Chapter 33

Wilhelm arrived at the office and not long after, Annie led in an elderly man who walked unsteadily. "Your Highness, Mr. Mauser is here."

The old man, who seemed to be in his seventies, trembled and bowed. 'Hello, respected Crown Prince.'

Wilhelm replied indifferently "Oh, isn't this Mr. Mauser? What brings you here personally?" He was still annoyed by Mauser's dismissive response last time, although he wouldn't hold a grudge against him, he couldn't be bothered to put on a friendly face either.

The old man gave a bitter smile and went straight to the point. "Your Highness Wilhelm, I won't beat around the bush. I'm willing to offer you a 15% stake."

"...So this old man sees me as an extortionist?" Wilhelm shook his head. "No, Mr. Mauser. I am not corrupt. Last time, my proposal was to exchange three blueprints for that 12% stake. But now there's an additional condition, you need to change the bullet caliber." He took out three blueprints and had Annie hand them to the old man.

The old man put on his reading glasses and opened the first blueprint. After a glance, he froze. "Kar 98k? This locking mechanism..."

Wilhelm nodded. "That's right, it's a rear locking mechanism."

The locking mechanism refers to the connection between the breechblock and barrel during firing. Locking mechanisms can be categorized into inertia locking and rigid locking. Inertia locking means there is no mechanical connection between the breechblock and barrel during firing, and locking is achieved through the inertia of the breechblock's mass. Examples include free-floating bolt, semi-free-floating bolt, roller-delayed blowback, and other types. Rigid locking means the breechblock is directly connected to the barrel through a certain mechanism, and it is released and recoils by unlocking mechanism. Examples include rotating bolt, swinging barrel, tilting block, tipping block, and sliding wedge.

There are various locking mechanisms available, but many are short-lived. Currently, the most widely used is the rotating bolt locking mechanism, with Germany's Mauser front locking and Britain's Enfield rear locking being representative examples.

Mauser's front locking is a characteristic of the Mauser-style action, invented by the Mauser brothers in the late 19th century. Due to its simple structure and reliable locking, it has been used almost unchanged for over a century. Even modern actions have very few differences compared to the Mauser brothers' design a hundred years ago. Its bolt has two lugs at the front that rotate and lock into recesses in the middle of the receiver behind the chamber. As the locking position is right behind the chamber, errors in the action itself do not significantly affect the shooting accuracy.

Rear locking is the locking method used in the British Lee-Enfield rifle. The lugs are located at the rear of the bolt, and in order to lock, a recess must be cut into the middle of the receiver. Consequently, the receiver walls must be made thicker. However, since the bolt handle is close to the lugs, the opening and locking stroke of this locking mechanism is much smoother compared to the front locking of the Mauser-style action. Because of this characteristic, coupled with Lee-Enfield's ten-round magazine, the British Army claimed that a soldier could fire up to 15 rounds per minute during the early stages of World War I. When British soldiers fired in volleys, German soldiers felt as if they were being suppressed by machine gun fire. The intense and constant indirect fire left a lasting impression on them. In the later 'Mad Minute' military documentary, the Lee-Enfield world record was 38 rounds per minute, including two reloads, while maintaining accuracy.

Wilhelm incorporated this ten-round magazine and rear locking mechanism into the upcoming modified Kar 98k. He also adopted a tangent-type rear sight, which was easier to aim and hit targets compared to the Mauser 98k with a V-notch sight. Additionally, to facilitate production, he simplified the main components.

The old man's expression turned sour. It was apparent that giving up their proud front locking invention was not something they were willing to accept. He looked at Wilhelm, trying to salvage his front locking mechanism. "Your Highness, the patent for rear locking..."

Wilhelm sneered, "Their No. 3 model is just a copy of the Mauser-style (front locking) action, isn't it? Even if they applied for a patent, it has expired after so many years...!" He knew Mauser's intentions well and emphasized, "Mr. Mauser, you should know that I'm not here to negotiate with you! If you can accept it, great. If not, you can leave now!"

After a while, the old man sighed deeply and opened the next document. "MG3? NSV?" Wilhelm chose the MG3 machine gun, known for its reliable action and powerful firepower. It extensively used stamping, spot welding, and riveting processes in its construction, resulting in a simple manufacturing process and low cost.

The first version fired the 7.62x51mm NATO standard round, and it was an improved version of the MG42, originally produced by Rheinmetall based on the actual blueprints of the MG42 from World War II. After changing the caliber, it was renamed MG1. Several minor improvements were made to MG1, resulting in the MG3. As a result, the MG3 machine gun shares high parts interchangeability with the MG42 produced in Germany during World War II, and they look very similar. Without looking at the engravings or the muzzle devices, it is easy to confuse the two.

What pleased Wilhelm the most was that unlike the MG42, the MG3 allowed for adjustable firing rates. With a 550-gram bolt carrier and an N-type buffer, the rate of fire could reach 1200 rounds per minute. By replacing it with a 950-gram bolt carrier and an R-type buffer, the rate of fire could be reduced to 700-900 rounds per minute.

Even without changing the bolt carrier, simply reversing the inertia rod spring inside the MG3's receiver would increase the resistance, prolong the unlocking time, decrease the acceleration of the bolt carrier, and lower the rate of fire.

The "NSV" mentioned by Mauser refers to a heavy machine gun developed by the Soviet Union in the future. Due to its outstanding overall performance and innovative structural design, it was widely used as a general-purpose infantry heavy machine gun by Warsaw Pact member countries, rivaling the Browning M2 heavy machine gun widely used in the West. Several decades later, some NATO member countries recommended and tested the NSV to replace the outdated M2.

If the US Army didn't improve and officially designate the M1921 as the M2, Wilhelm would definitely have brought it over for his own use.

He wanted to negotiate authorization with the United States, but there was no guarantee they would agree. Additionally, the NSV was much lighter and had a higher rate of fire than the M2. So Wilhelm decided to develop it for his own purposes.

After reviewing all the information, Mauser's face showed astonishment. In his younger days, he was also a designer, and he could recognize the value of these design drawings. It was clear they were the work of a master, although it was hard to imagine they came from the hands of the Crown Prince standing before him.