTheRock most of the weapons in Star Wars, particularly the Original Trilogy, _were_ WW2 weapons greeblied up with weird stuff. For example, the Stormtrooper blaster is a Sterling SMG with an M4 or M6 tank scope (mounted backwards!) and an engine hour meter box on the side. I'm tempted to make one myself, but use an Eotech holographic sight with a custom bump guard. Not sure whether to use an airsoft one with fluorescent red pellets or a real one modified to semi auto only and firing tracers. The Jawa ion gun is an early war tank smoke launcher, a cut down Lee-Enfield rifle with the grenade cup fitted.

[@jonaszimmermann1361]

Ох уж эта судьба легенды. И дышкой его назовут, и даже душкой теперь. Хорошо, что мы с пацанами всегда безошибочно узнаём Дашку.

[@thegenericguy8309]

Another reason for low production compared to the M2 was that the Soviets had a different .50 caliber machine gun specifically for aircraft use, the Berezin UB, and there was therefore no reason to ever even consider sticking them on aircraft when a purpose built gun for that was already in mass production. If memory serves me right the UB was much lighter and not built for the sort of sustained fire the DShK was built for, so it was also just a better choice for the role. It was produced prolifically in the war, being the standard non-cannon sidearm of Soviet mixed-gun fighters for most of the war

[@egyeneskifli7808]

That feed system... Everybody say the father of the modern high firing rate single barrel cannons (DEFA, ADEN, M39, BK 27) used on aircrafts are the Mauser MG 213C. Well, the feed system of that gun is suspiciously similar to this.

[@matthaft2048]

These were still pretty prevalent in Afghanistan when I was there. Enough that our unit SOP was if we believed we were being fired on with one and they were within range our mortar team would drop 5rds of HE and 10rds WP alternating out of the 120mm on it to not only kill the crew but destroy the weapon and equipment. Edit: Incase anyone was wondering we called that type of fire mission a “Shake’n’Bake” 😅

[@benlewis4241]

I've seen that to counter the tactic they started mounting them on motorbikes for shoot 'n' scoot tactics. Later they started fitting IR scopes to be extra spicy. You can see the former tactic being done rather ineffectively at roughly 11 and a half minutes of this documentary (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqWUqoiuYrKihNE)

[@matthaft2048]

@@benlewis4241 wouldn’t doubt it. One of my biggest fears when out on foot patrol was when we’d be in a staggered column going along the road, a covered jingle truck would drive through and have one of these staged in the back to start spraying the formation once it got passed the lead man. Thankfully my anxiety was a better tactician than the local taliban 😅

[@benlewis4241]

@@matthaft2048 Afghan Tachanka! Now that would be interesting (and terrifying) to see. Good thing your anxiety stayed on the coalition side. I could see many things going wrong on the Taliban side though, just imagine if the back failed to drop properly or if the old gun jammed at that exact moment I just imagine the chap having a "well this is awkward" moment! Were you allowed to fire warning shots at suspicious approaching vehicles? I recently was told by someone who claimed to be an afghan war vet that warning shots are "war crimes" because the bullet could hit someone, but that shooting up the vehicle is fine, and I am sceptical because I know that is not the practice in the Balkans and Northern Island.

[@matthaft2048]

@@benlewis4241 it depended on the situation. When dealing with people our SOP was Shout,Show,Shove,Shoot. With a vehicle it was Ground(shoot a round in front of it),Grill(put one in the engine), and Guy(pretty self explanatory). We also had those little pen flares we could pop off if we really felt a need. Or turn your laser from IR to visible and point. That usually worked pretty good. Never heard anything about warning shots being a war crime though

[@americanmilitiaman88]

I remember at the DFACs in Afghanistan there was a paper posted with the image of a mangled hand. Looked like hamburger. The soldier used a .50 cal live round as a hammer for mount pins. Never use a live round for anything other than loading into a gun to fire

[@GarioTheRock]

When it comes to the DShK, there are very few people who in the military in the East have issue with using a live round to engage the charging handle. In fact, if you have no mount and haven't fired the gun, you don't have any other options, its part of the design. Hamming with a live round is always stupid, but the charging handle on this was designed for a live round to be used, so, don't worry so much. Pulling laterally on the base of a case of a live round with a few pounds of force will not detonate a cartridge, I have bet the integrity of my hands many times on that fact! Though not with a DShK. Lawsuits are much less common in Russia, Ukraine and in the East in general, so, stupidity or 1 in 10,000,000,000 misfortune is not rewarded with changes in law or practice unless it is a likely occurrence, things like flagging each other with loaded guns is a no-no, but if it has no magazine, you are certain/have checked it is empty and you're just discussing the weapon, unlike in America, we do not yell at each other about pointing empty guns at each other when both of us know it is empty, as has happened to me in America a few times. "We don't even have bullets for this thing." is something I have said TWICE after inspecting a firearm in America to a grown man who was cross with me for engaging in: "poor firearms safety practices," like, brother, we are in your dining room and we're inspecting a musket and one of the earliest Spanish 4 gauge shotguns, relax. And yes, one of those instances was with the aforementioned guns, I doubt there was any ammunition in the WORLD that could have worked with that monster. x) So, relax, and use a 12.7 x 108 as a charging handle, nothing will happen except subsequent fun and possible hearing loss if your ear protection falls out or off.

[@therocinante3443]

...In 1925, they began development of this gun to shoot at biplanes. Incredible.

[@dxb338]

20:12 that cut where you put the shield on and then turn it to bring it into view was like a magic trick. good editing.

[@floridasoldat]

That spindle feed design is wild lol

[@kantenklaus9753]

This is an unusual loading and locking system, super cool.

[@mothmagic1]

This is an absolutely fascinating video to me as we had one exactly liking it sitting on the verandah of the Guardroom at one of the Army units I served in. We often wondered what that charging handle did because everything apart from the feed system was seized solid. The gas system and breech block looks like an overgrown Bren

[@beerdrinker6452]

Always interesting and informative content. Thank you.

[@mwb3984]

A Savage 99 magazine spool on steroids. As usual, an extremely well done review. Mr. Ian, thank you!

[@Anvilshock]

Now that's the first in a long list of comments that likens the feed spindle to some other firearm's mechanical element that _isn't_ some unqualified "durr spINnY thinG it'Z a rEVolVeR" when it isn't even remotely a revolver. Will miracles never cease.

[@rossfromfriends8468]

Always loves these. Ive qlways had liking for soviet equipment for how simple and distinct they look. The dshk is no exception

[@theflyingwelshman5338]

5:48 I winced at the way Ian lifted that shield. Use your legs, Ian!

[@user-cy1rm5vb7i]

it might actually be a continuation war captured gun, that would explain why it was never modified to a newer version

[@Mbartel500]

That mounting system doesn't look like it has enough elevation to shoot at aircraft while using the sights. It looks to be more useful as an infantry support, and anti-material weapon. A very clever feed mechanism though.

[@youtubeaccount9058]

That's my question, I wonder if this tripod jacks way up, or if they fitted it to a different tripod for AA. I see his other video does have a taller tripod kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpi7iH17j995fqc

[@Mbartel500]

@@youtubeaccount9058 wow!!! That is some incredible muzzle flash…even in broad daylight..imagine what that would be like at dusk. Now that mount looks more suited for AA use or land based fire. Thanks for the video link.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

@@ljubomirculibrk4097 Didn't Ian say that that tripod as shown actually unfolded into an AA mount....?

[@bloqk16]

On the video @14:09 Ian explains the versatility of that mounting system that can be converted to a standup antiaircraft mount; though he doesn't display that conversion.

[@rm5248]

It's probably a good thing you didn't try to use a live round to cycle the gun. I had to go to Ft Irwin before, part of their range safety training was a cautionary tale about what might happen if you use a 50 cal incorrectly. Apparently one of the soldiers had a stuck gun mount of some kind and couldn't get the screw unlocked. He didn't have a hammer, but he did have a (live) 50 caliber round with him. Turns out, if you hit it juuust right, the cartridge can detonate. They showed a picture of his hand, there was not much of a hand left.

[@ScottKenny1978]

The military is good about making sure there are horrible pictures of what happens when troops get stupid.

[@OneofInfinity.]

@@ScottKenny1978 Reminded me of one of the films we got to see during basic training, this one was about: how not to deal with mines or how civilians end up after trying to disarm a mine.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@OneofInfinity. I got a different set of videos, I was a Sailor. Got to watch some officers jump out of their burning airplanes on the deck of a carrier.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@OneofInfinity. the other film I got to watch is what happens when a mooring line parts under full load. Body parts flying everywhere as the 2" kevlar line goes through anything that isn't steel.

[@InexorWoW]

My favorite part is how Ian is out of breath because the thing weighs +70lbs.

[@mhick3333]

Great presentations, I always look forward to the next one

[@bulukacarlos4751]

Excellent video! Although Ian is in very good physical condition, it is notable that when he has to disassemble Soviet/Russian weapons he ends up panting, lol. Greetings from Argentine Patagonia.

[@Ceyler1000]

и тебе привет дружище

[@bulukacarlos4751]

@@Ceyler1000 привет и привет из Патагонии Аргентина,

[@stunitech]

I had no idea the DShK worked like this (the rotary feed). We had one in our forensics collection in Northern Ireland where I used to work. It was non-functional however as it was an old captured gun from an IRA operation and had been riddled with 7.62 by the British Army. **Edit to add - 70+ lb doesn't surprise me at all. I had to move it once and it's a heavy bastard)

[@Yurkevich22]

ahh, the stepbrother of DP28 and PPSH!

[@seanp4098]

4:59 Ian getting geeked out with the gun is one of my fave parts.

[@paulhickie6974]

Love the DSHK hope you do the KPV next 😊.

[@viceconsulimhotepienenobed1573]

Funny how Shpaguin fixed the DSHK and the PPD, then Soudaïev fixed the PPSh, then Daugs fixed the PPS.

[@c63amgblack]

That flapper locking mechanism reminds me of the HK roller delay mechanism, with the firing pin thing forcing things out the side of the bolt into recesses in the receiver.

[@amblincork]

An extraordinary degree of detail in this video -

[@garyvigorito3289]

It is also possible that they obtained these from Germany. Remember that the Finns received hundreds of captured Hotchkiss and Puteaux 25MM cannons from Germany. These were also rebuilt and stamped with Finnish arsenal stamps. These cannons were sold in the US by Interarms.

[@larryfontenot9018]

The gun shield on Soviet machine guns is better than nothing, but the fact that the gunner needs to see past it makes it flawed. Instead of having some kind of periscope system to see over it, the Russians just cut a slot into it for vision. That's a pretty big space where the armor isn't, and so it's also a big space for bullets to pass right through. I've seen live combat footage of people getting their tickets punched because it's an immutable law of nature: if you can see them, they can see you.

[@Mike-vn8sn]

Lol that's why Ian didn't show us the round cycling through the gun, it's a live round XD

[@lockbars5456]

I can still hear the sound this MG made when I was a kid playing Close Combat 3: The Russian Front. Funny thing is, if you look at the front of the box, on photo shoot day supposedly someone forgot some stuff so they used an Smle as the rifle in the hands of the Russian.

[@yoochoob1858]

Wierd that you have a belt, a live round, but no empty case to demonstrate the unique and interesting charging handle solution.

[@bryangrote8781]

What we need now is a crossover episode with The Chieftain where they use DShk's in a backup gun match... ...while driving tanks!

[@TheHylianBatman]

Always love Ian with a big gun!! What a convenient charging handle!

[@not-fishing4730]

Amazing engineering and it looks like you could fix most of the gun with a rock. Maybe a big rock.

[@jmi5969]

Soviet Union: loses yet another brand-new weapon, and to whom? To the Finns! Ian at 15:55: *that* is supercool

[@kot0472]

After 10 years, finally see a full video about original DShK. Remember that video of shooting with Leszek. :)

[@sevenproxies4255]

A purist may think that a sear unit stamped in Finnish might spoil the provenance of the weapon. But I'd disagree. Discovering foreign markings on parts of the gun just make it all feel rich with history. This gun had an interesting story behind it.

[@ScottKenny1978]

I'd assume that it was captured during the Winter War and then surplused during the 1960s or so, since the US stopped allowing the importation of NFA items in 1968.

[@VictorLarsen-fy9ls]

This is still not forgotten weapon!

[@liamholt5623]

A full auto .50 revolver. Nice!

[@Anvilshock]

Except it's not a revolver.