In the Amazon Firearms Factory, a group of people were testing the Lewis machine gun in the shooting range.
"Da da da! "...
After Downing tested the gun, Defense Secretary Fernandez also shot the Lewis machine gun magazine within ten seconds.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Minister, how do you like this machine gun of mine?"
With excitement, Lewis asked Pedro III and Fernandez what they thought of the gun he developed.
Defense Minister Fernandez first gave his evaluation of the machine gun developed by Lewis: "It fires fast, hits far, and is light in weight. The machine gun you developed, Mr. Lewis, is very good."
Fernandez, as Brazil's Minister of Defense, is in charge of the Brazilian military and attaches great importance to military firearms. He is very satisfied with the performance of this machine gun.
Lewis, the Lewis Mk 1 machine gun developed by Lewis: caliber 7.7 mm, weight 12.25 kg, gun length 1250 mm, bullet initial velocity 744 m/s, rate of fire 450 to 500 rounds/min, magazine capacity is 47 rounds and 97 rounds kind.
The performance of this firearm meets the needs of the Brazilian army, and Fernandez is very optimistic about it.
"Lewis, you have done a very good job in improving the machine gun developed by Samuel Macklin. You are an extremely good firearms expert."
After Fernandez, Downing also spoke highly of this gun.
"Your Lewis machine gun is light in weight and powerful in firepower. It is very suitable for the Brazilian Army. This machine gun will be our Brazilian standard machine gun from now on."
Lewis was greatly encouraged by the recognition of the Downing Lewis machine gun and the final definition.
"Thank you for your majesty's recognition. If your majesty hadn't discovered my talent with firearms, I might still be wasting my life in the army."
Lewis is truly grateful to the Brazilian king and is not trying to flatter him.
If Tangning hadn't found him, he might still be in the army doing nothing, dawdling around without finding a target.
Isaac Newton Lewis, born in 1858, studied at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After graduating in 1884, he was appointed as an officer and has been messing around ever since.
The U.S. Army has no major mission at all right now. In the army, Lewis has no passion at all.
Two years ago, the Buffalo Startup Arms Company acquired by Downing found Lewis, a military firearms enthusiast, and changed his boring life, allowing him to find a new interest in life.
At the time, Downing owned Buffalo Start Arms. Samuel was purchased under Downing's instructions. MacLean designed a patent for a light machine gun that could be carried by a single person, fed from a magazine, and used a bipod. He found Lewis and asked him to improve it again.
Lewis loved and admired firearms very much, and he was also well-known in the United States.
However, this reputation was obviously not heavyweight enough, but Buffalo approached him and hired him as a professional, and gave him a big task, which directly led to Lewis finding a new goal in life.
After becoming a firearms expert in the military factory, Lewis quickly got into work. He fully learned from the structure of the Maclean machine gun and made bold innovations. After two years of hard work, he finally developed the unique Lewis light machine gun.
The Lewis light machine gun is different from the Maxim machine gun. It adopts the gas-guided automatic principle and the bolt rotary locking method. It relies on the semicircular movement of the latch at the rear of the bolt to achieve opening and closing. Equipped with a rate of fire adjustment device, the rate of fire is 550-750 rounds/min. The recoil spring is similar to the torsion spring of a clock spring and is installed in the gear box below the receiver and in front of the trigger guard. One end of the torsion spring is fixed on the torsion spring pin, and the other end is fixed on the inner wall of the gear box with rivets. The gear rod in the lower half of the piston rod meshes with the teeth of the gear box. When shooting, gunpowder gas enters the gas tube through the gas hole on the barrel, pushing the piston backward. The gear rod drives the gear to rotate, causing the torsion spring to rotate and tighten to reserve energy. When returning, the torsion spring in turn pushes the piston to move.
The heat dissipation effect of automatic weapons is an important factor affecting the accuracy of continuous shooting and the life of the barrel. The barrel of the Lewis machine gun is surrounded by a thick and large cylindrical heat dissipation sleeve with aluminum heat dissipation flakes inside. When shooting, gunpowder gas jets forward at high speed, forming a low-pressure area at the muzzle, allowing air to enter the casing from the rear and advance along the grooves formed by the heat dissipation flakes in the casing, taking away heat. This original exhaust cooling system was lighter and more practical than the water-cooling device commonly used in machine guns at that time. But when firing, if the burst length exceeds 20 rounds, you need to pause briefly to prevent the barrel from overheating. Even so, the gun can fire all 47 rounds of ammunition in the round bullet tray within 6 seconds, and the rate of fire is quite terrifying.
"I have a feeling that this gun of yours will become one of the most famous machine guns in the world, just like Maxim."
Tangning, facing the excited Lewis, gave her own encouragement and bright prospects.
“With this machine gun, Lewis, you can become like Hiram Stevens Maxim and leave your name in the history of firearms.
Maxim created the history of heavy machine guns, and your Lewis machine gun will also become the brightest star in the history of light machine guns. "
"Your Majesty, you are too complimentary. Maxim and I are far behind."
Although Lewis was very confident in his machine gun, he did not have the confidence to hope to be on par with Maxim with this gun.
Hiram Stevens Maxim is the brightest star in the American firearms industry.
The Maxim machine he invented showed its power well in front of the British royal family and nobles when it was first born. It became famous at the beginning. Later, the British army achieved military exploits in the colonial war.
The Maxim machine gun at this time is now a star-level firearm.
The battlefield performance in World War I only added a halo to this machine gun, confirming its unshakable position in the history of heavy machine guns.
Maxim is now a big shot. He has been recognized by the British Empire and was knighted by the British royal family.
Lewis felt that this senior's achievements and honors could not be matched by his own efforts.
"Your Majesty, although I consider myself an excellent firearms expert, compared with Sir Maxim's achievements, I can only be regarded as a child next to the giant."
The Lewis machine gun has been developed now, but it still has shortcomings and needs to be improved. It will take a long time before it is actually put into production.
The Maxim machine gun has long been world-famous and popular in many countries. Many derivatives have been produced. Compared with it, the Lewis machine gun is just a doll.
"Dear Your Majesty, my gun still has a lot of room for improvement.
Because this machine gun is the latest pneumatically operated weapon, the device is very complex. It will get stuck and blocked after being used for a long time, and its heat dissipation is not good.
To solve the heat dissipation issue, I wrapped a special air-cooling sleeve around the barrel, which made the gun a lot heavier. "
Lewis was still quite aware of some of the shortcomings of the machine gun he created.
In Lewis's opinion, the current Lewis machine gun can only be regarded as an excellent firearm and needs to be improved. Even after the improvements are completed, it can only be somewhat competitive among light machine guns.
This Lewis machine gun can stand firm among many excellent light machine guns, which is Lewis's greatest expectation.
For the Lewis Machine Gun, growing up side by side with Maxim was a luxury that he could not even imagine.
Compared to Lewis's lack of confidence, Tangning was familiar with history, but understood the place of the gun he invented in history.
This Lewis machine gun has a wide range of uses and has created a glorious history in the navy, army and air force.
In the first battle, the Lewis machine gun was the absolute ace, rivaling Maxim and crushing players of the same level. Moreover, it has withstood the test of history. It was used from World War I to World War II, and is even used in some areas in the 21st century. It is an absolute leader in the machine gun industry.
"Lewis, you are too humble. I think highly of you. This machine gun will prove you in the future, and it will only be a matter of time before you are knighted like Maxim. I look forward to the day when I can knight you."
Tangning held the twenty-pound Lewis machine gun in her left hand, stroked the large holster with her right hand, and gave Lewis an opinion.
“This gun has been improved, and there is a lot of space. For example, I think the jacket added for heat dissipation can be removed, so that the machine gun will be lighter.
Of course, this is just my opinion. You can try it out when you go back and see if the shadow affects the performance of the machine gun. "
The big one on the Lewis machine gun, like the coat of a small steel cannon, can be completely removed.
In order to dissipate heat, Lewis wrapped a special air-cooling sleeve around the barrel, which made the barrel look a bit bulky. However, this sleeve actually had little impact on the performance of the machine gun.
The Lewis machine gun can still be used without this jacket. Lewis was still too cautious when designing it.
"Thank you for your encouragement, Your Majesty!"
Lewis could very well feel the respect, importance and expectations of the respected King of Brazil, Pedro III, for him.
"Your Majesty's opinion, I will seriously consider and test it.
Since you value me so much, I will definitely work hard to perfect and improve this machine gun to make it the best light machine gun, so that it can achieve the status of the Maxim machine gun. "
Tangning liked Lewis' serious look and fighting spirit very much, so she habitually gave him a chicken blood shot.
"Lewis, I believe in your abilities and I look forward to honoring you one day."
