Because a new barrel made of a high-tech alloy minimizes distortion and drop, accuracy has increased tremendously over previous Soviet machine guns. The firing mechanism is very rugged, and is capable of a greater rate of fire and significantly less recoil. The weapon employs new construction, and consequently is significantly lighter than its predecessor. These changes give the weapon reduced recoil compared with the NSV, allowing greater accuracy during sustained fire. Additionally the gas system has been changed and the muzzle baffle redesigned. Externally the weapon resembles the NSV however, the internal mechanism has been extensively reworked, changing from a horizontally pivoting breech block to a rotating bolt design. The Kord-12.7 mm heavy machine gun is a Russian design that entered service in 1998 replacing the older NSV machine gun.
