“Start with the Mannlicher,” Mike said, showing the Keldara how to set up the bipod and take a good position, including setting up the straps. “Bolt action, five rounds. Comfortable with the scope?”
“I love it,” the Keldara whispered. “May I load, Kildar?”
While the other six were blazing away, Mike showed the Keldara how to zero in the scope and use the spotting scope. It turned out that Lasko was a fucking artist with the Mannlicher. After he was comfortable with the weapon, Mike went back over to the others. He corrected a few bad habits they were developing and then ran them through alternate shooting stances. He moved them off the shorter range and over to the longer, pulling up the steel targets and having them engage those.
“Okay, everybody,” Mike said. “That includes you, Lasko. I’m going to show you why you don’t go on full auto.”
There were three silhouette targets that had been set up at fifty meters. Mike had Oleg take a standing position with his AK.
“Okay, Oleg, I want you to use a full magazine to engage those targets,” Mike said. “Single fire, the whole magazine. Shoot one for a bit, then the other, then the other.”
“Yes, Kildar,” Oleg said, puzzled.
“Try to do it fast,” Mike added.
Oleg lifted the weapon and engaged the targets, firing fast but keeping on target. When he was finished with the course of fire, Mike walked the group down to the targets and patched them. Twenty-five of the thirty rounds in the magazine had hit the targets.
“Okay,” Mike said when they were back at the shooting tables. “Now, I want you to take the weapon and put it on full auto. I don’t care how you hold it, just blaze away at the targets.”
“Very well, Kildar,” Oleg said, grinning a bit. He put the weapon to his shoulder, set it on full auto and hammered out the whole magazine in about two seconds.
“That was fun,” Oleg said, smiling faintly.
“Sure is,” Mike said. “Now set the weapon down and let’s go find out how well you shot.”
When they checked the targets, there was one round center of mass in the left target, another in a shoulder of the same target and the other two hadn’t been hit. They patched those and went back to the shooting tables.
“When you fire, the muzzle climbs,” Mike said, picking up one of the weapons and demonstrating without firing. “When you’re on full auto, the muzzle climbs out of control. You may get one round on target, maybe two or three if you train for it, but if you fire off the whole magazine you’re going to hit damned little.”
“I see that,” Oleg said, frowning.
“There’s a way to fire on auto,” Mike said, picking up a magazine and inserting it. He lined up the left-hand target, leaning into the weapon. He hit all three targets with quick three round bursts, moving back and forth until all the rounds were expended. “Let’s check the targets.”
When they got to the targets, they counted the holes and thirty out of thirty were in the targets. All of them, moreover, were in a narrow area from the upper chest to the head and the pattern of the bursts was clear, neat, triangular shots.
“Father of All,” Vil said, breathing out.
“One of them was a nick,” Mike said, shaking his head. “I’m way out of practice. But the point is, if you just blaze away, you miss. Stay on single shot. We’ll practice burst, but in general, stay on single shot. The other point is, you’re not going to be sitting in the houses with your ammo. You’re going to be moving and you have to carry it on your back. And there aren’t any helicopters to bring ammo from God. If you go blazing away, you’re going to shoot yourself dry. Conserve your rounds, service your targets and make every shot count.”
“Is the bigger gun a machine gun?” Vil asked, pointing at the Robar.
“No,” Mike said, shrugging. “I probably shouldn’t have gotten it out. But…” He considered the targeting possibilities and shrugged again. “Oleg, grab the box of ammo, Vil the Robar and Lasko the spotting scope. We’re going to need more range to zero it.”
He took them back to the house and up to the balcony overlooking the harem garden.
“This will do,” he said, setting the Robar on a table and unfolding the bipod. “Lasko, spot my rounds on the third zero target.” Mike loaded a magazine in the weapon and took a good sight picture on the target. The scope was strong enough that the bull’s-eye filled most of it.
“Right, high,” Lasko said at the first round. “Low, left, just outside.”
Mike took five rounds to get the weapon zeroed in to where his last two went perfectly through the X ring. He replaced the magazine and loaded, then swiveled the weapon to look down into the valley.
“What time of year is it?” Mike asked, noting a small group of deer down by the stream. “Spring. Any hunting laws around here?”
“You’re looking at the herd?” Lasko asked, looking through the spotting scope. “That is nearly two kilometers away.”
“Which one?” Mike asked. It was a long time since he’d shot at this level and he wasn’t sure he could make the shot. But he was sure enough to try. Even close would be impressive at this range.
“The bigger darker one on the left,” Lasko said, quietly. “That is the buck. He has nothing to do for the rest of the year but eat. He’s skinny now, though. He’ll be very tough.”
“I’m making a point,” Mike said. “You can have the meat if I’m on.”
Mike looked down into the valley at the trees and tried to gauge the wind. About seven knots from the southeast. Range… if the deer was a meter and a quarter or so at the shoulder he was 1500 meters based on the measurements in the scope. Mike wished for a moment he’d gotten a laser range finder out. There was one sitting in the equipment room but he hadn’t expected to need it. He adjusted the scope and considered his target. Even with the 20x scope the deer was small at this distance. He took a slight breath, breathed out, drew back on the trigger and timed the last bit of squeeze for when his heartbeat was off.
The Robar cracked and Vil sighed.
“Missed.”
“Wait,” Mike said. A moment later the deer took a step forward, then fell to his knees and over on his side. The slush beyond him was red with blood. The other deer sniffed at it for a moment and then trotted away in confusion.
“Vil and Lasko,” Mike said, straightening up. “Get the Expedition and go pick up my deer, please. Dress it and present it to Father Kulcyanov with my compliments and apology for it being so tough.”
“Yes, Kildar,” Vil said, quietly.
“Right through the fucking heart,” Vil said that night at dinner. “Right behind the shoulder.”
“Formidable,” Lasko said, nodding. “Very formidable. I look forward to what he can teach me.”
“We have a real Kildar again,” Father Shaynav said, nodding. “Not some fat commissar or corrupt policeman, but a warrior as the Kildar should be.”
“I think he should be brought into the mysteries,” Vil said, boldly. “He is equal to them.”
“It is early to decide that,” Father Shaynav said, sternly. “We have not seen him tested in struggle and he still does not know our customs. When he stands the test, when he has been one of us longer, we can consider if he should be brought into the mysteries.”
“Ladies,” Mike said as the four whores filed into the foyer and looked around in interest. They were each carrying small bags, probably all they owned. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where you’re going to be staying.”
The harem quarters had been cleaned up but the rooms were still Spartan in the extreme. He showed them to the four rooms he’d chosen for them, had them drop their bags there and then showed them to his office.