Let's say a modern gunsmith somehow goes back in time to the 16th century, what would be the most advanced gun he could create with the metallurg...

Let's say a modern gunsmith somehow goes back in time to the 16th century, what would be the most advanced gun he could create with the metallurgy of that era?

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  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    metallurgy isn't the tech bottleneck for 16th century guns, that would be the lack of precision machine tools and factories for mass production of bolts, springs, receivers, cartridges etc. I don't think a modern gunsmith could really do better than a breechloading flintlock

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      It depends if you want to crank them out for an army, or slowly produce status pieces for nobles. I feel like you'd be able to make an acceptable DA revolver given that people were able to make reasonably complex clockwork at the time, but it would take a lot of handfitting and effort, as well as trusting that your powder is going to be reasonably consistent as to not blow up the gun.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Only if he knows the foundational work of mechanical accuracy and building that first. He can shorten the time if he gets supported and protected by guilds and lords of the time, and grow in apprentices to accelerate the progress.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      And the chemical industry to make the powder and primers.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >that would be the lack of precision machine tools and factories for mass production of bolts, springs, receivers, cartridges etc
      Mass production would have been a problem, but black-powder revolvers wouldn't be impossible by any means, pic related CLOCKS

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    as others have mentioned, it's not the metallurgy but the entire enabling technology stack. england - with the most advanced industrial base in the world - didn't manage to mass produce firearms with interchangeable parts until the 1853 Enfield musket.

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous
  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Does our guy have time? does he need to supply an army or just make a few pieces for himself?
    As the other anons said there are lots of foundational tech and industry needed before he could even start making even a simple cartridge based breech loader or a revolver.
    if anything right off the bat he could make a slamfire single shot shotgun pretty quickly.
    Anything beyond that will take time, will not be mass produced and overall not worth it before he dies of dysentery

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    You could go full Pauly if you manage to produce a primer like fulminated mercury. It would be enough if you do a shotgun for hunting. Still, striker fired, breech loading and self contained ammo would be possible in the 16th century.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Do your common gunsmith know how to sythesize fulminates? How would one do it using the alchemical knowledge and terms of the day?

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I wonder if blackpowder can be used for a recoiless rifle, or do you need nitro-based smokeless powder for the needed impulse?

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    making the gun itself wouldn't be an issue, the problem would be his inability to produce smokeless powder. he would be relegated to old black powder tech, so no self-loading rifles.
    pic related is the pinnacle of black powder weapons technology

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >he would be relegated to old black powder tech, so no self-loading rifles
      I'm still a newbie, so would you mind explaining why self loading rifles wouldn't work with black powder please?

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        in a word, fouling

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          Ah ok, thanks anon

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      What about early Maxim gun?

  8. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Rather than handheld gun, how about quick-firing breechloading light artillery piece made to, idk, mid-19th century standards? I'd imagine Gustavus Adolphus gonna be estatic with a light field gun with ACW style carriage, 18th century Gribeauval-bored or even ACW Parrott wrought iron band gun barrel, worm screws to dial elevation and traverse, bagged charge, flintlock ignition, and even perhaps interrupted thread or sliding breech? What I'd think would be great is the usage of brass casing to achieve perfect obturation for breechloading mechanism.

  9. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Depends on whether we're talking about one-offs or mass production and what other knowledge the gunsmith has. If we're talking about a man who's basically limited to machining then black powder breech loaders are but if we're talking about some sort of polymath isekai protagonist ho has knowledge of chemistry, foundry work, etc. and can implement those things as needed then I see no reason why centerfire smokeless repeating arms would be off the table, with some limitations.

    Mercury fulminate is basically nitric acid + mercury + ethanol and all of those were known at the time, so that's achievable. Guncotton is basically just cellulose soaked in nitric acid, so that's doable. Primers are basically two thin pieces of pressed metal sheet with a pinch of explosive, so that's doable. Lead bullets are literally just fricking cast lead, so no problems there. Ferrous metallurgy of the time would probably be up to the task for barrels and receivers and such, if not as well. The biggest problem is the drawn brass cases, but something straight-walled and stout like .45-70 might be achievable. Failing that, I could see a metalllc-base paper cartridge like the .577 Snider working pretty well but that pretty much precludes self-loading operation and smokeless.

    Honestly though I think that the nastier application would be in artillery. Having interrupted-thread cannon and Shimose powder in the 17th century would be fricking nuts.

  10. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    so long as he brings some working examples with him and the requisite blueprints for tooling etc., p sure he could just walk into any royal court and be like
    >"yo watch this shit"
    >mag dump into a pile of plate armor
    >"gimme money and guildmen and I can arm your entire military with similar things"

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