GCh-77
| Type 77 General-Purpose Machine Gun (GCh-77) | |
|---|---|
 GCh-77 in its vehicle version (bottom) and ill-fated bipod version (top). | |
| Type | Medium machine gun |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1978–present |
| Used by | Menghean Army |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Hwaju Factory 034 Taekchŏn Arms Factory, Haeju |
| Produced | 1978-present |
| Variants | GCh-77Ch |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 16.5 kg 27.2 kg with tripod |
| Length | 1,282 mm |
| Barrel length | 583 mm |
| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm |
| Action | short recoil-operated |
| Rate of fire | 1200 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 740 m/s (2,460 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 100 - 2000 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | belt-fed 100 or 200-round box |
| Sights | Iron sights 3x optical sight |
The GCh-77 (Menghean designation: 77식 일반목적 기관총 / 七七式一般目的機關銃, chil-chil-sik ilbanmogjŏk gigwanchong) is a type of general-purpose machine gun developed in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe and later used by the Socialist Republic of Menghe. It was notable for having a high rate of fire, which also hampered its utility as a light machine gun. Today, the GCh-77 and its successor variants are mainly used on Menghean military vehicles, as a co-axial or pintle-mounted weapon.
Development
Work on a new machine gun began in the early 1970s, under the leadership of Chairman Shim. The goal of the development program was to achieve a lightweight GPMG with a high rate of fire, allowing individual squads to lay down greater volumes of suppressing fire in support of an infantry offensive. As a basis for the new weapon, they turned to the MG 42, a weapon designed in Eisenmaat during the 1940s and known for its high rate of fire. Most differences between the MG 42 and the GCh-77 relate to the latter's adaptation of components for easier manufacture.
Notably, the designers also chose to use the 7.62x51mm round, as opposed to the 7.62x54mmR round used by machine guns sold from Polvokia and the Federation of Socialist Republics. This decision was made in response to Menghe's large remaining stockpiles of 7.62x51mm ammunition and adoption of the BS-75 chambered in that caliber after the departure of occupation forces. With the increased production of the GCh-77, this decision would eventually lead to the disappearance of 7.62x54mmR ammunition from Menghean service.
Design
The GCh-77, which entered service in 1977, uses a short recoil-operated, locked breech action, copied almost exactly from its predecessor in Eisenmaat. It is a belt-fed weapon, and can use either non-disintegrating or disintegrating metal belts, usually fed from 100- or 200-round boxes depending on the mount type. The main difference with its predecessor comes in the extensive use of stamped parts, a measure intended to lower production costs.
Externally, the GCh-77 can also be distinguished by the shape of its wooden stock and the use of a round rather than square barrel jacket. The method for changing the barrel is also different, and more closely resembles that on Eisenmaat's MG 36.
As a result of these changes, the GCh-77 was heavier than its ancestor, and actually heavier than existing medium machine-guns imported from the Federation of Socialist Republics. It did carry the advantage of a higher rate of fire, putting out 1200 rounds per minute - more than twice that of the FSR's SG-43.
GCh-77Ch
The GCh-77Ch, with Cha denoting 차 for "vehicular", was a variant of the GCh-77 specialized for use on vehicles, especially as a remotely operated or co-axial weapon. It lacked the wooden stock to save room, and also lacked the quick-change barrel, instead mounting a heavier chrome-lined barrel less sensitive to overheating and wear. Other changes include an electrically operated trigger and a gas regulator. The GCh-77 is usually fired from 200-round boxes, which are manually changed by one of the crew members.
Service
Despite its impressive characteristics on paper, the Gigwanchong-77 proved to be a disappointing weapon in the field. The added weight of stamped parts and more rugged components made it difficult for a single soldier to carry and operate the weapon on a bipod, especially as part of a light infantry squad. Additionally, the GCh-77's voracious ammunition consumption in sustained fire required the gun crew to carry more ammunition boxes, requiring a three-man gun team at minimum.
Other problems stemmed from the high rate of fire. The bipod-mounted GCh-77 was found to vibrate excessively from recoil, making it difficult to sweep steadily or aim consistently during automatic fire. This was eventually addressed by issuing more MG units with more rugged folding tripods, but this only added to the weight and fireteam size issues. Furthermore, early batches of GCh-77s were not produced to high standards, due to the condition of Menghe's machining industry and attempts to minimize production costs. Crews frequently joked that the weapon's excessive tendency to jam was a "rate of fire limiter" built in by the designers, and there are several unconfirmed reports of GCh-77s falling apart during firing trials as recoil vibrations shook pieces loose.
As a stopgap response, the Menghean People's Army canceled its plans to turn the GCh-77 into a squad-level weapon, and instead continued using LMG modifications of the JS-67 assault rifle. GCh-77 units were instead formed into three-man gun teams operating tripod-mounted machine guns, and grouped into machine-gun companies at the Battalion level, to be handed out to individual companies and platoons or deployed en masse as a blocking unit. In practice, this made the GCh-77 an MMG rather than a GPMG.
In 1986, the Menghean government relocated production of the GCh-77 to a new factory in Haeju, where they were machined to more precise tolerance levels than early batches made in Hwaju. These machine-guns have the Gomun character 海 (Hae) etched into the receiver, and are prized among troops, though most have been produced in the GCh-77Ch configuration.
Since the 1990s, the Menghean Army has sought to replace the Gigwanchong-77 in infantry roles with more reliable weapons, sacrificing rate of fire in exchange for a lighter weight and greater reliability. It has, however, retained the GCh-77Ch in its vehicle role, judging that vehicle mounts are better reinforced against weight and vibration problems and can carry larger weights in ammunition. Haeju-made models are standard on these mounts for vehicles made after 1988. Today, the GCh-77Ch serves as the co-axial or pintle-mounted gun on a long list of Menghean armored vehicles, including the BSCh-5, BSCh-7D, JCh-4, BSCh-5, JCh-6, and JJP-152/27.