Chapter 101: Musket Part :2
The guards who were with Vijay, witnessing the gun firing, were very excited as they could feel that this firepower exceeded that of a Dutch flintlock they had witnessed during the battle. However, Vijay had a frown on his face because he had noticed multiple problems with how this gun was made and the steps in the firing process.
Noticing Vijay's displeased expression, HeyRam's excitement turned to concern. He swiftly retrieved the gun from the tester and presented it to Vijay for inspection. With utmost respect, he inquired, "Your Highness, is there anything you want me to adjust? Please enlighten me."
He said with a humble attitude, knowing that Vijay was a knowledgeable man from the various policies he had made for the kingdom. Moreover, it was with his direction that the blast furnace was manufactured, so he had no doubt that Vijay could point out some flaws that he might have committed. So he humbly folded his hands and waited for Vijay's response.
Vijay, thoroughly examined the gun, scrutinized it from various angles, checking the barrel, disassembling parts for closer inspection, and even examining the gunpowder. After a thorough assessment, he pinpointed the flaws in the design. Recognizing that HeyRam had initiated this research with limited prior knowledge and had only a month to delve into the principles of cannons and flintlocks, Vijay refrained from harsh reprimands. Instead, he pointed out the areas that needed improvement.
"Your gun craftsmanship is impressive, but there are a few areas that could use some immediate attention.
Firstly, the gun's range is quite limited, much worse than the flintlocks. It can only reach about 50 to 60 meters at most.
Another issue is the excessive smoke produced upon firing, which seriously hampers the soldiers' visibility on the battlefield, posing a significant risk to their lives.
Then, there's the matter of inconsistent ammunition. The use of non-uniform rounds can be life-threatening, potentially leading to explosions that could be disastrous for the user.
Lastly, the components used to construct the gun still lack consistency, making it unreliable in terms of overall performance and durability."
HeyRam felt embarrassed as he heard about all the problems with his gun, especially the part about it possibly exploding in someone's hand. If that happened under his watch, he'd rather stop being a craftsman. Despite not showing it, he took pride in his work. Thinking about it, he knelt down to Vijay and thanked him for pointing out the flaws.
"Thanks for your help, Your Highness. I don't know how to repay you. All I can do is fix the mistakes as soon as possible," HeyRam promised, patting his chest.
Vijay, on seeing this, sighed because he didn't have time to wait for HeyRam to fix everything with the Mughals on his back. If he knew about the Mughal threat earlier, he could have given HeyRam more time, but now he had to take matters into his own hands.
"Forget it: make a smooth bore design. Add a simple twist to the projectile and wrap a cord or leather strip around it before loading," Vijay ordered.
HeyRam was confused. "What's the use of this, Your Highness?"
"When you pull the trigger, the projectile spins slightly in the barrel, making the bullet more stable and able to go farther," Vijay explained.
"As for the next improvement, make the bullet more pointed like a needle. First, make a mould for the bullet suitable for the Musket, and apply a slight lubricant."
Seeing how His Highness was explaining the manufacturing process of bullets, HeyRam quickly waved his hand to his assistant to carry out the process as Vijay explained it. Observing this, Vijay also waited for the preparations to begin so as to fully explain the process.
As the preparations were done and the mould was ready, Vijay again remembered the process in his mind, which almost played like a video, and explained.
"Next, as usual, melt the metal and place it at an elevated position. Under that position, open the bullet mould over the water container and make sure that the mould is level and stable."
The assistant quickly melted the metal and positioned the mould and water container as Vijay ordered.
"Make the water a little colder, add a little ice just enough to make the water chilly to the touch," Vijay said, as he had read that cold water could make the bullets harder.
HeyRam was confused by the order, but he still carried out his duties as Vijay instructed.
"Next, slowly drop by drop, let the molten metal drop into the water container as it is filled within the moulds. As soon as one is dropped in the water container, take it out, and while reheating, polish it properly so that it has a smoother finish."
The assistant finally went through the whole process as per Vijay's instructions, and Vijay was handed dozens of bullets, all with the same size, weight, and finish. Although some bullets appeared to have some cracks, they were still far superior to crude iron pellets.
"Have you learned this process?" Vijay asked, looking sideways to see HeyRam nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Bring Manoj over. I have some instructions for him," Vijay ordered as he looked to improve the black powder further.
Soon, Manoj arrived and greeted Vijay.
"I need you to make the gunpowder finer," Vijay ordered. Manoj received the order and nodded his head hesitantly. He wanted to say something but stopped in hesitation.
"What is it? Quickly, let it out," Vijay demanded, already feeling impatient after spending a lot of time in the forgery, making him uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, we have already tested using smaller gunpowder particles, but unfortunately, although it has more power, it has a lot of requirements for the strength of the metal in which it is contained. If it is not contained in a strong container, it has a tendency to explode."
Listening to this, Vijay finally understood. Thinking about it for a moment, he ordered, "HeyRam, you are required to work with him to make a gun capable of holding this gunpowder. I will not have too many demanding requirements for you. If the gun is capable of firing 100 rounds in total, that would be enough. You can even use steel lining on the inside of the barrel if necessary."
Vijay suggested as he was sure that the war he was going to face would be a short one, and he would make sure of it.
HeyRam and Manoj looked at each other and quickly accepted the orders.
"Ah yes, I almost forgot. Prepare the gunpowder in a fixed amount for every round fired. Use a paper cartridge of standardized measurements to make it. The armoury doesn't have to directly make all this; have workshops all over the country manufacture these simple things," Vijay said as he suddenly felt enlightened. "Why don't we do this for all the parts of the gun?" He thought to himself as he quickly made another order.
"Quickly standardize all the parts of this gun, except for the main chamber and the bullets. Split the gun into different parts that could be manufactured by any workshop, and make an order to the public craftsmen to manufacture it for us."
Hearing this, HeyRam was scared out of his wits as he asked fearfully, "Your Highness, but won't this leak our technology?"
Vijay, hearing this but not giving it much thought, mused, "The heart of a gun lies not in its physical form but in its ammunition. Controlling the ammunition is akin to controlling the gun itself. And by only sharing the designs of individual components rather than the entire weapon, keeping the assembly process under wraps can further complicate any attempts to replicate the weapon."
Considering all this, Vijay responded, "You don't have to worry about this. I have my own considerations."
HeyRam, upon hearing the answer, didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he quickly went to preside over the matter.
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