To confirm the quality of the nitrocellulose gauze he made, Owen cut a small piece of it on his hand and set it on fire.The nitrocellulose gauze burned up in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, it burned out, leaving only trace residues.Ignited directly on the hand without burning, the smoke after burning hardly smells sour.From this, it can be determined that the quality of the nitrocellulose gauze produced is very good.Now that he has nitrocellulose, Owen plans to start making a few flintlock metal cartridges and hand them over to Viscount Jarvis to confirm the firing effect of the new bullets.First, the finished nitrocellulose gauze was cut into small squares, and then a batch of bullet shells and warheads from the previous trial production were taken out and the loading work began.Machines for making cartridge cases and warheads existed, but machines for assembling cartridge cases, warheads, primers, and black powder into bullets had not yet been built.Therefore, this step can only be done manually at present.Glue a loop of glue to nitrocellulose gauze and carefully deliver it to the bottom of the shell using a small wooden stick to seal the ignition hole.Then, a paper funnel is used to pour black powder into the cartridge casing, and then compact, trying to ensure that the gunpowder load of each bullet is the same.Finally, the tail of the bullet is pressed into the cartridge case, and the metal fixed bullet is made after a few gentle strokes with a hammer.Compared with lead shots, the production process of the new bullet is obviously several notches higher.Holding the new bullet in front of him, Owen looked at it carefully and couldn't help but feel: "This bullet is really exquisite." ”[This is also called exquisite?
By my standards, the bullets you make are crude. 】Winster complained.
[It's already possible, with our current level of technology, it's good to be able to make it.] 】[Well, that's what I said.] 】Next, Owen continued to make new bullets, and along the way, he found that several warheads and cartridge cases were not up to standard, either too large or too small to fit into bullets.Even so, he made twelve qualified bullets.With these new bullets in hand, Owen and Marpel set off for the northern wall to find Viscount Jarvis for a test shot.…… In the camp behind the walls to the north."
Oh?
New bullets have already been made?
”Taking the bullet from the hand, Viscount Jarvis took a closer look at it, and then looked at Owen in surprise."
Marquis Eisen, a bullet is so well made, will it be difficult to mass-produce it?""
Not really."
Owen shook his head, "The process of the new bullet has indeed improved, but our technology is also improving, and mass production is not a problem." ”Hearing Owen say this, Viscount Jarvis was also relieved.Then, he turned around and picked up the new gun that Owen had given him not long ago, and said impatiently, "Hurry up, Marquis Eisen, let's go outside and test it." ”"Hmm."
Owen's purpose was to see how effective the new bullet was, so he and Viscount Jarvis went to the shooting training ground.The accuracy test was carried out first, and due to the limited number of bullets, Viscount Jarvis decided to fire only three shots for verification.The target stood fifteen meters away, and Viscount Jarvis picked up his new gun, opened the swing lock at the end of the barrel, loaded it, and closed it again.Although it can only be loaded with one bullet at a time, because it is reloaded from the back and the metal fixed bullet is used, the reloading efficiency is still much faster than before.Aim at the target and pull the trigger.A bang of gunfire hits the target.At this moment, Viscount Jarvis immediately pulled the lock, and the cartridge case bounced out of it, and a second bullet was loaded.The movements of the whole process are very skillful, and there is no mud and water at all.It can be seen that Viscount Jarvis should have secretly practiced the use of the new gun in private.After firing three shots in a row, Viscount Jarvis turned his head and glanced at Owen."
Let's go, let's see the effect.""
Wait a minute."
Owen walked over, picked up the three shells that had fallen on the ground, and asked Marpel on the side to help carry them."
These empty shells can be recycled, so don't waste them."
In any case, copper is a precious metal used to mint money, so if you can save it, you should save it as much as possible."
Wow!
I know. ”Viscount Jarvis nodded understandingly, "In the future, when soldiers practice shooting with new guns, I will ask them to recover all the bullet casings, and as many bullets as they fire, they will recover as many cartridge casings as they send." ”After picking up the shells, the three of them came to the target and saw that the three bullet holes appeared close to the bull's-eye.That is, the accuracy of the new gun is quite good."
Like the rifled guns that used Mine's bullets before, the accuracy is very reliable."
Viscount Jarvis commented, "This musket is still rifled, isn't it?"
Marquis of Eisen. ”"Indeed."
Owen agreed.Rifled guns were superior to smoothbore guns in many ways, and Owen had long known this clearly from the history of firearms on Winster's side.After that, Viscount Jarvis conducted other tests until he used up all the bullets that Owen had brought.After a series of test firings, the data obtained were better than the smoothbore guns currently used by soldiers, and slightly better than rifled guns using Miner.If all the soldiers are equipped with this new gun and use it skillfully, their combat effectiveness will definitely be greatly improved.Viscount Jarvis was very satisfied with the new gun, and couldn't help urging: "Marquis Eisen, this third-generation musket has been greatly improved, I don't know when it will be mass-produced?"
I want to be in the musket unit as soon as possible. ”"Now that the effect of the new bullet has been confirmed, I will ask Geeta to prepare for the mass production of the new musket when I go back, and the mass production of the bullet will have to start preparation."
Owen said, "Rest assured, new guns should be available soon." ”"Then I'll see."
Viscount Jarvis said expectantly.Leaving the northern wall, Owen didn't want to waste Geeta's time, so he went straight to the machine room where he frequented.Knowing that the lord had come to look for her in person, Geeta hurriedly stopped what she was doing, grabbed the dirty cloth hanging from her neck, rudely wiped her sweaty face, and trotted over to greet her."
Oops!
My lord, why are you here?!
If you have something to do, send someone to call me. ”"I know you've been so busy lately, so I've come here to inform you of something."
Since receiving the order for the steam engine from the Twins, Geeta and his family have been even busier, not only to continue to make muskets, but also to build two steam engines to ensure that they will be delivered faithfully in three months."
What's the matter?"
Geeta asked."
The old muskets have been obsolete."
Owen said, "From now on, you'll have to start making new muskets, the two that you were asked to build." ”"New muskets?"
Geeta was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted."
My lord, is the primer of the new bullet falling?""
Yes."
Owen nodded, "It's a pity that the new bullet has just been used up by Viscount Jarvis's test shot, so I can't show you the real thing." ”"These are all small things, my lord, I am concerned about the mass production of new bullets......"
"I will be in charge of this matter, you can continue to be busy with yours."
I'll come and take two apprentices from you to operate the machine that makes shells and warheads. ”In addition to not wanting to burden Geeta, Owen did this because the production of nitrocellulose involves knowledge in the field of chemistry, which is not Geeta's area of expertise."
I see, my lord."
Geeta nodded solemnly.