An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 41

Slime and Magnum – Chapters

Chapter 41  I should be able to kill an elephant

I wish I had brought my entire fortune with me. I’m realizing that now. I didn’t expect to need so much cash, thinking it was just a simple shopping trip. But you see, I have to pay with the profits from the fur business. It was a mistake.

“Huff… huff… I managed to borrow this forcefully from the customs office. Is this enough?” Bal-san panted as he rushed up to the rooftop, offering a leather bag containing a hundred gold coins.

“Put it in here,” I said, opening the mouth of a yellow magic bag.

“Another one of those bags… What’s the deal with it?”

“I won’t explain.”

“Just another ‘don’t look, don’t ask’ situation, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I get it. I’m trusting you on this.”

Bal-san placed the gold coins into the magic bag, feeling its rough texture as he did so.

“375 Holland & Holland Magnum rounds!”

From within a ridiculously large cardboard box emerged…

375 H&H Magnum! A box of 20 rounds!

This is one of the most powerful hunting ammunitions, even suitable for hunting elephants in Africa.

Although there are now even larger ones meant for killing walruses (※1) or Tyrannosaurus rex (※2), for over a century, hunters have achieved overwhelming success and history by taking down elephants and rhinos with this magnificent ammunition!

“375 H&H Magnum, paired with the Remington M700 with iron sights!”

Thud!

Once again, the bag grew heavier.

A massive rifle appeared!

A thick barrel! A walnut stock, polished to a glossy black finish, and a robust mechanism. It comes with iron sights, which are the traditional open sights consisting of front and rear sights. I had no time to attach a scope or make adjustments, so I opted for this in a split second.

Apparently, British gentlemen found it quite stylish to shoot elephants and wild beasts at close range with such a rifle.

I fail to comprehend their perspective. After all, the advantage of a rifle lies in its ability to shoot from a distance.

Using the H&H Magnum with iron sights, I thought I’d need an old-fashioned side-by-side double-barrelled rifle with engraved floral patterns, as if a British nobleman exploring colonies would use one. But luckily, that wasn’t necessary. The Remington M700 series is truly exceptional, and it also offers this caliber in its product lineup. I don’t think I’d be able to hit anything without my familiar M700 series.

Pulling the bolt, I can only fit one, two, three… three huge rounds in the ejection port. It’s a three-round burst. Well, the bullets are so massive that it can’t be helped. I press the bolt of my uniquely long-action rifle and take aim.

…I’m fine. I’ve done precision shooting with iron sights even on air rifles. My Diana M52 air rifle has a scope attached, but it also has iron sights. Of course, I have experience shooting with those as well.

I steady my position with one knee on the ground and take aim.

“Watch for the impact, Saran!”

I target the core of the slime, trying to climb over a wall just 50 meters away.

Doo-gaa—n!!

I remain in the aiming position but fall backward.

Incredible recoil!

What is this?

What is this!!

“Missed! Adjust three mils up!”

The binoculars I handed to Saran have mil dots (※3) for range estimation.

At 50 meters, one mil is… let’s see.

At 1,000 meters, one mil is 1 meter, so at 100 meters, one mil is 10 centimeters?

Now at 50 meters, so… one mil is 5 centimeters? Does that mean it hit 15 centimeters above?

Of course, I can adjust the rear sight, but I just bought this rifle, so it’s not calibrated yet!

It’s impossible to hit accurately right away! And there’s no time to adjust it!

I get up and manipulate the bolt. The ridiculously large cartridge case flies away.

One more shot!

Once again, I take aim with a kneeling position, and Saran comes around behind me, pressing her chest tightly against my back, embracing me. The resilience of her chest against my back feels… like the best cushion.

Thank you so much. What an amazing wife she is.

I line up the front sight of the open sights to aim 15 centimeters below the transparent core of the slime!

“I’m going to shoot!”

“Go ahead!”

Doo-gaa—n!!

…The slime squishes and collapses, falling off the castle wall.

“It worked!”

Taking down one of them slows the movements of the slimes.

“Saran, it’s, it’s a bit painful, let me go, please.”

She’s clinging to me so tightly, it hurts, it hurts, it’s painful!

“Oh, sorry.”

“Huff… huff… I’m fine now. Thanks for watching the impact.”

By shooting a few rounds, I can gauge the recoil and adjust accordingly. Leaning slightly forward, I shift my weight, brace my legs, and grip the gun tightly against my shoulder with my right little finger. Normally, I don’t grip it too tightly, but with such strong recoil, it’s a different story.

“Bal-san, please ask the security guards to move away. They’re becoming a hindrance.”

“Sure thing!”

Bal-san dashes down.

“Saran.”

“Yes!”

“Put these on.”

Earplugs.

I’ll put some on as well. The gunfire is overwhelming; my ears have been constantly ringing. It’s an immensely loud sound. If I keep firing without earplugs, I fear my sanity might be at risk.

I continue to aim at the top of the main gate…

One of the slimes, its red body raised, gets poked by a security guard’s spear.

They’re in the way. I can’t shoot.

Bal-san rushes back, yelling at the security guards and driving them away.

Doo-gaa—n!!

Lowering the gun barrel that jumped from the recoil, I see the swollen slime fall behind the main gate.

“We’re managing somehow.”

I pull the bolt, open the chamber, and reload three more rounds.

A few minutes later, another slime emerges from the top of the main gate…

Doo-gaa—n!!

Shoo, shoo, shoo…

This time, smoke emanates from the center of the main gate, and a hole appears, with something red oozing out.

Doo-gaa—n!!

The red slime bursts into pieces.

The security guards line up on top of the castle wall, peering down beyond the wall.

Bal-san waves his hands towards us.

Far away, we can see the slimes that had turned blue, retreating.

What a catastrophe.

Phew…

We managed to handle it somehow, right?

Looking at the H&H Magnum rounds again, they are incredibly large ammunition.

They are so long and thick that I can’t even hide them in my hand.

The bullet’s tip is round. It’s a round nose bullet (※4).

Even though it’s a hunting ammunition, it’s not a hollow point.

I suppose this is necessary to penetrate the vital spots of elephants and rhinos.

The package states it delivers 4,660 ft-lbs of energy…

Ft-lbs is a unit of energy in the imperial system used in the United States and Britain, where 1 ft-lb is equal to 1.356 joules. Let’s remember that.

The .308 Winchester I’ve been using is around 2,600, so this is about 1.8 times more powerful…

I look at the gun…

Impressive. Everything about it looks sturdy.

But it’s still an M700, just like the rifle I always use.

When I check the contents of the magic bag, I realize there are quite a few gold coins left.

Huh? Surprisingly affordable?

I must have gone overboard with a hundred gold coins.

Holland & Holland (※5) is a super high-end gun manufacturer from England, known for making guns for nobles since ancient times. A single rifle costs around a million or ten million yen, not an ordinary brand. So, I wasn’t sure what kind of gun would come out, but I thought I would need about a hundred gold coins for a rifle using H&H. It turns out the M700 was cheaper, which is good.

“Hey!”

As I turn around, there stands Bal-san.

He must have gone up and down the stairs multiple times, as he’s drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.

“Good job. What happened?”

“Is that all you have to say…? They ran away. Thanks for the help…”

Saying that, he collapses and ends up on all fours.

“Huff… huff… huff… I’ll say it… Thank you… You did great.”

――――Author’s Notes――――

※1. For walrus hunting

.470 Nitro Express. A 47 caliber (12.1mm) cartridge with an energy of 5,140 ft-lbs, boasting twice the power of Shin’s .308.

In Japan, a special possession permit is granted for walrus extermination shooting, and the price of each cartridge is 6,500 yen.

※2. For Tyrannosaurus hunting

.577 T-REX. A .577 caliber (14.9mm) Magnum cartridge that the manufacturer claims can take down a Tyrannosaurus. It’s more of a novelty item. With 10,200 ft-lbs of energy, it’s four times more powerful than Shin’s .308. Alaskan people apparently use it for whaling. Whaling is bad… Videos of people firing it and getting blown away or knocked over are popular.

※3. Mil-dot

“Mil” means one-thousandth. Then why not just use “milli”… I wonder if it’s a military tradition to call it “mil.” In essence, the scope has markings that appear as one meter at a distance of 1000 meters. So if a 10-meter-long truck appears as 10 markings, the distance is 1000 meters, and if it appears as 20 markings, the distance is 500 meters. Conversely, if it appears as 10 markings at 500 meters, then the truck’s actual length is 5 meters. This is how it’s used.

Scopes with a first focal plane adjust the interval between markings as you change the magnification. Scopes with a second focal plane, on the other hand, keep the interval between markings constant even as you change the magnification. Of course, scopes with adjustable intervals are more luxurious and expensive, but they have the drawback of having markings too fine to read at lower magnifications. So, you should choose according to your preferred style of use. Scopes with a second focal plane often have settings where the mils align at maximum magnification. Please check the scope’s instruction manual for more details.

※4. Round nose

In large caliber Magnum bullets designed for hunting large animals like elephants, rhinos, Canadian and Alaskan moose, and grizzly bears, round nose bullets are commonly used. Conventional pointed bullets can change angles when passing through thick skin or deviate inside the body. Round nose bullets are considered more effective since they provide a straightforward penetration to hit vital spots. Naturally, round nose bullets have greater air resistance, causing power to diminish rapidly and affecting shooting accuracy at long distances.

After over 100 years of being used against elephants on the frontlines of Africa, the current shape of the bullet was retained due to its effectiveness and power. There’s a reason behind its shape and power, so it’s wrong to judge it solely based on appearance and claim that modern bullets are more powerful.

※5. Holland & Holland

All their guns are made-to-order, custom-made, and handcrafted, making them a super high-end gun manufacturer, favored by British aristocrats.

Each gun is exquisitely adorned with engravings, with prices starting from 23 million yen for a double rifle. A side-by-side double-barreled shotgun starts from 10 million yen, and they also produce bolt-action rifles, which are comparatively reasonable, starting from 6 million yen.

Holland & Holland is best known for its horizontal side-by-side double rifles with large calibers. Nobles take pride in taking down elephants, rhinos, and lions with just two shots. In reality, they often have an attendant carrying the same rifle, and if they miss two shots, they immediately switch rifles and have the attendant reload until they hit another two shots. Of course, this is all for the sake of boasting later, showing off the trophy with the fur turned towards the front, claiming, “I took it down with this rifle,” and having the attendant say, “Wow, that’s incredible, sir! You took it down with just two shots!”