The Degtyaryov DP-27 infantry light machine gun of 7.62mm caliber was the first mass-produced light machine gun created in the Soviet Union. It was designed by the famous Soviet gunsmith Vasily Degtyaryov, who, in addition to the DP-27, developed many other weapons used in the Great Patriotic War. His three most iconic creations were the PPD submachine gun, the PTRD anti-tank rifle and the DP-27 light machine gun.

By the end of the 1920s, it became clear that the machine guns that were in service with the Red Army were outdated and no longer met the requirements of the time. The Maxim machine gun was very heavy, had low maneuverability and was more suited for stationary positions, the few foreign weapons the Red Army had, often did not meet the requirements of the army, and a clear shortage of machine guns was evident.

Degtyaryov began tackling this issue on his own initiative. Having tested the weapon, the first batch was ordered, and in 1927 the machine gun was already put into service with the Red Army. Its development did not end there, as soon as 1928 it received its first modification DA (Degtyaryov aviation), in 1929 — DT (Degtyaryov tank), and in 1930 — DC (Degtyaryov large-caliber). Even during tests, the commission noted “the outstanding originality of the idea, the faultlessness of operation, the high rate of fire and the considerable ease of handling of the comrade Degtyaryov’s system”.

The DP-27 was very easy to manufacture. For comparison, it took 700 machine hours to make a Maxim machine gun, and only 130 for the DP. At the same time, the DP was a fairly effective weapon with a good rate of fire of up to 600 rounds per minute, a high speed of the bullet with a muzzle velocity of up to 840 m/s, a sighting range of up to 800 meters and a light weight, which made the machine gun more mobile. This allowed it to become the most widespread military weapon of this type for the next two decades — in total, the DP-27 produced more than 795,000 units.

The effectiveness of this machine gun was recognized not only in the Soviet Union, but by the troops of other countries, that is why it could be found in the German and Finnish armies, and after the war it was in service with many countries of the world.

The DP-27 machine gun on display took part in the battles on the Karelian Front and was transferred to the museum from the warehouses of the Belomorsk Military District in 1946.