ERNIE AND I SHOOT THE $#%&

On my antelope hunt to Wyoming this fall I stopped and had a quick visit with Ernie near Gillette. We had dinner one night and shot the $#%& mostly; I didn't quite have enough time to shoot the pistolas with him.

See you next year if not before, Ernie my friend.

Gregg

PS: Bison patty compliments of Durham Buffalo Ranch.

Good deal. I hope to bump into him after the first of the year or so.

Sounds like fun! I know your hunched down and farther back in the pic but how tall is Ernie? I remember you being pretty darn tall when I met you Gregg!

Hi pab1,

I am 6'8" but Ernie is a big boy; I'd guess him at 6'2"? I am pretty sure he could kick my A*% these days as I have lost an honest 53 pounds and a lot of it was muscle mass due to my current situation.

Yes we had fun but like most fun things in life it didn't last long enough!

I was going to be shocked if he was taller than you! Sorry to hear about your situation and weight/muscle loss. Wish you the best.

That's quite the S$/& you shot

I am 6 foot and 2".
I was also slightly closer to the camera.
Targets go beyond 2000 yards.
On the ball at 10 and 1 are my two shots.
This is the furthest target there, that I know of.
I rarely shoot this far.

Incredible Ernie. One day I'll have to get out there again just to watch. It still amazes me.

Gregg and I always enjoy getting together. This forum was the means of us meeting. The antelope hunt he puts on each year, puts him about a 35-40 minute drive from Gillette.
It has also allowed me to meet other guys and gals too, which has been nice.

Distance isn't real hard, IF, the conditions are nice, assuming your rig has the capability.
Mastering and practicing the fundamentals is key.
Other than that, it is just drop and drift.
The hard part is sustained shooting at distance, running a condition, and of course, that first cold bore shot, where you have to guesstimate the conditions.
It's fun, challenging, and humbling.

What you don't see in that picture is the first two shots, that didn't hit the target.
On my first shot, I was given a correction (I didn't see my own impact).
On the second shot, I saw my impact just off the edge, made a quick correction and fired two shots as quick as possible.
I was shooting someone else's gun that I had never used before.

Ernie, what is your shortest barreled handguns longest shot? And what caliber?

My shortest specialty pistols are 14 and 15 inches. I have used them at the MOA BR match: 5-shot group shooting at 500, 750, and 1000 yards.
I have shot 5 shot groups that are 1/2 MOA out to 1000 yards with them.
One was MOA Maximum in 6.5-284, and the other is a XP-100 in 6mm Long Dasher.
The Long Dasher has grouped well out to 1400 yards, but I haven't tried further than that.
It will easily shoot further than that though.
My 6 XC HSP has a 15" barrel and was putting them close together (beautiful conditions) at 1280 yards the other day at a mountain shooting school.

Very impressive. I may venture down that road someday. May be my retirement hobby.

Craig, It really is exactly as Ernie says; if you are already "a shooter;" have more or less mastered the fundamentals of shooting, and don't "know it all" and are willing to learn, it is very doable and possible. Especially with Ernie as your coach. And if you are really really lucky enough, with his equipment.

However, like most fun things in life, long range shooting costs money. We always try to compensate Ernie fairly after a session.

Here is a video of one of my sessions:
Shooting A Long Range Specialty Pistol

Listen closely to the part where Ernie describes some of the details of how his gun is set up. The equipment is of course of utmost importance.

Gregg


PS: Here is the video of Ernie's son Eric hunting his antelope buck with a 6.5-284 specialty pistol:
Antelope Hunt With A Long Range Specialty Pistol

The cost is paying for the components that are used and then sometimes I get a meal out of it

If you know what you were doing, you can get in the long-range shooting cheaper than most people think.

Now this is using a rifle, but it?s a good example. For an article for Eastman?s I was going to do, I wanted to use a plain Jane over the counter rifle with no modifications. I looked around and saw a deal for a Tikka rifle it end up being the 6.5 x 55 Swede, it had a one in eight twist chrome moly barrel. I picked it up with shipping for right at $550.
If you?re patient, you can find used guns cheaper.
If, I would?ve put a 10 power or 16 power super sniper scope on it I would?ve had a long range rig for under $1000 .
3-shots at 500 yards using a bipod and small field bag.
https://imgur.com/a/JDoD8
Now, if you have a contender or an encore, all you have to do is order a barrel from MGM (and other companies)with the proper twist and there you go.

Great video Gregg. I may pick your brain some Ernie in the near future. Thanks for sharing.

3-shot group (looks like two, but it is 3) at 500 yards with the factory Tikka, I referred to earlier that Dan shot.

Thats nice shooting rifle or not. Good job!

Thanks.
That was Dan shooting the last three shots I had loaded.
Pretty good for a factory rifle with no modifications, such as: bedding or re-crowning of the barrel.