Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 190: Production Line

Hordas Armory, Bohemia

In the armory, engineers were conducting weapons testing. Twenty testers simultaneously raised their guns and shot at the shooting target ahead.

After the gunshots, weapons designer Holman-Strehlen stepped forward to take a look, calculating the parameters at the fastest speed, and said satisfyingly: “Passed.”

The parameters are as follows:

Caliber: 7.92mm

Weight: 4.2 kg

Length: 1417 mm

Barrel length: 920 mm

Ammunition: Paper cartridge, lead bullet

Loading method: Breech-loaded

Rate of fire: 12-15 rounds/min

Muzzle velocity: 410 m/s

Effective range: 650 m

Maximum range: 1512 m

Feed system: Single shot

Armory director Hordas laughed and walked over, saying: “Congratulations, Mr. Strehlen, you’ve designed another outstanding rifle.

This rifle is outstanding; it allows soldiers to load ammunition while lying down or crawling, and its accuracy in close-range shooting surpasses most rifles.

I heard that the Prussians have changed their equipment on a large scale, and we’ve obtained a few of their rifles for comparison. Their performance is still not as good as our rifle.”

Holman-Strehlen calmly said: “Mr. Hordas, this is just a laboratory product, and whether it can be mass-produced on an industrial scale is still uncertain.

In fact, over the years, we have developed quite a few advanced firearms in the laboratory, but due to production cost considerations, very few have been adopted for military use.

For example, the previous 1850 series rifle had much better overall performance than this one, but due to production costs, we had to reluctantly give it up.”

As a weapons design expert, the first thing one must learn is to give up when necessary. Weapons are not necessarily better the more advanced they are; one must also consider the overall cost.

From a design perspective, a rifle from a hundred years later can still be designed now, but whether it can be produced is unknown.

Holman-Strehlen was already used to it. Over 95% of the weapons he designed stayed in the lab. While this rifle is good, whether it can be adopted by the Austrian army remains uncertain.

Hordas optimistically said: “No worries. The ongoing Near East War is intense. We can market it for trial use in the Principality of Montenegro. As long as this rifle proves its excellence in actual combat, the military will not refuse it.

From a technical standpoint, the production cost of this rifle is much lower than that of the 1850 series. I can preliminarily assess that the production cost won’t be much higher than the current rifles.”

They can’t say that it was an order from His Majesty the Emperor to design a breech-loading rifle suitable for the Austrian army’s use, right?

Currently, almost every Austrian armory has presented sample rifles. Over a dozen breech-loading rifles have appeared on the palace shooting range. Based on experience, Hordas believes that this rifle has a high chance of winning.

Cheap, simple operation, and stable performance were this rifle’s advantages. The only downside was slightly weaker lethality, but the advantages of precise accuracy and the ability to reload while prone can compensate for this.

Now, only the final step is left — field combat test, and the ongoing Near East War provides a good opportunity.

After the outbreak of the war, the Principality of Montenegro relied on Austrian logistical support and has fully equipped its forces with Austrian weapons for the sake of convenient resupply. It has become a testing ground for Austrian weapons.

The Austrian military has also dispatched weapons observers to collect real-world performance data on various weapons, serving as a crucial reference for future equipment upgrades.

Holman-Strehlen earnestly said: “Alright, Mr. Hordas. Please arrange it as soon as possible. This time, I want to personally lead the team to collect data on the battlefield.”

“No! The battlefield is too dangerous. You are the best weapons designer in Austria, you cannot take such risks.” Hordas anxiously said.

Holman-Strehlen smiled and said: “No need to worry. The Montenegrins will protect us well. If you’re still concerned, we can request a military escort.

Danger is relative. If God wants to take me away, accidents can happen even if I stay at home.”

……

Sch?nbrunn Palace

Hordas Armory’s new rifle appeared on the shooting range. Franz skillfully completed loading and firing it.

Perhaps due to his lack of talent, his shooting skills was really embarrassing. Hitting fixed targets within 110 meters without missing was by God’s grace.

Franz had always believed this was because the rifles performed poorly, with too much recoil causing bullets to go off target. The evidence was the post-war statistics on the bullet lethality, where thousands or even tens of thousands of rounds were needed to eliminate a single enemy.

“Bang, bang, bang...”

After the gunshots ended, Franz’s face turned green; unexpectedly, he hit the target beside his. The ability to miss the target was beyond belief.

A snicker sounded. A few little rascals gleefully laughed. Franz glared over, finding the culprits.

“What’s so funny? It’s just the bullets going off target, what’s strange about that?”

Franz, long accustomed to authority, suppressed the laughter of his three younger brothers and two younger cousins, who struggled to contain their amusement.

After quelling the mocking laughter of the little rascals, Franz smilingly said: “Come and give it a try, but be mindful of the distance.”

They had never played with these rifles before, and if used like muzzle-loading rifles, as demonstrated by Franz’s performance just now, bullets could deviate by more than ten meters.

“Bang, bang, bang...”

A series of gunshots rang out. Glancing at the targets from a distance, Franz rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Were they all expert marksmen?

It turned out he thought too much. Everyone’s hit rate was nothing great. Being able to keep the bullets on the target was already considered skillful.

“Cousin Franz, you’re still the worst among us all!” Princess Sisi exclaimed.

Franz shot her a stern look, resolving to extend her etiquette lessons when they returned. She really didn’t understand manners.

Was it necessary to point out such an obvious thing? After all, the youngest participant in their shooting competition was only ten years old. Where would Franz put his face?

“Elisabeth, pay attention to your image!” Sister Helene reminded her.

“What happened?” Archduchess Sophie’s voice sounded from afar.

Seeing Franz’s displeased expression and the suppressed laughter of the others, nobody answered the question. Observing the amused yet restrained expressions of everyone and taking a glance at the targets on the field, Archduchess Sophie burst into laughter.

While laughing, she pointed at Franz and said, “Well done, there’s progress, Franz. You finally broke the record for hitting outside the bullseye.”

At this moment, everyone noticed an extra bullet hole on Franz’s target. No one knew who had misfired and caused the stray shot, hitting Franz’s target.

Everyone could no longer hold in their laughter. Franz helplessly said, “That’s enough. Let’s continue live ammunition shooting practice.”

Archduke Karl patted Franz on the shoulder with a smile and said, “See, I told you to come hunting with me, but you didn’t. Now you know you’ve embarrassed yourself, right?

Don’t be disheartened. As long as you go hunting with me more often, your marksmanship will catch up with theirs.”

Franz nodded in agreement, as if to say: his poor marksmanship was just a result of having too much academic work, lacking regular practice. With diligent training, he believed he could catch up.

As for hunting, that was impossible. Franz was self-aware. With his marksmanship, whether he could hit a large elephant over 100 meters away was unknown.

He was too lazy to even fire at small game like pheasants and rabbits. It would purely be a waste of bullets. Franz now understood why many civilian hunting rifles often fired a large spread of shots.

“Father, how come you didn’t go hunting today?” Franz Joseph asked in puzzlement.

“Seeing you all having such a lively time, he came over to guide you on marksmanship,” Archduchess Sophie preemptively replied.

“Yes, your marksmanship is too poor, simply embarrassing the nobility. I came to teach you all how to use guns.” Archduke Karl aggrievedly said.

Franz Joseph roughly guessed the reason. He decisively said: “Is that so? That’s great. You go ahead and teach them. I have something to attend to and will leave first.”

After saying that, Franz turned and left, as if he really had something urgent to deal with.

This was a versatile excuse. The Vienna Court had its rules. No one could interfere with the Emperor handling state affairs.

Even if Archduchess Sophie knew Franz Joseph was stalling, she was powerless. In normal circumstances, European nobility would consider the parents’ wishes sufficient for engagements. Franz was clearly an abnormal case.

Faced with such a determined son, she also felt the pressure.

Franz also bore tremendous pressure, unsure how the imperial family should proceed after the eruption of conflict over his refusal to marry.

……

Saint Petersburg

Within the Kursk Manor, even in the midst of August’s summer, the room was still bitterly cold.

“Gentlemen, this cannot continue. The expeditionary forces at the front have been equipping Austrian weapons on a large scale. Before long the entire Russian army will be equipped with weapons produced by the Austrians.

What will we do then? Close down the armories? Or compete in the tiny civilian market, selling some hunting rifles?” An elder said indignantly.

The meeting’s host Kursk dissuaded: “Mr. Ivanov, calm down. Things are not that disastrous. The government will not watch us all collapse.

Now is the time of war, and everything has to serve the war effort. We cannot kick out the Austrians supplying our frontline logistics.

After the war, it will be our time. The government also does not want to see the Austrians control our military production, and our market will come back then.”

Everyone is here for their interests. The military and the government are very dissatisfied with the inferior weapons they produce, which is why the expeditionary force has undergone a large-scale rearmament with Austrian weapons.

Stupid, bulky, and crude were consistent traits of Russian arms. If these were the only flaws the military could still endure it. The problem was these weapons and equipment frequently jammed, even exploding at times.

If there were no other options, or if everyone had the same type of weapons, it might be acceptable. The problem is that now, Britain, France, and Austria have all surpassed them. Even the Ottomans on the other side are starting to equip themselves with new weapons.

To win the war and increase the chances of survival on the battlefield, frontline officers strongly demand a change in equipment. They can no longer be suppressed by interest groups within the government and can only purchase Austrian equipment to reequip the expeditionary force.

A young man complained, “Mr. Kursk, even if the market comes back, I will still face competition from the Austrians. The military is accustomed to Austrian weapons. Will they still use our inferior goods?

Sorry for being so blunt. Compared to our European counterparts, the weapons we produce are indeed a generation behind.

Doesn’t anyone want to change this? The government cannot tolerate this indefinitely, and if we continue like this, we will eventually be eliminated.”

Kursk laughed heartily and then explained, “Young Peter, you’re still too naive. Hasn’t Old Peter told you?

On the surface, it seems like we’ve monopolized the domestic supply of weapons and equipment, making us immensely wealthy.

In reality, we don’t earn much. How much money does the army allocate for weapon and equipment replacement each year? Less than ten million rubles, and nearly half of that is divided among others. What’s left is used to purchase equipment.

Developing weapons is full of uncertainties. More than 90% of weapons and equipment that come into existence are not combat viable, and more than 95% of weapons are not profitable.

In this situation, if we cannot maximize the profit of each weapon to the greatest extent, how can we ensure everyone’s interests?

Originally, wartime would be the chance for all of us to get rich. Unfortunately, in this Russo-Turkish War, the biggest piece of the pie was taken by the Austrians.”

Young Peter lowered his head in disappointment and remained silent. The arms market is limited, and there are too many people dividing the cake.

Coupled with the monopoly, developing new weapons does not bring them greater profits, so everyone is naturally less enthusiastic.

A middle-aged man solemnly said: “Since we cannot prevent the rearmament, we might as well get involved.

Send someone to purchase production lines from the Austrians, and we’ll manufacture them ourselves. The expeditionary force needs their logistics support, and we can’t compete for that part of the market.

However, we must capture the remaining domestic market. After the war, the domestic arms market will still be ours.”

Ivanov, who was angry earlier, said, “This is also a solution. Based on past experience, this short war won’t end quickly. Joining in can help compensate for our losses.”

Young Peter, more cautious this time, asked with uncertainty, “Will the Austrians sell those to us? You know, it’s a good time for them to make money now.”

Kursk affirmed, “Yes, they will. These production lines are not exclusive to Austria; if they don’t sell, we can find others to buy from, albeit with some modifications required.

We can even produce domestically, just not as good. To save costs, everyone is used to importing from abroad.”