Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 851: Frontier Firearms Project II

CH851 Frontier Firearms Project II

***

As soon as the question left his mouth, Alex realised how naïve it sounded. Sugud had, in essence, already answered it.

Seeing that Alex still asked the question, Sugud decided to explain it more directly.

“I can certainly make another gun like this. However, it won’t be exactly the same gun. Think of it like a blacksmith forging ten swords of the same design. Because of the conditions during forging, no two swords will ever be completely identical.

“There will always be slight variations. One might be ever so slightly heavier, another a fraction longer, while the balance point of a third may differ by a tiny amount.”

“However, because swords are larger and have a much greater margin of error, these differences are rarely noticeable. Something similar already happens with the crossbows issued to our troops. It is highly unlikely that any two crossbows of the same model are exactly identical. But that’s acceptable because crossbows have a large tolerance for such variations.”

“But these firearms don’t?” Mordor asked, looking at the weapon resting on the workbench beside its deformed predecessors.

“Exactly,” Sugud confirmed. “There are many critical dimensions within a firearm that directly affect how it functions. For example, if the chamber is off by even a fingernail’s breadth, the cartridge may fail to enter properly or lock into place for firing. The same applies to the projectile and the barrel.

“Likewise, if either the primer or the gunpowder deviates even slightly from known specification, they may ignite prematurely or fail to function as intended. The primer may fail to ignite the gunpowder, or the gunpowder may generate either too little pressure for the firearm to cycle properly or too much pressure for the chamber or barrel to withstand.”

After hearing that explanation, Alex immediately understood where Sugud was going.

“Specialised industrialisation… and standardisation,” he said.

“You’ve already mentioned that every component of the firearm requires its own research, manufacturing process, and quality standards. That means we’ll need specialised production facilities.

“At minimum, there should be separate factories dedicated to producing each major component, followed by dedicated assembly facilities—perhaps one for assembling the ammunition, including the primer, cartridge casing, projectile, and gunpowder, and another for assembling the firearm itself, including the chamber, barrel, handle, and internal firing mechanism.”

“Then there’s standardisation. You also mentioned how variations in the dimensions, composition, and amount of each component can affect the final product. So, if we’re going to have separate factories producing each component, then every one of those factories must manufacture its parts to the exact same standard for a given firearm model.

“The material composition, dimensions, and tolerances of every single component must be identical—with little to no variation,” Alex said.

“That’s the gist of it,” Sugud confirmed with a nod. “I believe the materials research can actually be completed quite easily if we outsource it to higher-ranked craftsmen once we return to Pangea. Once we have the proper materials, setting up the industries to produce them here in the domain should be relatively straightforward.

“My biggest concern is standardisation. As I said, it is practically impossible to rely on blacksmiths to consistently produce parts with the level of dimensional precision we require. Producing them in sufficient quantities—especially the ammunition—is an even greater challenge.”

“Then, instead of relying on people, we can build precision machines to make them,” Alex said.

“Machines?” Mordor asked in surprise.

“As long as a machine is carefully designed to produce only a single specification—that is, the exact dimensions required for that particular part—then we no longer have to worry about variations between components.

“For example, imagine a machine that can dispense only a precisely measured amount of gunpowder into every cartridge case…”

“I see…” Sugud muttered. “Precision machines, huh… They could help in many other industries besides firearms.”

“You’re right,” Alex nodded. “However, designing and building these machines will require a great deal of expertise. The machines themselves may need even tighter tolerances than the products they’re intended to manufacture.”

“That makes sense,” Sugud nodded. “In that case, I would advise shelving your firearm production plans until after we return to Pangea. For now, I’ll begin working on the technical designs—things like the required pressure resistance of the chamber, barrel, and firearm as a whole, as well as the characteristics of the primer and gunpowder: how much force should be required to ignite the primer, how much pressure the gunpowder should generate during combustion, and so on.”

“Good idea. That way, we only need to give the external craftsmen our product requirements without them ever needing to understand the complete weapon,” Alex nodded in appreciation.

Alex and Sugud then spent some time filling in the remaining gaps in the plan, with Mordor occasionally offering his own insights. Tivela and the Silver Wolf Guards, however, found themselves well out of their depth.

“Alright, enough about firearms. You’re either here to see Lady Eleanore’s progress or the progress on the Interplanar Gate’s construction,” Sugud said suddenly.

“I’m interested in both, though admittedly the latter more than the former,” Alex replied.

“Understood.”

Sugud nodded.

He led the group towards the manor’s stable, which also served as a garage.

The Silver Wolf Guards mounted their horses once more, while Alex, Sugud, Mordor, and Tivela boarded Alex’s Mana Carriage. It was driven by one of the Silver Wolf Guards, accompanied in the driver’s compartment by Sergeant Lopota.

The convoy travelled north-east towards a mountain roughly three kilometres from the manor.

As they approached, a massive rectangular arch dominated the horizon, measuring roughly five to six metres in width and around ten metres in height.

“It looks like it’s almost complete,” Alex commented.

“The arch itself is complete. We’re still working on the supporting facilities—the mana battery and conduit building, the formation core structure, the external control building, and the rest.

“After that, we’ll need you for the runic portion of the project, sir,” Sugud reported.

“No problem.” Alex nodded.

The Mana Carriage soon arrived at the construction site.

Because this Interplanar Gate was less optimised than the one used by the expedition party in Pangea, it was considerably larger but far less sophisticated. Even so, it was an awe-inspiring sight.

The entire construction complex occupied an area roughly the size of a football pitch.

The work was being carried out by the group of construction workers who had accompanied the Fortuna party even before arriving in the Frontier March. They were assisted by drones, which handled most of the literal heavy lifting.

“How long before construction is complete?” Alex asked.

“Our side? Within a month,” Sugud revealed with a smile.

***