Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 25 025 A good gun that cannot be mass-produced, but there is a great reward (Part 2)

Soloviev actually doesn’t like Tsar Paul’s regulations very much, because some of the content in it is completely redundant. His current gun holding posture is a bit awkward. When he holds a rifle, he prefers to hold the gun on his left shoulder, but according to the regulations and the habit of queue shooting, he has to hold the gun on his right shoulder.

But he is still confident in his shooting level. His accuracy has always been fed by bullets on the shooting range. He has fired quite a lot of shots, and the amount of shots he has fired with the old flintlock rifle has exceeded the training volume of the British army, which had the most ammunition at that time.

It’s just that it’s more troublesome afterwards. These bullet shells have to be recovered to see if they are deformed, and then reloaded with gunpowder.

There are no such hand-made magical rifles in Peshawar now. If it were in Africa, there might be hand-rubbed smoothbore AKs that can actually fire. These are all things that happened today. It’s easy to make guns, but sometimes bullets are more troublesome.

Therefore, Solovyov only prepared 50 rounds of bullets for this rifle, and he also needed to be able to reload gunpowder and solve the problem by himself. After all, processing a cartridge case is more troublesome than making a gun. Mr. Madsen complained a few words when making the gun, which is also reasonable. Your technical indicators have more "technological penalties" than others, and directly skipped the percussion cap gun and paper cartridge case. The earliest patent for paper cartridge case was applied in France in 1808. It is not too difficult to catch up with this, but the rifle with copper cartridge case is a story after the Civil War. Using the method of military industry behind enemy lines during the War of Resistance Against Japan, the production of bullets can't keep up, that is, we are thankful that we can rub out the cartridge case.

The priority demonstration is the firing rate of a super powerful single-shot rifle. If we really want to mass-produce it, this thing will definitely not work. Even if it is deployed to the troops, it will have to be changed back to the form of paper cartridges.

We even have to change the habit of queue shooting. If we have such a rifle, many of the original commands can be changed.

When Soloviev loaded the first bullet, Tsar Paul became interested. Breech-loading weapons appeared earlier, but this copper shell bullet was put in completely. Regardless of the material of the bullet head, this novelty was already quite attractive.

And the first shot, with a crisp gunshot from the steel plate used as a target in the distance, also announced that the first shot hit, and it should be very accurate.

The guards soldier who reported the target raised a red flag, which means it hit, while the white flag means it didn't.

"That's not bad, let's see what this guy is going to do next."

Then, he saw Soloviev push open the magazine, eject the shell after shooting, and it fell on the lawn in a beautiful parabola.

On the shooting range, a guard soldier soon came behind him. In this weapon test, Tsar Paul actually asked the designers to write down the performance characteristics of their weapons, which made it a bit like a formal weapon bidding, and when Soloviev drafted the content, it really looked like a bid.

In terms of weapon performance and confidentiality, he also specifically explained the firing principle. For rifled breech-loading rifles, soldiers need to be arranged to collect shells on site and put them in cloth bags. This is for the confidentiality of weapons and the requirements of shell recovery.

The guards soldiers responsible for recovering shells, like caddies on a tennis court, put the shells in a cloth bag and waited by the side. After all, this was a test of continuous shooting.

Tsar Paul himself was impatient. He did not have the patience to read such a long-winded operation process that was more detailed than the instruction manual, and the writing was too plain. Unlike the guys who had smoothbore rifles before, they liked to find someone to use gorgeous words to blow up the sky according to the traditional art of the Russian court.

This approach is actually more rigorous. In fact, the moody Tsar Paul is the one who is easier to control than his mother and his two sons who became tsars. As long as he is happy, it's fine.

As for the shooting of the second bullet, Paul himself sat there and watched. He thought that a rifle that could shoot accurately in the hands of a well-trained shooter was good enough. He had never expected that the grenadier lieutenant would soon load the second round, and it was the guards who reported the target and hit it again.

"Father, this is a quick gun, but the shell is made of copper. You know, the cannons we use also need copper. If we equip them in large quantities, it will take up a lot of copper."

It was normal for Alexander to say that. Many cannons of this era were copper cannons, especially Tsar Paul himself attached great importance to artillery and was ready to start mass production of unicorn cannons. The materials and production capacity that could be allocated to the new rifles were very limited.

It was also good for Paul that his son was willing to think deeply, especially in connection with the current national conditions in Russia to make suggestions, so that he could be a qualified crown prince of the Russian Empire.

At the same time, this rifle was like he had just met his wife for Paul, just because Solovyov fired more than ten shots in a row and the accuracy was still superb, and the white smoke produced by the burning of black powder did not affect the accuracy like ordinary shooting.

Anyway, this gun can be used and its status is very clear. When bidding, Solovyov said in his instruction manual that it was a "Model 1797 Jager Rifle" and its purpose was to be used by the Jager Regiment.

For this, he had previously gone to see Prince Bagration, and he also proposed what kind of weapon the chasseurs needed. It didn't necessarily have to shoot fast, but it had to maintain accuracy.

In skirmishes, the harassment mission of the chasseurs required them to shoot more accurately. Before the line infantry encountered each other, this type of light infantry often started to exchange fire.

If this thing also lined up to shoot, the picture would be too beautiful. Considering that the rifled gun has a higher natural hit rate, the possibility of concentrating the enemy has increased significantly. It may have taken four or five hundred shots to effectively kill the enemy. Now the efficiency of killing on the battlefield has been greatly improved.

"Call that Lieutenant Solovyov over. I have something to ask him."

Paul is not only eager for quick success, but also moody. However, when he calms down, he can still listen to what others say. The Tsar was also happy to be with young officers. He reformed the treatment of the army and was supported by the soldiers. Those who wanted to overthrow him were always the conspiring opposition officers, and they made people panic.

This situation is not obvious now. The first thing to do in military reform is to improve the treatment of soldiers. Therefore, among the soldiers, their emperor is still very loved and supported.

Soloviev came to Tsar Paul. He was in a good mood today, so he was also friendly. Just like what Frederick the Great said, he was kind and upright by nature. Although he had a bad temper, he was very tolerant in many places.

When he was in a better mood, he was more tolerant.

"Your Majesty, I am here to present you this '1797 model chasseur rifle'."

The Tsar himself felt very satisfied after holding this rifle in his hand.

"It is this gun that has such a miraculous rate of fire. I am more interested in the bullets used in your gun, Solovyov. I was worried that you would use up all these bullets."

"No, Your Majesty, I have prepared the number of bullets required for a battle. I just counted and fired 15 rounds. These shells can still be reloaded with gunpowder."

"Excellent idea, Lieutenant, are you a grenadier?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, in the Moscow Grenadiers, but I have always been an adjutant and followed my superior to St. Petersburg."

"I know, it is Dmitri Volkonsky, he has come to the committee, I think you are a bit of a waste of talent as an adjutant."

Paul loves this rifle, and with just a word from him, he can give a junior officer a fast track to promotion.

"I think that genius ideas are always inseparable from down-to-earth craftsmen. Without their hands, these ideas cannot be turned into reality."

This made Paul even happier. He personally believed that people should have virtues and should implement new moral standards for the nobility.

"Humility is a virtue, which is good."

Then Tsar Paul signaled a eunuch to come over. Of course, he was not one with a title, but a real servant. In the Russian court, not all places are like France. In the Palace of Versailles, there are masters who provide lighting when His Majesty brings the urine pot. Of course, now that the Bourbon dynasty has been overthrown, there is no such job.

Paul decided to reward the craftsmen and work in the Tula Arsenal. Solovyov did not want to make any requests. It was not because he was afraid that this place would become a Tongrentang, but at his age, it was really difficult to arrange anything except the bonus he deserved, because the Russian army also pays attention to qualifications. Even if you are promoted by exception, your family background and years of service must be considered.

Now it is the Tsar himself who speaks up and raises this issue.

"You did a good job, but you are too young and you are just an adjutant. Apart from the bonus, even if I give you a promotion, I can only let you continue to be an adjutant in another place."

To put it bluntly, his current position means that he will be an adjutant for a long time. No wonder in Russia, some people sometimes say that being an adjutant is not a future and they should work in another place.

Paul, who could have said it directly, insisted on writing a letter by hand. Not only did he make Solovyov anxious, but even the Crown Prince Alexander and Grand Duke Constantine beside him were anxious. He insisted on writing an order when he could speak.

This approach, those who know that you want to give a big reward to the young man in front of you, and those who don't know that you want to issue a hand order to send this little adjutant to the lower level for "micro-management".

After all, there was no room for the General Staff in his military reform. There was such a thing for a while in the era of the empress, but it disappeared later. In the army of the 18th century, there may be more accompanying adjutants, but the Russian army is really not good at the staff business.

Solovyov was an adjutant, and he made his superiors feel comfortable, not by flattering and interpersonal relationships, but by handing over maps and things when needed. Flattery is actually different from high emotional intelligence, and it should be said that he knows how to show it.

When he arrived at the shooting range, he always carried a briefcase on his side, and it was obvious that he was an adjutant.

"To the Pavlovsky Grenadiers?"

For Solovyov, this basically meant that he had changed from an ordinary grenadier to a special unit. When the regiment was formed, a lot of troops were drawn from the Moscow Grenadiers.

The regiment currently has 6 companies, including 1 grenadier company and 5 musket companies. The reason why Paul wrote it down is to do a test and assign a chasseur company to the grenadiers.

"Yes, Lieutenant, it is not surprising to have a chasseur company in the grenadier regiment, and it is the same to have this type of arms in the musket regiment. I want to see the formation and training of this company in person, and you will be the company commander. And your height is not suitable for being a grenadier, and you are a little taller to be a chasseur."

Other time travelers would be shocked and bow down to anyone they met, but Solovyov had to show his high respect to Paul. While receiving the winning bonus, he was directly promoted to captain and company commander, and received a commission from the Tsar on the spot.

But when he bowed, Paul still saw the two pistols in his holster.

Paul was relatively tolerant of young officers and soldiers, and because of his series of policies, he was very popular among the soldiers. After all, his edict clearly stated that "soldiers' wages must not be delayed", but these soldiers still found it difficult to understand what Paul was doing.

Although this tsar had a bad reputation in the future, and because he was murdered, his five years of rule were often shrouded in fog, but many of the military regulations he established during this period have actually been used to this day, but generally no one noticed that the steps of the standard-bearers and soldiers on duty on Red Square can still see the shadow of his military reform.

Therefore, Solovyov and other officers and soldiers participating in the test were allowed to bring personal weapons to the review field.

These two pistols caught his attention.

"Captain, are these also newly made pistols?"

Arakcheyev on the side winked at Solovyov, and he understood that the tsar knew about it.

The artillery general then said, "Captain Soloviev, since you also stated the performance and purpose of this 1797-style revolver officer's pistol when you bid, why don't you present it to His Majesty as soon as possible?"

Soloviev then took both pistols out of their holsters, handed one of them to Paul with the muzzle held, and placed the other gun on the small table with the tea set, and Alexander picked up this one.

"It doesn't look bad. This gun is not loaded with ammunition. Does it use the same bullets as your 'shotgun'?"

"No, Your Majesty. If this also uses copper shell bullets, Mr. Madsen will have a harder time, and we don't have the time to complete the design of these weapons. The one we finally adopted is the old method, but the lead bullets are pre-loaded. Your Majesty, that's it. If you think the loading is slow, you can prepare more pre-loaded detachable magazines, and the speed of changing bullets on the battlefield will be greatly accelerated."

He started to load gunpowder while explaining to the Tsar and the Grand Dukes. However, the firing method has been improved. It is no problem to directly load the shell and firing pin according to the hunter rifle. However, considering the cost issue, it may be upgraded to paper shell bullets in the future.

Soloviev showed off his face in front of the royal family this time. He held two guns on his left and right. This posture of holding guns and shooting quickly, if someone is really a time traveler, it would be right if he changed to two twenty-shot guns in his hand.

Paul was very happy about this and awarded Solovyov the Order of Saint Anna, third class, to recognize his design contribution in the development of firearms. And he could add this mark on his sword as an "honorary weapon". This came from a "secret method" when Paul was still the crown prince to issue medals to generals and officers around him, in order to prevent the queen from noticing. In fact, the queen knew, but she pretended not to know.