Kord machine gun
Encyclopedia
The Kord-12.7 mm heavy machine gun
is a Russian
design that entered service in 1998 replacing the older NSV machine gun. Externally the weapon resembles the NSV, however the internal mechanism has been extensively reworked, changing from a horizontally pivoting breech block to a rotating bolt design. Additionally the gas system has been changed and the muzzle baffle redesigned. These changes give the weapon reduced recoil compared with the NSV, allowing greater accuracy during sustained fire.
.
The Russian Degtyarev bureau was given the job of producing an updated version of the weapon chambered in the 12.7x108mm cartridge, which could be used for support, mounted on vehicles, or in an anti-aircraft capacity.
The weapon employs new construction, and consequently is significantly lighter than its predecessor. The firing mechanism is very rugged, yet is capable of a greater rate of fire and significantly less recoil. Because a new barrel made of a high-tech alloy
minimizes distortion and drop, accuracy has increased tremendously over previous Soviet machine guns. Unlike its predecessor and the vast majority of other heavy machine guns, it may be fired from a bipod
— a rather unique feature for 12.7 mm/.50 caliber heavy machine guns. Its relatively light weight allows stronger soldiers to move the gun around without assistance and even fire it from the hip (although accuracy is dismal at best).
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...
is a Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
design that entered service in 1998 replacing the older NSV machine gun. Externally the weapon resembles the NSV, however the internal mechanism has been extensively reworked, changing from a horizontally pivoting breech block to a rotating bolt design. Additionally the gas system has been changed and the muzzle baffle redesigned. These changes give the weapon reduced recoil compared with the NSV, allowing greater accuracy during sustained fire.
Development
The catalyst for the development of the weapon was a complete lack of any heavy machine guns in construction at that time in the Russian Federation. Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the weapon that had functioned as the heavy machine gun was the NSV, or "Utes" or "Utjos" (meaning cliff in Russian, this name was its designation during development) (утёс) machine gun. The main production center for the NSV was located in what is now KazakhstanKazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
The Russian Degtyarev bureau was given the job of producing an updated version of the weapon chambered in the 12.7x108mm cartridge, which could be used for support, mounted on vehicles, or in an anti-aircraft capacity.
The weapon employs new construction, and consequently is significantly lighter than its predecessor. The firing mechanism is very rugged, yet is capable of a greater rate of fire and significantly less recoil. Because a new barrel made of a high-tech alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
minimizes distortion and drop, accuracy has increased tremendously over previous Soviet machine guns. Unlike its predecessor and the vast majority of other heavy machine guns, it may be fired from a bipod
Bipod
A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion .-Firearms:...
— a rather unique feature for 12.7 mm/.50 caliber heavy machine guns. Its relatively light weight allows stronger soldiers to move the gun around without assistance and even fire it from the hip (although accuracy is dismal at best).
Variants
- 6P49: Baseline variant for vehicle mounting.
- 6P50: Bare infantry version.
- 6P50-1: Bipod-mounted infantry version. Bipod provides +/-15° range of traverse.
- 6P50-2: 6T19 tripod-mounted variant.
- 6P50-3: Infantry version on a 6U6 multipurpose mount. Casing ejection is to the right side.
- 6P51: Co-axial version with left-hand feed system and forward casing ejection.
