1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 434 Lever Action Rifle

"I didn't expect that you would see through my little thoughts. To be honest, my company's sales have been very bleak because the weapons it produces are too deviant. If we can't get an order, a comparison

For large orders, we can only declare bankruptcy."

Kony spread his hands helplessly.

"I can't even read your thoughts, so am I still qualified to be your boss? Isn't your construction company running well? Why are you involved in the weapons manufacturing industry now?" Liang Yao asked.

"It's no different now than before. In the past, there were just a few construction companies in California. Competition was small and you could make money just by doing it. Now there are construction companies everywhere in California, and the profits of construction companies are getting worse every year." Kony is very serious.

said.

"The entry barrier for construction companies is really too low. My idea is that construction companies will continue to do it first, and at the same time enter some industries with higher barriers to prepare for their own future. Besides, I am also the son of Vanderbilt.

, I can’t be your assistant for the rest of my life, right?”

"It sounds like you feel wronged by being my assistant." Liang Yao rolled his eyes at Kony angrily.

"It is an honor for me to be your assistant, and it is also something that many people dream of. However, my background does not allow me to be your assistant all the time." Kony smiled helplessly and said.

"It would be easier if I could be your assistant for the rest of my life. The salary is high. I only need to follow your instructions and don't have to mess around on my own."

Liang Yao didn't say anything more. The fact that Kony had such an idea showed that he was no longer the cynical second-generation rich man he used to be.

The Springfield rifle only costs 10 US dollars a piece, while the expensive Walter rifle, which has been criticized for being counterfeited, only costs 20 to 30 US dollars a piece.

This bullet can only be used on single-shot rifles such as the Walter M1851 and revolvers.

Once this ammunition is successfully developed and put into production, this rapid-fire weapon will have a very bright future!" Kony said very excitedly.

This is also the main reason why this kind of edge-fire ammunition has gradually been eliminated and withdrawn from the mainstream stage, and can only become a toy for a small number of gun players.

With that said, Liang Yao filled out a check for US$200,000 and handed it to Kony.

The logistics department also complained that due to the presence of the edge pin, it was more troublesome to transport this type of bullet in large quantities.

After all, once you send it out, it’s the cost of a meal.

The more mature metal case bullet at this stage is the rim needle bullet, which is the ammunition used in Liang Yao’s own version of the Walter M1851 rifle.

Expensive is only one aspect, and rim-needle bullets are not as convenient and reliable compared to later generations of simple-looking center-fire ammunition (center-fire ammunition).

"It costs US$85 a piece and its performance is not that reliable. This is a failed product, at least from a commercial perspective." Liang Yao commented.

If the Volcano Repeating Weapons Company wants to succeed, it is very critical whether it can get a large order from Liang Yao.

Caseless bullets mean lower reliability.

"Is this kind of gun reliable?" Liang Yao asked.

However, it is not easy to develop a mid-range bullet. It requires high-level chemical technology, metallurgical technology, and mechanical processing technology.

Seeing that Liang Yao was interested in this gun, Kony gushed: "This company was established in 1854 by a guy named Smith and a guy named Wesson. They specially purchased Mr. Walter's patent for development and production.

This rapid fire rifle caught my attention.

The order of 120 guns was far from Kony's psychological expectations. Fortunately, Liang Yao was willing to inject US$100,000 into the Volcanic Repeating Weapons Company, which also solved the urgent need of the Volcano Stone Company.

After all, once bullet-type consumables are put into service, cost issues need to be considered.

He picked up the rifle on the table. It must be said that this rifle was very beautifully made.

Take the volcanic stone rifle in Liang Yao's hand as an example. This type of ammunition has an obstructive side pin, making it impossible to stuff multiple side pin bullets into the magazine.

However, in the mid-19th century, the speed of bullet development failed to keep up with the speed of firearms development. The backwardness of ammunition technology restricted the development of firearms.

"What's the name of your company?" Liang Yao asked Coney while continuing to play with the rifle in his hand.

"You can't catch Mr. Walter doing it alone." Liang Yao pointed out a clear path for Kony.

This is why when people in later generations think of lever-action rifles, they first think of Winchester, not Henry.

Mr. Walter said he would try to see if he could develop ammunition suitable for such a rapid-fire weapon.

"Mr. Walter has already said that bullets are the bottleneck of rapid-fire weapons. I think you can also ask Nobel for advice in this regard. Don't look at Nobel's young age. His attainments in chemistry are comparable to Mr. Walter's and even those from many universities.

Chemistry professors are all good.”

This kid Kony has quite a vicious vision.

Sure enough, the Volcano Rifle, the Volcanic Rifle, and the Volcanic Pistol were an early lever-action rifle manufactured by the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company.

Liang Yao checked the bullets used in the volcanic stone rifle. Disappointingly, the gun used lead bullets without shells.

Kony felt a little numb when he was stared at by Liang Yao. He scratched his head and said with a smile: "These two in your hand were carefully selected by me. They are absolutely reliable!"

"Those who want to achieve great things must not only be informal but also broad-minded. I know you have some emotional disputes with Nobel and you can't stand Nobel. But in the field of chemistry, no one in California can match him. Only he can do it."

I have provided you with the greatest help in developing new bullets." Liang Yao patted Kony on the shoulder and said.

It would be crazy if there is a market for the unit price of 85 US dollars. This is almost the annual income of an average American!

"Volcano Repeating Arms Company."

After playing with it for a while, Liang Yao took a closer look at the inscription on the gun: volcano rifle.

This weapon is very suitable for cavalry, do you think about buying a fucking Qianer 800 to equip your cavalry?"

Of course, the problem of center-fire bullets will be solved easily if we can develop a center-fire bullet. History has proven that center-fire bullets are the optimal solution for gunpowder bullets.

"Nobel? This kid is not even older than me, does he really know so many things?" Kony said with some disdain.

The barrel of this rifle is only two-thirds of that of a conventional rifle, or even shorter, and its weight is much lighter than that of a conventional rifle.

As for Henry, he has nothing to do with the new company.

"But this is a very promising product!" Kony said hurriedly.

When edge needle bullets were first put into production in Sacramento, the purchase price was 7 cents a piece.

Early lever-action firearms still used caseless ammunition. You can tell me they are reliable.

"If you can't produce a product that satisfies me in the future, I will no longer be interested in this weapon."

The precise lever structure told him that this was an expensive gun.

But Henry's ending was not good.

Smith and Wesson, the two founders of the Volcanic Stone Company, had a relatively good ending with their company. Although they went through several twists and turns, they finally decided to continue cooperation.

This was also expected by Liang Yao. If the volcanic stone rifle was reliable, Henry would not compromise on its power and use rimfire round-nose bullets as the ammunition for Henry's M1860 lever-action rifle.

As long as we develop mid-fire ammunition, we can develop reliable lever-action rifles, or even hand-cranked machine guns, war artifacts that have a fast rate of fire and can harvest lives efficiently.

"That is to say, the yield rate is not very high."

The Henry M1860 lever-action rifle that shined during the Civil War was a lever-action rifle developed and produced by a technician named Henry who Winchester poached from the Volcanic Stone Company and established the famous New Haven Arms Company.

In the early days, this thing was used by noble men for hunting and recreation, so naturally it was not something that the army could tolerate.

"Come on, I don't need you to draw a pie for me." Liang Yao interrupted Kony and then asked the question he was most concerned about.

Volcanic stone rifle? This is the famous volcanic stone rifle?

As an early lever-action rifle, the Lava Rifle was a commercial failure.

Since Liang Yao's own troops were equipped with Walter M1851 rifles, the soldiers' live-fire training has had to be reduced, and the soldiers are required to pick up the eggshells after shooting. All this is to reduce the cost of bullets.

There is no other reason, except that it is too expensive.

It is a helpless move for the volcanic stone rifle to use bullets without shells. If you want stability and reliability, the best choice is of course bullets with metal shells.

However, due to its excellent manufacturing, low production volume, and the addition of early mass-produced lever-action rifles, the volcanic stone rifle and the volcanic stone pistol produced in the same year have always been the favorites of later generations of firearms collectors.

This kind of rapid-fire weapon, which can be fired while loading as long as the hand speed is fast enough, is very attractive to Liang Yao.

His wallet was bulging, he was getting fat, and his heart was beginning to wander. Henry believed that the success of the New Haven Company was entirely due to him, so he tried to get the Connecticut court to transfer the New Haven Company to him.

This type of bullet is relatively expensive, and currently only Liang Yao's Western Brigade in the world is using this ridiculously expensive gun and ridiculously expensive bullets.

The cavalrymen said that the Colt revolver was good at everything, but the range was too close. They wanted a weapon that could fire as fast as the Colt revolver and be lighter for use on horseback.

Due to catching up with the Civil War, the Henry M1860 lever-action rifle achieved unexpected success.

"$85 a pop," Coney replied.

The Western Brigade is now very luxurious with five cents for a rim shot. For five cents, you can have a decent breakfast in California, a place with extremely high cost of living.

The disadvantage is that this one-sided asymmetrical ammunition cannot be used on automatic weapons. This is the fatal disadvantage of edge needle ammunition.

Boss Winchester admired Henry very much and was very moved after seeing his passionate love for the company. Then he emptied Henry's shares and kicked Henry out. Then he reorganized the New Haven Company and changed its name, which we are very familiar with.

The Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

Compared with other colonels and generals in the U.S. military who are holding back their strings of duties, Liang Yao is the most generous among them.

Compared with the latter shortcoming, the shortcomings above the edge needle bullet are just minor problems.

Kony is not completely talking nonsense. Lever-action rifles are indeed more suitable for cavalry and some elite soldiers who perform special tasks.

Smith & Wesson eventually found its own niche, and the police firearms and police items they produced were well received. The company continued to operate into the 21st century.

"How much does a gun like this cost?"

"I can first purchase 120 for the cavalry troops to try out, and then inject $200,000 into the Volcano Repeating Weapons Company in the form of capital shares to help you tide over the difficulties."

This is despite the fact that costs have dropped after mass production.

"Okay, I will ask the technicians from the Volcano Repeating Weapons Company to ask Mr. Walter for advice and try to come up with a product that satisfies you as soon as possible," Kony said.

After Guangdong Yong experienced several battles, except for Liang Shaoqiong's direct unit Shanzi Battalion, which was still equipped with the Walter M1851 rifle with edge needle bullets, other units also chose more cost-effective weapons in the subsequent procurement of weapons.

The Walter M1851E rifle with shell cartridges.

Henry, who was just a technician, was no match for a business veteran like Winchester.

Most of the weapons that Liang Yao was unwilling to pay for were weapons with no future.

"Reliable, very reliable!" Kony said hurriedly.

"Yes, I asked Mr. Walter about this issue. Mr. Walter said that the yield rate of the gun is still secondary, and the main problem is the bullet.

It's just that after Liang Yao's capital injection, Kony's equity will be diluted, and he will no longer be the absolute controlling shareholder of Volcanic Stone Company. The price he paid is still a bit high.

"Really?" Liang Yao looked at Kony with doubts in his eyes.

I think this weapon has great potential and I asked some cavalry about it.

With California's current technological level, Liang Yao might be able to make a few center-fire bullets for fun, but it would be impossible to put them into mass production and put them into service.

However, their products were not successful, and the company was in trouble and faced bankruptcy. I happened to have a little money, so I spent $185,000 to acquire 51% of the shares of the Volcanic Stone Company. The remaining shares were owned by their two founders and speculators.

Trader Winchester holds.

When fighting in Borneo, many soldiers complained that the side needles of side needle bullets were not resistant to bumps and were easily damaged by frequent bumps. Therefore, they had to carefully handle these troublesome bullets.

If it weren't for the strict military discipline of Liang Yao's troops and the strict management of weapons, as well as the ban on the sale of Walter M1851 rifles among civilians, these big-headed soldiers would have to take out the bullets and sell them for money.

In 1866, the success of Henry's M1860 lever rifle brought this technician to the pinnacle of his life.

"Thank you for your teaching, I know what to do." Kony took off his hat and bowed to Liang Yao, then put on his hat and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute, are you just going to find someone empty-handed?" Liang Yao called to Kony who had just moved away.

"I will prepare a gift for him." Kony paused and said.

"People may not like the gifts you prepared." Liang Yao said to Kony, "I brought back a few barrels of oil from Borneo. You bring two barrels to Nobel. He will like these things."

(End of chapter)