The Black Iron Glory
Matchlocks
Chapter 30
Matchlocks
This was the first time Claude had seen another firearm. He had only seen a few early firearms from pictures on the internet. But now, he could hold it and play it. He secretly directed it and felt that it was no different from the weapons he saw in the photos in his past life.
Welikro said that it was something that his father brought him when he retired from military service, with a binder sign 3. It was considered a weapon from the previous generation. Currently, the royal military has switched to the 2nd mark of the aubass headquarters. Most 3 gally lock marks have retired from service.
Welikro's father said that although the gun was still suitable for use by a soldier, it was not suitable for hunting. When they saved up enough, his father assigned someone else to forge two new hunting weapons for his own purposes and keep matches in his house as mementos. Welikro came to monopolize the match as he grew up.
With astonishment Claude asked, "Wero, can weapons be assigned separately?"
"Of course," Welikro said with a nod, "There is a public arsenal in Baromiss that produces more than 47 thousand weapons of various models every year. This was the largest armory in the three southwestern commanders and there were over three thousand people working there. They also received a public weapons commission and they came up with serial numbers. However, in order to personally assign a gun, one had to be a person of dignity or above. Those who retire from military service can also get a decent discount. "
"Then how's the difference between your father's hunting weapon and this match key?" Claude really had no knowledge of their differences. For him, both were matches that required pouring gunpowder into a barrel, putting bullets in, lighting a fuse and cleaning the barrel after a shot. All of this works for one shot. It couldn't be more troublesome.
"The two hunting weapons that my father commissioned were at least double the size of these matches," Welikro said as he traced a large circle in the air with his finger to illustrate the weapon's rugged size, "While their firing range was not this far, the firepower was several times stronger. This gun can hurt people without any problems and is quite useful in combat. But against the ferocious beasts in the deep mountains, it was not really adequate. After all, they have thick fur that can better protect themselves from projectiles that humans lack.
"Take the boar example. We can only make the boar bleed a little even four or five shots from this weapon and it will be fine. Instead, it might even chase you to the end of the world. Panther and other fierce beasts were even further away from the question. If you don't hit a vital beast with this gun, be prepared to become food. There will be no chance of a second shot. They'll get next to you when you're still fumbling to pour your gunpowder.
"That's why my father made two new weapons. One of them was specially made to fight the hiding beasts. Even a boar would fall from one shot of that gun. The other is a much better spread shot for defense One shot will send the bullet curtain forward. No matter how agile and fast the animal is, they will definitely slow down after being injured and be easier to deal with.
"The "weakness of those weapons is their weight. My father would be tired after only half an hour of climbing with the two of them on his back. When aiming with them, we should also use the rest of the fork to make it leveled properly. Without it, one would not be able to hold it straight. In addition, they used too much gunpowder. Ten shots of gunpowder for my matchlock would only last for less than three shots. That's why we almost ran out of gunpowder at home and I had to spend my own money on some bullets and gunpowder for this trip. "
Claude checked the 3rd sign gear key in his hand carefully. The length of the gun was about 1.8 meters and was made of cherry wood. The gun's black barrel sticking out 30 centimeters of its stock and a slightly lit muzzle. Along the bottom of the rifle is a silver-plated copper construction that holds the stock and body of the gun together. The back half is also made of silver-plated copper parts. But much of the silver plating has worn off due to the use of time and exposed a dark, scratchy copper surface.
Claude had to learn about pans, lighters, serpentine, pans, lid pans, priming powders, and so on. At least he recognized the trigger. However, after Welikro simulated the shot, Claude realized that something was wrong.
"Why don't matches have a pointed view?"
"What is the view that aims?" ask Welikro.
"Uhh ..." Claude didn't know how to respond immediately. He gestured as he explained for a while for Welikro to understand that it was something used to aim the gun.
"Oh, you're talking about it. Look, it's there," Welikro said with an expression of consciousness and held the key of a match to point it at Claude. "We don't call it a target shot. We call it a shooting point. Do you see a mark on the barrel and one on the lid of the pan? That's a firing point. When preparing to shoot, we used both marks to take aim, stabilize, light a slow match and close our eyes, before pulling the trigger. Bam! The bullet would just fly. "
"Wait, what's the point of closing your eyes before shooting?" Claude didn't understand at all.
Welikro laughs. "That's to protect your eyes from objects in the flash pan that explode due to a cover that is not replaced properly. In addition, the shots will also produce a lot of smoke. You'll cry if they get to your eyes."
Welikro laughs. "That's to protect your eyes from objects in the flash pan that explode due to a cover that is not replaced properly. In addition, the shots will also produce a lot of smoke. You'll cry if they get to your eyes."
"But can we still hit the target with our eyes closed?" How could there be such accuracy? You won't even be able to get it even if they stand still in front of you!
"That's why you need training. The most important part is to keep your hands stable. You can't shake a bit. That way, you can lock your target and close your eyes when shooting. Nine times out of ten you will be able to reach your target. "
Although it sounded reasonable, Claude could not find the words to refute it. However, his mind returned to the matter of vision. "So, Wero, you say that two firing points should line up to the target in a straight line. So, if the hand stabilizes while shooting, will the shot hit for sure? Like, will the shot hit a point that is lined up directly with two firing points? "
"Of course not," Welikro said as he shook his head, "You still have to estimate how high you want to flatten the gun. Typically, when two firing points are lined up with the target, the vertical offset of the gun is approximately the length of the middle finger. So, if I want to hit the target's head, I have to make sure the gun lifts a finger higher than the head before shooting. If I aim directly at the head, the bullet will hit the target's neck instead. "
"This crude gun is really troublesome to use, both in terms of shooting and aiming," Claude said with a sigh, "Oh, Eyke, show me that using your short barrel match key."
Eriksson's short lighters were something his father had exchanged. As captain, he carried one such weapon as a self-defense weapon. But that short barrel was bought by his father a while ago. During the captain's meeting, his father won a short barrel gold-plated silver commemorative edition of the card game and left a short-barreled match at home, which soon became Eriksson's toy.
The shooting range of the Welikro mark goal reaches 3 to 280 meters with an effective killing range of 150 meters. Was the shot about another question? However, within a range of 100 meters, the bullet could even pierce through a five-meter-thick wooden board. No wonder it was used as a standard military issue in the royal army at that time.
The short-barreled weapon on the other hand looks rather crooked and is about 60 meters long. Apart from the shorter barrel and smaller components compared to the Welikro weapon, it did not look much different. Conversely, its short length makes one feel it is a little bloated when held.
"Oh, I also want to see gunpowder and bullets. I heard Wakri say something about using egg white powder on the ship for your short rifle that cost twice the price Wero got. What difference?"
"Oh, I also want to see gunpowder and bullets. I heard Wakri say something about using egg white powder on the ship for your short rifle that cost twice the price Wero got. What difference?"
Claude did not think that bullets and gunpowder would come in the form of paper cartridges with each bullet embedded at one end. The cartridge is made of a kind of oiled paper that is resistant to water. Between the bullet and the gun was a small, soft piece of wood that had a diameter slightly larger than the cartridge itself.
"What is this piece of wood for?" Claude wondered why a piece of wood was tucked between gunpowder and bullets.
"It is used to stabilize the cartridge in the barrel. Since this is a short-barreled gun, bullets and gunpowder will spill easily from hand shake" Welikro explained.
Knowing better, Claude attempted to open the cartridge to see the gunpowder inside.
"Don't" said Eriksson, "I'll let you open it when we get back with the extras. Right now, every cartridge you open is one chance we have. Each one costs seven fennies, you know! I only have 15 and it costs almost one riyas! "
Seven fennies are three short of one sunar, and ten sunars produce riyas. Morssen claimed that his daily wage was only one riyas, just enough to buy about 15 of those cartridges, which were sold at a fairly high price.
"Then, Wero, do your matches use the same kind of bullets?" claude asked as he stopped his hand.
Welikro shook his head. "No. The bullet I used was separate from the gunpowder. We keep the powder in my powder horns here and they're not packed in cartridges like the gun."
"Packing it with cartridges should be much easier.Is it the reason you don't use it because of its high cost?"
"No. Those cartridges are not suitable for use with my matches." Seeing that Claude was turning into quite a gun fanatic, Welikro explained to him patiently without feeling the slightest disturbance. "Although the cartridge is more convenient, the remaining paper residue in the barrel will be difficult to clean. The Eyke gun has a short barrel, so it will be easier to look inside when cleaning.
"But mine barrel is much longer. It will be difficult for us to clean it after using a fixed paper cartridge. If too much paper gets stuck inside, the accuracy and range of the next shot will be affected. The life of the barrel will also decrease as a result of the residual pile. "
"No. Those cartridges are not suitable for use with my matches." Seeing that Claude was turning into quite a gun fanatic, Welikro explained to him patiently without feeling the slightest disturbance. "Although the cartridge is more convenient, the remaining paper residue in the barrel will be difficult to clean. The Eyke gun has a short barrel, so it will be easier to look inside when cleaning.
"But mine barrel is much longer. It will be difficult for us to clean it after using a fixed paper cartridge. If too much paper gets stuck inside, the accuracy and range of the next shot will be affected. The life of the barrel will also decrease as a result of the residual pile. "
Claude scratched his head in a troubled manner. The way he remembers it, the time-traveling protagonist from the historical novels he read in his past life could create cannons and conquer the land. The novels basically declared gunpowder as the ultimate weapon to gain victory and the rate of fire of the weapons could always be increased. They were almost as troublesome as these matches. But why didn't it work out in Claude's case?
Welikro stood up and took out a few pieces of rectangular leather. "All right, let's get ready to go. Now it's about seven o'clock and we can lie in ambush near a small river waiting for any small animals to come for a drink. Each one, take two of these leather materials and wrap them around your calves before tying them with a rope. Do not leave the stitches open. "
Borkal looked a bit upset. "Wait, Wero, why do we have to wear this? Aren't we already wearing trousers and mountain leather boots?"
"This is to prevent snake bites" Welikro said, "Without those pieces of skin, your trousers can easily be pricked by a biting snake. But with this on top of them, they will not do it. The most important point to note when traveling in the bushes and forests at night is the presence of these poisonous creatures. Also, button your collar tightly so that crawling does not go inside. "
"Can't ... can't we just use a torch and stick it in the grass or something?"
"Hah ..," Welikro almost laughed in anger. "We're hiding for an ambush to hunt, not travel! If you carry a torch with you there, will the animals still approach the river?"
Moments later, they finished tying the pieces of skin to their calves. Welikro said, "If you're ready, let's go. I'll take the lead, Claude and Boa stay in the middle and Eyke will walk in the back. Oh, and since Boa already has an arbalest, use my hunting bow, Claude, I saw you shoot pretty well during archery class at school, I saw you shoot pretty well, my hunting bow was twice as tight as the gentle training bow we used in class. You have to use twice as much force to pull it, but you have to be able to handle it.
"And make sure to keep quiet. If possible, do not make any sound at all. I'll choose a hiding place when we reach the river. Speak to a minimum so that animals do not find us and run away. Are you ready now? All right, let's go. "