Has anyone given thought to making these into belt fed rifles.  I have been playing with the idea in my head and it could be done I think very easy.  I was thinking of cutting up one of my pan mags for the tray and using a modified m53 top cover.  Removing the rear sight and attaching bearing to the bolt. the slotting the receiver back for the bearing to move in.  Then find a stronger spring for the recoil so it will strip the round out of like a PKM belt or the UK59 belt.  I the PKM belt would be better just becuase you can find them cheap. 
I have a deal for anyone, if someone would like to furnish the semi lower parts I would be willing to cut my receiver up to see if it is possible, and I would share info and specs with others here on the board.
Lastly, if someone has tried this or anyone thinks it is not possible please chime in.

Just before I read this post, I was looking at this old one:
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=77321

If I'm reading it correctly, the feed mechanism from an RP46 is almost a bolt-on deal.

If you look at the pic though they have a spring loaded firing pin and the gas system is different.  I haven't thought of actuating by the cocking handle that gives me some new ideas.  I need to start thinking like a Russian I guess.

yes there was a near drop on top cover of sorts that allowed belt feed, looked alot like the top cover on the DShK , the charge handle fits in a yoke and is used to operate the feed mechanism

Anyone have more pics or drawings of this device

yeah, if you can find one. ive emailed a few places and they said either "no" "dont know what youre talking about" "oh thats a rare part" or didnt hear anything back. anyone know anyone in vietnam or somalia or anywhere this thing was commonly used? ill pay if someone finds me a belt feed module. :( i bought a dp28 parts kit and heard of the belt feed attachment, so i ordered a few belts and ammo cans for the sg43... ARG!

I have never seen one...   I think your chances are better at finding a unicorn!

but, you could do the work designing one yourself. they made a belt fed BAR, that fed from the bottom, so anything is possible.

Didn't mean to sound grouchy before, trying to find the belt feed
module for the rp 46 is enough to make anyone nuts. I was thinking
that if anyone knew anyone in Russia maybe talk to them and see
about the availability of that part over there. I don't see any reason
why there would be any restriction on importing one as it is only a
magazine adapter. I dont know this for sure, just my opinion.

lurch wrote: Didn't mean to sound grouchy before, trying to find the belt feed module for the rp 46 is enough to make anyone nuts. I was thinking that if anyone knew anyone in Russia maybe talk to them and see about the availability of that part over there. I don't see any reason why there would be any restriction on importing one as it is only a magazine adapter. I dont know this for sure, just my opinion.

The only issue would be the weapons of war restriction that bans wars items from Russia.

They get around that clause when items are exported to other countries, and remain in that country for X years, then it can be imported into the US.

Thats why Russian parts kits cost so much. Unless you can find RP46 parts that were exported or built by another country thats not on the ban list and they can prove they have not been in russia for the time limit..   then you can import the parts.

I don't make the rules..     

Now China made them as the Type 58 machine gun.. but I think they are now on the ban list as well.

WLA had DPM parts kits for semi auto rifles, and you can ask them if they had ever seen the belt feed module.

If they have one they will not sell it to a home builder.. WLA is NOT home builder friendly... and they would not reproduce them unless they can make a ton of money doing so, and had a min. qty of 100.

I think WLA received the DPM parts kits from century.

I can not find any photos of the Type 58 machine gun, and the RP 46 photo is pretty poor.




The issue is the belt feed module pulls the belt in from the left side using the little hook you see that captures the bolt handle.

the cartridge is fed into a little "T" slot and pulled tp the rear when the bolt is pulled back.

at this time it must drop into a slot and is forced forward into the mag well opening, and likely held in place by a small "U" shaped pressure spring or plate (likely spring steel) when the bolt moves forward, the round is stripped, by the bolt into the chamber like normal.

to load the weapon you would need to stick the rounds into the feed mech. until they lock in place, and you would need to pull the charging handle two times to load the weapon.

I would assume that the last inch or two of forward travel of the charging handle is what moves the belt to the next round, and feeds the next one into the feed slot to pull it out of the belt.

Your stuck with the pull out PKM belts due to the rim.

The references I found all seem to quote the same information word for word....not a good sign.

this is getting frustrating. now i want one even more now thta i know theyre going to be almost impossible to get i found an original manual for the RP46 and it should show up any day now. the caption said that it had large pull out diagrams... dont know if theses are normal pictures or cut aways or what but as its the operation manual id bet there has to be dissasembly instructions and pictures of the belt feed module as it is one of the more important components of the gun. when it shows up ill try to scan it into the dp28 section if i figure out how to do it. maybe take it to kinkos or somewhere and have copies made if anyone wants one or two or three... cant give em away but they will be a lot cheaper than what i paid for mine.

is there a "janes" or some other kind of armament encyclopedia on russian guns?

wow, i need to get more sleep at night. answered my own question and didnt even know it! ARG!

Alrighty, I saw a picture of the rp 46 being loaded and the belt feed
module actually pivots up at the front so the belt can be set into the
feed mechanism. It looks funny and I tried to copy the picture but I
couldn't. It looks like a simple mechanism but building it might be a
different story...

From looking at some pictures Ive found it actually feeds the belt from
the right side. On the "top cover" that locks in the back and tilts
forward there is some sort of reception area that the round stripped
from the belt goes into with some sort of flat spring that holds it
against feed lips that is more or less the same as the pan mag. Who
else out there thinks that the horrible freeplay between he charging
handle and the belt feed actuating arm would cause premature wear
on both components?

RP46 uses same belt loading system as the Dshk. (camming off the charging handle) Don't see how sloppy-ness would effect it. Hell, with Soviet simpliciity desinged into it...the sloppy-ness probabaly makes it more reliable.

Good point. My rp46 manual showed up today, in Russian of course,
translated two pages and got a headache so I'm thinking I'll scan it
into my computer and try to post it on here. It's around 92 pages
long so I'm sure it has good info in there.