He handed Mack back his rifle—half wondering if he should keep it in case he needed to ward off the colonel. Would a .30-06 be big enough? Sure, it could bring down an elk, but at the moment Gibson looked to be made of much tougher stuff than he had at first.
“Crazy rifle, old man,” he spoke to Mack to have something to say. “I’d never get off a second shot.”
Mack hefted it. “We’re gonna have to fix that, Pat, my boy. Can’t have you go through life shooting the wrong way round.”
“I don’t. I shoot right-handed like most civilized folks.” Mack’s Winchester Model 70 was set up with a very rare left-handed bolt. If shot from the right shoulder, it would be very awkward to work the bolt handle mounted on the wrong side. And it would have a tendency to eject hot metal directly into the shoote
