The Ruchnoi Pulemet Degtyarev light machine gun first drew breath in 1943. It was the most advanced light machine gun in the world at the time. The RPD was actually built around a radical new cartridge. The Combloc 7.62x39mm intermediate round changed the way the world made combat weapons.
The RPD is an almost unnaturally sleek belt-fed light machine gun. The gun’s modest weight and trim architecture make it exceptionally maneuverable.
The design committee tasked to develop this new round began with 314 unique cartridge designs that were then winnowed down to eight. The subsequent Soviet M43 7.62x39mm round sported a 122-gr. bimetal Spitzer bullet atop an abbreviated, tapered case. The result was compact, lightweight, powerful, and revolutionary for its era. One of the first operational infantry weapons that fired this new round was the RPD light machine gun. The more-familiar Kalashnikov assault rifle first saw service a few years later.
Before the AK: The RPD Machine Gun
The RPD was a belt-fed 7.62x39mm adaptation of the basic Degtyarev action that drove the WWII-vintage Soviet DP pan-fed machine gun. The RPD fed from a pair of non-disintegrating 50-round belts that linked together to provide 100 rounds of onboard firepower, all packed into a sheet steel drum. Particularly when compared to the BAR, the M-14A1 and eventually the M-60, the RPD was a lighter and markedly more efficient design.
An Egyptian marine aims a Soviet-made RPD 7.62mm light machine gun during an amphibious assault in support of the multinational joint service Exercise Bright Star ’85. Image: NARA
The RPD is an elegant, compact and streamlined weapon. The bolt locks in place via a pair of steel flaps that are cammed outward to engage recesses milled into the interior of the receiver. The gas system incorporates three different positions, but adjustments are tedious and require a special tool.
The RPD is a streamlined weapon that is easy to control yet still offers a lot of firepower.
The RPD’s reusable non-disintegrating belts are philosophically similar to those used on the WWII-vintage German MG34 and MG42 machine guns. Each link is affixed to its neighbor via a short spiral of stiff wire. Belts are loaded “brass to the grass” with the links on the top. The RPD drums have no internal moving parts and are simply used to keep the belts clean and untangled.
These RPD machine guns were captured by U.S. forces in Iraq during the 2003 invasion. Image: DoD
Changing drums involves throwing a latch at the back of the drum, sliding the empty drum off of its dovetail to the rear, remounting a fresh drum, and then securing the latch. The first belt in the drum incorporates a starter tab. The RPD fires from the open bolt and is full-auto-only. Pressure on the trigger releases the bolt assembly, and the gun runs. After fifty rounds the first spent belt falls free while the following belt feeds automatically.
The RPD is a superb design, but it isn’t perfect. The gun heats up quickly, particularly when fired in generous bursts. Its lack of a quick-change barrel limits the weapon’s utility in the sustained fire role. However, the RPD weighs just over half what the M60 General Purpose Machine Gun does. When every important item in your world rides on your back, this makes a huge difference.
U.S.M.C. SSgt. Timothy Pierce shows Naval Joint Reserve Officer’s students how to assemble and disassemble an RPD light machine gun at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. Image: DoD/Cpl. Desmond Martin
The RPD is designed to be loaded from the left side using the starter tab. Just lock the bolt to the rear, thread the tab through, and give it a sharp tug. The top cover can be opened to access the gun’s entrails, but the release latch is a smooth steel sleeve that is tough to manage if sweaty or gloved. There is also a stop built into the top cover mechanism that limits it at about the 45-degree point. In my experience, the RPD has been supremely reliable.
LMG Trigger Time
The RPD is an exceptional light machine gun. The intermediate cartridge keeps recoil in check and ensures that the weapon is controllable. Reloads are structurally slower than the same chore with a magazine-fed gun like the RPK. However, 100 rounds on tap can be mighty reassuring in a serious scrap.
The RPD is easy to control, making it very effective. At close to moderate ranges it will easily chew up a target.
The fixed barrel limits operations to two or three drums’ worth of ammunition fired in rapid succession. Even then, the forearm becomes intolerably hot. The gun runs well from the hip, and the clubfoot buttstock design makes for a comfortable platform when fired from the prone off the bipod. The modest weight of the gun allows it to be fired in short bursts off the shoulder.
Ruminations
When first introduced, the RPD was well ahead of its time. Most comparable weapons are heavier and bulkier even today. The gun has seen action all over the world for three quarters of a century. Its modest weight, reliability and human engineering have kept it popular.
Roughly 80 years old, the RPD remains an effective weapon. Its influence can be felt in modern squad automatic weapons.
I once met a guy in the VA who got shot in the chest by an NVA soldier armed with an RPD. He obviously survived, but also held the gun in justifiably high regard. An acquaintance carried a chopped version while serving as a security contractor in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. Captured RPD’s were indeed popular with aviators and special operations forces in Vietnam whenever they could be found. The RPD is an exceptionally effective SAW that has stood the test of time.
Smith & Wesson’s series of subcompact five-shot revolvers has been carried in pockets and on ankles for decades. Is it an anachronism today, or still a viable defensive arm?
Before semi-automatics became the standard handgun, revolvers were dominant. They tamed the Wild West, fought in the trenches in World War 1, and were only recently phased out in some police departments. Compact versions quickly followed the introduction of full size models for those needing concealable firepower. While the full-frame models have fallen by the wayside, there remains an active market for concealable revolvers.
There is no debate which models are the industry standard: the S&W J-frame subcompact revolver family is the one to beat. Versions have been produced with evocative names like Chief’s Special and Ladysmith, or out of exotic materials like Scandium. But the bread-and-butter variants are aluminum-framed, 1 ⅞” barrel, 5-shot .38 Specials. They are light enough to carry all day but are not fragile.
So, why does the Model 442 (and its ilk) still have a following? It generally boils down to concealability, and ease of use. Revolvers do not have manual safeties. The heavy trigger pull is generally enough to prevent accidental discharges. There is no slide to rack prior to firing. It can be fired from a coat pocket without jamming because there is no reciprocating slide. And, critically, a dud round does not require an immediate action drill to correct. You simply pull the trigger again.
This is not to say a revolver is the ultimate handgun. There are many trade-offs inherent to revolvers (e.g. low capacity, slow reloads, a heavy trigger, the risk of a bullet jumping the crimp of a cartridge case and jamming the cylinder). But if a wheel gun makes sense for your use case, the S&W 442 is worth consideration.
This article specifically details the Model 442, which has an internal hammer, double action only trigger, and black finish. Very similar models are also produced with a standard spur hammer (the Model 437) or a shrouded hammer (the Model 438). Those models can be fired single-action or double-action. Identical models are also available with a silver finish (the Model 642, 637, and 638, respectively). These six models are all part of the Airweight family.
There are numerous variants outside the Airweight family, including the Airlight models with Scandium frame. Current caliber options include .22 LR and .357 Magnum. Models were also produced in 9mm and .327 Federal.
SMITH & WESSON 442 – OUR TAKE
Guns that are easy to carry are not generally guns that are easy to shoot. The 442, and similar models, are wonderful to carry. But they are not wonderful to shoot. Unlike semi automatics, which have a recoil spring to slow down the recoil impulse of firing, revolvers dump all of the energy straight into the web of your hand. This is especially true of the 442 with its split grips that place the frame against the web of the hand with no padding.
Felt recoil is not helped by the weight of the 442. Light guns kick more than heavy guns when using the same ammunition. Physics simply cannot be avoided. But a lightweight gun, especially when carried in unconventional manners, also puts less strain on the carrier than a heavy gun.
The double action trigger pull of the 442 and similar models is generally in the 12-14 pound range. That is a massive pull weight. The rightly-mocked advice of gun counter workers that all women should carry revolvers, because they are not strong enough to rack a slide, makes little sense when considering the strength that is required to pull the trigger on a DAO revolver. These heavy trigger pulls are also difficult to master, and even experienced shooters can struggle to keep their shots on paper at distances beyond 10 or 15 yards. Good technique can overcome this difficulty, but it will exacerbate any existing flaws.
The ballistics of the .38 Special from a barrel less than two inches are not incredible, but are probably adequate in its intended role. Ammunition selection is very important. Thankfully, there are many good hollow point loadings on the market that make the most of the short barrel.
J-frames are not known for excellent sights. The 442 is equipped with a simple black front sight and a groove in the frame for a rear sight. Needless to say, they are not adjustable. The short barrel and small frame result in a rather short sight radius of about 3.75 inches. The sights, combined with a long, heavy trigger pull, a small grip, make for a gun that is not terribly accurate. Mechanically, the gun is capable of shooting usable groups. But in the hands of a real person the results are often poor.
The model 442 has an MSRP of $532, which is not unreasonable. Revolvers are more complex to manufacture than a polymer pistol. However, Airweight models are generally the least-expensive U.S.-made revolvers in the display case. Their longevity means there are thousands and thousands of them in circulation. That prevalence means they are easy to find on the used market at prices lower than retail.
Revolvers are known for reliability because they do not depend on the force of a fired round to operate the action. The rotation of the cylinder and cocking of the hammer are performed entirely by the work of the trigger finger. This means that ammunition-induced malfunctions are more rare with revolvers than pistols. However, low quality ammunition can still cause issued in a revolver. The recoil force can cause improperly-crimped bullets to work their way forward out of the brass case. In severe cases, this can result in a cartridge long enough to jam the cylinder in place and prevent its movement. This is a rare occurrence with quality ammunition, though. I have not experienced that type of malfunction on any of the J-frames I have carried.
Reloading an empty revolver is more involved than reloading a semi auto, and reloading the model 442 is more complicated than some revolvers. Speed loaders, which hold 5 cartridges in line with the chambers and drop them all with the turn of a knob, do not work well on the 442. A much more reliable option are Speed Strips, which hold the cartridges in a line. They are then peeled off directly into the cylinder. It is my practice to always carry a speed strip or two when I have a J-frame.
The hard-hitting .35 Whelen centerfire rifle cartridge, born a century ago as medicine for big game up to and including Alaskan-Yukon moose and brown bears, continues to deliver.Through the decades, numerous centerfire rifle cartridges have been here today, gone tomorrow flashes in the pan. The fact that the .35 Whelen has proven to possess an abundance of lasting power is a bit of a mystery considering it does not shoot as flat as a banjo string, pulverize large boulders at 1,000 yards, place bullets inside a quarter inch, or leap tall buildings in a single bound. What the .35 Whelen does do is reliably drop game ranging in size from whitetail deer to Alaska-Yukon moose at a level of recoil tolerated by the majority of hunters. I am never surprised to see rifles chambered for the old cartridge in hunting camps all across America and in a few other countries as well.
SEE PHOTO GALLERY
In the early 1920s, James V. Howe developed the .35 Whelen cartridge by taking the .30-06 case before it had been necked at all and necking it to .35 caliber. (Shooting Times Magazine photo)
Then
Townsend Whelen mentioned the development of the cartridge in a couple of his books. On page 185 of a reloading manual titled Why Not Load Your Own? (1957) he states, “This cartridge was developed by James V. Howe in 1922 and named for the writer.” Among the loads included was the Hornady 270-grain roundnose (no longer available) pushed to 2,375 fps by a maximum charge of IMR 4350. There was also a 300-grain roundnose bullet made by Fred Barnes at 2,350 fps.
To quote Whelen in another of his books, The Hunting Rifle, which was published during the early 1940s, “In 1922 Mr. James V. Howe and the writer developed the .400 Whelen cartridge. This cartridge was constructed by taking the .30-06 case before it had been necked at all and necking it down to .40 caliber. About the time we completed development of this cartridge, I went on a long hunting trip in the Northwest, and when I returned, Mr. Howe showed me another cartridge that he had developed. The .30-06 case was necked to .35 caliber to use existing .35-caliber bullets.
SEE PHOTO GALLERY
For about the past 30 years, this custom rifle on a Whitworth Model ’98 Mauser square-bridge action has been Layne’s favorite .35 Whelen for hunting game ranging in size from whitetail deer to Alaska-Yukon moose. (Shooting Times Magazine photo)
Mr. Howe asked my permission to call this cartridge the .35 Whelen, but he alone deserves credit for its development.”
At the time, Colonel Whelen was commanding officer of Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia where Howe was in charge of the machine shop tool room. An accomplished gunsmith and stockmaker, Howe left Frankford in 1923 and joined with Seymour Griffin to form Griffin & Howe, a shop that became widely known for building fine custom rifles, many on the 1903 Springfield action.
Whelen did play an important role in the creation of the cartridge. Among his many friends was Leslie Simpson, an American who was considered to be an authority on hunting the African continent. During one of their conversations, Simpson voiced his disappointment with the performance of his Winchester Model 95 lever action in .35 Winchester on lion and opined that a cartridge of the same caliber with a velocity of 2,500 to 2,600 fps in a bolt-action rifle would be ideal. Whelen mentioned this to Howe, and the rest is history.
John Eddy may have been the first hunter to use a rifle in .35 Whelen on dangerous game. In his book Hunting the Alaska Brown Bear (1930), he writes about taking three of the big animals during the 1920s. His rifle, built on a 1903 Springfield action and wearing a Lyman 48 receiver sight, was one of the first in .35 Whelen produced by Griffin & Howe. His ammunition was loaded with 250-grain bullets, but no mention is made of their maker.
Through the decades, Remington has tamed more wildcats than any other company, and the .35 Whelen was added to the list in 1987 with the introduction of ammunition loaded with 200-grain Pointed Core-Lokt and 250-grain roundnose Core-Lokt bullets at respective velocities of 2,675 fps and 2,400 fps.
The limited-edition Model 700 Classic with a 24-inch barrel (produced only during 1987) and the standard-production Model 7600 slide action with a 22-inch barrel were the first rifles chambered for it. The Model 7400 and Model 750 autoloaders in .35 Whelen came later. Another bolt-action rifle in .35 Whelen that springs to mind is the Ruger Model 77. Also included are the single-shot Ruger No. 1, the single-shot Thompson/Center Encore, the single-shot H&R Handi Rifle, the single-shot CVA Scout, and the single-shot Traditions Outfitter. There have been many factory rifles chambered in .35 Whelen over the decades.
Should a search for a .35 Whelen rifle prove unsuccessful, any good bolt-action rifle in .30-06 or other member of its cartridge family is a candidate for rebarreling. Reboring and rechambering the barrel to .35 Whelen is an option offered by JES Rifle Reboring in Cottage Grove, Oregon. In addition to bolt-action rifles, they perform the work on the Remington 760/7600 pump guns and 742/7400 autoloaders in .30-06 and .270 Winchester. I have seen a Browning BLR lever action and a Browning reproduction of the Winchester 1895 single shot so converted, but I do not know who did the work.
Through the years, I have hunted with several different rifles in .35 Whelen. One of the more accurate was a Remington Model 700 Classic that, among other things, accounted for a good elk. My handload for it pushed the Swift 225-grain A-Frame bullet along at 2,650 fps. Remington built a few Model 7600 carbines with 18.5-inch barrels, and I have used one of those along with Remington 200-grain factory ammo to take several feral pigs and a medium-size black bear.
SEE PHOTO GALLERY
While unprimed .35 Whelen cases are available from several sources for hand-loading, they are easily formed from more readily available .30-06 cases by running them through a .35 Whelen full-length resizing die with a tapered expander button. (Shooting Times Magazine photo)
However, the .35 Whelen rifle I have taken to the field most was custom-built about 35 years ago by Butch Searcy. He began by modifying a square-bridge ’98 Mauser action to accept quick-detachable rings made at the time by Kimber of Oregon.
A quarter rib machined for the 22-inch Apex barrel has a folding adjustable sight, and the front sight, on a banded ramp, has a fairly large bead. To make sure 275-grain and 300-grain bullets made by Barnes in those days would stabilize, I requested a 1:12 rifling twist rate. Searcy also modified the bolt shroud for a Model 70-style safety and attached the front quick-detach sling-swivel receptacle out on the barrel. The barreled action then made its way to the custom shop of E.C. Bishop & Son of Warsaw, Missouri, for a niece piece of handcheckered walnut. A steel cross bolt just behind the recoil lug of the receiver reinforces the stock. A Redfield 1-4X scope in the Kimber rings took hunt-ready weight to 8.5 pounds, and on its very first outing, the rifle dropped a very good Alaska-Yukon moose and one of the best black bears I have ever spotted. Each fell to a single Swift 250-grain A-Frame leaving the muzzle at 2,475 fps.
The 1:12 twist rate of Layne’s custom ’98 Mauser does a good job of stabilizing the full range of .35-caliber bullet weights: 1 Barnes 180-Gr. TTSX-FB; 2 Barnes 200-Gr. TTSX-BT; 3 Hornady 200-Gr. FTX; 4 Speer 220-Gr. SPFN; 5 Swift 225-Gr. A-Frame; 6 Speer 250-Gr. Spitzer; 7 Swift 250-Gr. A-Frame; 8 Barnes 275-Gr. PSN; 9 Swift 280-Gr. A-Frame; 10 Barnes 300-Gr. RSN; and 11 Woodleigh 310-Gr. Weldcore. (Shooting Times Magazine photo)
Now
The ammunition is presently cataloged by Barnes, Remington, Nosler, Federal, Hornady, Buffalo Bore, HSM, DoubleTap, and Choice Ammunition. Among those loaded with 200-grain bullets, Hornady Superformance tops them all in velocity by a considerable margin. Rated at 2,920 fps, it clocked an amazing 2,962 fps from the 22-inch barrel of my custom Mauser. That load should be quite deadly on deer, but for use on moose, elk, and big bears, more strongly constructed bullets are needed. For hunting those big-game animals, Federal ammunition loaded with the 225-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and Barnes ammunition loaded with the 200-grain TTSX are a couple of the better choices.
The .35 Whelen is an excellent candidate for handloading. Unprimed cases are available from several sources, or you can do as we all did when the cartridge was a wildcat and run .30-06 cases through a .35 Whelen full-length resizing die with a tapered expander button. In the old days, I used unfired match .30-06 brass available on the military surplus market, and its quality was excellent.
A number of powders are suitable for use in the .35 Whelen, and there was a time when I mostly used IMR 4064. It is still a good choice, but I have since burned more Reloder 15 than anything else. Accuracy is usually quite good, and shot-to-shot velocity variation is minimal. But as illustrated in various reloading manuals, many other propellants, including Varget, W748, Accurate 2460, and VihtaVuori N140, work quite well. Standard-force primers, such as the Federal 210 and CCI 200, deliver enough spark to ignite most powders, but the Federal 215 and CCI 250 sometimes deliver more uniform velocities with the various spherical propellants. This especially holds true when the ammunition is subjected to frigid temperatures during a wintertime hunt.
Through the decades, a lot of factory-loaded .35-caliber rifle cartridges have been introduced, but due to the greater number of different factory rifles chambered for the .35 Whelen, it has proven to be the most successful: 1 .35 Whelen; 2 .35 Remington; 3 .358 Winchester; 4 .350 Rem. Mag.; 5 .35 Winchester; 6 .35 Newton; 7 .350 G&H Mag.; and 8 .358 Norma Mag. (Shooting Times Magazine photo)
When handloading for deer and other game similar in size, fairly soft bullets like the 200-grain pointed InterLock from Hornady and the 220-grain SPFN from Speer should be excellent choices. The Hornady 200-grain FTX can be used, but since it is constructed to expand at slower .35 Remington impact velocities, damage to the eating part of a deer might be a bit much.
Moving to the opposite extreme, if I were to take on a brown bear in the alder thickets of Alaska, my ammo would be loaded with the 250-grain or 280-grain A-Frame from Swift. Due to a thin jacket and a soft lead core, the 310-grain Woodleigh expands to such a large frontal diameter that it does not penetrate as deeply as the Swift bullets. And then we have bullets constructed to drive deep on moose and elk with a bit less recoil. They include the Barnes 200-grain TSX and 200-grain TTSX-BT and the Swift 225-grain A-Frame.
For a friendly practice load, cast the 204-grain Lyman #358315 from scrap wheel weights and drive it to a velocity of 1,900 fps or so with IMR 4227.
The 9.3x62mm Mauser is the .35 Whelen’s biggest competition among factory-loaded cartridges of its powder capacity, and worldwide, it is far more popular. I also have a rifle chambered for that one, have taken game with it, and am quite fond of it as well. But I have yet to meet a big-game animal that could tell which of the two cartridges sent the bullet it was shot with.
