Chapter 1384: Matchlock Gun (Additional chapter for 400 monthly tickets)
Zhou Xu's words made the R&D staff member blush. In fact, to be honest, he was indeed lazy and tried to deal with it with a stupid method.
Now that he was pointed out by their Majesty, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"Come and get me this, I want to try it myself."
Zhou Xu said as he walked to the shooting range.
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will demonstrate it to you first."
The R&D personnel who had taken out the second rifle took the rifle from Zhou Xu's hand swiftly, then pointed the muzzle upwards and leaned it on the ground.
"To fire this matchlock gun, you have to pour gunpowder into the barrel first. We also call this propellant."
As the researcher spoke, he took out a small bamboo tube from his body and opened it. The thickness of the tube mouth was just the right size for the muzzle of the gun, so it could be stuffed into the barrel to prevent the propellant from spilling out.
During this period, the R&D staff did not forget to explain.
"This amount of propellant is just enough for one round in a bamboo tube. Just pour it all in, and then..."
As he spoke, the R&D personnel pulled out a wooden stick that was inserted into the gun body and was basically parallel to the barrel. Then he inserted the thicker end of the stick into the barrel and punched it hard a few times.
"This stick can be pulled out. It comes with a set of tools. It's used to tamp the gunpowder that was poured in before."
After pounding it, the researcher did not put the stick back in, but instead casually pinched it between his fingers, freed up one hand, and took out a marble-sized steel ball from a cloth bag nearby.
"Your Majesty, this is the bullet. Just throw it into the barrel. Then put a paper ball in it and hit it with a stick."
The R&D personnel were operating as they spoke. Since they had used it so many times during the testing process, their operating skills were very proficient at this point.
"This is to secure the gunpowder and bullet inside so that they don't slip out of the barrel."
After completing this step, the R&D personnel inserted the stick back into its original position, held the gun with one hand slightly tilted upward, and took out another bamboo tube with the other empty hand.
Compared with the previous one, this bamboo tube is obviously larger. It is also filled with gunpowder, but in larger quantity, so it is not possible to pour it all out at once.
"Your Majesty, please look here."
Following the direction pointed by the R&D personnel, Zhou Xu saw a groove that was estimated to be the size of a coin.
"This is also where you pour the gunpowder. Pour an appropriate amount, but don't let it overflow. After you're done, there's a small lid over here. Push it and it will go on. Next, be careful to blow away the gunpowder scattered around, otherwise it may ignite accidentally, which is very dangerous. Then..."
As they were talking, the R&D personnel brought out another rope, one end of which had been set on fire.
"This is the fuse. Because we were just testing it, the fuse has been lit. Otherwise, there would be a step of lighting the fuse before any operation."
"There is a mechanism here. Just clamp the lit end of the match here. Then there is a safety mechanism below. You have to turn it twice. After unscrewing it, this mechanism will be linked with the trigger. When the trigger is pulled, it will move into the groove filled with gunpowder."
The R&D staff spoke and gestured at the same time.
"At this point, the preparations are basically complete. When we need to officially fire the gun, we will open the small cover we put on before, aim at the target, and pull the trigger. The lit match will come into contact with the gunpowder in the groove, ignite the gunpowder, and shoot the bullet!"
The last two steps were quick. The researcher opened the cover, took aim, and then pulled the trigger.
At that moment, only a gunshot was heard, accompanied by rising smoke, and the bullet directly hit the target in the distance.
"The current effective range is about one hundred meters."
This range is the result of many improvements made by their project team over the years.
Judging from this alone, the shooting skills of this developer can be said to be quite accurate.
However, the developer who showed off this pistol skill did not show any pride.
Because he knew that although the loading steps of this matchlock gun were relatively complicated, it was actually very easy to use and had lower requirements for the user.
When a crossbowman fires a crossbow, he has to step on the stirrup and exert some strength, but the matchlock musket does not even require this much strength.
If you practice shooting with a gun for a while like the one you just did, you will be able to do it too.
And this is precisely the biggest advantage of thermal weapons.
From cold weapons to hot weapons, this is essentially a process in which the threshold for use becomes lower and lower.
The main point is that even if you are a fool, after being captured and trained intensively, you will be able to exert your combat power on the battlefield.
"Let me try."
The whole set of steps just now may seem complicated, but as long as you understand the meaning of each step, it is not difficult to remember them.
Zhou Xu read it once, and combined with the explanation from the R&D staff, he already had an idea in his mind.
I'm just not proficient enough in the whole set of operations, so the operation is relatively slow.
Fortunately, he didn't care and completed each step slowly. Then he pulled the trigger and with a "bang", the bullet flew out of the barrel and hit the edge of the target directly, making Zhou Xu secretly relieved.
Although his mentality is now very stable, it would be a bit embarrassing if this shot missed the target.
After handing the matchlock gun back to the R&D personnel, Zhou Xu turned around and asked questions about manufacturing.
As of now, Zhou Xu is quite satisfied with the performance of this matchlock gun.
Although at this stage, the effective range of their Great Zhou heavy individual crossbow has reached 200 meters, but given that the enemy is wearing armor, if they want to achieve a fatal armor-piercing effect, the effective range of this heavy individual crossbow has to be reduced to 100 meters.
Under the same conditions, the effective range of the matchlock gun has now reached one hundred meters.
Under this premise, the matchlock gun has lower requirements and is less labor-intensive for soldiers. According to the researcher's answer just now, based on the current technological level of their Great Zhou, its manufacturing difficulty is simpler and more efficient than that of a heavy individual crossbow.
In comprehensive comparison, this matchlock gun already has the basic qualities to replace heavy individual crossbows.
At the same time, it also made Zhou Xu realize that he had to make a choice.
He made this decision very easily because he knew that someone would take over for him.
"Pass my order and have the heavy crossbow manufacturing factory stop subsequent production after the last batch of heavy crossbows are made. Let the relevant staff come here to study the mass production of matchlock guns. Try to produce a batch first and see how it goes."
(End of this chapter)
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