DT Light Machine Gun

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Hi Danny,
A very nice weapon. Just a bit more info for you on the open bolt system of firing. It means that a round is only stripped from the magazine or belt at the moment the trigger is squeezed. It is only then that the bolt moves forward, chambers the round and fires it. Tremendous heat builds up on the chamber of a machine-gun, and if the gun were to fire on a closed bolt system, there is the risk of the round cooking off.

Maxim-type Mg's worked off the closed bolt system. That means that the round in the chamber was only fired when the trigger is squeezed. The weapon had to be cocked twice before a round was placed in the breech. It was not uncommon to get a runaway gun through overheating, and the only safe way of stopping it was to take some rounds out of the belt or cut the belt. This is one of the reasons that Maxims were water-cooled, it was an attempt to keep the barrel and the breech cool.

Harry.

[GasMasksUK]

Thanks Harry for the extra bit of info on why it fires from on open bolt, I was just wondering as I watched a video of one of these being fired in the US after being re-built from a parts kit and it fired from a closed bolt. I'm guessing this would probably be as it was a semi-automatic weapon?

Thanks, and I'll get some better pictures uploaded hopefully on friday as the weather at the moment isnt very good at the moment.

Danny

[m3bobby]

We Brits like the open bolt system too, the Bren, Browning L3 and LSW are just some of the Rifle Calibre weapons. Love the condition of the gun shown, I've no idea about Russian guns but I knows what I lkes!

[GasMasksUK]

I'm sure the LSW operates from a closed bolt, the same as the normal SA80 rifle. Anyways thanks for the comments guys If anyone is after pictures of specific parts give me a shout and I'll have the up somepoint on Friday

Thanls

Danny

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Danny, photos of the markings are always good to see.

By the way, DT = Degtyaryova Tankovy for those who might not know.

Cheers, Ade.

[m3bobby]

I'm sure the LSW operates from a closed bolt, the same as the normal SA80 rifle. Anyways thanks for the comments guys If anyone is after pictures of specific parts give me a shout and I'll have the up somepoint on Friday

Thanls



Danny

Its been 14 years since I used a LSW but I'm sure it was open bolt Auto and closed bolt Semi. I could be wrong, in fact I've got a book somewhere, will go and find it, its got me wondering now.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Further to the closed bolt/open bolt systems. Back in 1969 I was at the firing ranges at Todendorfe - Germany. Our Bofors 40/70 AA gun got a stoppage in the breech. The procedure was to wait for one minute to see if it would 'cook off' before attempting to remove the round. A few years before I joined the regiment a certain Major Pink went over to a gun on the firing point which had the same stoppage. He opened the top cover plate and saw that the round was half in/half out of the breech, so he started to ease the round back with the crowbar rather than wait the required minute. The resulting explosion took his head off.

[GasMasksUK]

I'll get some pictures up tomorrow when the light is a bit better as my camera flash isnt that great. I could be wrong regarding the LSW aswell but its only been a couple of months since I last fired it, but if I remember rightly it did fire from a closed bolt. And that sounds like a nasty way to go, even nastier for whoever had to clean the poor guy up.... Must have been great to fire such a weapon though Harry, guided missiles might be better and the chosen weapon now, but I'd see firing something like a Bofors AA gun as a but more entertaining

Thanks

Danny

[m3bobby]

Have a look at this, a .50" round caused this (it was missused)

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Danny & Bobby, the L86A1 fires from an open bolt.

Hi Bobby and Harry, the rules are there for a good reason! As your story and pic well illustrate.

Cheers, Ade.