| Screw Breech | |
|---|---|
| |
| Requires | Machined Rifling |
| Building Needed | Army Staff College |
| Leads To | None |
| Stream | Military, Military |
| Effects | |
| |
Screw Breech is a Technology in Empire: Total War. It is available only to Great Britain.
Description[]
This cunning mechanism does away with the need to load a weapon by ramming charge and shot down the muzzle, making the whole business quicker.
Instead, a handle underneath the rear of the barrel causes the screw section of the breech to drop away, allowing the user to put a ball and a charge into the barrel. The handle is then turned back; the breech closes and seals the firing chamber. The gun then fires like any other flintlock. Better yet, the screw breech doesn't require the user to stand in order to be able to use a ramrod to proper effect.
Historically, Major Patrick Ferguson (1744-1780) was the first to produce a practical military weapon with a screw breech. The mechanism was expensive to manufacture, so using it on a rifle was a sensible idea. In expert hands, Ferguson's rifle was a superb weapon with a high rate of fire, but is was delicate compared to a flintlock. Ferguson's tactics of skirmishing and sniping at the enemy didn't fit the prevailing mind set of the British Army of the time. After Ferguson was wounded and no longer an advocate for his rifle or tactics, his unit was disbanded with unseemly haste.
General Information[]
Screw Breach unlocks Ferguson Riflemen, riflemen with a very high rate of fire due to their breech-loading rifles.