Chapter 180: New Rifle Prototype

In the first half of the 19th century, the term breech-loading rifle was no longer some mysterious code word, but had gradually entered the eyes of the great powers as a powerful weapon capable of changing a nation's fortunes.

Although early breech-loaders were very primitive and plagued by all sorts of problems, relying on the enormous advantages in rate of fire and accuracy, breech-loaders still quickly drove muzzle-loaders off the stage of history. The classic example is the Austro-Prussian War, where the peak muzzle-loading Minié rifle was eliminated by the primitive Dreyse needle gun.

The situation the Transmigrators now face is choosing a rifle to serve as a prototype, in the era closest to metallic cartridge rifles, to be improved and then issued to the troops.

This time period is the mid-19th century.

At that time, France and America almost simultaneously produced two excellent breech-loading rifles: the Chassepot and the Sharps.

Both rifles were breech-loaded with paper cartridges, had ranges exceeding 800 meters, and were highly accurate. They were the models of breech-loaders before the widespread adoption of metallic cartridges, very suitable for the current needs of the Crossing Faction.

And after the dilettantes had all been driven out, the minority who remained in the meeting room were basically rational people who had considered the actual situation of the Crossing Faction beforehand and advocated for equipping the troops with breech-loading paper-cartridge rifles.

So, Ma Zekai could finally calmly discuss the pros and cons of these two rifles with everyone.

First, the Sharps.

The Sharps rifle's first prototype was designed by the American Christian Sharps in 1848; here we'll call it the "American Rifle."

The American Rifle uses a mechanical falling-block structure: this sounds convoluted, but it actually references the breech-locking principle of cannons. The breechblock slides vertically up and down along a groove in the receiver wall, a vertical wedge-type lock.

This rifle's trigger guard and breechblock are linked, meaning when the shooter pulls down the metal guard below the trigger, the breechblock simultaneously drops, exposing the chamber so a bullet can be loaded.

The firing method is a percussion cap combined with a bird's-beak hammer. The cap and paper cartridge are loaded separately. After locking, the shooter pulls the trigger, the bird's-beak hammer falls, detonates the percussion cap, which then ignites the black gunpowder in the paper cartridge.

It's worth mentioning that this rifle's breechblock is designed with a sharp semi-circular cutting edge that slices open the tail of the paper cartridge during locking, exposing the black gunpowder: this saves the shooter the step of biting open the cartridge with their teeth.

By any standard, the Sharps rifle was one of the best rifles of the pre-metallic-cartridge era: safe, reliable, highly accurate, and powerful.

Ma Zekai, a firearms expert, was personally quite partial to this rifle: for the low-quality troops of the 17th-century Transmigrators, this rifle's simple structure was a huge plus. The breechblock has only three parts: the block itself, the gas seal ring, and the connecting pin. It's very easy to clean and can be disassembled without any tools.

Back to the Chassepot.

The Chassepot was a rifle designed around 1857 by the Frenchman Antoine Chassepot; here we'll call it the "French Rifle."

The difference between the American Rifle and the French Rifle is that the French Rifle uses a rotating bolt action with a firing pin, a locking method somewhat similar to a primitive bolt-action. The American Rifle uses a vertical falling-block lock. Here, the two rifles reveal a fundamental difference.

The reason Ma Zekai didn't favor the French Rifle lies right here: compared to the American Rifle, this primitive bolt-action structure's gas seal is far too poor.

The French Rifle originally had a unique design to solve the gas seal problem: a rubber ring.

However, this rubber ring thing would harden after a few shots due to the high temperature from the propellant gas, losing its sealing ability. Thus, soldiers needed to carry rubber rings for replacement at any time.

This one move hit a certain faction's weak spot: rubber.

The French Rifle needed rubber rings or substitutes to guarantee firing, while the American Rifle triumphed through design, needing no extra accessories. The difference between them was clear at a glance.

Furthermore, the French Rifle required additional springs and a firing pin, which added unnecessary pressure on the industrial departments.

... After Ma Zekai's analysis, most people present recognized the problem: the French Rifle was not suitable for the current Crossing Faction.

"But the Chassepot's rate of fire is unparalleled!" The French Rifle's supporter, Wood Factory Director Ceng Rong, had mostly abandoned his resistance by now, but at the end of the discussion, he still pointed out the French Rifle's greatest advantage.

"Heh, that high rate of fire comes at a cost." Ma Zekai nodded upon hearing this and said, "Because the bullet, black gunpowder, and percussion cap are in one integrated paper cartridge, the Chassepot's firing pin can directly penetrate the paper shell's base to initiate firing. This is the most streamlined method, so the Chassepot's rate of fire was the fastest in that era."

"But the high rate of fire brings a high malfunction rate." Ma Zekai paused, then continued, "The Chassepot's original firing pin had to first penetrate the paper shell to detonate the cap. And due to the travel, erosion, and quality of the original spring and pin, the paper shell would often break, and the cap wouldn't receive enough impact to fire properly. That's when things got really annoying—you couldn't dig out the broken paper cartridge with your fingers."

"The American Rifle is different." After letting everyone digest the information, Ma Zekai slowly said, "The American Rifle's percussion cap and paper cartridge are separate. Even if the cap misfires, you just replace it. Also, the bird's-beak hammer design doesn't need to penetrate the paper shell over a long distance like a firing pin—the tail of the paper shell is cut open by the breechblock ring during locking, exposing the black gunpowder. This design is classic."

"The French Rifle manages about 12-14 rounds per minute, while the American Rifle's rate of fire is 8-10 rounds per minute. This speed is already sufficient."

Ma Zekai lit a Black Lanzhou cigarette and said leisurely, "Our enemies are 17th-century armies armed with matchlocks, swords, axes, and spears. On a battlefield thick with black powder smoke, a rate of fire of 8-10 rounds per minute is actually somewhat excessive. Soldiers need to observe steadily before shooting. In fact, 5 rounds per minute could sweep away all your hypothetical enemies—don't forget, the Lobsterbacks conquered with the Brown Bess. What was the Brown Bess's rate of fire?"

"Hmm, that's really unnecessary, 10 rounds a minute is way more than we could use." Han Bo, who had been listening for a while, nodded in agreement.

"That tiny, useless increase in rate of fire comes at the cost of rubber rings, springs, firing pins, and a high malfunction rate. It's completely unnecessary."

After speaking, Ma Zekai took one last look around, then summarized, "Alright, if there are no objections, I'll report today's meeting results. Our final choice is a black powder rifle based on the American Sharps, yes?"

After waiting a minute and seeing no opposition, Ma Zekai nodded and let out a long breath. "OK, meeting adjourned, let's eat. I'll go report. We'll continue this afternoon and see what areas of the new rifle need improvement."

2:30 PM, the meeting room.

Given that most of the hobbyists who had previously joined in had dispersed, and even a few who had stayed until the end of the morning meeting didn't return for the afternoon's detailed design workshop after the new rifle's type was confirmed, Ma Zekai scheduled the afternoon workshop in the meeting room—there were only five participants left, why go to the cafeteria? The meeting room was much more convenient, with computers and projectors for slides.

"Alright, let's go through it item by item, starting with range. Who wants to begin?" Seeing everyone had arrived, Ma Zekai wasted no time and started directly.

"I'll go first." Mu Longcheng, who had looked up information during the lunch break, spoke up: "According to the data, the Sharps' effective range is 460 meters, maximum range is 900+ meters, and it has enormous power, capable of killing a North American bison at a distance of 916 meters. Isn't this firepower overkill?"

"It is a bit overkill." Han Bo, beside Mu Longcheng, added, "Our soldiers don't need to drop a bison from 900 meters away. In fact, regardless of the firearm, the human eye's optimal aiming distance doesn't exceed 400 meters. So we suggest appropriately weakening the new rifle's power and increasing its portability."

Ma Zekai typed rapidly on his laptop for a moment, then looked up thoughtfully and said, "I've noted all your opinions. But have you considered one point? In the future, our army will encounter enemies fighting in massive formations—this is the 17th century, where tens of thousands forming neat battle lines is the hallmark of all strong armies. At that time, a 900+ meter range will be useful."

"Still too powerful." Han Bo shook his head after listening. "Being able to kill a man at 800 meters and aim and shoot at 400 meters is sufficient."

"Hmm, let's take a look then." Ma Zekai pulled up data on his laptop, examined it, and said, "The Sharps we were just talking about refers to the. 52 caliber Sharps M1859 rifle from the American Civil War. This cartridge holds 9g of black powder, with a muzzle velocity of 431 m/s, enough for a hunter to kill a 900 kg North American bison within 914 meters. Heh, it is a bit ferocious."

"If you want to reduce power, there's a ready-made solution." Ma Zekai turned his laptop around. "Here, after the Civil War, the Sharps Company introduced a. 45 caliber model, and a carbine version. These should meet your requirements."

Han Bo looked at the computer screen and nodded. "The. 45 carbine version should be about right. Let's modify from that base. In any case, a 1.2-meter barrel is too long, and the total weight of 4.3 kilograms needs to be reduced. You have to remember, many of our soldiers are only about 1.5 meters tall. Holding such a rifle would be ridiculous, and the recoil is too strong."

After the most important aspect, the new rifle's firepower standard, was determined, the remaining details were easy.

The next step was the breechblock.

Early Sharps rifles had a problem with the breechblock: the direction of the block's falling and rising motion was not perpendicular to the barrel axis, so after locking, there was still a gap between the barrel and the breechblock, causing considerable propellant gas leakage when firing.

Later improved vertical falling-block actions solved this problem very well, allowing the Sharps rifle to shine brilliantly in the American Civil War.

... The breechblock was the Transmigrators' strong suit: you see, the vertical wedge-type lock, similar to the Sharps rifle's, is often seen in later-generation cannons. And what is the locking gap in those later cannons? 0.02 millimeters...

Whether the Kiln District used CNC machining or mechanical stamping in the future, the breechblocks the Transmigrators produced, including the crucial gas seal gap, even if they couldn't reach the insane 0.02 millimeters, would still leave 19th-century American breechblocks in the dust by a mile.

This was also the foundation of confidence that allowed the Military, led by Han Bo, to dare to demand a reduction in the rifle's power—with a good gas seal, less gunpowder was wasted. Even if the barrel was shortened and the powder charge reduced, the power wouldn't decrease by much.