introduction
As the old saying goes: "Green is better than blue!" The development of everything in the world is basically stronger from generation to generation, but there is a deviation in this point with regard to the assault rifles needed in war.
At the beginning, due to the limitations of technology, there are certain limitations in the manufacture of guns, whether it is the range, accuracy or the type of guns are not satisfactory, with the development of technology, guns have made a qualitative leap, and important achievements have been made one after another in terms of type and accuracy.
But with the advancement of technology, the range of the rifle did not advance, not only did it not improve, but it also declined, and the decline was ridiculous.
More than 100 years ago, the shooting range of the antique 38 cover was 2,400 meters, and now most rifles have a shooting range of no more than 400 meters, which is not as good as a quarter of a hundred years ago, and now the long-range range requires a sniper rifle.
Although the shooting distance of modern rifles has plummeted, the accuracy is indeed incomparable to the 38 big cover, so for a rifle, is it to pursue accuracy or pay attention to the shooting distance?
This starts with the development process of the 38 big cover.
The development of the 38 big cover
Originated in Japan, the 38 cover was the main weapon of the Japanese army in the early part of the last century, at that time this rifle was not only accurate in shooting, but also very convenient to use, which also reflected in addition to the exquisite technology of the Japanese military industry at that time.
Later, Japan also simplified the 38 cover and added a dust cover, so that even in bad weather, it would not affect the 38 cover.
And because the body of this rifle has the words "Meiji 38" on the body, and different Type 38 rifles are also equipped with different dust caps, it is affectionately called "38 big covers".
During World War II, the Japanese army still used the 38 big cover, but in order to adapt to the battle, Japan once again improved the 38 big cover, changed the original short gun to a long gun so that it was suitable for close combat, and between 1906 and 1945, the 38 big cover produced two or three million.
At that time, in addition to Japan, many countries participating in World War II also used the 38 big cover.
Features of the three-eight large cover
The reason why so many countries used the 38 cover at that time was because the 38 cover was still very advantageous in the rifle at that time.
According to the range of the 38 rifle, it can reach a distance of 2,400 meters, which means that it can shoot at targets at a distance of 2,400 meters, which is of course the shooting range in an ideal state.
However, even in training and actual combat, due to the complexity of the local terrain, the long-range range of 2400 meters is of little significance, but this is only because of the limitations of the terrain, not because of the limitations of the 38 Dagai itself.
In addition to its own shooting mileage, the 38 cover itself is also relatively powerful.
At that time, most of the bullets used in the 38 big cover were 7.62 mm, 7.92 mm or 7.7 mm bullets, which were relatively large, explosive, and more powerful, so if they were shot by such bullets, the damage caused was still relatively serious.
And at that time, in order to adapt to close combat, the length of the gun itself was relatively long, which made the bullet burn more fully in the trajectory, so that the bullet would have greater power, so the bullet of the 38 cover would be stronger, and the range of the bullet fired would be longer.
At the same time, the rifling of the 38 cover is also relatively special, the rifling of the 38 cover is a spiral groove, so that the bullet can rotate inside, because the rifling groove is more tortuous, so the bullet will rotate in the inside for a longer time, so that after that, the warhead can be more stable after the chamber is discharged, and the firing route is straighter, so the range of the 38 cover can be longer.
Although the popularity rate of the 38 cover on the battlefield at that time was relatively high, and the performance of the gun was relatively good, with the development of time, the disadvantages of the 38 cover were gradually revealed.
The disadvantages of the 38 big cover
Although the range of the gauge of the 38 big cover can be as high as 2400 meters, in actual combat, such a range is not used at all, so that Hugo will not be so far away on the battlefield when the two sides are fighting.
And the range of the ruler is the range of the ruler, and the actual range is the actual range, although the range of the ruler is 2400 meters, but the actual range of the 38 big cover can not reach 2400 meters, basically around 1000 meters, and generally requires a range of about 400 meters or 600 meters.
Of course, the range is not bad, after all, what is needed in actual combat is accuracy, not just shooting distance.
And compared with modern guns, the 38 cover is very heavy, one reason is because the gun is longer, and because the bullet of the 38 cover is a relatively large bullet, so the bullet that needs to be carried is also heavier.
And after a long time, the accuracy of the design of the 38 cover has also become the focus of people's attention, although his accuracy and explosiveness at the time, it is still relatively good, but with the development of military technology, the accuracy of the 38 cover has become a problem.
Although it can be shot from a distance of thousands of miles, but the accuracy is not enough, there will be shooting deviations, of course, if it is a large-scale strafing is still possible, but if it is a single accurate shot, it will be insufficient.
And on the battlefield, the focus is on time, a shot will reveal the position, and if this shot is not accurate, even the teammates around you will be exposed, so this is not only a matter of accuracy, but also a matter of personal safety.
And in today's society, all countries are vying to develop automatic weapons, and the bolt-action rifle design of the 38 big cover has become its own limitation.
Therefore, the 38 big cover type of rifle has gradually become a thing of the past, and the big discount has begun to study modern streamlined weapons.
The development of modern guns in China
After World War II, military strategists and weapons experts from various countries found that in fact, in the process of fighting, the distance between the two sides was generally about 400 meters, so such a long range of guns was no longer the focus of research in various countries.
And the range of guns is 600 meters, 800 meters, or even farther is not necessary, so it is a surplus of power, and there is no need to use it too much, so everyone began to study guns with a range of about 400 meters, and the mainland is certainly not lagging behind.
Although the range of the guns is controlled to about 400 meters, the accuracy is constantly improving, and the types of modern guns are also diverse.
In the process of development, China's gun design began to improve the stability and accuracy of the 38 cover, when the 38 cover was a single point of fire, so the recoil needs to be controlled by the gun master, so the accuracy is controllable, and modern guns are automatically controlled, after a shuttle bullet is shot, the accuracy is uncontrollable.
Therefore, military weapons experts began to make a fuss about the ballistics of guns and the size of bullets, minimizing the mobility of bullets, so that under automation, the accuracy of modern not strong is stronger.
Although the bullets are gradually getting smaller, the lethality of modern guns is more ferocious than that of the 38 big cover, and Chinese rifles have also been strengthened in this regard.
After the transformation and design of experts, although the bullets of the continental rifle have become lighter, the initial speed will become faster, and the explosive power will become stronger, compared with the original 700 m/s of the 38 big cover, it is more than 200 m/s.
Although it is only 200 meters, the impact is incomparable and a qualitative leap.
At the same time, with the development of science and technology, the material of guns and ammunition has also undergone great changes, the bullet used in the original 38 cover is a copper alloy lead core bullet, as we all know, the hardness of copper is relatively small, relatively soft, so the lethality is far less than the modern quenching hardened steel core bullet.
Moreover, the lethality of modern guns on the mainland at close range is incomparable to that of the 38 big cover, and a simple shot can penetrate the steel plate, while the 38 big cover is far from being reached.
At the same time, the development of modern firearms is also very complete.
At the beginning of the last century, guns and ammunition did not develop at a high speed, so the types of guns were relatively single, and the 38 cover was already a relatively high-end firearm weapon at that time.
And nowadays there is a dizzying variety of guns.
There are not only light machine guns, heavy machine guns, assault rifles, delicate pistols and various sniper rifles, and even more advanced rocket artillery and missiles, guns and ammunition are classified in detail, so all kinds of weapons have corresponding occasions for use.
For long-range shooting, there are sniper rifles that can be used, which are more accurate than assault rifles and are suitable for accurate strafing at long distances.
In terms of close-range strafing, there are also various submachine guns, such as the shortsword submachine gun, which can fire 1200 rounds in one minute, and the vitality value generated is also quite large, which can pass through a short distance and deal a large area of damage.
In order to adapt to modern warfare, modern rifles not only need to integrate range and accuracy, but more importantly, they are easy to carry.
With a combination of various points, modern assault rifles can only learn from each other's strengths and give up some relatively unimportant strengths, such as range, so as to improve the accuracy of the rifle.
And in order to improve the accuracy of the assault rifle, the rifle will also be equipped with a precise aiming equipment comparison scope to improve the accuracy of shooting, and at the same time from the modern rifle is also a combination of firearms, which can be replaced as needed.
Modern rifles are represented by AK-47, American M16 and M4, and so on.
epilogue
Whether it is the past 38 cover or the modern rifle, are in accordance with the development of military science and technology came into being, and according to the different times, the focus is not the same, although today's guns are not as good as the 38 cover in range, but in terms of accuracy and explosive power modern guns are far inferior to the 38 cover.
Resources:
Baidu Encyclopedia "38 Rifle"
Baidu Encyclopedia "Rifle"
Ma Shizeng - "The "38 Big Cover" Delayed the Development of Small-caliber Rifles"
China Military Network - "From "Made in All Nations" to "Chinese Guns", the Road to Extraordinary Development