Chapter 1209 - Testing Result (1/2)

Danny took the gun and instantly noticed that the center of the gravity had changed. The gun was, overall, heavier than a regular rifle. Apart from the second tube installed to the barrel, this new gun looked no different than an ordinary bolt rifle used by most of the soldiers in the Gun Battalion, although it was not as well-made as his own high-precision rifle. The biggest change was that this additional metal tube ran all the way to the bottom of the barrel and was connected to the bolt.

This must be the reason that the gun could keep up a steady fire.

Danny took the aim and pulled the triggered. However, instead of locking his eyes on the muzzle, he gazed at the iron tube on one side of the barrel.

As the gun trembled when the bullet escaped from the muzzle, something extraordinary happened. It was just a split second, but Danny noticed the change in the bolt. The rod in the iron tube was pushed forward and then retracted along with the metal shard attached to its end.

This metal shard was normally fixed to the bolt. If someone tried to forcibly pull it, it would get jammed and break the rod. However, the groove in the middle of the shard enabled the bolt to retract and thereby unlock it.

Then, the whole process reversed. The rod retracted to the tube and the bolt returned to its original spot. The metal shard slid back to the bottom and locked the bore again.

This was such an ingenious design!

This additional part was quite self-explanatory. Even a lay man like Danny could immediately understand the mechanism behind it. Basically, the rod in the second iron tube replaced manual labor. What was clever about this design was that the rod completed four steps at a time, namely, pushing, pulling, lifting and pressing. Without any external force, the gun was automatically restored.

Danny fired all the bullets, mesmerized by the pungent smell of gunpowder and that familiar voice that always visited him on the battlefield.

“You missed one shot out of 20,” Malt said. “Not used to the new weapon?”

“I haven’t got used to it yet. See if I miss any in the next round.”

“See what?” a surprised voice said to him.

Danny pulled himself back to the present. He suddenly realized that this was not a battlefield, and a group of onlookers were watching him in the shooting range. Danny looked toward the confused Artillery Battalion commander as he rose and said while shaking his head, “No… I’m just mumbling.”

“You’re really an excellent sniper. 19 out of 20. That’s really something, and you’re still not satisfied,” Van’er said while patting Danny on the shoulder. He then asked hopefully, “So… what do you think of this gun?”

Danny knew about the competition between the Artillery Battalion and the Gun Battalion. Nevertheless, both of the two battalions served the king. He thus said honestly, “It’s perfect, except it’s a little unstable and heavy. I wish the sniper team could also have an upgraded weapon like this, if possible.”

If truth be told, the gun was as accurate as regular rifles when shooting targets were at 50 and 100 meters. Although it was a lot heavier than a rifle, the sniper team and the Artillery Battalion were not required to fire on standby or carry the weapon on the go.”

The greatest strength of this upgraded gun was that it enabled soldiers to keep up a steady fire. Since the current gun could not fire steadily, soldiers had to readjust their position and took the aim again after they missed their target. The repositioning normally took a few seconds, and more often than not, they lost track of the target. Therefore, they fired less frequently than ordinary soldiers. However, the upgraded gun minimized the readjustment and enabled soldiers to fire again immediately. This weapon would thus be very helpful for a massive warfare.

Van’er was pleased to hear that his work received some kind of acknowledgment. He grinned, “It’s just a preliminary design. If you could help us further improve the weapon, I would feel more comfortable when I talk to Sir Iron Axe.”

Van’er believed if the sniper team used the gun designed by the Artillery Battalion, then surely he outperformed Brian.