In the 70s of the last century, the most extravagant entertainment activity when I was young was to go to the cinema with a few friends to watch a "war movie".
At that time, there were very few movies that could be regarded as "war movies", and there were only a few movies that were screened in movie theaters over and over again.
Because of the movie, several of our boys remembered the names of heroes such as Li Xiangyang, Yang Zirong, and Guo Jianguang, and even remembered the "shell gun" in their hands.
Although we are full of curiosity about the "shell gun", in that era of backward technology and information blockage, it is impossible for us to know the answer "at once" like today's children.
It wasn't until I became an adult that I had the opportunity to read some of the materials, stories, or anecdotes related to the "Barge Gun".
Barge guns. "Barge gun" is the "Chinese name" given by the Chinese to a German-made Mauser pistol.
It is called a shell gun because the gun is equipped with a wooden gun case, which can be attached to the handle when needed, so that this gun box becomes a shoulder rest when firing.
In addition to this title, the Chinese also gave this gun many "aliases" according to its appearance, function, and performance characteristics, such as: "box gun", "box gun", "self-dered", as well as "fast and slow machine", "twenty sounds", "large mirror" and so on.
The "Barge Gun" is one of the world's earliest automatic pistols, among them, the model with the largest number of entries into China is the "M712 rapid-fire type", which can be equipped with a large-capacity bullet clip, and can be switched freely between single shots and bursts, and the firepower is fierce when firing in bursts.
The effective firing range of the gun is 100 meters, the maximum firing range can reach 200 meters, and the scale on the V-shaped light door on the gun can be adjusted to 1000 meters.
A Kuomintang soldier with a shell gun on his shoulder.
The "shell gun" did not have a great reputation in Germany, mainly because of its "two unreliable", if used as a pistol, it was too large and too heavy to carry;
If used as a burst **, its loading method is "unfriendly", which is not conducive to rapid reloading, far inferior to submachine guns, in addition, its adaptability to the environment is poor, and the cost is not low.
The Germans did not expect that the Mauser pistol met a "spring" in China, which was not only very popular with the Chinese, but even became popular, and people were proud to have a barge gun.
In fact, the reason why the Chinese favor this Mauser pistol is also "a last resort", what is the reason?
It's okay not to mention it, but tears ripple when you mention it. ”
During the warlord melee, China's ** mainly relied on imports, but the Western powers imposed an embargo on China, and only pistols were not restricted.
Chinese who have no choice can only choose within the range of pistols, and at this time, the Mauser pistol "stands out" among the many waiting guns.
In the eyes of the Chinese, the Germans considered the faults and defects of the Mauser pistol to be nothing, and "so-so" could accept it.
What's more, although this gun is still called a pistol, it has played a "side ball", it has a lot of ammunition, fierce firepower, and can be worth a submachine rifle when firing in bursts, which is an advantage that other styles of pistols do not have.
Barge guns equipped by Red Army soldiers.
After entering China, the "shell gun" immediately became the first choice for all kinds of armed forces**, and China's regular army, militia, guerrillas, and even bandits used the shell gun.
The reason why people love to use barge guns is also simple and convenient: although bulky, they are much lighter than rifles; It works: The firepower is ferocious, worthy of a submachine gun.
Therefore, many veterans call the shell gun "a magic gun that is not like the other" and can't put it down.
Our people's army is also equipped with a large number of this kind of shell guns, Mr. Zhu's spear is a shell gun, and when General Yang Jingyu was martyred, he carried three shell guns.
Yan Xishan's Jin Sui army was extravagant, he once set up a regimental Mauser pistol team, Feng Yuxiang's hand was even greater, he even used shell guns to equip a brigade, each brigade was equipped with two shell guns, a big knife, majestic.
However, it is no wonder that the Germans themselves did not like this Mauser pistol, there was indeed something wrong with the barge gun, and the problem was not small.
For example, the noise when firing a gun is loud, which makes the eardrum very uncomfortable; When firing continuously, the muzzle jumps sharply, so that it is not guaranteed to hit the target, let alone shoot accurately.
In addition, because the bullet bay of the barge gun adopts a front-facing design, it naturally causes the center of gravity to be forward, so the use of the barge gun is a "strength work", and people with poor wrist strength have difficulty lifting the gun.
Civilian armed forces also used shell guns.
There is another problem that is also more troublesome, that is, the problem of bullet casings jumping randomly after firing is more serious, if you are aiming and shooting with a shell gun, the bullet casings that jump out can easily jump into the gunman's face, which is very dangerous.
Here I have to praise ourselves for our smart and intelligent Chinese. At that time, we didn't have the technology and ability to make or renovate**, but we knew how to use it wisely.
Here are a few clever tricks of Chinese people using barge guns, all of which can be called "turning stones into gold" and "turning decay into magic".
In order to solve the problem of muzzle jumping, more experienced gunners will turn the shell gun sideways, palm up, slightly aim and then throw a shot, so that even if the muzzle jumps, it will not hit the sky.
If the target is multiple people, if the shell gun is set to burst mode, it will have an unexpected effect when shooting sideways - the bullets fired will form a strafing effect from left to right, which will increase the coverage area and increase the probability of hitting.
There is also a bonus, because it is a barge gun with a horizontal end, so the problem of shell gun shells jumping off the face does not exist.
As for the problem of too difficult to load, the Chinese carried out "upgrades" when imitating the barge gun, not only improving the performance, but also making 50 and 70 round magazines, bringing the function of a pistol to the limit.
A hero with a shell gun in a film and television drama.
However, there are also some problems that are difficult to solve, or simply not at all, such as the problem of complex construction and poor environmental adaptability.
Here we must praise the sophistication of "Made in Germany", in the German design, the various parts of the barge gun are connected by the concave and convex notches between each other, without the use of any fasteners, and the precision is very high.
However, such a high level of precision requires the environment in which it is used. For example, if it's too dirty, it's too cold, and if you don't get it right, you will "drop the chain".
It is said that Yang Zirong's sacrifice is related to the "chain drop" of the shell gun.
When Yang Zirong rushed into the bandits' lair and chased the bandits outside, when he aimed at the bandits and fired, the shell gun did not fire, but he was shot by the bandits first.
Later, someone analyzed that Yang Zirong carried a shell gun, and after entering the house from the cold outside, the body of the gun immediately had moisture.
When the chasing bandits came outside again, the moisture on the guns quickly turned to frost.
As a result, the most delicate bolt parts of the barge gun were firmly frozen, which led to the firing failure.
In addition, friends who watched the movie "Guerrillas of the Plains" will definitely remember that Li Xiangyang's classic image in the movie is: holding two shell guns in wartime, and two shell guns diagonally inserted in his belt in peacetime.
Attentive friends may also notice a detail, among Li Xiangyang's two shell guns, one of the gun's crosshairs has been worn out, what is the reason for this?
The classic image of Li Xiangyang in the movie "Guerrillas of the Plains".
According to experienced veterans, grinding the crosshair should have been done so that the belt did not get stuck when drawing the gun.
Some people may ask, can a gun still shoot accurately without a crosshair?
This question is too easy to answer, heroes like Li Xiangyang have already made the shell gun extremely proficient, "man and gun in one", you can hit with a hand, you can hit with a hit, and you don't need to aim at all!
From the warlord melee at the beginning of the first century, the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army, to the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and then to the Korean War, the barge gun is almost indispensable, and it is closely intertwined with modern Chinese history.
Nowadays, all kinds of pistols with better performance and more novel styles have long replaced the shell gun, but as a sign of the times, the shell gun has been deeply engraved in people's memory and will never be forgotten.