One day at the end of December, Luanzhou ushered in a heavy snowfall before winter began. The snowflakes flying in the sky were like pieces of goose feathers. Looking at the whole world, it seemed like there were specks of snowflakes. The weather was getting colder, but Yuan Su The requirements for each regiment and battalion under his command have not changed from beginning to end. Soldiers in the battalion must conduct regular training every day, either morning running, night running, or emergency training. Early in the morning, I saw soldiers stepping on the pavement along the city wall. Snow was shouting slogans during the training, and the soldiers were wearing new yellow military uniforms, which looked like a dirt road opened up on the snow.
At noon that day, Pierce Spencer, a foreign technician from Factory 101, led by factory director Lin Zuodong, came to the barracks of the Brigade Headquarters compound to meet with Yuan Su.
Yuan Su had received an advance report from Factory 101 yesterday afternoon, informing foreign engineers that they had designed a brand new rifle drawing. This is a good thing. No matter what improvements this rifle has, it can be regarded as a The first small weapon independently developed by Factory 101, and it took less than four months.
After meeting Pierce and Lin Chok Tong in the office, Yuan Su couldn't wait to take the drawings and look at them. He had some knowledge of firearms, so he was not unfamiliar with gun drawings. Judging from the length of the new rifle designed in this drawing, It looks like a standard conventional rifle, and it doesn't look like a carbine, but it is very similar to the British standard rifle Lee-Enfield, somewhere between a rifle and a carbine.
However, in the text introduction on the side, the caliber of the bullet used in the gun is 7.92 mm. The 7.92 caliber is a typical German standard bullet, and it is also the caliber of the Han-style rifle currently widely used by the Chinese Communist Party.
"Is this rifle an improvement on the Lee-Enfield rifle?" Yuan Su asked.
"Sir, the prototype is indeed a Lee Enfield rifle, but there are many improvements. In addition to the length of the gun imitating the Lee Enfield, the bullet caliber, bolt, and magazine design have all been changed." Lin Chok Tong immediately said.
"Really? What are the features after the improvement? How is it outstanding compared to the Lee-Enfield rifle?" Yuan Su asked directly. Instead of listening to the details of the structure of these guns, it would be better to listen to a comprehensive summary.
"The rifle uses dual ammunition supply. It can be loaded from the lower magazine, or it can be pressed into the magazine from the upper bolt position. This can ensure flexible use in combat. At the same time, the bolt adopts the German 1998 rifle The large rear-pull rotating bolt can not only increase the pressure on the tail of the gun, but also ensure the long life of the firing pin. Of course, because of the large bolt, the efficiency may not be as good as Lee Enfield, but in terms of bullet power, The harmonization process is enough to make up for this shortcoming." Lin Chok Tong said in detail.
"Oh." Yuan Su nodded slightly and continued to stare at the drawing thoughtfully.
"Of course, because the bullet caliber is unified, it can put great pressure on the logistics supply. At the same time, because all the equipment in our factory is imported, many raw materials are also imported from abroad. Compared with the Chinese-style rifles, both technology and quality are superior. It is better than Lee Enfield. In addition to the fact that the firing speed is not as good as that of Lee Enfield, the weight of the gun body is slightly heavier. However, the heavy gun body has advantages and disadvantages. Naturally, it cannot be generalized. Also, the new gun is The design of the white blade has absorbed the shortcomings of Lee Enfield. We have adopted a better carrying device. Although the length is still shorter than that of an ordinary rifle, when equipped with a bayonet, the shooting accuracy is much higher than that of Lee Enfield. Field rifle." Lin Chok Tong continued.
Yuan Su murmured in his heart: Everything else is good, but the last point is simply unremarkable. It has reached the point of assembling a bayonet, which means hand-to-hand combat. Who would bother to shoot with a gun?
?The most disadvantageous thing about the Lee-Enfield rifle in hand-to-hand combat is that the barrel is too short, which is obviously unavoidable for new guns.
"Tell me about his testing situation." Yuan Su asked again.
"We just completed the fifth live ammunition test the day before yesterday, and determined that the effective killing range is 750 meters, the muzzle velocity is approximately 700 meters per second, and the estimated firing speed is approximately 12 to 15 rounds per minute."
"Looking at the structure on this drawing, it seems that there are many specialized parts in the gun. So, the production of this rifle requires a very complicated process?" Yuan Su said with a slight frown. He knew that although Pierce was
The British have lived in Germany for more than ten years, and their mastery of firearms technology was also learned in German arsenals. Although German weapons are indeed superior, their complex workmanship and technical principles have greatly increased the number of weapons.
cost of production.
"That's true. Part of this rifle is based on the Mauser rifle, but the strengths and weaknesses are complementary. For a firearm to have good performance, the manufacturing process must not be sloppy. I believe you are well aware of this, sir."
Lin Chok Tong said.
"I admit that this rifle has solved several big problems of our department. If this rifle can be put into production, it will definitely increase the combat effectiveness of our department. Then, your estimated cost price of this rifle should be
How much?" Yuan Su thought carefully for a while, and then asked seriously.
"If it is produced according to the highest configuration, all raw materials will be imported, and the cost price is indeed not low. It will be between 75 and 90 yuan. Of course, if domestic raw materials are used, it will be much cheaper.
, it will be around forty-five seconds." Lin Chok Tong introduced.
"Ninety yuan? This is almost twice the price of a Han-style rifle. Even if domestic raw materials are used, the cost price is too high. If you calculate carefully, it is not as cost-effective as directly importing a Lee-Enfield rifle." Yuan Su has a few words
He said in surprise. He knew that the actual cost price of a rifle made in Hanyang was about thirty yuan. A gun with a cost price of ninety yuan would be too expensive if all the parts were used to assemble it, and it was not famous yet. Even if
Even if I want to sell it, I can't find a suitable buyer.
"Master Yuan, there is nothing we can do about it. From design to manufacturing, we have reviewed all aspects back and forth many times, and there is really no way to make it cheaper. Of course, our factory originally followed Master Yuan's instructions and worked hard to develop more advanced products.
, since a more practical weapon must exceed the performance of existing weapons, it will naturally also exceed the cost of existing weapons."