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[Man of Paper]

Core Thread

Welcome to the newly formed War Council of The Southern Star! As a Royal Engineer it is the responsibility of you and your fellows to ensure the armed forces of The Kingdom of The Southern Star are equipped and deployed in a most efficient manner befitting the realm.

Your first goal is to create the standard issue rifle for the Southern Star Armed Forces. It may be bolt-action or self-loading/semiautomatic, although semiauto firearms are not yet very tried and tested weapons on the battlefield.

The Royal Military has increased its presence on the northern defensive line in response to increased activity by Northern Administration forces near the border.

Spoiler: Armory (click to show/hide)

None!

Spoiler: Territories (click to show/hide)

Capital
Kingdom of The Southern Star: 2/0

Western Lane
Southern Star Mountains: 2/0
Southern Plain: 3/0
NO MAN'S LAND: NEUTRAL
Northern Plain: 0/3
Administrative Forest: 0/2

Central Lane
Southern Star Mountains: 2/0
Southern Plain: 3/0
NO MAN'S LAND: NEUTRAL
Northern Plain: 0/3
Administrative Forest: 0/2

Eastern Lane
Southern Star Mountains: 2/0
Southern Plain: 3/0
NO MAN'S LAND: NEUTRAL
Northern Plain: 0/3
Administrative Forest: 0/2

Capital
Northern States Administration: 0/2

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

[Maxim_inc]

Alrighty rifle time, I'm going to pitch two rifles: One semi-serious bolt action and one more pie in the sky self loader. The self loader is really not meant to be taken seriously and is more because I've sat on the idea for a while and wanted to get it out of my system since this is really the only chance to do so. The ammunition for the self loader is not an intermediary cartridge but is instead a revolver round. I can explain the functions of the self loader with irl examples if needed.

In terms of the names I figured some Polish and German names would be interesting to use.

Also I guess pistols will come up later or not at all.

Świnka-Kröte M12 Rifle: When the King called for rifles to arm the swelling ranks of his army Lords Borys Świnka and Tilo Kröte, owner of the kingdom's largest iron mine and largest steel mill respectfully as well as both gifted inventors, saw the chance to make their fortunes grow larger than they already were. Working together they sought to make a rifle that can be produced cheaply and arm the many soldiers in the King's army without putting the King himself into bankruptcy. The result is the Świnka-Kröte M12. Measuring in overall at 125cm in length exactly it features a simple single stack magazine holding six rounds of Spitzer 7.35x55mmR smokeless ammunition fed by a six round stripper clip inserted into the rifle when the bolt is opened. The 7.35mm ammunition is rimmed despite most rounds of other nations being rimless due to the fact its cheaper and more reliable to headspace the cartridge off the rim instead of the shoulder of the cartridge reducing the cost of manufacturing and easing tolerances on the ammunition.

The bolt itself is a simple two lug bolt with a straight 90 degree handle, the bolt also possesses a third smaller locking lug at the rear for redundancy and safety for poor ammunition. The sights are a forward post with a ring around it to protect from bumps and damage and a tangent sight ranged out to 1200 meters, it has a quick acquisition battle sight capable of being flipped between the two presets of 150 meters and 300 meters. It possesses a bayonet lug to fit a 50cm cruciform spike bayonet resembling those used on past rifles in the Kingdom's army.

Gryf's Szybki Rifle: Designed by Jakub Gryf and coined as a "Szybki" (Repeater) Rifle by its inventor the Szybki is an interesting beast being both advanced and backwards at the same time. A self loading rifle measuring in at 105cm in length it uses the new concept of gas operation to cycle its action through a small tube tapped into the end of the barrel that runs parallels down the side of the rifle protected safely by the wooden stock where it meets what would normally be the bolt handle on a regular rifle. Resembling a normal 90 degree bolt handle it has a cup shaped piece milled into the end that interfaces with the tube when closed fully. When the weapon is fired the gas shoots down the tube and enters the cup and forces the bolt backwards unlocking the action and cycling the rifle.

As the bolt is pushed backwards it interfaces on a hinged wedge at the back of the bolt that drops down into the rear of the receiver locking the rifle out of friction and pressure, when pushed backwards from the force of the gas it unlocks the rifle cycling the action before a large recoil spring returns it forward. While this system is somewhat advanced Jakub could not manage the issue of a reliable high capacity vertical magazine with the capacity to exploit this rapid fire nor a full powered rifle round that didn't put unneeded stress on the rifle. In the image from the last generation of rifles the Syzbki feeds from a tube magazine under the barrel capable of carrying ten rounds of round nosed 9.5x35mmR smokeless rounds borrowed from a revolver of his own design, not as full powered as a rifle round but still capable of killing a man and designed for the precision target shooting favored by the Kingdom's cavalry officers. Loading from a gate on the side of the rifle the shooter inserts each round one at a time until full, technically the magazine loads only 9 rounds but the 10th round always rests on the lifting spoon of the magazine bringing the full capacity to 10 with an 11th if a round is chambered and then the 10th round placed on the spoon.

When the rifle is cycled the spoon lifts upwards and presents a round for the bolt to chamber, when the bolt is closed and the wedge locked it trips the spoon snapping it downwards and another round taking the place of the previous one from the magazine ready to be loaded the next time the action is cycled, when the magazine is empty the rifle does not lock open when empty due to this system but the follower of the magazine presents itself readily in the loading gate and is colored bright red to bring attention to the shooter that the rifle is empty.

The gas tube can be disabled by opening a valve at the front end of the tube where it taps into the barrel, the valve is designed purposefully so that it can be opened with any flat object that can be used as a screwdriver from a knife blade to a coin or the rim of a cartridge. Disabling this allows the rifle to be used as a bolt action rifle in emergencies where the gas system is damaged or fouled with battle debris by grabbing the rod the gas cup is mounted on and cycle it like a straight pull rifle.

It has a forward post sight and a rear tangent sight ranged out to 600 meters. It possesses a bayonet lug to fit a 50cm cruciform spike bayonet resembling those used on past rifles in the Kingdom's army.

[The Canadian kitten]

Just posting so I could get notifications.

I feel a self-loader would be good as later on we can possibly redesign it better with the experience we gain here
also, i want to shoot people with revolver rounds from a rifle

[Maxim_inc]

Just posting so I could get notifications.

I feel a self-loader would be good as later on we can possibly redesign it better with the experience we gain here
also, i want to shoot people with revolver rounds from a rifle

The intention from the design was a rifle that can provide rapid fire but reducing some of the complexity at the cost of certain things, such as quick loading from an advanced magazine. And the revolver round an attempt to provide a round that could be realistically chambered and not add as much weight and imbalance to the rifle at a high capacity like a full sized rifle round would do. It's much easier to hold 10 shots of a revolver round than a full sized rifle round allowing fo


Again with the boltie I figured that a reliable bolt action would be something to build on even if we have the freedom to get a little crazy.

[Thanatos Russ]

I like the idea of being a bit unrealistic immediately so the repeater is pretty fun in my book though bolter is reliable ofc.

[FallacyofUrist]

But, like, why use gunpowder when we don't have to?

You know what's overrated? Gunpowder. You know what's underrated? Steam. You know, the hot, boiling, steamy stuff that's created when water gets too hot. You know what's expensive? Gunpowder. Unlike water, gunpowder doesn't rain from the sky. We can get water from our homeland's aquifer, as well. So who needs gunpowder, really?

The Killer Queen is made of standard, easily interchangeable parts. The rifle's barrel is of a sturdy nickel-copper alloy, and has neat little grooves machine-carved into its interior to put a 'spin' on the projectile. Hypothetically, this is supposed to increase the accuracy of the weapon. The barrel is accessible via a bolt handle, where new metal slugs can be inserted after a shot is steam-fired. The boiler module sits behind the barrel, and itself is divided into two parts. The heater component contains burning oil, with a vertical access tube to both fill the heater with oil, and insert a flaming catalyst. The steamer component, sitting atop the heater, allows for water to be poured in and then sealed in, where it will turn to steam and build up pressure. When the trigger is pulled, the steam is given access to the barrel, and then the pressure will naturally propel the slug within at great speeds. Attached to the underside of the boiler module is a wooden stock with a leather wrap, and a similar grip is placed on the underside of the barrel, so we aren't making our troops hold the gun by its hot, steamy boiler.

The gun does not use gunpowder in any stage of its construction, design, usage, or disposal.

[UristMcRiley]

PTW, however I will say the steam rifle no offense seems like at best a dead end it won’t be very scaleable to automatic weapons, or heavier guns, as creative as the idea is we should stick with traditional fire arms

[TricMagic]

Yeah, but it is funny.

[chubby2man]

Going to start by saying I’m not opposed to trying steam or other more out there technologies, but for the standard issue rifle I’m leaning more traditional.

And between maxims bolt action and the repeater, I think I’m leaning towards the repeater for more volume of fire, but I could be swayed either way.

[TricMagic]

When the call came to design a rifle for modern war, it was not innovation that was called upon, but refinement. The Míngxīng Shèshǒu was designed for range reliability, and stopping power. A 508mm barrel that fires single shots, with an easy bolt action reload that won't be jammed by mud or rough handling. 7.62 mm rounds are used to provide superior force, with armor piercing heads. All MS Rifles come with an attachable scope for accuracy at range, good at 300 meters, and effective up to 2100 meters.

It's a very effective weapon made more so by being standardized. Firing Squads are trained to maintain a line of continuous fire, able to hold a line for ages as they cycle between shots. It won't match the rate of fire that "modern" ones do, but training offsets that with more traditional methods of guncraft.

Also an AI version through Grammarly.

The Mingxing Sheshou Rifle, also known as the Star Shooter or MS Rifle, was created to refine and improve on existing rifle designs for modern warfare. It boasts a 508mm barrel that fires single shots with an easy bolt-action reload, providing range reliability and superior stopping power that won't be affected by mud or rough handling. The rifle uses 7.62mm rounds with armor-piercing heads to deliver exceptional force. Additionally, all MS Rifles come with an attachable scope that provides accuracy at ranges up to 300 meters and an effective range of 2100 meters.

The rifle's effectiveness is further enhanced by its standardization. Firing squads are trained to maintain a constant line of fire, allowing them to hold a position for an extended period of time as they cycle between shots. While it may not match the rate of fire of more modern weapons, this disadvantage is overcome through traditional guncraft methods and extensive training.

Do not expect sanity from my designs I suppose. Any critisms appricated.

[Maxim_inc]

Water is too heavy to carry around for a steam rifle.

The Rule of Cool isn't capable of changing the laws of physics that much, a self loading rifle running on gunpowder is gonna outpace a man huffing through no-mans-land as he carries two dozen pounds of water on his back to build up enough steam to make the 80,000 psi needed to propel a round at the same velocity as a gunpowder bullet. He goes to fire and- oh no shrapnel has pierced his water tank and while it didn't scald him in hot steam he's leaked out his entire reaction medium and now he'd be better off spitting the bullets out himself.

The rule of cool is better served getting somewhat inefficient but workable designs to function that would normally be overtaken by more efficient weapons. Not a steam rifle that would need dozens of pounds of reaction medium and a way to heat that reaction medium in a speedy manner more than just a pilot light.

[FallacyofUrist]

I'm entirely aware that my steam rifle is much worse, in a variety of ways, than something more standard and historical. I didn't propose it to be practical, I proposed it to be interesting.

Innovation has to come from somewhere.

[TricMagic]

In terms of votes, I'd vote for it. Be fun. Not sure how practical, but fun.

Mine, meanwhile. It's just a standard rifle. Basic, good for a good roll. (I.E. the many times basic stuff has rolled extremely well in MoP games. Boring but practical.)

[Maxim_inc]

The problem is this is going to be the standard issue rifle our soldiers will use in all circumstances potentially throughout the entire war. We need something reliable and functional to act as the solid foundation of our armory, not experimental and wacky.

[TricMagic]

Wackiness would be the point of such a vote. Not common sense.

Experimental is any semiautomatic too.