NationStates Jolt Archive

Tunisia Adopts New Rifle
http://kanowarrior.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/mannlicher1.jpg

The Tunisian Mannlicher M95 rifle is the main battle rifle of the Tunisian Army. This is a unique rifle in that it has a similar magazine design as the Carcano but the bolt iss a straight pull bolt rather than the traditional turn bolt design. Also of interest is the enlarged oversized trigger guard for use with gloved hands. It is also renowned for a high degree of reliability and sturdiness, although this requires decent care and maintenance with an extractor that is notoriously prone to breakage.

Rate of fire is fairly high, for a manual action weapon, as there is no requirement to turn or twist the bolt when operating the weapon, but the bolt is very stiff and there is a lot of recoil, especially on the carbine versions. These rifles are generally considered as a reasonably strong and accurate, but somewhat sensitive to mud and dirt, as most others military straight pull bolt action rifles.

I Gewtz Corp, 2nd Infantry Division, 14th Infantry Assualt Brigade, 51st Quick Assault Infantry Regiment, 108th Quick Response Battalion, B Company; Captain Eirwen:

We would like to know about the safety modifications you have made to the rifle to counter-act the un-safe bolt mechanism. If this is replied to with the expected answer I wish to purchase eighty of your rifles to use in my company.

The stock of the weapons will have a soft cover put over it, to lessen the recoil. Simple lubricant will unstick it if it gets stuck. We are unaware of any other problems.

Captain Eirwen:

We would like to purchase eighty of your weapons, carbine variation, under the designation of T/Styer Straight-Bolt M/95.

Because we are on good terms with your nation, each rifle shall cost only $250 rather then the usual $300. The weapons are being brought to your nation by steamer.

Tunisia introduces the Durin Gun
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Lewis_Gun.jpg

The Durin gun has a cyclic rate of approximately 550 rounds per minute. The gun weighs 28 lb (12.7 kg), only about half as much as a typical medium machine gun of this era, such as the Vickers machine gun, and should primarily be chosen because it can be carried and used by a single soldier. The Durin Gun is therefore more mobile than heavy machine guns and can much more easily follow the troops during advances and retreats. It is also relatively cheap at about one sixth the cost of a Vickers. In total only 62 parts make up the gun (six Lewis Guns can be produced in the same time as a Vickers gun due to the excessive complexity of the Vickers lockwork). The lighter weight of the Durin Gun will make it popular as an aircraft mounted weapon, especially since the cooling effect of the high speed air over the gun means that the radiator and cooling fins can be removed, making the weapon even lighter.

The Durin Gun is gas operated. A portion of the expanding gases is tapped off from the barrel. This drives a piston to the rear against a spring. The piston is fitted with a vertical post at its rear which rode in a helical cam track in the bolt, rotating it at the end of its travel nearest the breech. This allows the three locking lugs at the rear of the bolt to engage into recesses in the gun's body to lock it into place. The post also carries a fixed firing pin, which protrudes through an aperture in the front of the bolt to fire the next round at the foremost part of the piston's travel. It is designed with an aluminum barrel-casing to use the muzzle blast to draw air into the gun and cool down the internal mechanism.

The Durin Gun utilizes two different drum magazines, one holding 47 and the other 97 rounds (the picture below shows the 47 round version). The 97 round magazine is designed for aircraft use and is considered too heavy for infantry use. Unlike other drum magazine designs, the Durin's drum is not wound against a spring but is mechanically driven by a cam on top of the bolt which operated a pawl mechanism via a lever.

An interesting point of the design is that it does not use a traditional longitudinal coiled spring, but uses a spiral spring, much like a big clock spring, in a semi-circular housing just in front of the trigger. The operating rod has a toothed underside, which engages with a cog which wounds the spring. When the gun fires a round, the bolt recoiles and the cog is turned, tightening the spring until the resistance of the spring has reached the recoil force of the bolt assembly. At that moment, as the gas pressure in the breech falls, the spring unwinds, turning the cog, which, in turn, winds the operating rod forward for the next round. As with a clock spring, the Durin Gun's recoil spring has an adjustment device to adjust the recoil resistance for variations in temperature and wear. Unusual as it seems, the design has proved enduringly reliable.

Specifications
Weight: 28 lb (12.7 kg)
Length: 38 in (965 mm)
Barrel length: 26.5 in (665 mm)
Cartridge: .303 in (7.7 x 56 mm R)
Caliber: .303, 30-06 Springfield, others
Action: Gas
Rate of fire :550 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity: 2,450 ft/s (746.76 m/s)
Feed system: 47 or 97 drum magazine
$150 each

Five thousand for our nations military.

We thank Prussia for its continued bussiness, and will sell the machine guns to her at $100 each. The rifles are enroute by sea.

"Hello. Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?" The doctor looked the president up and down, moving the president's hooka pipe out of the way. The President's advisors clustered around him, staring at what appeared to be thier comotose leader.

"Come on, now. I hear you're feeling down. Well I can ease your pain, get you on your feet again." The president had come under a depression after the death og his daughter, and tried to drown his problems in a hooka pipe. "Relax....I need some information first. Just the basic facts: Can you show me where it hurts?" The president lifted a shaky hand, his eyes refusing to move. He pointed to his heart.

"Ok, ok, ok." Thye doctor readied a needle. "Just a little pinprick. There'll be no more-" As the doctor injected the serum into the presidents vein, he screamed in pain.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" The doctor held him down.

"But you may feel a little sick." The doctor picked the president up. "Can you stand up? I do believe its working. Good." The presidents eyes slowly adjusted to the room around him. "That'll keep you going for awhile. Come on, its time to go." The doctor, the president, and his aides walked out of the bedchamber, wondering how long thier president would last....

OOC: This post is mainly to establish my president's drug addiction. But you don't know that of course.

Tunisian troops are being mobolized and several transport ships are being loaded and readied. The Tunisian government has stated that no military action is being taken against any European nation. Airships have been spotted moving east.

The Economic Minister announced today that Tunisia must becxome an economic power in the next ten years. His ambitious new program, signed off by the president himself, gives major subsidies to factories and small bussiness. Taxes will be lowred on such bussiness and the minister was quoted as saying the economy shall become the "number one concern of Tunisia and her people"

Tunisia Introduces New Pack Howitzer and Two New Artillery Pieces

With the command that Tunisian manufacturing must increase by 50% in ten years, the profits for such an endeavor had to be located quickly. Tunisia had noticed that her land equipment sold well, and came up and tested a total of three new designs. No actual production has begun yet, but prototypes have been tested and deemed satisfactory.

Rumors abound some type of planned military production is driving the creation of such weapons, but Tunisian officials refuse to say.

75/27 Cannon
http://www.battlefront.co.nz/Images/weapons/Italian-art-75-27mod06.jpg

The gun is designed with two notable features. It is the first artillery piece to introduce the split trail, as well as the latest to utilize its novel dual-recoil system. The dual-recoil system consists of a small tubular recoil under the barrel which in turn travels in a traditional rectangular cradle.

Calibre: 75 mm (2.95 in)
Barrel length: 27 calibre 2.13 m (83.85 in)
Action weight: 1075 kg (2370 lb)
Shell weight: 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) high explosive
Elevation: -15° to +65°
Traverse: 54°
Muzzle velocity: 510 m/s (1670 ft/s)
Maximum range: 7.6 km (8300 yards)

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65/17 Cannon
http://www.battlefront.co.nz/Images/weapons/Italian-art-65-17.jpg

A lightweight design, the 65 mm gun is designed for use in difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions. The barrel has a 17 calibre length, and is designed for firing low-trajectory shots. The carriage is likewise simple in nature, consisting of a single trailing arm and solid-rim spoked wheels for horse draft. A simple folding gun shield is also provided.

Calibre: 65 mm (2.55 in)
Barrel length: 17 calibre; 1105 mm (43.5 in)
Action weight: 560 kg (1225 lb)
Shell weight: 4.3 kg (9.5 lb)
Elevation: -10° to +20°
Traverse: 8°
Muzzle velocity: 345 m/s (1130 ft/s)
Maximum range: 6.8 km (7400 yd)

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211/14 Cannon
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Langer_21_cm_morser_hameenlinna_4.jpg/250px-Langer_21_cm_morser_hameenlinna_4.jpg

The 211/14 is designed to be the premier heavy artillery piece used by the Tunisian army. It is a heavy gun, weighing some 15 tons+, and moves only with the Gun tube transported on a separate Wagon.

Barrel length: 14.5 calibers
Caliber: 210 mm
Elevation: -6° to +70°
Traverse: 4°
Muzzle velocity: 393 m/s
Weight of Gun : 15.49
Maximum Range: 10.2 kilometers
Muzzle Velocity: 225-metres per second
Weight of Shell: 121 kilos

I would be interested in buying 2,000 0f your Light machine guns. Please inform us of the cost and the money will be wired to you.