PDLP Chapter 603: Within 7 steps, the gun is so accurate and fast
Chapter 603: Within 7 steps, the gun is so accurate and fast
What Wang Zheng was holding in his hand was obviously a musket. It had a trigger and a flint firing mechanism, but it was less than a foot long.
As soon as Zhang Shikang saw the style, he immediately thought of the pistols of later generations.
Although he had never seen a real pistol, he had shot a pistol.
The barrel of this pistol is different from the ordinary iron long-barreled musket. It is made of copper, and the whole thing has a green-yellow glow and is full of a heavy feeling.
"Pistol? Sir, you are a genius at naming. This pistol has indeed not been named yet, but the name you gave it is quite appropriate." Wang Zheng said with a smile.
"Hehe, but I haven't heard of this project in the General Administration?" Zhang Shikang said with a grin as he took the pistol from Wang Zheng.
There are currently several firearms projects in the General Administration, including the continuous improvement of black powder granulation and the imitation and improvement of copper cannons.
Another thing is the development of paper shell fixed-load bullets and rifling. According to Bi Maokang, the material of the fixed-load paper shell bullets has been selected and trial production will be possible soon.
Bi Maokang clasped his hands and said:
"My Lord, this pistol did not occupy the resources of the General Administration's craftsmen. It was developed privately by me and my brother. It is a gift from the two of us and other colleagues in the General Administration for you to go to war."
The advent of this pistol actually had many twists and turns, and the initial demand was proposed by Song Yingxing.
He believed that Zhang Shikang had been constantly subjected to various assassination attempts in the past two years, and that Zhang Shikang's martial arts could not be said to be exquisite, but could only be said to be better than nothing.
Even if there are more guards, there is always a loophole. Song Yingxing feels that as directors of the Manufacturing General Administration, they should also try their best to think of a solution.
After all, the current situation of the Ming Dynasty was all maintained by Zhang Shikang. If something happened to Zhang Shikang, they dared not think whether the situation of the Ming Dynasty could continue to be stable and improve.
So several old men began to think about it. Zhang Shikang's martial arts skills were poor, and he could not protect his weapons, so naturally he could only think of ways to use firearms.
Although the Suifa rifle had good accuracy and power, it was too thin and long. It was not only inconvenient to carry but also too conspicuous. They estimated that Zhang Shikang would not agree to let him carry a long rifle every day.
So Bi Maokang and Wang Zheng discussed it and proposed that they could find a way to make the rifle as short as possible. After several months of research and development, the short gun in their hands was born.
Wang Zheng also said:
“The barrel and other metal parts of this pistol are made of copper with better performance, and the wooden structure is made of high-quality mahogany.
In order to make the gun as short as possible, I discussed with Mr. Bi and decided to give up some of the range and accuracy and greatly shorten the barrel. The gunpowder load and projectile weight were also shortened accordingly.
I think that even if the range and accuracy are not as good as the long-barreled rifle, the lethality at close range is still sufficient, and since you have a gun in your hand, deterrence is the most important thing. "
Zhang Shikang nodded and weighed the gun, which was about four or five kilograms.
Its length is naturally longer than later pistols, but it can be worn either on the waist or on the outside of the leg.
I have to say, he likes this pistol very much.
Well, there is no man who is not interested in a gun, unless it is really too ugly and too long.
"What's the range?" Zhang Shikang asked as he fiddled with it.
He quickly figured out how to use the pistol and loaded it with gunpowder and special bullets according to the firing process.
Bi Maokang replied:
"My Lord, the effective range is less than 30% of the musket, about 30 steps.
The accuracy is acceptable within ten steps, but very poor beyond ten steps.”
There is no way around it. Given the current level of technology, and since length has been sacrificed, we certainly can't have both.
As for the effective range that Bi Maokang mentioned, the default enemy is naturally unarmored civilians. This is mainly because assassins usually disguise themselves as civilians.
As for accuracy, it basically becomes a conscienceless cannon ten steps away, and only God knows where the bullet will fall.
The effective range is thirty steps, about the same as that of an ordinary archer.
But the advantage of the pistol is not its range, but its surprise.
Zhang Shikang did not worry about the range and accuracy, but instead raised his pistol and aimed at the target five or six steps away.
But there was a bang and white smoke came out of one of the wooden targets. It was obvious that Zhang Shikang had hit it.
The recoil was not strong. Zhang Shikang blew on the smoking barrel, smiled, bowed to Bi Maokang and Wang Zheng, and said:
"Not bad, not bad. I like this thing very much. You two are very thoughtful."
Mommy doesn't have to worry about me being chased by assassins like a chicken anymore!
"As long as you like it, my Lord. This is also the common wish of the managers in the General Administration."
Bi Maokang and Wang Zheng both smiled and returned the greeting.
"Well, how many of these things have been made? Can they be mass-produced?" Zhang Shikang asked.
Although this short gun is not as powerful or as far as the musket, it is a magical weapon in close combat.
Imagine that you meet two enemies on a narrow road and the enemy rushes towards you with a knife in hand and a fierce look in his eyes.
Our side watched calmly and did not take any action. When the enemy rushed forward in confusion, we saw the man pull out a pistol from under his robe. In front of the stunned enemy, we sent him to see the grandmother.
Seven steps away, the gun is fast.
Within seven steps, the gun is so accurate and fast.
The pistol can not only be used as a supplement to melee weapons, but also as a means of saving lives.
Of course, if productivity is not met, it is impossible to equip everyone with a pistol.
What Zhang Shikang meant was that the senior generals in the military camp should be equipped first, especially those who would participate in battles, such as lieutenant generals and guerrilla generals.
Bi Maokang and Wang Zheng looked at each other, looking embarrassed.
The reason why the instant-fire spear could be mass-produced was that the Ming Dynasty had a considerable number of firearms craftsmen. From the bird gun to the Rumi gun, and then to today's instant-fire musket, the difference in craftsmanship was not that big, and the craftsmen only needed simple training to complete it.
However, the structure of a short gun is different from that of a long musket, so retraining of craftsmen is one aspect.
The most important thing is copper. The Ming Dynasty is now in great need of copper. In order to cast copper cannons, the court is already running short of copper for casting copper coins.
The Minister of Revenue Hai Zhongqi was unable to criticize Zhang Shikang, and Emperor Chongzhen always took sides, so he directed his criticism at the General Administration of Manufacturing. From time to time, he would come to quarrel with Bi Maokang and others, hoping that Bi Maokang would help him to persuade them.
The people have long been suffering from the lack of copper coins.
Now if muskets also use copper as material and are mass-produced, if Hai Zhongqi knew that he couldn't find Zhang Shikang, he would definitely come to confront them passionately.
Zhang Shikang certainly knew the difficulties of Lao Bi and Lao Wang, and added:
"You don't have to use copper, iron will do. Didn't the boss invent a blast furnace to make steel?
I think the iron production of our Ming Dynasty will definitely increase significantly in the future."
"If we use iron, mass production is not difficult. It just takes more time to select some craftsmen for training." Bi Maokang breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's the boss that the master recommended who is truly a talent!
With the massive resources provided by the General Administration of Manufacturing, the boss actually raised the quality of wrought iron by two levels in just two months!
It has even reached the standard of the carbon steel that the master mentioned! "
……