My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 20 Eagle Brand Shotgun
Guns were not only used for hunting in the mountains, but also served as a deterrent to other gold-digging teams and were essential for self-defense.

Often, the dark muzzle of a gun is more powerful than a thousand harsh words or ten thousand insults.

As a gold prospector who had lived in the West Sea, Peng Yuanchao knew the importance of firearms. Without them, it would be difficult to find a safe place to stay in the mountains.

Therefore, he was unwilling to spend money on cheap everyday items like felt, but was willing to spend a lot of money on guns.

That night, Peng Yuanchao went out and didn't return to the stable until late at night, carrying something wrapped in a burlap sack.

Just by looking at its shape, Zhou Jingming knew it was a hunting rifle.

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, like other industries, there was no field for the research and development of domestically produced civilian hunting rifles. Therefore, designated manufacturers were established to produce hunting rifles and hunting rifle ammunition.

Of course, the purpose of producing hunting rifles was not the same as in recent years when it was for the development of competitive sports. Instead, it was for a more direct economic purpose: to protect crops in agricultural production, prevent wild animals from damaging them, and snatch grain from the mouths of animals.

At the same time, the government encourages hunting activities in forest, mountain, and pastoral areas to produce hides, medicinal herbs, and other products, thereby increasing local economic income.

In those days when firearms were readily available even in inland China, it was even more so in a border region like northern Xinjiang, which is a pastoral, mining, and forested area.

Although Peng Yuanchao was not familiar with the area, he could get directions by spending a little money and asking around at hotels or stalls.

A few years ago, there were dedicated hunting rifle shops, and they were even sold directly in state-owned stores such as supply and marketing cooperatives and stationery stores. However, they have been regulated in the last two years and can no longer be seen on the surface, but there are still many private channels for selling guns.

In fact, even after gun and hunting bans were implemented, Zhou Jingming, who had ventured into the gold rush world for many years, knew of several places where black market guns could be obtained, three of which were quite well-known.

The most famous was Hualongzao from Xihai, a synonym for black guns and the hub of the gun trade.

It is even known as an underground arms factory, and has become increasingly famous for manufacturing and selling illegal guns since the 1990s.

In Hualong, a poor county town in the southeast of Xihai, almost every household has a gun-making workshop. Gun making has even become a pillar industry in the area, with farmers farming during the day and making guns at night.

Hualong was the location of the Xihai King Ma Bufang's arsenal during the Republic of China period. The first people to manufacture civilian black guns were the ordnance makers in Ma Bufang's army, and the guns they produced were of excellent quality.

In the 1990s, local machinery factories went bankrupt, leaving behind a lot of materials and equipment, which became the parts and processing equipment for underground gun manufacturing.

The locals knew how to make guns and could build them at home using leftover materials from the factory. Later, when parts became scarce, most of the necessary components came from other places and were assembled and then flowed into the black market through special channels.

Another is Songtao, located at the junction of Guizhou, Hunan, and Chongqing, a place commonly known as a no-man's-land.

Because of poverty, it was very common for farmers to manufacture and sell guns to earn money so that their children could go to school.

The same place where farmers farm during busy seasons and make guns during the off-season, with its densely packed guns all made with crude bench vises, hacksaws, welding machines, grinders, hand drills, files, and drill bits, is indistinguishable from real guns except for the rifling.

They might even manufacture more powerful guns and grenades.

The last place, Yangwutun Village in Hepu, Beihai, Luoyue, may not be considered a black gun base, but a fight between two families over a cemetery dispute resulted in the confiscation of hunting rifles that filled nearly a basketball court... That was after the turn of the millennium.

Zhou Jingming had been to the first two places in his previous life.

In Beihai, he had only heard that a small village with just over 300 households produced very high-quality black guns. Although there were obvious differences in size, the ammunition used was mostly standard shotgun bullets, and the lethality was quite astonishing, even higher than that of police firearms.

In his previous life, Zhou Jingming read an article by Mr. Lu Xun that said foreigners used gunpowder to make bullets to defend against enemies, while Chinese people used gunpowder to make firecrackers to worship gods.

Later, he joked with his friends: "We've entered the internet age, yet some remote rural areas are still using gunpowder technology to manufacture guns and cannons. If Mr. Lu Xun knew about this, what would he think?"

Zhou Jingming never dared to underestimate the Chinese people's deep-seated desire for military power.

Especially in Altay, a region of almost desolate wilderness where there are no people for hundreds of miles, many primal desires are amplified, and fighting and killing become commonplace.

This is also why Zhou Jingming suggested that Peng Yuanchao buy a gun.

You don't need many guns, one is enough.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the people in the team.

If a person is a coward, even a gun will become a cowardly gun.

It depends on how it's used and who uses it.

Having too many guns in the team isn't necessarily a good thing; they're weapons of mass destruction. After all, gold panning is about getting gold dust through blood and sweat, and nobody knows what anyone is really thinking.

The leader should take it; it provides confidence and promotes unity.

Of course, if Peng Yuanchao were to harbor ill intentions and try to harm anyone in the group, he would have to carefully consider whether he could handle the other nine men with just one gun. Zhou Jingming had also considered buying one, but after thinking it over, he figured he could probably get one for free once they entered the mountains, so he wouldn't waste his money.

In his memory, the price of hunting rifles had increased along with income in those days, and they cost about three hundred yuan to buy. Ordinary workers would have to save up for more than half a year without eating or drinking. Original bullets cost one yuan and fifty cents each, and they were also precious.

Being able to play with a double-barreled shotgun is something to be very proud of.

Most people who went hunting in the mountains used homemade old-fashioned cannons.

Seeing Peng Yuanchao return, Zhou Jingming crawled out from under the quilt, carrying a lantern as he approached.

Peng Yuanchao lifted the sack, and Zhou Jingming saw that it was a brand new Eagle brand hunting rifle.

Civilian hunting rifles are a special type of commodity, so unlike military firearms which are named according to the year of their designation, they have their own registered trademarks. Also, because they are related to hunting, their names are almost always animal names.

Lion, tiger, leopard, eagle, eagle, squirrel, deer, pigeon, dog – these are all common hunting rifle brands these days.

Among domestically produced hunting rifles, the most famous are undoubtedly the "Eagle" and "Tiger Head" brands, one in the north and one in the south.

This Eagle brand shotgun is a No. 12 upright double-barreled shotgun produced by the Qiqihar Shotgun Factory.

Peng Yuanchao clearly knew a little about hunting rifles, judging from the box of bullets he bought.

Two boxes of each type of bullet were prepared, from bird bullets for shooting sparrows and small birds to deer bullets for shooting deer, and even slug bullets for hunting wild boars and bears. This gun can meet almost all hunting needs and can be called an all-purpose caliber.

The smaller the caliber number of a gun, the larger the caliber of a shotgun.

This number twelve double-barreled shot looks pretty scary.

Peng Yuanchao bought only reloadable copper-cased bullets produced by the factory, which was quite a significant investment, costing over a hundred yuan just for the bullets alone.

He handed the gun to Zhou Jingming: "What do you think of this gun?"

Zhou Jingming took it and compared it to his own measurements, then nodded slightly: "It's fine."

Then Wu Yang took the gun and compared it with the others. Peng Yuanchao was somewhat surprised to find that both Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang seemed to be very skilled in their postures.

"I originally wanted to buy a lighter 16-gauge double-barreled shotgun, but I felt that the long-range killing power of a 16-gauge shotgun was not as good as that of a 12-gauge, so I chose the 12-gauge instead."

Peng Yuanchao asked tentatively, "Judging from the two of you, it seems you both know how to use guns!"

Zhou Jingming smiled and said, "I've touched it!"

Zhou Jingming has spent half his life seeking his fortune abroad, and guns are something he often can't do without.

He's played with quite a few different models, and these were once among his leisure and entertainment devices. It was common for him to shoot frisbees with a shotgun at the training ground, and he also did his fair share of things like wildly firing a submachine gun for fun.

Wu Yang chimed in, "Yeah... I've touched it too!"

He had served in the armed police force, and the use of firearms was part of daily training. He probably rarely used hunting rifles, but the principles of firearms are largely the same, and once you understand one thing, you can understand everything.

Zhou Jingming believed that he not only knew how to use it, but also had a considerable level of skill.

But their somewhat vague answers made Peng Yuanchao roll his eyes again: "Even now, you're still not being honest with me?"

Zhou Jingming emphasized: "I really touched it!"

Wu Yang grinned: "I did touch it!"

"This……"

Listening to the two of them talking back and forth, Peng Yuanchao sighed, somewhat helplessly: "Touch, touch, touch... I'll find you a woman tonight?"

“I don’t need to, but if you want to find someone to take into the mountains, I have no objection. That’s more in line with your status as the head of the Golden Company. Anyway, you’ll be paying for it yourself.”

Zhou Jingming said jokingly.

Wu Yang's eyes widened: "You can bring women into the mountains?"

(End of this chapter)