Munitions Empire

"Hey, Wes! What are you up to?" Luff called out to Wes, who was fiddling with a weapon in his hands at the shooting range.

Wes smiled and hoisted the weapon in his hand, replying, "Just checking out this new weapon… it feels pretty good to handle."

In his hands, he held an M1911A1 pistol recently produced by the Great Tang Group. The original designer of this pistol was the renowned Browning, making it a descendant of a prestigious line.

Moreover, due to its reliability and formidable power, this model of pistol had long served in the military, and it hadn't been completely phased out of the market even well into the 1990s.

This spoke volumes of the pistol's performance, or at least of its superior cost-effectiveness. It also fully demonstrated the pistol's classic status.

First off, because it utilized high-powered pistol rounds, it ensured reliable lethality in the battlefield environment, compensating for the soldiers' otherwise insufficient firepower.

Next was its reliability and durability, it rarely malfunctioned, and it truly withstood the rigors of combat, winning everyone's trust and preference.

Last but not least, the weapon was not overly expensive to procure, which won the approval of the higher-ups, allowing its continued use over a long stretch of time—of course, it's also possible that they produced too many during World War II and were reluctant to switch...

In any case, the handgun production department of Tang Mo began setting up a new production line on Dragon Island to manufacture this pistol known as the S3.

After all, it was unthinkable for Tang Mo to give his own product a strange, mismatched name like M1911 in this world.

Just as his rifles were called K1, K2, K3, just as his machine guns were called G1, just as his revolver models had the official designation S1, and the Left-Wheel Handgun the production code S2, now the M1911 pistol was coded as S3.

"I also came here to shoot a couple of rounds for fun, but I have no idea how the master designer came up with such a complex weapon, and it's actually quite user-friendly!" After signing his name in the record, and receiving an S3 pistol from the manager, Luff too stepped up to the firing position.

To tell the truth, before the adoption of 9mm caliber ammunition and double-stack magazines, the magazine capacity of semi-automatic pistols wasn't much better than that of revolvers.

Early semi-automatic pistol magazines typically held only seven rounds, with the possibility of loading one additional round in the chamber under extreme circumstances, making for a special carrying capacity of eight rounds. However, for safety reasons, shooters generally wouldn't opt for this risky method of loading.

Therefore, the early magazine-fed semi-automatic pistols didn't really have any advantage in terms of round capacity, so they were not significantly more powerful or advanced than revolvers.

Moreover, due to constraints in the feeding mechanism, semi-automatic pistols were not very reliable when feeding rounds and clearing a jammed shell took more time, so many people were not fond of this new type of weapon.

To be frank, at first, both Wes and many of the security troops officers of the Great Tang Group didn't quite favor this new type of self-loading pistol that had been developed.

However, the new weapon wasn't without its merits, with the biggest advantage being—speed of reloading!

The technical parameter that truly led to the obsolescence of revolvers in favor of semi-automatic pistols was indeed the speed of reloading! The simplicity of the action of ejecting a magazine and inserting a new one after firing seven rounds greatly improved the rate of fire. ŖÂΝŏBЕṢ

With just a flick of the thumb, the magazine would drop free, and with a new magazine retrieved quickly from a pocket and inserted, another thumb press on the slide release button would chamber the round automatically, allowing for continuous firing...

This was something straight out of a dream; for a shooter, it meant that all he needed to maintain firepower was a single pistol and several magazines.

Similarly, this gave a shooter the composure to face multiple enemies, not needing to count the remaining ammunition in the cylinder like when using a revolver. All he had to do was keep firing.

Even though the firepower density of a revolver from the first six to seven rounds matched that of a semi-automatic, and even exceeded it in reliability, the sustained firepower of the latter far outstripped the former in the long run.

After several days of repeated practice, Wes began to love the fine handling of this novel weapon, and the continuous firepower boosted his confidence.

He picked up a magazine from the table, slid it into the grip of the pistol, and then racked the slide with a swift pull, chambering a round.

Then, aiming downrange with one hand, he squeezed the trigger. The pistol responded with a crack, a flash erupted from the barrel, and the bullet sped toward the distance.

At the center of the bullseye on the target paper hanging downrange, a hole was punched through by the bullet. A second shot followed quickly, and a new hole appeared right beside the first.

It wasn't until all seven rounds had been fired that Wes ejected the magazine and flipped the switch beside him.

The motor whirred and, propelled by chains, the target slowly returned to Wes's position, where an attendant by his side helped him replace it with a new target paper.

Wes lowered his head and loaded a new magazine into the pistol while admiring the score he had shot.

"My goodness, how did you do that?" Luff peeked over curiously, looking at the target paper that probably had a score of 65 rings, his face full of astonishment, "That's really impressive."

Wes smiled, handing the target paper to the attendant beside him, "My job has only one purpose, to ensure the master's safety wherever he goes... You guys aren't as idle as I am..."

He flaunted the pistol in his hand, "If you could fire a few hundred bullets a day, making the gun a part of your body, you'd be able to do it as well."

Luff shrugged and grinned, shaking his head, "Forget it! I'm a staff officer. If I messed up one day, the master would probably kick me out on the spot."

"So, love what you do," Wes and Luff, standing beside him, almost simultaneously raised the new guns in their hands and opened fire on different targets in the distance.

Then, the targets were almost simultaneously retracted, Wes scored 64 rings, and Luff scored 60 rings.

...

In a distant kingdom, a young man who had become the famous manager of a local arms factory was caressing the dandelion ring on his finger in his office.

Outside the door, a servant knocked respectfully. After receiving permission, he let another young man enter.

This newcomer looked weary from the journey, having not even had the chance to change his clothes before rushing to see the manager.

He too wore a dandelion ring. Without any introductions, they both just looked at the ring and immediately broke into smiles.

One rose to pour tea for the newcomer, while the other placed a bulging briefcase on the table.

"Would you like some sugar? It's a local specialty here, and it tastes quite good," the manager asked. Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-.net

After a word of thanks, the visitor stated his business, "I've brought you something... these are the design plans for the S4 pistol."

He then took out a thick stack of blueprints, the first of which was a colorful illustration of a peculiar pistol with a magazine in front of the trigger.

"The master said that this can be sold or used to exchange for interests... If Shireck makes a move on you, your life comes first; if not, just join them—it doesn't matter." He pointed to the gun, originally known as the Mauser C96, then took the warm tea from the other's hands.

"Join Shireck? They have indeed been pestering me lately. I've been considering whether to turn against them," the young manager said, picking up several blueprints from the desk and examining the designs of the new pistols.

"No need! On one hand, these outdated technologies are meant to lead them on a wild goose chase," the newcomer replied, unceremoniously taking a seat in the chair usually occupied by the manager, "I'm here to assist you."

"You are quite forthright. I'll have the technical department handed over to you," the young manager said, sitting casually on his own desk and admiring the blueprints, "But is there really no problem with handing these over to Shireck?"

Having a technical background himself, he had started from scratch in this foreign place with design plans for an outdated rifle from the Great Tang Group.

Now, an innocent man of considerable local influence, he still hadn't forgotten his identity and mission.

"Rest assured! I didn't just bring the S4 pistol blueprints; I've also brought a set of telegraphs! From now on, we can directly hear Brunas's voice!"

"Really? Wouldn't others be able to hear as well?" The manager was taken aback and asked with some confusion.

"No one can understand our language... because of... this." The visitor took out a copy of 'Travels of Wright' published by Brunas, boasting, "Our encryption system is far more advanced than others."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. Next time those troublesome Shireck fellows come around, I'll pretend to be at my wits' end and have a proper talk with them," the manager said with a mischievous grin.

"Well, congratulations, Mr. Future Head of Shireck," the other dandelion taunted with a smile.

"You're my chief technical engineer! Brother! You're a man of Shireck now!" The manager said, and then burst into laughter.

Their laughter subsided as they began poring over the desk, studying the new Mauser pistol plans. Honestly, this was far more advanced and complicated than the committee rifles they were currently producing.

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