"Why do we need to be used with us?" Sickett asked, and then he realized that he had asked a very stupid question.

Contini blinked and said seriously: "Germany produces a lot and is easy to import. Besides, there are so many compensations. If you can't pay for it in the future, you can use bullets to pay..."

Sicket smiled and no longer got entangled about this matter. He knew very well that Contini supported the state and society politically and had a good impression of Germany in other aspects. Not only could he speak fluent German, but he also liked German arms and armed forces, German officers and mercenaries, German industries and products, and even German engineers and technicians. German-speaking German employees can be seen everywhere in the United Group, so it is natural that he is close to German standards in the selection of rifle caliber.

In fact, Contini thought more than him. The Italian Army's 6.5mm caliber must be replaced. As for changing 7mm, 7.62mm or 7.92mm, there is no particularly obvious difference. However, once it is replaced with 7.92mm, it will be much more convenient for the steel axis in the future, and the bullets will be at least universal. As for another possibility - Germany and Italy jointly replace the bullet caliber, it is absolutely impossible. Not to mention that Germany is so conservative, the German military field's inventory and old goods cannot be ignored.

You should know that in order to solve the 98k production problem, Mauser has also done a job of truncating the g98 barrel apart - this approach seems to meet the standards on the surface, but there are quite a difference in actual performance, because the ruler, center of gravity, rifle and structure are still old. If it is so simple to build a new gun, as long as it can cut the barrel, it will be too easy to become a military power.

As for the small and medium caliber of later generations, such as 5.56mm rifles, Contini never thought about it. Now there is not even an era of middle-powered bombs, so how can he use these? If he dared to use these ammunition for the Army, the Army would probably go crazy.

98k is not a huge innovation, nor has any special advantages. It is nothing more than a natural improvement. Sickett and others quickly turned their attention to the second rifle, which would be much more creative and special.

"This is a rifle I saw during my inspection in the United States last year. The designer is John Garland. He works at the Springfield Arsenal in the United States. He studied a semi-automatic rifle. I think it is very good... The tentative name is the 1926 test rifle. You can also call it the Garland rifle."

Sicket browed: "The US Army intends to use this weapon?"

Contini shook his head: "The US Army has the idea of ​​improvement, but at present they don't know what they need. They are turning around and adjusting every day, which makes the designer at a loss... Mr. Garland was very distressed about this. When he heard that I was going to build a new rifle and was interested in his products, he immediately came - this product is not a formal military rifle in the United States, so there is no technical control or anything else. We signed the terms and bought out the right to authorize production in Europe for a price of $100,000. We can not only produce it ourselves, but also entrust other factories to produce it twice. According to our requirements, he changed the caliber from the US standard 7.62mm to 7.92mm. Now he has produced more than 50 guns and is undergoing various tests."

Sicket handed over the rifle to his subordinates: "You go and try it! Fight a few more shots!"

The gas conductor device used by the Garland rifle, which just came from the United States, is very special. There is no air conductor hole on the barrel, but a sleeve-type muzzle mask is installed at the muzzle. When the bullet is pushed out of the bore, part of the gunpowder gas enters the piston barrel through the gap between the end face of the barrel and the muzzle mask and pushes the piston backwards. This air conductor method has an obvious disadvantage - the piston barrel and the muzzle mask are not connected firmly, the bayonet assembly is unstable, and the movement of the sightline affects the accuracy. Contini put forward his own modification opinion, believing that the air conductor device that opens the air conductor holes below the barrel is more reasonable.

Garland accepted this opinion and made improvements, and found that the effect was much better than the actual situation - this improvement appeared more than 10 years ahead of schedule. It was precisely because of some technical suggestions and improvement suggestions from Contini that Garland, who was inspired, generously sold the second-level patent rights in Europe for US$100,000. Although US$100,000 is not cheap, at least the wishes of both parties are very appropriate.

"Baoba", Sickett had just chatted with Contini for a few words, and several of his men had already left the shooting range with guns in their arms.

"So quickly? Aren't you going to get a few more shots?" Sickett scolded his subordinates with some dissatisfaction, "You must be serious about the experiment and don't be perfunctory. Now you are careless and you will suffer when you go to the battlefield."

"Uh... Sir, we each fired 20 magazines and 160 bullets."

"What?" Sickett opened his mouth and became O-shaped. "160 rounds? Just ten minutes? To be exact, only 9 minutes."

"If you really fight, you can finish it in 5-6 minutes. A skilled shooter can shoot 30-40 rounds in one minute. We started to hit more than 20 rounds for a minute, and then we fought faster and faster!"

Sicket nodded thoughtfully: Whether it is 98k or g98, a skilled shooter can shoot at most 10 rounds in a minute. 160 rounds of ammunition is almost all the ammunition for a battle. He was shocked by the rate of fire of the Garland rifle, but the surface was still calm, "Since you have finished fighting, let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages."

"Fail or advantage first?"

"First priority!"

"The first advantage is also the biggest advantage, the speed of fire is fast! I think that 3-4 such rifles are enough to suppress the opposite squad under the premise that neither side has a machine gun!"

"The second advantage is that the structure is relatively simple and the decomposition performance is good... We have also seen the semi-automatic rifles in Mexico and France, and dismantling is much more troublesome than this."

"The third advantage is that the accuracy is not bad. I think it is almost the same as the accuracy of 98k within 300-400 meters."

Sikte nodded: "What about the shortcomings?"

"The weight is a little heavier, nearly 500 grams heavier than 98k and more than 200 grams heavier than g98, which will increase the burden."

"The second disadvantage is that the range and accuracy of medium and long distances are not good. If it exceeds 400 meters, the accuracy will begin to decline. After 600 meters, it is almost impossible to see it. I heard from the engineer that the lethality at 800 meters has almost disappeared, so their scale is only up to 800, but it is actually recommended to reach 400."

"The third disadvantage is that it is a little troublesome to install bullets by magazines. Because of the fast firing rate, although there are 5 rounds of 8 bullets with more than 98k, the magazine still consumes quickly. Unless you have been using magazines that have been loaded long ago, temporary pressing of bullets will drag down the speed..."

Experts can tell if it is available as soon as they take action. These officers from the German Weapons Agency only shot 20 magazines and basically understood the advantages and disadvantages of the Garland rifle - this is a rifle with distinct advantages and disadvantages.

"What does the President mean?" Sickett asked Contini.

"I won't add the advantages. There are some other disadvantages. By the way, I'll mention it. One is that the production is slightly more difficult and the cost will be greater than 98k; the other is that there will be a jingle when the magazine exits, and sometimes the position will be exposed at close range." Contini smiled, "But I think choosing weapons mainly depends on the advantages... I personally think that in the future, the rifle exchanges of rifles above 400 meters are almost used. That is the field of machine guns, and submachine guns may be used within 200 meters. Therefore, the rifle focuses on solving the problem between 200 and 400 meters. At this point, Garland will be more suitable than 98k - the ammunition is the same but the rate of fire is much stronger!"

"But this consumption..."

"Consumption is definitely a problem... I didn't consider the issue of world wars, but I think that conventional and local wars can be dealt with at present. At worst, it can be rationed to the front line by 3 times the ammunition of traditional rifles..." Contini smiled. "I hope this rifle will be further improved and improved, and then verified in North Africa and obtained reliable results. After we get a reliable effect, we will recommend it as a formal equipment of the Italian Army. This will give us a lot of room. If you are really worried about consumption, I think you can consider it with the compromise - why should all rifles be consistent in one squad? You can use 2 Garland + 8-10 98k, such as artillery, baggage, logistics and other non-front troops, and it is enough to use 98k or even shorter rifles."

Sikite nodded: If the bullet is universal, it doesn’t matter the ratio of 2+8, and it can be maneuverable and flexible, 3+7, 4+6 is also OK.

"You mean, would you recommend this Garland rifle and 98k to be the standard preparation for your country?"

"I basically think so. If they can overwhelm Carcano's new rifle..." Contini suddenly lowered his voice, "It doesn't matter if you can't overwhelm it. As long as it's about the same, I can successfully pass it. After all, these two rifles will be subject to actual inspection soon, and other rifles do not have this opportunity. You must believe that in Italy, I still have this weight!"

Sicket was stunned for a moment, then laughed: Isn’t this the benefit and power of the three-flag theory? How many discordant noises? He is really envious of Italians now - they dare to do whatever they want, and it’s like he doesn’t say anything secretly, and there are still a bunch of people in China who are dragging their backs!

After seeing the rifle, it was a machine gun. As soon as you walked to the project site, Sickett heard complaints. It was the designer Harrick who was complaining about Contini: "Hissergeant, I have tried your request for 48-50 round drums many times. The only solution is to put it flat on it and become a bullet disk, but you also said that this cross-section is too large, which is not conducive to carrying..."

"Stop! I know your complaints, so how much is the right drum?"

"41 shots! This is the most suitable number after taking into account performance, capacity and portability."

"Okay, then just 41 shots..." Contini smiled, "I said 48-50 shots, but if it doesn't work, it's OK to make some adjustments appropriately, you need flexibility..."

"That's great, so good, I can finally have a stable sleep..."

"Now take your machine gun and test it... There is a general who wants to see it."

"Oh, okay..." Halik ordered his entourage to bring out the sample, and suddenly found Sikte and the entourage staring at him. He was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously blurted out, "German?"
Chapter completed!