Chapter 516: M1 Semi-Automatic Rifle
Charles had been making the most of this time to train his troops, particularly focusing on familiarizing them with new equipment.
Browning was simultaneously producing both the BAR and the M1 semi-automatic rifle.
Everyone had assumed that the BAR would be the first to be mass-produced, as it was relatively mature, being based on the light machine gun prototype that was simply modified into an automatic rifle. Additionally, Browning had already produced prototype guns and even conducted basic testing.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the M1 semi-automatic rifle was the first to be introduced to the public.
In just half a month, Browning delivered the first batch of 100 rifles for soldier testing.
He specially visited the command post to see Charles and asked, visibly shocked: "Major General, it was perfect as soon as it was produced. I want to know, how did you do it?"
"Capacity, length, the gas system, and everything else—everything fits together perfectly."
"This is almost impossible, unless you considered every detail, even anticipating potential future issues and proactively avoiding them!"
His own BAR design had encountered a problem during testing: the barrel walls were too thin, which could cause the barrel to burst during rapid firing, requiring further modification.
It was like a race on a 500-meter track. Browning started first, and as he neared the finish line, Charles leisurely stood up and began running. Suddenly, Charles crossed the line and raised his hands to receive the cheers of the crowd.
Browning felt something was off, but couldn’t understand why this had happened.
Charles casually responded: "Perhaps it’s just luck, Mr. Browning. When designing, I treated it more like a rifle than a light machine gun, and rifles are much more mature."
Browning thought for a moment and finally nodded in acceptance of Charles’s explanation.
Indeed, the M1 semi-automatic had many features similar to a rifle, such as the fore-end, barrel, and bolt. It was simply a bolt-action rifle converted to semi-automatic.
What else could explain this situation, if not this explanation?
Talent?
Luck?
Or something else!
...
The rifle testing was very successful, and Dominique once again served as the instructor, leading a company of mechanics in live-fire training.
The soldiers immediately fell in love with the M1 rifle after their first shots:
"My God, it’s almost like a machine gun."
"Yes, it feels great, with none of the balance issues of the Lebel rifle."
"If we take this to the battlefield, everyone will envy us, including the Germans!"
...
Tigani had initially shown little interest in this semi-automatic rifle. He had pre-judged that the BAR, being capable of continuous fire, was the superior choice.
He even suspected it was Charles’s scheme.
Charles must have intended to use this rifle to lure me in. Once I equip my troops with the semi-automatic, he would have a legitimate reason to arm the armored division with the BAR.
I must resist; I cannot be tricked!
However, after seeing the soldiers praise the semi-automatic rifle on the range, Tigani couldn’t resist and decided to try it for himself.
"Bang, bang."
"Bang, bang, bang!"
...
"Clink," the magazine ejected after the last round was fired.
Tigani was a bit uncomfortable. He was used to pulling the bolt to chamber each round. Using the semi-automatic, he felt something was missing in the process.
The bullets came out too easily—just pull the trigger, and in the blink of an eye, eight rounds were gone.
He raised his binoculars and checked the chest target 100 meters away. There were five bullet holes, two of which were within the ten-ring center.
Dominique sincerely complimented him: "Good shooting, General. With such a firing rate and such high accuracy, especially for your first time with the rifle, a little more practice and you’ll likely improve even more."
He then added, "If you were using the BAR, you wouldn’t be as lucky."
Dominique had meant this casually, with no intent to insult the BAR.
However, Tigani, whose mind was still on the BAR, grew slightly displeased. He asked, with a touch of irritation: "What do you mean? Are you saying that the semi-automatic is better than the full-auto?"
The BAR had a higher rate of fire and greater magazine capacity; no one would reject that.
Dominique must be a pawn of Charles, subtly influencing my thoughts!
Dominique hesitated for a moment before explaining:
"I’m not very familiar with the battlefield, General."
"But based on my understanding of firearms, I don’t believe higher firing rates are always better."
"Yes, the Maxim machine gun is superior to a rifle, but it has to be mounted on the ground with a belt to ensure powerful fire output."
"But a rifle is held in the hand and aimed from the shoulder, with a limited capacity that can’t sustain continuous fire like the Maxim. In this case..."
Tigani seemed to understand.
The continuous fire of the BAR sacrifices accuracy. Firing 20 rounds all at once could result in a worse hit rate than eight rounds from a semi-automatic.
If the BAR could output bullets at the same rate as a machine gun, relying on volume to make up for its lack of accuracy, it might be acceptable.
However, the properties of a rifle mean it can only have a 20-round magazine.
Thus, the BAR was something of a compromise—its firepower couldn’t match that of a machine gun, and its accuracy was inferior to a rifle.
The M1 semi-automatic, on the other hand, was perfectly balanced in terms of both accuracy and firing rate!
Even more importantly, while the BAR could only be issued to soldiers with exceptional physical strength, the M1 semi-automatic could be given to every soldier.
My God, Tigani thought as he looked at the semi-automatic rifle in his hands.
I was actually considering the BAR?
With three soldiers equipped with M1 semi-automatics, they could have 24 rounds of ammunition, which was both higher capacity and better accuracy than the BAR.
How foolish could I have been to think that a rifle squad could only equip one BAR?!
With that, Tigani no longer hesitated. He quickly ran over to Charles, who was happily conversing with several soldiers.
"Major General, may I speak with you?" Tigani approached him.
"Of course," Charles nodded.
Tigani raised the semi-automatic rifle in his hand: "I would like my unit to be equipped with this rifle."
Charles furrowed his brow: "You’re being too much, General. You want both a fully automatic and a semi-automatic rifle? What will the armored division use?"
Tigani spoke with firm conviction: "Leave the full-auto for the armored division. They might need the BAR more."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, I’m sure."
Charles smiled and nodded: "As you wish. We’ll equip the mechanized divisions first."
This rifle was originally designed for mechanized units, as they often engaged in long-range combat with enemy infantry. They needed this kind of rifle with extended range.
On the other hand, armored divisions relied more on tanks for close-quarters combat, sometimes even charging into trenches to clear the way for tanks. The PPD submachine gun and shotguns were better suited for them.
At that moment, Charles thought of Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force. He would certainly appreciate the M1 semi-automatic.
Haig would likely consider machine guns "excessive." He believed that as long as there were enough people and rifles, the sheer number of bullets fired would ultimately surpass that of machine guns.
The M1 semi-automatic was precisely the overall enhancement to infantry firepower!