The Roar of Gunpowder
Carnford, Inner City, Workshop District.
Karl carefully examined the Flintlock Rifle in his hand, which almost reached his shoulder.
The gun body is made of solid walnut wood, polished smooth and easy to handle, while the barrel is made of dark, shiny iron, thick and sturdy, exuding a cold and hard aura of killing intent.
Karl pried open the hammer, then pulled the trigger. With a crisp click, the hammer slammed into the flint, the two flints colliding and sparking.
"Great gun!" Karl exclaimed sincerely, his fingers tracing the cold barrel, feeling its heavy weight.
He was neither a knight nor a magician, but now, he was a man with a gun.
It sounds interesting to see gunpowder and lead bullets pierce a knight's armor and tear apart a sorcerer's spell.
Hector the blacksmith casually picked up a clay pot at his feet, tilted his head back and took a big gulp of the wheat beer Edgar had brought, exhaled a satisfied breath, and wiped his stubble-covered mouth with the back of his rough hand.
He didn't ask for high wages, but the Lord had to guarantee him enough cheap ale to drink every day, which was his biggest motivation to work.
"Can we test the gun now?" Karl asked impatiently, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He was eager to know the true power of this Flintlock Rifle.
Hector took another gulp before replying in a muffled voice, "Anytime, sir. This barrel is forged repeatedly from the finest iron; it's very thick and won't burst."
He pointed to a small wooden box on the workbench next to him, "The caliber is designed according to the Kingdom's standard Flintlock Rifle, 17.5 mm. The powder charge, using this horn spoon, is about six grams of Black Powder, leveled out. The lead bullets are over there; I've already cast a few."
In the kingdom today, Flintlock Rifle are nothing new; they have begun to be issued to the kingdom's army on a small scale, and even the Sauron have been smuggling quite a few from within the pass.
Karl picked up a lead bullet; it was heavy in his hand, much heavier than he had expected. The diameter was just right, and the surface was fairly smooth.
"Come on, let's try it outside!" Karl picked up the heavy Flintlock Rifle, while Hector carried the wooden box containing the powder flask, lead bullet bag, scoop, and the standard measuring spoon. They followed Karl out of the stuffy and noisy blacksmith's workshop.
Outside the workshop is a relatively open wasteland, which is usually used for testing new weapons and conducting live-fire training.
Several militiamen and craftsmen who were resting or working nearby saw the Lord and the blacksmith come out with a new type of spear they had never seen before, and they immediately gathered around out of curiosity.
Following his memory of the Flintlock Rifle's operating procedures and Hector's brief instructions, Karl began loading the gun methodically:
First, stand the gun upright with the muzzle pointing upwards.
Next, he poured a level spoonful of Black Powder from the gunpowder bottle into the muzzle of the gun, took a lead bullet from the bag, and inserted it into the muzzle.
Then, pull out a long cleaning rod from the slot under the barrel and use it to forcefully push the gunpowder and bullet into the barrel until you feel a solid sensation at the bottom.
After doing this, insert the purging rod back into its original position, turn the hammer to the half-fire position, then pour a small amount of fine-grained ignition powder from the ignition pot into the charge pool of the bolt, and close the touch valve cover.
Finally, fully cock the hammer to the ready position, producing a crisp "click" sound.
The entire process took nearly half a minute, far more cumbersome than modern rifles, but compared to the Matchlock Rifle more common in this era, it eliminated the steps of lighting and setting the match, making it much more reliable in windy and rainy weather.
Karl picked up his heavy musket, held his breath, and aimed at an old wooden barrel standing about fifty paces away.
He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
"Crack—Bang!!"
First came the crisp sound of flint striking a flint, followed by the ignition of the priming powder, which instantly ignited the main charge in the barrel.
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted!
A large plume of white smoke, mixed with a strong sulfurous smell, billowed from the muzzle of the gun!
The immense recoil slammed into Karl's shoulder, and even though he was prepared, he was still pushed back half a step, his gun barrel snapping upwards!
At the same time, the wooden barrel fifty paces away seemed to be struck by an invisible giant fist. With a loud "bang," wood chips flew everywhere, and a large hole was punched through the entire barrel. It wobbled a few times, broken and dilapidated, before finally falling apart and collapsing to the ground!
The crowd gasped and cheered; they had never seen a firearm with such power and such a terrifying sound!
Karl rubbed his shoulder, which was a little numb from the recoil, but his face was full of excitement.
This power far exceeded his expectations! At this distance, a bullet of this caliber was enough to penetrate all current armor, and its lethality against unprotected targets was devastating.
"Good! Good! Hector, you've done a great job!" Karl exclaimed. "This gun is powerful enough!"
Hector chuckled, took another swig of wine, and was clearly quite pleased with his work.
"However," Karl changed the subject, pointing to the scattered fragments of the barrel on the ground, "The loading is still too slow. From loading the powder to firing, even a well-trained soldier would probably need more than twenty seconds. Moreover, the recoil is too great, making it difficult to guarantee accuracy."
"I remember the kingdom seemed to have a type of fixed-charge Gunpowder pack, which contained a sufficient amount of gunpowder and bullets in a single pack, divided into upper and lower layers."
"When loading, first bite open the top layer of gunpowder and pour it into the barrel, then insert the bullet along with the propellant charge. This greatly simplifies the firing process and reduces the likelihood of errors."
"Furthermore, the caliber and weight of this gun are too large, making it inconvenient to carry and more suitable for defensive operations. It could be reduced in size."
"Finally, we can design a bayonet with an iron ring attached to the bottom, which perfectly matches the caliber of the gun barrel. This way, Musketeers can quickly attach a bayonet to the muzzle after firing and engage in close combat."
Hector was stunned by Karl's words, clearly not expecting him to have thought of so much, and all of it so practical. He quickly said, "I'll go back and design it right now."