The gun-making workshop is outside Zhaojiayu. Liu Heng took Li Shuheng and others from Xujiazhuang to the gun-making workshop.
"Proprietor, this is the newly improved self-generated fire gun in the gun-making workshop." Blacksmith Zhao gestured with the fire gun in his hand with excitement.
Liu Heng took it and held it in his hand.
The newly improved self-generated fire gun is more than four feet to less than five feet long and weighs 11 or 2 kilograms. It is heavier than the Lumi gun used in the Tiger Flag, and the caliber of the gun is about two centimeters less than that of later generations.
"What's the range and success rate of ignition?" Liu Heng asked Blacksmith Zhao.
Blacksmith Zhao said, "The gunsmith's self-generated fire gun has a longer range than the Rumi gun, but it is worse in terms of ignition. Its success rate is about 80%."
The 80% ignition success rate is not low in this era, and it can be equipped for use by Tiger Flag soldiers.
"Let's go to the shooting range and give it a try. If it's true as you said, I will make a great contribution to you by building a gun workshop this time." Liu Heng walked towards the shooting range with the self-generated fire gun in his hand.
Behind him, Huang Chong and the craftsman from the gunsmith's workshop followed.
There are many wooden targets on the shooting range, separated by different distances, specifically used to test the range and power of firecrackers.
Blacksmith Zhao handed over a bullet wrapped in linen and said, "After many tests, using this kind of grease-soaked linen cloth to wrap the projectile not only speeds up the loading, but also increases the range and accuracy a lot."
Liu Heng took it in his hand and loaded it in, and found that it was indeed much faster than usual.
You must know that on the battlefield, time means life.
He raised his self-made firegun, aimed at a wooden target forty steps away, pulled the trigger, and his hands shook.
With a bang, the wood board on the wooden target forty paces away was pierced by projectiles.
With only one shot, he was already sure that as long as the range was as Blacksmith Zhao said, Tiger Flag's self-generating fire gun was successfully developed.
However, hearing is believing, and seeing is believing. Liu Heng will not completely believe what Tiejiang Zhao said.
He threw the self-generated fire blunderbuss to Zhao Wu and said, "Bring a few fire gun wielders and test a few more self-generated fire blunderbuss. I want to know the final result."
"Yes." Zhao Wu stood at attention and agreed.
He called several fire gunners from the escort team and followed a craftsman from the gun-making workshop to get the self-generated fire gun prepared by the gun-making workshop.
Huang Zhong looked at Liu Heng and said, "It's so hot. It will take some time to finish the test. Why don't you go in and have a cup of tea and rest for a while."
Liu Heng smiled and said, "Let's go, today I will also ask for a bowl of tea from the Gun Factory."
"Master, please!" Blacksmith Zhao led the way.
When he came to the room, Liu Heng sat on the top seat. Sitting next to him was Li Shuheng, the deputy director. Huang Chong was sitting on the right, and the others sat on the seats on both sides.
The guard took out the tea leaves, made hot tea and served it.
Zheng Tie and Xu Xuewu were guarding Liu Heng.
Liu Heng picked up the tureen, took a sip of tea, and then said to Blacksmith Zhao, "Last time I came here, Master Zhao made rifling. What's the result now?"
Blacksmith Zhao stood up in a hurry.
Liu Heng raised his hand and pressed it softly, and said, "Sit down and talk. There is no need to get up."
Blacksmith Zhao sat back on his seat and said excitedly, "The rifled fire blunderbuss has a longer range than our existing fire blunderbuss, and is more accurate."
"What about the shortcomings?" Liu Heng asked.
The excited Blacksmith Zhao felt as if someone had poured cold water on his head. He smiled bitterly and said, "The reloading is too slow. It is far inferior to the Lumi gun we are using now, let alone the self-generating fire gun we are testing."
"Actually, rifled fire guns are not unusable." Liu Heng said, "You can select some fire gun players with high shooting standards to form a team of sharpshooters. This kind of rifled fire guns can be used normally."
With the memory of later generations, he knew that rifled guns were the future development direction, but within the past one or two hundred years, smoothbore guns were still the mainstream on the battlefield.
If you want to completely allow rifled guns to enter the battlefield, first of all, the front loading must be changed to rear loading, and the projectiles must also be changed to later generations of bullets. The bullets have a primer inside instead of being ignited by external gunpowder.
Tiejiang Zhao's eyes lit up.
He developed the rifled muskets of the Tiger Flag, and of course he did not want them to be classified as useless. Even if they are equipped in small quantities to soldiers, it proves that his rifled muskets are not useless.
Liu Heng added, "Master Zhao, your rifled muskets are not mature enough yet. When they mature in the future, you will form a marksman team."
Blacksmith Zhao's expression darkened just after he got excited.
He knew what his boss said was right. Although the rifled gun he had developed was better than the smooth-bore gun in terms of range and accuracy, it was not much stronger.
But it doesn't matter, as long as he has a direction, he believes that he will be able to develop a fire gun with a longer range and higher accuracy.
Huang Zhong on the side said, "Proprietor, if the self-made fire muskets of the musket making workshop can be put into use this time, will the Lumi muskets of the Ordnance Bureau continue to produce them?"
Liu Heng thought for a moment and said, "In the short term, we will mainly use Lumi Guns. We will produce our own fire guns in small batches and temporarily equip them for use by some fire gun players."
"My boss, our self-generating fire gun is better than the existing Lumi gun, and with the hydraulic drilling machine, we can mass-produce self-generating fire guns." Blacksmith Zhao thought that Liu Heng did not trust the technology developed by their gun factory. He made his own firecrackers and spoke out to defend himself.
Liu Heng smiled bitterly in his heart.
It's not that he is unwilling to replace the existing Lumi gun with a self-generated fire gun, but that the Tiger Character Banner's financial resources are not enough to support such a large expenditure, so he can only do it slowly.
Li Shuheng, who was sitting aside, was well aware of the lack of financial resources of the Tiger Character Banner, so he said, "There are differences between self-generated fire guns and the existing Lumi guns. Fire gun players need time to adapt, and it will not be easy to replace Lumi guns on a large scale for the time being. "
The two highest-ranking people in Huziqi said so, so naturally others could only follow it.
About a cup of tea later, Zhao Wu came back from the shooting range with his men.
"Master, this self-generated fire gun from Gun Factory is really good. It has a range about twenty steps further than our existing fire guns, and its accuracy is also much higher." Zhao Wu said with excitement.
The craftsmen in the gun-making workshop in the house all turned red with excitement. Zhao Wu's words proved that the self-generated fire gun developed by their gun-making workshop was finally recognized.
Liu Heng was very happy.
The self-generating fire gun of the Tiger Character Flag has been developed for so long, and finally the finished product is produced. And unlike the Lumi gun, the self-generated fire gun is something they independently developed. Even Bi Maokang developed the self-generated fire gun more than ten years later than his Tiger Character Flag. Make a fire blunderbuss.
Thinking of this, he looked at Huang Zhong and said, "According to the prescribed reward levels, the craftsmen who develop self-made fire guns in the gunsmith workshop will each be rewarded with two hundred taels, and the ordinary craftsmen will be rewarded with fifty taels each. Go to the Logistics Bureau to collect the silver."
"Yes." Huang Zhong responded with a happy face.
The success of the gun-making workshop brought glory to him, the director of the weapons bureau.
"Thank you, proprietor." All the craftsmen in the gun-making workshop stood up and saluted Liu Heng.
Blacksmith Zhao held a self-made fire gun in both hands and said, "Do you want the proprietor to name it?"
Liu Heng took it in his hand and thought about it for a moment, then said, "The self-generating gun uses a hammer to strike the flint to ignite the fire. It is also used by soldiers, so it is called a flintlock rifle!"
Of course, this name was not his original creation. Historically, it was called a flintlock rifle. However, these people in front of them didn't know that. They only thought that the name was created by Liu Heng.
