Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

Carpentry isn't difficult.

An excellent carpenter doesn't need to rely on rulers; they can create finished products based solely on experience. Throughout our nation's long history spanning thousands of years, there have been many master carpenters, even carpenter emperors.

Qin Yang learning such carpentry skills from who-knows-where is indeed enviable, but it's merely a trivial skill!

When it comes to making guns, the simplest part is making the stock, while the most difficult is making the barrel!

The barrel is a crucial component of a firearm. When a bullet is fired, the burning gunpowder generates high-temperature, high-pressure gas that propels the bullet forward. Upon leaving the muzzle, the bullet attains an initial velocity of several hundred meters per second, or even over a thousand meters per second. To ensure the bullet's stability, the inside of the barrel must have rifling to make the bullet spin.

Although there were many makeshift gun-making methods during the war years, the famous Type 81 Mauser rifle used steel from railway tracks, and the barrel was made using the simple method of sharpening scissors and cleavers.

However, these were only for emergencies. After the founding of the new China, we entered the era of modern, standardized rifles, and the manufacturing process of firearms was synchronized with foreign countries.

Manufacturing gun barrels requires materials with hardness, compressive strength, and high-temperature resistance. Domestically, boron-containing No. 50 high-quality steel is used, and deep-hole machining is performed using specialized gun drills. Afterward, rifling, chrome plating, and a series of other operations are required. If broken down, manufacturing a gun barrel alone requires hundreds of production steps!

Only someone who can make a gun barrel can be considered a qualified gun-making master. The 960 Factory is full of talent, but there are no more than fifty master craftsmen who can independently manufacture gun barrels.

How could Qin Yang, this young man, possibly know how to make a gun barrel?

"Should we wait until tomorrow to process the gun barrel?" Liu Yong asked: "Currently, our workshop only has drills for producing 7.62mm caliber gun barrels, and that doesn't match the caliber of an air rifle!"

A country's choice of caliber for its main rifle is very cautious, requiring numerous experiments and comparisons in all aspects.

During World War II, there was a wide variety of firearm calibers. The Mauser 98K was 7.92mm, the Arisaka Type 38 was 6.5mm, and the Mosin-Nagant rifle was 7.62mm.

By the Cold War, the Warsaw Pact had unified its caliber to 7.62mm, and China had little choice but to use the same 7.62mm caliber.

Air rifles come in two calibers: 4.5mm and 5.5mm. This is a case of being a skilled cook without rice. Without the right processing tools, how can it be done?

Yang Zhaoxiang glanced at Liu Yong: "Can't we process it without a drill bit?"

Isn't that nonsense? Can you do porcelain work without a diamond drill? How can you make a gun barrel without the right drill bit?

Most of the people present were experienced craftsmen, and they were somewhat angry listening to such unreasonable and deliberately difficult words.

Bah! Old Master Zhang Guoqiang spat heavily.

Yang Zhaoxiang's gaze turned towards him: "Old Zhang, spitting anywhere is a five-mao fine!"

"Alas, a higher official can crush you, even if it's just a deputy, he's still a factory leader." Qin Yang glanced at Yang Zhaoxiang with disdain: "Deputy Factory Director Yang, I have no other choice today, I can only continue to process the air rifle, right?"

Although he was a deputy factory director, everyone deliberately omitted the word "deputy" when addressing him. Qin Yang's question at this moment was simply deliberately provoking Yang Zhaoxiang.

"That's right." Yang Zhaoxiang said firmly: "If you can't make it today, then I'll report your matter!"

The surrounding workers were actually siding with this uneducated fellow, Qin Yang. Yang Zhaoxiang was very angry and completely shameless.

Zhao Qianjin, who joined the factory three years ago and is Liu Yong's apprentice, witnessed everything in the crowd, feeling somewhat angry and curious: "Can you really make it?"

"Let's try."

The 960 Factory makes guns, and various raw materials are obtained from fraternal units. Gun barrel blanks are one of them. These blanks are thick iron rods, similar to rolling pins.

Because they haven't been processed, the surface is rough and black, looking unremarkable. Once the gun barrel is processed, it's finally placed on a lathe to thin the outside, revealing the metal's luster. This processing method wastes at least two-thirds of the high-quality steel, but it's the only way. If it were directly cast, it would 100% explode the barrel.

At this time, the inside of this semi-finished product has already been drilled with a deep hole of 7.00mm caliber. After further processing, the diameter of the smooth bore can reach 7.442mm, and then the rifling is extruded, with the distance between the positive lines being exactly 7.62mm.

The outside has also been turned down a circle, making it look shiny. Qin Yang took the small "golden cudgel" handed over by Zhao Qianjin and walked to the side of the workbench, quickly fixing it on an electric drill, and then walked to the cold forging machine.

Everyone was a little surprised: What is Qin Yang going to do?

The processing of the gun barrel doesn't require that ten-ton cold forging machine!

"Could it be that he wants to use the cold forging machine to hammer the gun barrel thinner?" Finally, an experienced craftsman spoke.

"Theoretically, it's possible, but this process is uncontrollable!"

"Experimenting hundreds of times might lead to summarizing some experience, but now... the precision is too difficult to control! Putting it on the electric drill makes it easier to rotate, but control is even more difficult!"

Amidst everyone's discussion, Qin Yang placed the gun barrel under the cold forging machine's hammer and pressed the switch.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The shiny gun barrel began to rotate, dazzlingly.

"Brother Zhao, help turn on the cold forging machine!" Qin Yang shouted loudly.

Bang, bang, bang!

Qin Yang's hand gripped the handle of the electric drill, steady as Mount Tai. The cold forging machine's hammer continuously struck down, and the shiny gun barrel received the hammer's blows as it rotated. Before everyone's eyes, they saw the gun barrel slowly lengthening and thinning!

This scene was too magical!

Qin Yang chuckled inwardly, Hmph, opening your eyes, aren't you? This is the most advanced cold forging gun barrel manufacturing process of later generations!

Later generations' cold forging is for engraving rifling. A core rod is inserted into the drilled blank, rotated into the cold forging machine to hammer a circle, and the core rod is extracted, and the rifling is directly printed on the inside of the gun barrel. However, in this process, the gun barrel will also become thinner, after all, after hammering, the length will increase by about 30%!

After such cold forging, the gun barrel will also be stronger, killing two birds with one stone. Now, Qin Yang just wants to hammer the gun barrel thinner, from 7mm to 4.5mm!

"Too amazing!"

"Worthy of being Director Qin's seed, as smart as him!"

"This is definitely a great invention! Hammering it down like this, the barrel's pressure resistance will be higher!" The surrounding people marveled.

Yang Zhaoxiang's face turned paler and paler. Even this couldn't stump Qin Yang! Moreover, Qin Yang's operation was leisurely, clearly the demeanor of a veteran. Could it be that Qin Yang could really make it? Had he played the villain for so long, only to become a joke in the end?

The sound of the machine stopped.

"Brother Zhao, please bring over a caliper."

Zhao Qianjin brought over the caliper and measured it himself, looking at the data before his eyes: "4.00mm, amazing! Leaving a 0.5mm margin, after processing, it will be exactly 4.5mm caliber!"