Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2250 - 2226: Hardware

The three of them conducted a long session of test firing, primarily to verify the stability of the guns and bullets. Gao Yang’s gun was an old piece, and the bullets were also aged. After many decades had passed, it was uncertain if the bullets were still as stable as when they were newly manufactured.

Eventually, Gao Yang took the K98 that Fedor left him, and also selected a Springfield M1903, while Cui Bo and Phoenix each picked up the same model of M1903.

During World War II, there wasn’t much choice in sniper rifles, so if one wanted to improve accuracy and stability, the only area for further work was the bullets.

After Gao Yang and the others did some preliminary testing of the guns, the next step was to take the spent shells and drive to Portland to find Jack.

After a night of driving, they arrived in Portland before dawn, and upon meeting Jack, a fatigued Gao Yang, due to the overnight travel, took out his rifle and said, "I need you to ensure that the bullet fired from this gun can hit a human head at 450 meters."

A qualified 98k sniper rifle should be able to hit a human head at 300 meters, and hit a person at 600 meters. Having this level of accuracy qualifies it.

Fedor was a top-notch sniper himself, and his rifle was among the best. During Gao Yang and the others’ tests, his rifle could accurately hit the head target at roughly 350 meters using the old bullets, but beyond 400 meters, it could no longer guarantee hitting a head-sized target.

The gun couldn’t be modified, but with better bullets, Gao Yang’s goal might be achievable.

Jack, still his usual self, took Gao Yang’s gun, examined it, then looked at Cui Bo and Phoenix’s guns, and nodded, "What’s it for?"

Although Gao Yang had a good relationship with Jack, he wasn’t part of their inner circle. Jack was always a legal gunsmith, even though he often engaged in illegal activities. Gao Yang still didn’t want to involve Jack.

"Don’t ask. I need to accurately hit a target among a group of people from a distance of 450 meters, without any deviation caused by the gun or bullets."

Jack thought for a moment, glanced at Cui Bo and Phoenix, then suddenly said, "Springfield bullets are easy to solve. There’s special high-precision .3006 ammo. If your gun is very good, then hitting the head at 450 meters won’t be a problem."

Gao Yang replied solemnly, "But I need 98K bullets, and I brought the shells."

Jack scratched his head, somewhat troubled, and said, "7.92 caliber bullets are hard to come by. I mean high-precision ammo isn’t easy to resolve; it requires time."

Gao Yang exhaled, speaking in a low voice, "But we are in a hurry, very urgent, with only one day at most."

Jack continued scratching his head, then he raised his head and spoke quietly, "Give me one day. I’ll go buy some 8x57mm heavy-pointed bullets. There’s a brand whose 8mm Mauser ammo is pretty accurate. Then I’ll remove the bullet heads, select a batch of zero-tolerance heads, and use your old shells to manually reload some bullets. The precision should be sufficient."

The Mauser 98K rifle’s caliber is 7.92mm, but 8mm bullets can also be used. In the American market, the available 98K bullets are mostly 8mm.

Gao Yang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, Jack. One day. I have twelve shells, and surely twelve bullets can be loaded in one day."

Jack laughed and said, "Alright, then how many .3006 bullets do you need? I have some in stock; you can try firing them first."

Gao Yang looked at Cui Bo and Phoenix, and then said, "When we leave, ten bullets for each gun will be sufficient."

Jack laughed and said, "Is that enough?"

Actually, one bullet per gun would be enough, and if it didn’t seem secure, then two bullets would be more than enough. In reality, the likelihood of needing a second bullet was almost zero.

Gao Yang grabbed Jack’s shoulder and said very seriously, "Jack, when making the bullets, make sure not to leave any traces that can lead back to you; absolutely none."

Jack pondered for a moment and said, "Those .3006 bullets are produced by a major brand, mainly used for hunting rifles, with a large user base. There’s no need to worry about tracing them back. As for the Mauser ammo we’re making, I’m confident no traces will be left."

Gao Yang smiled and said, "Twelve Mauser rounds, twenty .3006 rounds, not counting those we test here, just the ones we take away; then it’s ten thousand US dollars per round."

Jack was slightly taken aback, but then said, "Alright, ten thousand US dollars per round is a reasonable price."

No bullet would ever truly be worth ten thousand US dollars, so in the price Gao Yang paid, one dollar was the cost of the bullet, and the rest was for the risk Jack had to bear.

Gao Yang smiled and said, "Little Donnie will pay you the safety money."

Jack went to purchase the bullets for modification, while Gao Yang made a phone call to Morgan in Jack’s lounge and took a brief nap.

By the time it was getting dark again, Jack finally completed loading Gao Yang’s bullets.

He only manually reloaded twelve bullets, but Jack seemed to have worked long hours. He placed the twelve bullets in front of Gao Yang with a weary look and said, "These are twelve zero-tolerance heads chosen from a hundred, ***** weight is perfectly consistent, and they’ve all been polished. The workers have all clocked out, and the shooting range has been cleared. You can test the rounds now."

Gao Yang picked up the rounds and smiled, "I have great confidence in you. Now let’s see your craftsmanship."

At the shooting range, a head target was set up at 450 meters. Gao Yang lay prone, carefully aimed, and test-fired three shots.

All three shots accurately hit the head target; the precision boost from the modified bullets was clear.

Then Gao Yang fired three more shots standing, and similarly, all three were on target.

The results were outstanding. Now Gao Yang’s hardware setup met his requirements.

Jack, with a face full of admiration, said, "You’re the best stand-up shooter among all the marksmen I’ve ever seen, bar none, but you now only have six bullets left."

Gao Yang pulled one round from the remaining bullets, smiling, "I only need this one bullet, and I only have one chance to shoot."

Jack spread his hands, smiling ruefully, "I don’t know what you’re up to, but it’s surely something major."

Gao Yang glanced at his watch, grinned and said, "We’re heading to catch a plane. If we miss it, we won’t be able to bring our guns and bullets. We’re leaving now, thank you for your help, Jack."

After saying this, Gao Yang thought for a moment and finally decided to give a hint, so he said to Jack, "If you want to know what these bullets were used for, then watch more television. If you see major news, that means I succeeded. If not, or if the news says I failed, then I won’t come to you again."