The Type 77 heavy machine gun or Type 85 is a Chinese 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun featuring an indigenous design.

History

During the mid-1970s, China decided to develop a lighter 12.7 mm machine gun to replace the Type 54 (indigenous

DShK The DShK 1938 (Cyrillic: ДШК, for russian: Дегтярёва-Шпагина Крупнокалиберный, Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny, links=no, "Degtyaryov-Shpagin large-calibre") is a Soviet heavy machine gun with a V-shaped but ...

) that was more suited for mobile anti-aircraft applications. The weapon was adopted in 1977 and mass production commenced in 1980. To save weight the Type 77 used a hybrid short-recoil and direct gas impingement operated action, somewhat unusual for a machine gun, resulting in few moving parts and a long and slim, tubular receiver. Overall weight of the gun and tripod comes to about 56 kg (120 lb), less than half that of a mounted Type 54/DShK, though it retains the same locking system and belt feed. The barrel is also thinner as light weight was favored over volume of fire, which causes it to overheat faster, with a prominent "pepperpot"

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

. It has iron sights and a mount for a low-magnification optical sight suitable for engaging ground and air targets. The gun also has a large charging handle below the receiver, shoulder stock, and fires from an open bolt.Indigenous Machine Guns of China: Part Two – Heavy Machine Guns
''Small Arms Defense Journal''. 25 May 2014.
''Weapon Systems''.

Variants

Type 85 heavy machine gun

Military designation QJG-85. Five years after the Type 77 entered service, it was replaced in production by the updated Type 85 heavy machine gun. An evolution on the Type 77, it used a more conventional muzzle brake and replaced the spade grips and separate cocking handle with horizontal grips and a sliding trigger unit, the entirety of which is moved forward and back to cock the gun. The gun and tripod were also lighter, weighing and respectively. Both weapons can be mounted on vehicles.

Users

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Iraqi security forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

: Used by Unmanned ground vehicle "Alrobot". Also used by the

Popular Mobilization Forces The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) ( ar, الحشد الشعبي ''al-Ḥashd ash-Shaʿbī''), also known as the People's Mobilization Committee (PMC) and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, transli ...

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Non-State Actors

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

and

Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army The Syrian National Army (SNA) ( ar, الجيش الوطني السوري, al-Jayš al-Waṭanī as-Sūrī), previously the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian op ...

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People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (in French: ''Mouvement Populaire de Libération de l'Azawad'', MPLA) was a Tuareg militant rebel group in northern Mali (Azawad). Initially based amongst exiles in Algeria and, especially, Libya, M ...

Tigray Defense Forces The Tigray Defense Forces ( ti, ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ትግራይ, italic=no; TDF: ሓምት), colloquially ''Tigray Army'' () is a paramilitary rebel group in Tigray. It was founded by distant former generals of Ethiopia in 2020 t ...

References