Soviet Bloc Picture Thread

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Trent

Trent

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Went shooting with my buddies yesterday and decided to have a Soviet Bloc day (left the German belt feds at home).

Brought out a Soviet DSHK, PKM, and Uk. Vz. 59.

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Setting up a DSHK is quite a workout. Gun alone is over 75 lbs. Add in the mount (so you can charge it) and the tripod, and .. .yeah, it's damn heavy.

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Belt fed goodness.

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Set the tripod up on the absolute lowest, most stable position, due to the shorter backstops. Didn't want rounds leaving the ballpark or accidental doubles/triples from bump fire. Recoil takes on a whole new meaning when you are at this scale.

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My buddy Chris playing with the Uk Vz. 59

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Shoots good prone too. :)

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PKM dismounted

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The DSHK simply dwarfs the other two GPMGs.

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My buddy Dave about to get his Dishka on.

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My favorite ladies cooling off. (My wife Jami - she's camera shy but I snuck this one through)

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Video of Uk Vz. 59 prone. (rapid fire semi - as fast as it was being shot, approx 80% of rounds impacted an A-23 smallbore target at 100 yards.)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=755151487849117&set=vb.100000628173559&type=3&theater

Video of PKM being shot offhand and prone. (That is HEAVY with the gun + 100 round box attached underneath, but still pretty stable. Somehow managed to drop right in to my highpower stance using the box lol).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=755155644515368&set=vb.100000628173559&type=3&theater

Unfortunately my RPD wasn't running so it wasn't at the range, but here's a pic of it anyway. (WiseLite built it incorrectly; the gas piston drives too far in to the gas block, locking it up solid when it's shot; need to take a couple thou off it but my lathe is still down.)

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Anyway share your Soviet Bloc gun pics if you want in this thread.
 
Furncliff said:
Trent... anything less than a T54 would be anti-climactic.
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LOL well I guess there's that.

I'm still looking for an SG43 Goryunov and a wheeled mount. Almost put money down on one last year, but noticed that the images on Armslist looked familiar - they were from Wikipedia. This made me suspicious, so I asked the guy via e-mail to send me video of the gun running and to mention my screen name in the video. The next day the dudes account vanished and the listing was removed.

(Also known as "how not to get scammed on Armslist")
 
Didn't take any Kalashnikovs out yesterday but figured I'd toss a pic in here.

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I got them all out last December for a "Thank you Santa!" gag photo to post online. :)

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Man that tripod is huge. I shudder to think about having to hump that around. The ones we used for .50 cals was bad enough.
 
You know, there is a KPV parts kit on Gunbroker right now...

Just in case you feel like dwarfing your DShK ;)

Could I ask a super big favor? Could you take some pictures (or even measurements :D) of the ejector pin in the UK59? It seems the Centerfire Systems parts kits had the pins removed for torch cutting :)() and they were never reunited. At least a few other people besides myself would surely appreciate some clarity on this little part.

Also, I don't suppose you've looked into the semi-auto conversion of the UK59? Is it similar to the BREN conversions where the op-rod striker (which hits the firing pin on a full auto) has a slot milled through it with a separate/new semi-auto striker doing the honor of sending lead down range?

TCB
 
barnbwt said:
You know, there is a KPV parts kit on Gunbroker right now...

Just in case you feel like dwarfing your DShK ;)

Could I ask a super big favor? Could you take some pictures (or even measurements :D) of the ejector pin in the UK59? It seems the Centerfire Systems parts kits had the pins removed for torch cutting :)() and they were never reunited. At least a few other people besides myself would surely appreciate some clarity on this little part.

Also, I don't suppose you've looked into the semi-auto conversion of the UK59? Is it similar to the BREN conversions where the op-rod striker (which hits the firing pin on a full auto) has a slot milled through it with a separate/new semi-auto striker doing the honor of sending lead down range?

TCB
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Barn that *is* a semi-auto UK vz. 59 made my Marcolmar.

I'll try to remember to take some measurements for you tomorrow. Want some gratuitous cleaning pics too?

I gave the barrel of it and the PKM a good wash with hot water & soap when I got home, was shooting corrosive 7.62x54R. Need to give the rest of the gun a good bath before it gets humid again. Got it torn apart on the bench so I can keep an eye on it. Cleaning belt guns that have fired corrosive ammo is non-trivial.

The UK Vz. 59 became my "favorite shooting belt gun" as far as weight, feel, accuracy, and ability to stay on target, yesterday. Highly underrated design. (This is high praise considering I've shot 40+ different belt guns over the years, including M249's and M240's.)
 
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BullfrogKen said:
Man that tripod is huge. I shudder to think about having to hump that around. The ones we used for .50 cals was bad enough.
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Dude that thing is a BEAST. It weighs as much as the gun. Between the gun, the charging mount, collet, and the tripod, it's 200+ pounds assembled.

NOT something I'd want to lug around. (They used wheeled carriages for these in WWII - horse or human drawn).

Once you set it up it is not something that can be moved very quickly. It takes me a good 10 minutes to get it set up, working alone, another 5 to get it locked down, dialed in, and loaded. With someone helping I can get it done in 5 minutes. Could probably shave it down to 2 minutes with a well trained crew.

Oh one pro-tip.. don't stick your leg UNDER it when you fire. I have a nice "50 BMG casing shaped" bruise on my shin today. Video in a separate blooper reel that I haven't posted - too much foul language. :)

Unfortunately the DSHK broke yesterday, and needs some repair work before I take it back out again. (a spring broke). These guns are essentially "scaled up RPD's" in design (although I think the RPD is really a "scaled down" DSHK...timeline speaking). Anyway it shares all of the inherent problems of the RPD type design. For those not familiar with RPD's, think "Russian M-60", as far as reliability goes.
 
Here barn. She's still dirty, only cleaned the barrel so far.

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It protrudes FORWARD just over a tenth of an inch. Depth (downward) matches the cut in the bolt that it rides in (maybe .001 clearance; it's tight tolerances)


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As "top down" as I could get it - the nub on the left of the opening shows how far the ejector sticks out. Like I said, a hair over 1/10th of an inch.

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The UK Vz. 59 became my "favorite shooting belt gun" as far as weight, feel, accuracy, and ability to stay on target, yesterday. Highly underrated design. (This is high praise considering I've shot 40+ different belt guns over the years, including M249's and M240's.)
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That really is saying quite a lot, but I suppose the UK59 really is quite a lot itself. I was on the fence about buying one of the very-expensive parts kits, but my hand was forced when I found out it was the blessed offspring of the BREN and the VZ58*. I have zero experience with belt feds, and even I could immediately see it was one heck of a formidable platform; simple, reliable, compact, and pretty lightweight, considering.

I suppose the cocking method (which I forget if MarcolMar retains) using the pistol grip is a bit odd to Americans, but several successful Czech weapons worked this way, so must have some merit. I remember you had said yours was a MCM conversion, I was just curious how they went about implementing it (not that I'd want to step on their toes, or anything ;)). IIRC, there's a few different ways folks have gotten striker and hammer fired systems done up to convert BRENs, and the UK59 op-rod/carrier is the spit of the old BRNO designs; I figured there'd be some overlap (hopefully :eek:)

Thanks a ton for the photos & measures; I figure the pin is a pretty simple part to make a duplicate of. The only thing is it's pressed/stippled into place in the receiver, so a "trial by error" method would be less than practical ;)

You really need a DP28/DPM (or, if you have really good connections, an RP46) to complete the "Degtyarov Trifecta" :D. I assume you already have the Kalashnikov Collection (AK/M, RPK, PKM, and I assume he made a 12.7x108mm iteration). And we all need to lobby congress to get the Kord importable to the US in some configuration (purely for sporting purposes, because how else could you possibly use it? :evil:). Bring over the CZ805 while we're at it :p

TCB

*I actually just bought a second kit since APEX had them marked down; that one's bolt assembly is slated to be mated with a VZ58 kit for a 308 or 54r carbine :cool:
 
That DHSK is semi auto? Never heard of a semi auto kit for that gun, impressive as all get out. I don't think it would be much fun as a deer rifle...perhaps pintle mount on a Land Rover as an elephant rifle? :)
I'd heard the Czech design was good, the charging method is weird as all get out, but hey, it works and works well.
Last belt fed I played with was a regular old Ma Duece back in 1989, but the Navy said I couldn't take it home with me, dagnabbit.
 
Barn; Marcolmar retains the cocking mechanism. I actually really like it as you can re-cock the striker only with a half movement, and re-fire a misfire. Useful. :)

To answer your question they added a second spring to drive the striker, like many other open bolt conversions I've toyed with.

I think it'll be awhile before we get any Kords brought in to the country as parts kits. :)
 
There was a Soviet WWII military song about the machinegun cart. As I understood it was about the wheeled mounts and the water cooled gun.

Photo is from many years back. Actually the owner had it setting on the table on the wheels and it moved a good bit. This was the gun most guilty of tossing rounds over the backstop and causing such events to be no longer allowed. Owners would sell belts or clips of ammo to be shot in their guns.

As a full auto it was your basic maxim gun by whatever name. Feed it, it shoots. That's the sort of "boredom" I could live with. Back when shipping on 7.62x54 was greater than the actual cost this would have been THE Zombie Porkalips gun.

-kBob
 

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Excellent! Now all you need is some sandbags, and a small building with a sign that says "Checkpoint Charlie".


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Midwest, That photo must have been taken toward the end; she had to tape up the broken flagpole. No rubles for new pole. :D
 
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