The Type 77 is a heavy machine gun of Chinese origin. It was developed in the mid-1970's to replace the Type 54 (DShK) as an infantry weapon. As an infantry weapon it was to be as light as possible, at the cost of volume of fire. With its new tripod the Type 77 weight half as much as the old Type 54, making it much easier to carry in the field. The original Type 77 did not perform as well as expected, but later models improved the performance.

In order to save weight the Type 77 has a very unusual design. It is gas operated and uses a direct impingement system. This results in very few moving parts and a long and slim receiver. Iron sights are fitted and a mount for day and night optics or special anti-aircraft sights is standard. For infantry use the W85 is fitted with spade grips and a shoulder stock and is mounted on a tripod. The low profile tripod can be put in an elevated position for anti-aircraft use.

The Type 77 fires the 12.7x108mm Soviet round from 50 round belts. It is able to fire the standard Chinese Type 54 round as well as more modern armor piercing ammunition. The cyclic rate of fire is rather high at 650 to 700 rounds per minute. As the barrel is thinner it heats up faster than the old Type 54 (DShK) it replaced.

The Type 77 and its improved versions are the standard tripod mounted heavy machine gun used by Chinese infantry. Of all models the Type 85 is the most common. The Type 77 and its variants have been exported and are still available for export.