[10] The DP-27 is a light machine gun designed for the Soviet Red Army in the 1920s under the leadership of Vasily Degtyaryov (1880–1949), the first test model being the DP-26.

A full year of service testing followed, after which the primary requested change was the addition of the large flash suppressor that is now considered one of the recognition features of the design.

Of typical Russian design philosophy, the DP-27 was a sturdy and simple gun that was easy and cheap to manufacture, and could be relied upon to perform even in the most adverse conditions; it was capable of withstanding being buried in dirt, mud, or sand and still operating consistently.

[14] Its main parts were a removable barrel with an integrated flash suppressor and gas cylinder, a receiver with the rear sight, a perforated barrel shroud/guide with the front sight, the bolt and locking flaps, the bolt carrier and gas piston rod, a recoil spring, stock and trigger mechanism group, a bipod for firing from prone positions, and the previously mentioned pan magazine.

[16] Replacing the barrel was not a quick operation due to a lack of handle and the amount of disassembly needed, though a well trained crew could do so in 30 seconds under ideal conditions.

[17] The Degtyaryov machine gun was accepted for Red Army service in 1927 with the official designation 7,62-мм ручной пулемет обр.

On 25 October 1936 the SS Kursk docked at Cartegena, delivering 150 Degtaryov machine guns along with 9,000 Winchester Model 1895 rifles.

The DP received the nickname Emma in Finnish service after a popular waltz, again due to the magazine's resemblance to a record player.

[12] Examples of all variants of the DP machine gun were given or sold to the Viet Minh in the First Indochina War[20] by the USSR and Chinese Communists.