Degtyarev PPD-40
PPD-34 | PPD-34/38
Overview
PPD-40
Right side view of a PPD-40 sub machine gun.
Source: Vitaly V. Kuzmin -
© CC BY-SA 4.0
1937 (first issue to troops)
Vasily Degtyarev
PPD / Pistolet-Pulemyot Degtyaryova
Russian for "Degtyarev machine pistol"
MP.715(r) / Maschinenpistole 715(r)
PPD-40 in Nazi German service
MP.716(r) / Maschinenpistole 716(r)
PPD-38/40 in Nazi German service
7.63 mm kp M/venäl (Finnish service)
Nazi Germany
Finland
Description
Introduction
The PPD is a pre-World War 2 eta sub machine gun of Soviet origin. It was developed in 1933 to 1934 using the new 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge developed for the Tokarev pistol. For six years production issues plagued the design, with only a few thousand produced up to 1940. In 1940 the vast majority was produced before production switched to the PPSh-41 design.
Design
The PPD is a blowback operated sub machine gun that fires from an open bolt position. It has a machined tubular receiver and large barrel shroud. The forearm and stock are made of wood. A
Firepower
The PPD-40 fires the 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge from a 25 round detachable box or 71 round drum magazine. Cyclic rate of fire is high at 800 to 1.000 rpm. Maximum effective range is quoted as 200 meters, but in practice the effective range is close to 50 m using short bursts of automatic fire.
Users
Many PPD-40 were captured by Finnish forces and Nazi German and pressed into service. During and after World War 2 the PPD-40 was exported to several Soviet allies. Most notably China, Yugoslavia and North Korea.
Variants
PPD-34 and PPD-34/38
Two PPD sub machine guns on display in the Military Museum of Finland in 2010. A PPD-34 shown on top and a PPD-34/38 below.
Source: MKFI -
© Public domain
Production history
The PPD sub machine gun has seen many production iterations. All aimed at reducing production effort. Post 1941 some variations have been observed when existing PPDs were refurbished in small workshops.
List of variants of the PPD
Details
Related articles
Tokarev TT-33
The PPD was the first Soviet sub machine gun chambered in the new 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge.
Shpagin PPSh-41
In 1941 the PPD-40 was replaced on the production line by the PPSh-41 that was much easier to produce.
Sudayev PPS-43
The PPS-43 went into production in 1943 to provide an even cheaper sub machine gun to produce.