Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 931

"But when you actually test it, you find that iron bullets occasionally have a few unavoidable problems."

"For example, if the gun is fired too many times and the barrel overheats, the iron bullet will jam."

"After the bullet is fired, the shell is stuck in the magazine and cannot jump out. You have to take it out manually."

After hearing what Wei Wu said, Yang Chao immediately nodded and then asked.

"Mr. Vice President, there's clearly no problem with the shooting, but why is the iron bullet jamming?"

"It's more than just a jam!"

Wei Wu responded, and then explained to Yang Chao:

"In addition to jamming, using iron bullets will also damage the rifling inside the barrel and reduce the shooting range."

"Since you said you've made bullets out of copper, you must be familiar with the power of both types of bullets. Am I right?"

Hearing this, Yang Chao nodded silently.

"Indeed, copper bullets are more powerful than iron bullets. Although the difference is not ridiculously large, there is indeed a gap."

"Of course there is a gap!"

After Yang Chao finished speaking, Wei Wu responded with a smile, and then continued:

"Copper is more ductile than iron. Simply put, it is softer than iron, and the high pressure and temperature of the gunpowder explosion will cause it to expand slightly."

"This expansion allows the barrel to fit snugly against the rifling, ensuring the chamber is airtight without damaging the rifling."

"On the other hand, iron bullets are too hard and not ductile enough to ensure airtightness, and they will also wear out the rifling."

Yang Chao had also participated in the development of artillery. When he heard Wei Wu talk about airtightness, he immediately understood.

It turns out that the difference in power between copper bullets and steel bullets, like artillery, is caused by airtightness.

Seeing that Yang Chao had understood something, Wei Wu spoke again about the problem of the jam.

"Iron bullets jam for two reasons. The first is ductility. Copper expands and then contracts, but iron doesn't."

"So after a few shots, the barrel overheats, and coupled with the high temperature and pressure of the bullet and gunpowder explosion, the iron will automatically deform."

"Secondly, iron will experience metal-to-metal adhesion under high temperature and friction, and the combination of the two makes it easy for it to get stuck."

Having said that, Wei Wu suddenly stopped and thought for a moment before continuing:

"In addition, iron is harder, making it more difficult to manufacture and process. It also has the disadvantages of being prone to rusting and inconvenient to store."

Before hearing Wei Wu's explanation, Yang Chao thought that his move of using iron instead of copper to make bullets was very smart.

But now, after listening to Wei Wu's words, he realized that his ideas had so many shortcomings.

If it's just a jam, it's okay. The worst that can happen is that you can just take the shell out with your hands, but the problem is that the iron bullet will damage the rifling.

So, after Wei Wu finished speaking, Yang Chao's mood obviously became much lower, but he did not give up.

After a brief moment of depression, he immediately adjusted his mood, stared straight at Wei Wu and asked:

"Mr. Vice President, since we can't make bullets with iron and copper is unaffordable, are there any other alternatives?"

Seeing that Yang Chao was able to adjust his mood so quickly, Wei Wu showed a relieved smile on his face.

“Yes, but I don’t need it!”

Yes, but not needed?

Hearing the answer given by Wei Wu, Yang Chao and the craftsmen behind him were all stunned.

Iron bullets have so many disadvantages and copper production is seriously insufficient, so why did Wei Wu say that they were not needed?

Just when everyone was puzzled, Wei Wu spoke again:

"There are two main reasons why I say no. The first is the issue of copper production. You think copper is unaffordable."

"But this is only temporary. It won't be long before the Ming Dynasty will no longer be short of copper, and then we can mass-produce bullets."

Wei Wu was not making this up. This matter had been decided a long time ago, but not many people knew about it.