WarLeaks recently published a video on their Youtube channel showing Ukranian Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion, 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade in a live fire range shooting modified DShKs. This footage is actually U.S. DOD footage shot during Rapid Trident 2017, a multinational (U.S., Ukranian) training exercise that took place in September of this year. However, this isn’t the first time this has been done in the Ukraine, with a video a year older showing volunteer forces training with the same modified DShK as in the War Leaks video.

WarLeaks Video (the title Giant Super Sized Machine Guns is some excellent clickbait, a DShK is a DShK, there isn’t anything super-sized about it)-

2016 video-

There are three important modifications to pay attention to in both videos. Most obvious are the bipods. Theoretically, these heavy machine guns usually aren’t employed with bipods because they involve a large crew to employ and supply ammunition. Bipods are useful for proning out within a closer distance(200-600 meters) with the enemy, where you need to stay low to the ground for concealment and a better shooting position. With a DShK, your targets should be vehicles, aircraft, hardened defensive positions, or otherwise targets beyond the range of small to medium caliber ammunition. Going back to the first point, sustaining these machine guns requires at least a three-man crew to hump the machine gun and some ammunition, even more men if a rapid rate of fire is desired.

Second is the muzzle brake, which appears to be of a local Ukranian design and manufacture. In the 2016 video, the brake is actually censored out of all the footage-

Third is the buttstock assembly and what appears to be a sort of wire controlled trigger mechanism. This entire contraption is attached to the rear of a standard DShK via a mount that uses various fixtures to hold it in place. Essentially this allows a soldier to have an actual buttstock with the HMG, instead of the wooden spade grips that come standard with it. Making it very similar to the Soviet KORD. One interesting addition is the Picatinny block mounted on the adjustable stock (length of pull) where soldiers can mount an optic to make their aiming more precise.

Notice how there is a complete lack of a trigger guard.

The 12.7mm KORD is a Russian HMG design of the 1990s that happens to actually have bipods from the factory in some cases. However, when compared to the DShK, the KORD pales when considering the numbers made and actually utilized.

Along with a DShK in the ground role, also in Ukraine. 

To put things in perspective, here is some other footage of Ukrainians working out different mounting solutions for the DShK, from a modified tripod, to a technical truck.

A Ukranian technical mounted with what appears to be a DShK-

And this is how you learn that not all modified tripods are created equal-

You want Maxims? We have Maxims-

Thanks to Hrachya for passing this on!